College football

Gators coach seeking more from top receiver

By wire services
Published September 28, 2005

GAINESVILLE - UF wide receiver Chad Jackson is fifth in the country with eight receptions per game. He's 19th in scoring and receiving yards a game. He leads the SEC in average receptions and receiving yards.

That's not enough, though. Jackson hasn't been a member of coach Urban Meyer 's weekly champion's club. Jackson is struggling with consistency, Meyer said.

"Every play, every down, he's got to be consistent blocking and running routes, and he's not consistent," Meyer said.

O-LINE IMPROVES: Meyer said the offensive line had one of its best practices. He said part of that was guard Tavares Washington 's return to full-speed. Washington missed the Kentucky game with a hyperextended elbow.

"The offensive line had a good day, a real good day," Meyer said. "As long as we continue to get better, that's all that matters."

Without Washington, Meyer said his guards, mainly Jim Tartt and Drew Miller , stepped up, but the guard play still has to improve.

TENNESSEE IMPRESSES: Meyer was interviewed by ESPN at halftime of Monday's Tennessee-LSU game but he missed most of the game.

"My wife filled me in on the whole deal, and I just saw the end of it," he said. "It was unbelievable." Tennessee was down 21-0 at one point but won in overtime 30-27.

DEGORY HONORED: UF center Mike Degory was named the SEC offensive lineman of the week, the first Gator to do so since the award's inception last season. He is the SEC's active leader with 42 consecutive starts.

- IAN FISHER, Times correspondent

TAMPA - One key to competing with Miami Saturday will be containing return specialist Devin Hester , and kick coverage will be a priority in practice this week.

Hester returned three punts and a kickoff for touchdowns last season, and when asked the last time his team had faced such a threat on returns, coach Jim Leavitt was blunt.

"We never have," he said. "It's just speed. He has great speed."

ANTI-GIPPER: Leavitt is often touted as a good motivator, but he said he puts little stock in pregame speeches because successful teams are self-motivated.

"Our players have got to have the ability to get themselves up," Leavitt said. "I'll never forget, I was at a Division II school, against Minnesota-Morris, in the playoffs. (Player) comes up, grabs me and says "Coach, that was the greatest speech you ever gave.' We got crushed. I sat there and thought, "What good did that do?' I think it's a bunch of baloney. It comes down to preparation and how focused a player can be."

INJURY UPDATE: Leavitt said safety Danny Verpaele , recovering from a foot injury, will not play this week. Verpaele hasn't returned to practice, and with only six regular-season games left he has the option of redshirting. Defensive end Jarriett Buie no longer has a boot on his injured ankle but is not practicing yet either.

- GREG AUMAN, Times staff writer

TALLAHASSEE - In the first three games, defenses facing the Seminoles have schemed against the run, preferring that redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford lead FSU with his arm.

That's fine with tailback Lorenzo Booker , who considers ignorance bliss for young players.

"I just feel like teams are going to respect the pass more now than they did last year at any point during the season," Booker, a junior, said. "When you have young guys playing that are just removed from high school, they don't think about the same things a veteran would think of like crowd noise, or what this person or that person is saying. They don't think they're supposed to lose any games for any reason."

As a sophomore in 2004, Booker had 85 yards on 15 carries, contributing to FSU's 258 rushing yards against Syracuse in a 17-13 win. Coach Bobby Bowden , however, envisions potential concerns for his underclassmen against the Orange on Saturday.

"You can imagine the pro coach (Syracuse coach and former NFL defensive coordinator Greg Robinson ) going in there and using all the stuff he knows," Bowden said. "He'll have a good idea of how to confuse them."

-D.C. REEVES, Times correspondent

CORAL GABLES - Junior safety Brandon Meriweather was named ACC defensive back of the week after a 13-tackle performance against Colorado that included three tackles for losses and an interception in a 23-3 win.

INJURY UPDATE: Coach Larry Coker said linebacker Tavares Gooden (shoulder) will not play against USF. ... Freshman cornerback Randy Phillips (knee) did not practice and also is out. ... Safety Greg Threat will most likely play. "Greg has a thigh bruise. I think he'll be fine," Coker said.

[Last modified September 28, 2005, 02:30:38]