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Track and Field

Williams Claims Bronze In 400m To Earn Second Gator Medal Of World Outdoors

OSAKA, Japan - Former University of Florida standout Novlene Williams

became the second Gator to win a medal at the IAAF World Outdoor

Championships on Wednesday, taking third with a time of 49.66.

Williams' mark, which was identical to her semifinal-winning effort

from just two days earlier, is the fifth-fastest outdoor time in the

world this year. Just .05 separated Williams and winner Christine

Ohuruogu of Great Britain.

The bronze medal is the second piece of World Championships hardware

that Williams has collected in her career, as she won silver with the

Jamaican 4x400m relay in 2005. She also owns a bronze medal in the

4x400m from the 2004 Olympic Games.

Not yet done in Osaka, Williams and her Jamaican teammates will take to

the track to begin their quest for another 4x400m medal when heats begin

on Wednesday.

Williams is the second Gator in as many days to win a medal at the

World Outdoors, as former UF star Kerron Clement ran to gold in the

400mH on Tuesday with a time of 47.61. With the win, he became just the

fourth Florida male to win a world track & field championship, and the

second to win gold in an individual event.

T&F Announces The Signing Of 14 Student-Athletes For The 2008 Season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - University of Florida head track and field coach

Mike Holloway has announced the signing of 14 athletes to begin

competing for the Gators in 2008.

Geoffrey Anderson (Williston, Fla./P.K. Yonge HS), Michael Anderson

(Williston, Fla./P.K. Yonge HS), R.J. Anderson (Big Pine Key, Fla./Key

West HS), Mario Ariet (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS), Jarius Cooper

(Palm Coast, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast HS), Theo Fulger (Gainesville,

Fla./Buchholz HS), Stefan Hommel (Albershausen, Germany/University of

Stuttgart), Adam Montague (Townsville, Australia/Anglican Church Grammar

School), Andrew Revelle (Columbia, Md./Atholton HS), Seth Schisler

(Merritt Island, Fla./Cocoa Beach HS), Solomon Taylor (Ocala,

Fla./Vanguard HS), Kyle Teeter (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenney HS),

Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse HS) and Alex Wills (Orlando,

Fla./Colonial HS) will all compete for the Gators beginning with the

2007-08 season.

Geoffrey Anderson, the twin brother of Michael, owns personal bests of

4:31.52 (1,600m) and 9:37.40 (3,200m) and is a three-time Florida Class

1A state runner-up in track and cross country. Geoffrey ran the first

leg of the winning 2007 Class 1A 4x800m (8:07.78), while also taking

fourth in the 1,600m (4:34.94) to help lead P.K. Yonge to the team

title. At the 2006 state meet, he was second to his brother in the

3,200m (9:54.55), while also guiding P.K. Yonge to the state crown.

During cross country, Geoffrey took second to his brother at both the

2006 Class 1A state meet (16:14) and the 2005 state championships

(16:12).

Michael Anderson is the twin brother of Geoffrey Anderson and capped

his high school career with six state titles to his credit. He claims

PRs of 4:19.38 (1,600m) and 9:13.09 (3,200m). At the 2007 Florida Class

1A state meet, Michael won the 1,600m (4:19.38), the 3,200m (9:34.17)

and ran the anchor leg of the winning 4x800m (8:07.78) en route to P.K.

Yonge capturing the state crown. At the 2006 state championships, he won

the 3,200m (9:47.91) and took third in the 1,600m (4:26.35) as P.K.

Yonge also won the team title. During the 2007 cross country campaign,

Michael finished 37th at the Foot Locker Nationals (16:29) after taking

eighth at the Foot Locker South Regional (15:12). He won the Florida

Class 1A state title in 2006 (15:42) and 2005 (15:53) and took third as

a sophomore in 2004 (15:56). His PR of 15:12 in 2006 was the No. 1 time

in the state of Florida.

R.J. Anderson recently completed his sophomore season at Baylor and

will arrive in Gainesville ready to compete as a junior in 2008. He owns

a best of 47.04 in the 400m, which he achieved while finishing 11th at

the 2007 Big 12 Outdoor Championships. As a freshman in 2006, Anderson

was the leadoff leg of the Big 12 indoor mile relay champions and the

NCAA Midwest Regional 4x400m champions. He also earned All-Big 12 honors

as part of the indoor distance medley relay. In high school, he captured

the 2005 Florida Class 2A state title in the 400m (47.71) and he set Key

West High School records in the 400m, 800m and as part of the 4x100m,

4x200m, 4x400m and 4x800m relays.

Ariet competed in track and field during only his senior season at

Buchholz High School and posted a best of 155-9.50 in the discus. Also a

defensive end and linebacker for the football team, Ariet was the

Florida Class 4A District 1 champion in the discus (155-9.50) and he

finished third at the Class 4A Region 1 meet (150-7).

Cooper capped the 2007 season as the top-ranked 110m hurdler in the

state of Florida, and was ranked among the nation's top-25 with a

personal best of 13.85, which he ran at the 5-Star Conference Meet on

April 3. Cooper claimed the 2007 Florida Class 4A state title in the

110m hurdles (13.97), ran the third leg of the fourth-place 4x400m

(3:18.46) and captured sixth in the 300m hurdles in 38.50, helping

Flagler Palm Coast to the state crown.

A high jumper from Buchholz High School, Fulger owns a PR of 6-8. At

the 2007 Florida Class 4A state meet, he tied for first after clearing

6-8, but finished second due to previous misses. He also took third at

the Class 4A Region 1 meet after clearing 6-4 and was second at the

Class 4A District 1 meet.

Hommel will enter Florida as a junior after transferring from the

University of Stuttgart in Germany. Ranked among the world's top 55

decathletes, He has a personal best of 7,746 in the decathlon and 5,722

in the heptathlon. Both marks would be records at Florida. Hommel

finished 2006 ranked No. 34 in the world in the heptathlon and was

ranked No. 30 in 2005. In 2006, his PR of 7,746 was the No. 52 decathlon

score in the world.

Montague will throw the javelin for the Gators as a junior in 2008

after spending his first two collegiate campaigns at North Carolina. He

won the 2007 NCAA East Regional javelin title at James G. Pressly

Stadium with a personal-best toss of 242-2, just weeks before claiming

All-America honors with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships

(236-1). He also finished second in the javelin at both the 2006 and

2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, and captured the 2006 U.S.

Junior National championship with a throw of 222-8. Prior to entering

the college ranks, Montague collected four U.S. Youth national crowns,

while also winning the 2005 under-20 title in Australia.

Revelle captured seven Maryland state titles while competing at

Atholton High School. On the track, he owns a best of 4:14.83 (1,600m)

and claimed four state crowns in his career. At the 2007 Maryland Class

2A state meet, he won his second 1,600m title in breaking the class

record by more than two seconds in 4:14.83. At the 2006 Maryland Class

2A-3A indoor state meet, he won the 800m (2:01.22) and the 1,600m

(4:26.81) en route to being named the Washington Post Indoor Track &

Field Athlete of the Year, as his high school won its first state title

since 1998. Revelle also won the 2005 Class 2A outdoor title in the

1,600m (4:24.21) as a sophomore. During cross country, he claimed the

2006 (16:16.24), 2005 (16:44.88) and 2004 (17:26) Class 2A state titles

and finished 16th at the 2006 Foot Locker Northeast Regional (15:47.9).

Schisler took part in track and field during only his junior and senior

seasons for Cocoa Beach High School. He owns a best of 166-11 in the

discus. At the 2007 Florida Class 2A state meet, he took second in the

discus with a mark of 153-4.75. He won the Class 2A Region 4 title

(164-10) as well as the Class 2A District 13 crown (156-10).

Taylor was a standout half-miler at Vanguard High School in Ocala. As a

junior in 2006, he posted the No. 2 time in the state in the 800m with a

mark of 1:53.45 - also a personal best. At the 2007 Florida Class 3A

state meet, he finished second in the 800m (1:54.85) after taking fifth

as a junior in 2006 in 1:56.13. He also competed at the 2005 Class 3A

state meet and was third in the 800m (1:56.35).

Teeter recently capped his career at Bishop Kenny High School by

recording a PR and the No. 10 time in the state of Florida in the 400m

(48.27). He took fourth at the 2007 Florida Class 4A state meet with a

time of 48.31 after setting his career best in winning the Class 4A

Region 1 title in 48.27. He also claimed the 2007 Class 4A District 4

crown in 48.78 and owns a best of 21.96 in the 200m.

Wilks finished the 2007 indoor season ranked fifth in the nation in the

55m (6.29), 10th in the 200m (21.61) and 13th in the 300m (34.69). He

also owns a PR of 10.42 in the 100m, which tied for 13th in the nation,

and 21.26 in the 200m. He won 2007 Connecticut state championships in

the 100m and the outdoor 200m, while also garnering All-America honors

in the 60m and the indoor 200m, en route to being named the Hartford

Courant State Athlete of the Year. He also placed ninth in the 200m

(21.75) and 11th in the 100m (10.87) at the 2007 Nike Outdoor Nationals

in June. A four-year member of the Hillhouse honor roll, Wilks was also

an all-state wide receiver in football and was the National Football

Foundation & College Hall of Fame's Student-Athlete of the Month in

March of 2007.

Wills owns bests of 4:18.44 (1,600m) and 9:10.35 (3,200m) after a

standout career at Colonial High School. He captured the 2007 Florida

Class 4A state title in the 1,600m (4:18.44) and was fourth in the

3,200m (9:42.66). Wills won the 2007 Florida Relays high school title in

the 3,200m in 9:10.35 - the No. 1 time in the state of Florida this

year. At the 2006 state meet, he took third in the 1,600m (4:22.93). A

four-time Florida Class 4A state cross country qualifier, he was third

in 2006 (16:08), second in 2005 (16:14) and third in 2004 (15:42).

The 15 athletes join LaMarr Davis (Raleigh, N.C./East Wake HS) and

Anthony Morales (Bunnell, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast HS), who signed with

Florida in the fall. Davis, an 800m specialist, focused on the 400m in

2007 and recorded the No. 18 time in the nation (47.04), while also

claiming the North Carolina Class 4A state title in the event. Morales

capped his prep career by running the anchor leg of the Florida Class 4A

state champion 4x800m (7:55.15), while also finishing sixth in the

1,600m (4:22.68).

Also expected to run for UF beginning in 2008 are freshmen Deonte

Thompson (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central HS) and Chris Rainey

(Lakeland, Fla./Lakeland HS), both of whom also play football for the

Gators. A sprinter with PRs of 10.47 in the 100m and 21.29 in the 200m,

Thompson was named the 2007 South Florida Sun-Sentinel High School

Athlete of the Year after leading Glades Central to a Class 3A state

football championship and winning the Class 2A state title in the 200m.

He also captured both the 100m and the 200m at the Class 2A Region 4

meet as a senior. Rainey, also a sprinter, claims personal bests of

10.61 in the 100m, 21.50 in the 200m and 23-9 in the long jump. His PRs

in the 200m and the long jump came at the 2007 FHSAA Class 4A state

meet, where he finished fourth and second, respectively; he also

recorded a runner-up finish in the 100m at the same meet (10.73). Rainey

was also a standout tailback at Lakeland HS, leading the school to

three-straight Class 5A state titles and garnering 2006 Offensive Player

of the Year honors from the Lakeland Ledger after breaking single-season

school records with 2,478 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns.

Football

RTS Announces Two New Shuttle Locations For Florida Football Fans

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The City of Gainesville Regional Transit System

(RTS) announced two new Gator Aider Park-n-Ride Bus shuttle locations

for the 2007 University of Florida football season on Wednesday. One

site will be in the Downtown area and the other will be at Tioga Town

Center.

The Downtown Gator Aider Park-n-Ride site has been moved to the SW

Downtown Parking Garage. Cars should enter the parking garage from SW

3rd Street off of University Avenue to park and Gator Aider tickets will

be sold on the corner of SW 1st Avenue and SW 2nd Street. The former

site at the Downtown Plaza location has been permanently closed. RTS has

also added a fifth convenient Gator Aider Park-n-Ride location at the

Tioga Town Center off of West Newberry Road on SW 128th Street.

The RTS Gator Aider can take people right to the stadium. Single-game

tickets may be purchased at Park-n-Ride locations on game days only for

$6 per game. People can pre-purchase a season pass at the new Downtown

Station for $30 and save $12.

Since the Gator Aider service begins three hours before each UF home

game, people can arrive in time for Gator Walk, but keep in mind that

the last bus to the stadium departs 10 minutes before game time. Coming

from the stadium, returning Gator Aider buses start at the beginning of

the 4th quarter and run through the first hour after the game.

Don't deal with crowded, overpriced parking or a long walk to Florida

Field. Instead, use one of the five convenient Gator Aider Park-n-Ride

locations and the RTS Gator Aider shuttle service will drive people

right to the stadium for all UF home football games. Gator Aider

Park-n-Ride sites are located at the Hilton University of Florida

Conference Center at the corner of SW 34th Street and Hull Road, the

Oaks Mall south parking lot behind Macy's (also available for Gator

Growl), Haile Plantation in The Village Center on SW 91st Terrace, the

SW Downtown Parking Garage site between SW 2nd and SW 3rd Street and the

Tioga Town Center off of West Newberry Road on SW 128th Street. For more

information, visit the RTS website for Gator Aider location maps at

www.GO-RTS.com.

Volleyball

Promotional and Parking Information For VB's Campus USA Credit Union Invitational

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The seventh-ranked University of Florida

volleyball team has announced that fans with a ticket stub from the

Gator football team's game against Western Kentucky on Sept. 1 may

attend its 4 p.m. match versus No. 19 Santa Clara free of charge. The

match will open the second day of the Campus USA Credit Union

Invitational.

Due to the combination of hot summer weather, doors to the Stephen C.

O'Connell Center will open at 1:30 p.m. EST. Fans without a football

ticket stub may purchase tickets at Gate One of the O'Connell Center

when gates open.

Fans will be able to keep up with the action in Ben Hill Griffin

Stadium through the use of the O'Connell Center's state-of-the-art

video boards. The broadcast will be picked up at halftime and shown with

full sound until shortly before the volleyball match, when the Gators

will dim the lights and fire up the video boards for their

introductions.

The football game will be picked up, minus the sound, if it continues

after volleyball action has gotten underway.

Fans are also encouraged to utilize the Gator Aider shuttle for their

parking needs, as space will be extremely limited due to the football

game. The shuttle will operate from the Oaks Mall, and will be free of

charge after 3 p.m.

On Friday, Aug. 31, parking restrictions have been lifted for the

O'Connell Center parking lot for fans attending the opening matches

of the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. Parking will also be open

at the north end of the UF track & field complex, just off of 2nd

Avenue, from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EST.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Women's Soccer

Florida State Opens 2007 Season At Portland Tournament

The Seminoles will take on host Portland and Cal State Northridge this weekend.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Believe it or not, the fall semester has arrived and the campus is buzzing with students, new and old, ready for the school year to begin. On the field, the student-athletes are gearing up for the start of their respective seasons ready to switch gears from training and practice mode to real, live game situations. And that day for the women's soccer team begins this Saturday, September 1 when the Seminoles travel out west to play Portland and Cal State Northridge at the Portland Tournament to open the 2007 campaign.

For the second straight year, Florida State will open the season against Portland. This marks the first meeting between the two teams in Portland and the third meeting overall. The overall series is tied at one game a piece with the Seminoles riding a one-game win streak after capturing last year's match 2-1 in Tallahassee. FSU scored two unanswered goals in the second half to capture the come-from-behind victory over the top-ranked Pilots. Mami Yamaguchi scored the game-winner in the 80th minute to give the Seminoles their first win over a top-ranked team in school history.

The Seminoles will remain in Portland and face Cal State Northridge on Monday, September 3 in the first meeting between the two schools. It also marks the first time FSU has faced an opponent out of the Big West Conference. The Seminoles own an all-time record of 14-19-6 all-time when facing an opponent on a neutral site field.

Fans can follow all the action at the Portland Tournament over the internet as live stats will be available at http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/wsoccer/xlive.htm . Fans can also take advantage of a free live radio broadcast of the FSU/Portland match on Saturday only at the following web address:

http://www.portlandpilots.com/broadcast/

WHO'S BACK AND WHO'S NOT IN 2007

Florida State returns six of 11 starters from the 2006 College Cup team and 14 of 24 letterwinners for the upcoming season. The Seminoles return just four seniors in 2007, the smallest senior class since 2003 and 2005 when Florida State listed two seniors on the roster. Those four seniors include Libby Gianeskis, Holly Peltzer, Melissa Samokishyn and Kirsten van de Ven. Ironically, in both those seasons FSU advanced to the College Cup.

The Garnet and Gold will look to replace three of their top four scorers from a season ago. The 10 letterwinners lost after last season accounted for 56.3% (72 of the 128 total points) of the total scoring in 2006. The Seminoles will be without the services of three key players in Selin Kuralay, Kelly Rowland and India Trotter. The trio combined for 55 starts a year ago. Kuralay and Trotter ranked one, two on the team in goals scored, points and shots on goal. Rowland tallied 14 points on five goals and four assists last year. Kuralay led the Florida State offense the past two seasons with a combined 29 goals, 70 points, 202 shots and 11 game-winning goals.

The Seminoles will also be without the services of Ali Mims in 2007 who graduated after last season. Mims started all 26 games a season ago posting a record of 18-4-4. The senior keeper set single-season school records for shutouts (11) and GAA (0.65) last year. She also leaves Florida State as the career leader in minutes played (5,926), wins (46), shutouts (20), GAA (0.93) and starts (61). She finished second in saves with 235.

NATIONALLY RANKED RECRUITING CLASS

Florida State achieved yet another program first as the 2007 recruiting class, which features 12 newcomers including three transfers, earned its highest ranking in school history. The Seminoles were recognized by Soccer Buzz with the nation's second best recruiting class in 2007, while grabbing the top spot in the Southeast Region. Both rankings are the highest garnered in the program's 13-year history. Five of FSU's freshmen recruits in 2007 were ranked among the top 150 in America by Soccer Buzz Magazine. Those student-athletes include Amanda DaCosta, Marissa Kazbour, Casey Lademann, Margo McAuley and Jessica Price. Erin McNulty was listed among the top international recruits in 2007 by Soccer Buzz as well.

OPENING DAY RECORDS

Florida State has posted a record of 7-4-1 on opening day including a mark of 2-3-0 when opening the season on the road. The Seminoles are 2-0-0 on opening day under head coach Mark Krikorian with one of those wins coming on the road. In his debut as Seminole head coach in 2005, FSU defeated nationally ranked Southern California 4-0 in Los Angeles. Florida State has won three straight season openers and is unbeaten in six of its last seven. This marks the second consecutive year that Florida State will open its season playing Portland.

ROAD WARRIORS

When Florida State takes to the pitch against the Pilots in Portland on September 1, they will be riding a streak that has been in existence for over three years. The Seminoles have not lost a non-conference regular season road game since falling 3-1 to the University of Kansas in Lawrence on September 12, 2003. Since that game, the Seminoles have won 11 straight on the road against non-conference foes outscoring the opposition 32-6. During the streak, FSU has posted six shutouts and won by two or more goals seven times.

Road Date, Destination, Results

September 14, 2006, Boca Raton, FL, Defeated Florida Atlantic, 2-1

September 3, 2006, Tempe, AZ, Defeated Loyola, Md., 3-1

September 1, 2006, Tempe, AZ, Defeated Arizona State, 1-0

September 16, 2005, Gainesville, FL, Defeated Florida 4-2

September 11, 2005, Oxford, MS, Defeated Ole Miss, 1-0

September 7, 2005, Orlando, FL, Defeated UCF, 3-0

August 28, 2005, Los Angeles, CA, Defeated Loyola Marymount, 2-1

August 26, 2005, Los Angeles, CA, Defeated Southern Cal, 4-0

October 7, 2003, Orlando, FL, Defeated UCF, 3-0

October 1, 2003, Tampa, FL, Defeated USF, 3-0

September 14, 2003, Lawrence, KS, Defeated San Diego State, 6-1

MILES AND MILES AWAY FROM HOME

Florida State will travel approximately 2,310 miles (3,717 kilometers) when it opens the 2007 season at the Portland Tournament. Surprisingly, the trip is the second farthest distance the Seminoles have traveled to play a match, regular and postseason, in school history. In 2000, FSU made its first trip to the state of Oregon taking on both the University of Oregon and Oregon State. Corvallis, Ore., the home of the Beavers, is the farthest any Florida State team has traveled to play a match covering approximately 2,323 miles (3,739 kilometers). Here is a look at how far some of the Seminoles on this year's roster traveled to attend Florida State University.

Name, Hometown, Mileage To Tallahassee

Erika Sutton, Arvada, Colorado, 1,339 miles (2,154 km)

Erin McNulty, Winnipeg, Canada, 1,505 miles (2,422 km)

Kirsten van de Ven, Heesch, the Netherlands, 4,553 miles (7,327 km)

Katrin Schmidt, Schleiden, Germany, 4,748 miles (7,640 km)

Sanna Talonen, Tampere, Finland, 4,941 miles (7,952 km)

Mami Yamaguchi, Tokyo, Japan, 7,055 miles (11,354 km)

* distance determined by drawing a straight line from Tallahassee to designated hometown

WEST COAST PERFECTION

Florida State's trip to Portland to face the Pilots and Cal State Northridge marks the third visit to the West Coast in school history. The two previous occasions were quite successful for the Seminoles as FSU is 4-0 lifetime when visiting the West Coast. In 2000, Florida State made its first-ever trip out West defeating Oregon (1-0) and Oregon State (2-1). Then in 2005, the Seminoles returned, this time playing for the first time in California, as they defeated Loyola Marymount (2-1, 2OT) and Southern Cal (4-0).

Football

No. 19 FSU Practices In Full Pads For The Last Time In Preparation For Clemson

Players and coaches will attend tonight's Seminole Uprising pep rally at Tully Gym.

Tallahassee, Fla. - With college football kicking off in just over 24 hours, the 19 th -ranked Seminoles, the last team to play on opening weekend, returned to the practice fields Wednesday. FSU practiced for 21 periods in pads. It was the last time the team will put on full pads until they step on the field Monday night versus Clemson. Florida State will return to practice Thursday.

PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS:

Practice opened up with special teams. The squad worked on field goal block, kick-off return and kick-off coverage.

After position group work, the offense and defense once again worked versus the scout teams.

There were a few nice plays during inside drills. Antone Smith and Jamaal Edwards both broke tackles and turned in nice runs. Xavier Lee had a great run on a scramble. Everette Brown and Neefy Moffett combined on a tackle for loss, Andre Fluellen disrupted a play with great penetration into the backfield as did Emmanuel Dunbar. Toddrick Verdell had a fumble recovery.

In 1-on-1 Tony Carter had two pass break-ups for the defense. D'Vontrey Richardson connected with Bert Reed but it was Drew Weatherford that made the biggest plays. The junior hit Damon McDaniel and then two big hook-ups with Richard Goodman. The first was a deep ball and the second was a highlight reel catch as Goodman leapt over the DB to make the catch.

In skeleton versus the scout team Weatherford completed two passes to Fagg, one to Rod Owens and a deep ball to Parker. For the defense Patrick Robinson had an interception and Dekoda Watson and Geno Hayes combined on a pass break-up.

The defensive line had the better of pass rush on Wednesday. Emmanuel Dunbar, Everette Brown and Letroy Guion all had multiple wins. Budd Thacker, Moffett, Fluellen and Paul Griffin also beat their blockers. On the other side Daron Rose won a couple battles as did Rodney Hudson and David Overmyer also got a win.

Weatherford continued to practice well in pass skel. He hit Fagg twice and Goodman twice. One to Goodman was a deep TD. The only big defensive highlight was Carter's pick.

11-on-11 was situational. In the first period it was pretty wide open and Weatherford was able to connect with Fagg and Charlie Graham. Xavier Lee completed a TD to Greg Carr. When the chains moved into the red zone, most of the plays were on the ground. Smith had two nice runs as did Edwards. Edwards converted two 3 rd -and-shorts. One he broke a tackle and took into the endzone. For the defense Brown had a QB pressure, Alex Boston and Fluellen had a tackle for loss on a 3 rd -and-short, Kendrick Stewart had a sack and Benjamin Lampkin and Paul Griffin stuffed a play right at the line stopping the offense from moving the chains.

QUOTES

Head Coach Bobby Bowden

On being in pads

"It's the last day in full pads, tomorrow we'll come out in shells. We've had two days in a row of full pads, working pretty hard. The heat hasn't let up, so they'll be in pretty good shape for that ballgame."

On being tired of hitting each other

"This time of the year it's true, all across the country. Everybody's tired of practicing, everybody's wanting to play somebody. We'll start slacking down now to get ready for that ballgame."

On practicing with crowd noise

"We'll definitely practice with noise. We might bring loud speakers out here or in the stadium. You can't get it as loud as it is in that stadium. That stadium you cannot hear, you couldn't hear a word I say."

On Tight End Depth

"We've got (Charlie) Graham and we've got (John) Frady working there. We've got (Tyler) Graves working there some on short yardage, also (Caz) Piurowski is sliding over there some on short yardage and goal line. Then you have two walk-ons (Sean) Compton and (Josh) Dobbie working with them."

Defensive Back Bernard Brinson

On having to sit out while waiting to be cleared to play

"I've gone through a lot. It was hard, I couldn't come out and show the coaches what I could do. They took me off a lot of special teams stuff because I wasn't out here. I just had to suck it up and take it like a man."

On what he did while waiting

"I went back home (Madison Co.) and did a little work on my own so I wouldn't fall off. I just tried to stay in shape. I was lifting weights and running on my own."

On being cleared

"I felt like I had a shot. I felt like they would call, I wanted them to call me sooner."

On being back to practice

"I had to work my way back up on special teams. Just came out and did a little hitting and stuff, showed them that I'm still in shape, that I'm not falling off."

On his first hit

"It felt good, it felt like I still had it."

Offensive Lineman Shannon Boatman

On offensive line chemistry

"We're brothers through this no matter what goes on. We need each other, we can always fall back on each other regardless on how tough the coaches have been and tough situations. That's one thing we've been learning."

On bonding together on and off the field

"Off the field we do a lot of things as far as the whole line. We're all gelling together and working together so no matter who we put out there as the starting five we all just know each other and we all know what to do to come together and gel and play well."

On their unity being noticeable

"It's real noticeable especially sometimes when we sneak out and go eat a buffet. People see how close we are and how we just laugh and play around. Even the coaches and the defense has noticed just how hard we play. Whenever somebody's down we always pick each other up."

[Last modified August 30, 2007, 01:22:55]