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Divergent paths coming together

The Gators have stuck together while the 'Noles have had to be held apart.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 30, 2002

Ron Zook knew his first season as coach at Florida wasn't going to be smooth. So before the season started he met with his players and warned them they were about to embark on a journey that would include much adversity.

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How they handled the tough times, he told them, would determine what type of players they were and what type of season they would have.

His words seem prophetic. And he could have delivered the same speech two hours up the road in Tallahassee.

For the first time since 1986, Florida and Florida State have at least three losses each going into their game. What differs is how the teams have handled their problems. In the midst of turmoil, the Seminoles turned on each other while the Gators turned to each other.

"There has never been any finger-pointing on this team," Gators senior safety Todd Johnson said. "It all goes back to the coaches; they've done a great job keeping us together. They believed in us, and we believed in each other, especially in the tough times. And that has made us a much closer team."

Seven games into the season, the Gators had three losses -- one more than all of last season -- and were on a two-game losing streak. They had lost to Ole Miss and were beaten badly at home by LSU.

Fans were calling for Zook's head and, even more, questioning whether he should have been hired. But the players wouldn't hear it. They staunchly defended Zook and the new coaching staff and criticized fans who booed at games. There was no chink in the Gators' armor.

"I'm proud of that," Zook said. "A place like the University of Florida, there's a lot of media pressure. They've hung together, and when there is a lot of pressure, they've resisted that and stood together. I think it shows you the closeness of the team and the staff." On the other hand, Florida State has been vocal about its problems.

After Notre Dame beat the 'Noles, who dropped to 5-3, many players publicly criticized quarterback Chris Rix. He had thrown two interceptions and fumbled once, repeating the mistakes of the previous season.

Senior defensive end Alonzo Jackson, named a captain that week, unleashed a tirade in the locker room at his coaches for how they handled, or mishandled, the quarterback position. Teammates had to physically escort him out of the locker room so he could calm down out of earshot of the media.

FSU coach Bobby Bowden, who less than a month before had said Rix was the solid No. 1, benched him in favor of Adrian McPherson, a move that energized the team.

This week, more controversy. McPherson was dismissed and charged with being involved in a check cashing/forgery case.

On top of it all the Seminoles have endured injuries to key players, including the loss of tailback Greg Jones to a knee injury. It forced the offense to change its identity midstream.

"We started off the season trying to run 50 percent, throw 50 percent," Bowden said. "But after a few games it was very obvious our strength was running. ... Then all of a sudden you have three tailbacks down and then your center's out, your guard's out and you have to shift into another area and have to throw more."

Florida enters tonight's game on a four-game winning streak, and FSU is coming off a loss to N.C. State and is dealing with McPherson's arrest.

"To have something like this happen at this time, it seems like it's one thing after another happens to us as a team for the past couple of years," Jackson said. "I'm just hoping this brings the team closer together. We need this win."

-- Times staff writer Brian Landman contributed to this report.

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