Colleges

WR Harvin back at practice for UF

Coach Urban Meyer says the Gators receiver had "a great day."

By Times staff
Published August 19, 2007

GAINESVILLE - Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin practiced Saturday despite a sore Achilles' tendon.

"He's a tough guy, so he's battling through it," coach Urban Meyer said. "I don't think he's 100 percent ... but he had a great day today."

Offensive tackle Phil Trautwein sat out with a minor ankle sprain. Trautwein had been playing through the injury for almost two weeks, Meyer said. The lineman is expected to practice again Monday.

Cornerback Markihe Anderson missed practice with a groin injury. He is also expected to return Monday.

RUNNING SECOND: Hillsbor-ough High graduate Jarred Fayson will likely be the backup to junior Kestahn Moore at running back. Sophomore Brandon James is also in the mix, Meyer said.

Fayson, who played wide receiver last season, is making the switch primarily because Florida is loaded at the receiver position but lacks depth at running back.

Running backs coach Stan Drayton said that he doesn't have to do a whole lot of technical coaching to help Fayson make the transition because of the sophomore's speed and natural ability.

"You just put the ball in his hands and let him do what he does," Drayton said.

Meyer has yet to name Tim Tebow's backup at quarterback, but he said Cameron Newton is the frontrunner ahead of fellow freshman John Brantley.

MORE DESTRIPINGS: Four more freshmen had the black stripes removed from their helmets Friday night, a ritual of Meyer's once he deems a first-year player worthy of being on the team. Defensive end Justin Trattou, linebacker Jerimy Finch, defensive tackle Torrey Davis and offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey are now considered members of the team.

Bryan Jones, Times correspondent

USF: Not ready yet

TAMPA - USF's first intrasquad scrimmage left much to be desired from coaches, especially on the offensive side, but coach Jim Leavitt stressed his team still has two weeks to prepare for its opener against Division I-AA Elon.

"I'd say both groups have a lot of work to do," Leavitt said. "We're not ready today. The guys came out, played hard, did a few things here and there, but we're not where we need to be."

Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said his starting 11 is almost set, with weakside linebacker the only job still closely contested, where junior Brouce Mompremier is trying to hold off sophomore Donte Spires.

"It looks like that's what it's going to be going in (to Elon)," Burnham said. "It's pretty close. We still have a little thing to clean up at (weakside) linebacker because Donte's really pushing. He's just so far behind on the learning curve."

Freshman running backs Mike Ford and Jamar Taylor scored on touchdown runs in the 100-play scrimmage, but offensive coordinator Greg Gregory didn't like the turnovers and penalties that stifled his offense.

"It's hard to tell if you can move the ball when you have penalties in short yardage that knock you out of short yardage into third and long," Gregory said. "We had two turnovers down in the red zone ... had a personal foul on offense in the red zone. ... When you're struggling, you cannot have those mistakes."

Greg Auman, Times staff writer

FSU: Hits and misses

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State is still looking for consistency. The offense jumped out for two quick touchdowns, then struggled to muster a first down during the second half of its scrimmage.

It was a far cry from Thursday's scrimmage when the offense was effective and efficient.

"When you are a .500 football team, that's how you play: good one day, bad the next," offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said.

Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee combined for 12 consecutive incomplete passes at one point, but Fisher pointed to breakdowns on the offensive line.

"Joe Namath ain't going to complete it if you don't protect," he said.

Weatherford finished 5-of-15 for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Lee was 5-of-13 for 35 yards. Although the numbers weren't pretty, Fisher was pleased the quarterbacks were turnover-free.

KICKING HIGHLIGHTS: Gary Cismesia was 6-of-7 on field goals during the morning's special teams scrimmage with a long of 43. His only miss was from 38 yards.

INJURY REPORT: Starters Tony Carter (quadriceps/knee), Geno Hayes (neck), and Roger Williams (hamstring) were held out again for precautionary reasons.

Jamey Givens, Times correspondent

UM: Fun levels up

CORAL GABLES - The Hurricanes worked on kickoff coverage and returns before breaking into their regular practice schedule. A couple of long field goals from Daren Daly and Francesco Zampogna highlighted early morning work.

"It was a good workout having just coming off a two-a-day," coach Randy Shannon said. "We worked on a couple of specific situations. Guys had fun today. If we keep the enthusiasm day in and day out, we're going to be fine."

Times wires

[Last modified August 19, 2007, 00:44:08]