Florida Gators

Despite a shaky Orange and Blue game, quarterback Chris Leak looked sharp and comfortable this spring, a clear benefit of a second season with the same coaches and scheme. The offensive linemen in front of him enter the season with 18 combined starts, but coaches seem confident in their play. And Coach Urban Meyer seems energized about his special teams, which shouldn't suffer from the losses of Dee Webb and Jarvis Herring.

STILL A MESS: Things are so bad at strong side linebacker, with Brian Crum struggling and Jon Demps hurt, that coaches are considering starting a true freshman or sliding strong safety Tony Joiner to the position. The Gators still lack a starting tailback. Depth at cornerback, beyond probable starters Avery Atkins and Reggie Nelson, also concerns the coaches.

SPRING STARS: Oviedo's Clint McMillan followed a fantastic winter in the weight room with a strong spring at tackle, prompting defensive line coach Greg Mattison to hint he may sneak into the line's rotation. Cornelius Ingram stood out on offense, thriving at wide receiver after transitioning from the third-string quarterback spot late last fall. And Billy Latsko continues to impress in the offense, showing skills as a runner and a receiver.

IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR: Fifth-year senior Brian Crum blew a chance to lock up a starting linebacker spot. The coaches wanted to see more from tailback Markus Manson, and last year's three promising rookie receivers -- Nyan Boateng, David Nelson and Louis Murphy -- are now, well, promising second-year receivers.

FIRST GAME: Sept. 2, vs. Southern Mississippi, TBD

Mitch at 28/04/06 6:49 PM | 53 comments

Gator in the garden

On Alert, an occasional Sunday series, highlights public safety issues or features a recent incident.

 

Kim Deitke doesn't live on the water and a fence surrounds her back yard. So she wasn't prepared for the scaly surprise she found last Memorial Day when she went outside to do some gardening.

 

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A 7-foot alligator was lying on the grass between her garden and swimming pool.

"He took two steps toward me and I ran into the house," said Deitke, who lives in the Chapel Trail neighborhood in Pembroke Pines. "I watched him walk around the yard and the edge of the pool."

The gator was swimming in the pool when a trapper arrived to take him away.

"I never thought in a million years an alligator would be in my back yard," Deitke said.

South Florida residents have to co-exist with nature, especially as the suburbs spread farther west of Interstate 75. Experts say residents need to know what to do and, more importantly, what to avoid, if they see an alligator. With spring and summer approaching, and breeding season starting at the end of the month, alligators are going to be more active and likely to be sighted by residents.

"Just seeing an alligator does not make it dangerous," said Willie Puz, media relations director for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. "They have to come out of the water, as a cold-blooded reptile, to regulate their temperature by basking in the sun. That is what alligators do."

Problems start when people feed them. "They associate people with a handout," Puz said.

If you see an alligator more than 4 feet long that poses a threat to humans or property, call 1-866-392-4286, a statewide, toll-free number launched by the conservation commission last April. Dispatchers will answer questions or possibly send a licensed trapper to catch the gator.

Since coming online in April, the nuisance alligator hotline has received 17,148 calls. The agency removes more than 5,000 nuisance gators each year, most of which are killed and sold for meat and other parts.

Relocation of nuisance alligators is not an option because they are known to return to their capture sites, and reintroducing them into the wild disrupts the social structure of that gator population.

Blair Hayman, a biologist who works for the statewide nuisance alligator program, said dogs are especially at risk for alligator attacks.

"Most bodies of water have alligators or will have them; people should really expect them at some point," Hayman said. "If they do have pets, and you want your dog to be outside, a fence is a good idea."

She urges people to make sure the bottoms of their fences are buried because alligators can crawl underneath or push through, and they can see a family pet through a chain-link fence.

In March 2005, an alligator killed a dog that was running loose near a lake inside the Weston Hills community.

"Gators don't know dogs. They see a small- to medium-sized furry mammal that looks tasty and it brings their radar," said Todd Hardwick, a licensed trapper who owns the Miami-based Pesky Critters, a wildlife nuisance control company.

Small children are also at risk if they play near water, he said. A dog could entice an alligator.

"Dogs can draw a gator over, and if there is a small child it's extremely dangerous," he said. The alligator could confuse the child for the dog.

As of July 2005, more than 340 attacks on humans have been documented in Florida since 1948, resulting in 17 deaths.

"If for whatever reason you are in an alligator attack, fight, pound on him, beat him and yell," Hardwick said. "They will let go most of the time."

State law protects alligators from being fed, hurt or taken from their habitat.

Alligators are no longer on the endangered species list, and are now federally classified as "threatened due to similarity of appearance," which provides protection but allows state-approved management and control programs.

Florida lists alligators as a Species of Special Concern and only individuals with proper licenses and permits can legally take alligators.

Trappers, like Hardwick, are especially busy in Weston, Coral Springs, Parkland and Kendall, cities that are close to the Everglades. Because of development, alligators are moving from the west to east, he added.

"You can't create more wetlands, so try to be more aware of surroundings. We are in alligator country," Hardwick said. "We catch alligators in landlocked lakes all the time."

Mitch at 09/03/06 10:34 PM | 43 comments

Florida Football To Meet Miami In 2008, 2013

Gainesville, FL
The University of Florida and the University of Miami have agreed to a home and home series on the football field, the two schools announced Monday. The Gators and Hurricanes will meet September 6, 2008, in Gainesville and September 7, 2013, at the Orange Bowl.

 

“We are pleased to announce two future games with the Hurricanes,” said UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley. “When the NCAA added the 12th game, we wanted to look for years where there was a 14-week window to the season to give us flexibility in picking a date for this series. The 2008 and 2013 calendar years allow us to do just that. In every other year, there are just 13 weeks to play 12 games, giving you less flexibility to schedule games and opponents.”

 

“I’m looking forward to our future matchups with Miami,” said UF football coach Urban Meyer. “I have a lot of respect for the tradition of the Miami football program and these games will be another great challenge for our football team.”

 

The Gators and Hurricanes have met 53 times, the most games played by Florida against a non-conference opponent. Miami holds a slight 28-25 advantage in the series and 25 of the meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. The teams first met in 1938 and played every year (except 1943) until 1987. The last meeting between the two schools was in the 2004 Peach Bowl. 

 

Mitch at 09/03/06 10:30 PM | 43 comments