College football

One on each side honored for rout

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published November 29, 2005

GAINESVILLE - Based on their performances in a 34-7 win over Florida State, two Gators earned league honors Monday. Senior strong safety Jarvis Herring was named SEC defensive player of the week, and Randy Hand was offensive lineman of the week.

Herring led the Gators (8-3) with nine tackles, two for losses, and had an interception on the 1-yard line as FSU threatened to score. Hand graded out at 90 percent and the offensive line allowed two sacks. He also had a 1-yard carry on a botched trick play.

Receiver Chad Jackson received honorable mention for his game-high nine receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.

TOURNAMENT READY: Mary Wise may be the happiest coach on campus this week.

Her fourth-ranked volleyball team (CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll) gained a No.8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and is hosting the first and second rounds this week. Having been to the tournament the past 14 seasons, Wise knows how important homecourt advantage can be.

"I don't want to downplay how huge we feel it is, and how fortunate we are to be given a host site," Wise said. "It's an arena our players are familiar with, they're comfortable, it's big for our serving and we don't have to travel. You look at the tournament and see the No.3 (Washington) and No.4 seeds (Arizona) are both going on the road."

The Gators (30-2) play Florida Atlantic (29-2) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Florida A&M (22-5) plays No.25 Kansas State (20-10) at 5. The winners meet 7 p.m. Friday.

NCAA women's volleyball has not reached the point where all 64 teams are seeded, so for now it's the top 16 teams. Earning a seed is critical.

"After that, it's all about where you live," Wise said. "It's a much more regional tournament than you see in men's basketball. Right now it's who's in your neighborhood, and truthfully, if Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic weren't as good as they were, we'd be on the road. So we are absolutely ecstatic to be playing at home."

The Gators opened the season with four goals: win the SEC regular season, win the SEC tournament title, play well enough to have a chance to host and play their best volleyball at the end of the season. Wise believes they've accomplished them all. Now they'll see how it translates in the tournament. Two years ago, the Gators made it to the national finals. Last season, they were ousted in the second round. Wise said once teams advance, it's all about how well opponents match up.

FRESHMAN HONORS: Point guard Sha Brooks was named SEC freshman of the week. She led the Gators (5-1) in scoring in all three of their wins and scored 19 Sunday against Stetson (in which she had 17 of the team's first 22 points). Brooks is shooting 61.5 percent from 3-point range and is the only Gator who has scored in double figures in every game this season.

The Gators play at Charlotte and Temple this week, capping a stretch of five of their first six games away from the O'Dome. Coach Carolyn Peck said there's a benefit to the early road schedule.

"Having a team where there's such a separation in class - we have seniors and freshmen, then a few in between - so when you go on the road that's an opportunity for chemistry to build even more," Peck said. "It also helps our younger players, with the older players, understand the importance of focus."

SCHEDULE VARIES: For the foreseeable future, the Florida-Florida State basketball game will be played on the night before the football game whenever it's in Gainesville, but the dates will vary when the game is in Tallahassee.

Florida coach Billy Donovan said last week he likes having the game as a precursor to the football game, adding he's not caught up in the idea that the game has to stand on its own. FSU coach Leonard Hamilton prefers playing the game separate from the football game, so the schools have decided to schedule it per the home team coach's preference.

RECRUITING UPDATE: St. Augustine's Brandon James told Urban Meyer Monday he will commit, according to rivals.com. The 5-foot-6, 167-pound running back is the teammate and half-brother of cornerback Jacques Rickerson , who committed to Meyer in the locker room after the Gators' win over Florida State. James can play both sides of the ball.

--Antonya English covers Florida athletics. She can be reached at 813 610-4029 or english@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 29, 2005, 02:15:28]