Colleges

Pouncey brothers are Gators' twin powers

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published November 7, 2007

Maurkice Pouncey can't understand why people find it so hard to tell him and his twin brother, Mike, apart. "In my opinion, I don't think we look alike anymore."
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Brian Cassella | Times] "Unbelievable," Florida coach Urban Meyer said after offensive lineman Michael Pouncey filled in at nose tackle Saturday. The Pouncey brothers are both 6-4 freshmen, though Mike outweighs Maurkice, left, by 2 pounds. Urban Meyer insists Mike's role on the defensive line is only set in stone for the remainder of the season. He might be the starting center next season.

GAINESVILLE - Every so often this fall, Michael and Maurkice Pouncey would joke with Florida co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison about joining the defensive line.

Clearly it was only a joke. After all, the Pouncey twins were an integral part of the offensive line on three state championship teams at Lakeland High - blocking for a team that gained 4,000 rushing yards in their senior season.

They were rated among the nation's top 15 at the position by both scout.com and rivals.com. They were, by definition, the quintessential offensive linemen.

But with a defensive line decimated by injuries and struggling, last week Mattison turned that joke into a serious offer - one Michael couldn't refuse.

"I just wanted to get a chance to get on the field and help the team," he said. "So when they asked, I was quick to say yeah in order to get on the field."

He didn't just get on the field, he rejuvenated the defense. In his first start at nose tackle against Vanderbilt, Mike Pouncey was in on 43 plays, had a deflected pass, two tackles for loss and two assists.

"That just shows the talent level, the focus and the ability that he has," says tailback Eric Rutledge, a former defensive lineman. "I definitely had a good feeling about it, because the kid's a monster. Both of them. I had no doubt he could do it, but to do it as quick as he did, that's something."

"Michael Pouncey was unbelievable," coach Urban Meyer said. "He had two days of practice before he started his first game on defense. I can't believe he did that."

Maurkice can. It doesn't surprise him a bit.

"He's accountable to the team," he said. "All the guys look up to him and appreciate what he's doing for the team."

Michael and Maurkice are identical twins. Both 18-year-old freshmen stand 6 feet 4, although Michael is 313 pounds, while Maurkice weighs in at 311. Each has now made a mark in his first season, Maurkice starting eight games and playing in all nine on the offensive line. Their hearty, jovial laughs are the same. They both hate onions and mayonnaise and love fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.

"We can't even stay mad at each other for a long time," Mike said. "We'll be mad at each other and the next moment we'll be cool."

They're both known for their jokes and for keeping the team upbeat - although friends describe them as extremely competitive. They finish each other's sentences without even realizing it and sometimes dress alike - just to get people confused. They call each other multiple times a day, often when one gets out of class to get the other to meet him somewhere. They even sometimes ride the same scooter around campus, which is "quite a sight," Rutledge said.

Yet for the life of him, Maurkice can't understand why people find it so hard to tell them apart.

"In my opinion, I don't think we look alike anymore," he said emphatically. "I really don't. We haven't probably since whenever we entered high school."

Try telling that to his teammates. Ask almost any of them if they can tell them apart, and the answer is no. Unless, of course, they get down to the details.

"I'm getting the scars down," quarterback Tim Tebow said. "They have different scars on different parts of their body, so that's how I can tell them apart."

Even family and friends who've known them most of their lives get confused.

"A lot of them, really," Maurkice said. "Even though they are around us all the time, I always get that thing, 'Is that Maurkice or is that Mike?' I don't know why."

Meyer insists Mike's role on the defensive line is only set in stone for the remainder of the season. It's possible he'll be the starting center next season. If Maurkice has a vote, it's definite.

"I kind of want my brother beside me, since we've got that bond and we played next to each other in high school," he said. "I want him back."

The Gators just want them both on the field.

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 7, 2007, 00:36:11]