vs. FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SATURDAY, Nov. 17, 2007 BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM (88,548) 2007 GATOR FOOTBALL GAINESVILLE, FLA. 12 p.m. ET WEEKLY GAME NOTES RELEASED: NOV. 11, 2007 FLORIDA RETURNS TO “THE SWAMP” TO FACE FLORIDA ATLANTIC GATOR STORYLINE The Florida football team returns home for the first of two games in “The Swamp” that close out the Florida returns to “The Swamp” to face Florida regular season as the Gators host Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Noon. The game will be Atlantic. The Owls are led by head coach Howard the first-ever between the two schools. Florida enters the game with a 7-3 record and is 5-3 in Schnellenberger. Coach Schnellenberger was the Southeastern Conference play. Florida Atlantic is 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. head coach at Miami from 1979-83. During that time, Coach Schnellenberger led the Hurricanes to a 3-2 record over the Gators. The two losses FLORIDA PLAYING THE NATION’S BEST came in 1982 and 1983. In 1983, the Gators were Again this season, the Gators are playing one of the nation’s toughest schedule as Florida’s slate the only team to defeat Miami (28-3 in Gainesville, ranks as the fourth-toughest by the NCAA. The chart below shows the NCAA’s toughest schedules Sept. 3) as Coach Schnellenberger went on to last year and where those programs are ranked this season: lead the Hurricanes to an 11-1 record and the 2006 NCAA Toughest Schedules 2007 Ranking (as of Nov. 10) national title. 1. Florida 2 2. Michigan 23 GAME SETUP 3. Cincinnati 47 THE POLLS UF FAU 4T. South Carolina 6 4T. Kentucky 7 Associated Press 17th* NR 6. Connecticut 50 USA Today Coaches’ 18th* NR 7. Southern California 74 BCS 15th* NR 8. Arizona 14 * - as of Nov. 4 9. Arkansas 55 10. Tennessee 29 THE RECORDS UF FAU Overall 7-3 5-4 Conference 5-3 4-1 GATORS YOUNG IN 2007 Overall, 49 players who have seen action in a game this year are either freshmen or sophomores. TELEVISION The game will be available live on pay per-view to Florida Eighteen of the 49 are true freshmen this season and 33 are either true or redshirt freshmen. viewers from participating cable and satellite systems. David Steele (play-by-play), Nat Moore (color) and Steve UF returned 10 scholarship seniors and 11 scholarship juniors in 2007. Other than Florida’s 21 Babik (sideline) call the game. The University Athletic combined upperclassmen, there is not a school in the Southeastern Conference and only one in the Association once again will donate the proceeds from the telecast to the UF Libraries. Since 1992, the UAA state of Florida (FIU) that has fewer than 28 combined juniors and seniors returning and the average has donated approximately $1 million to the UF Libraries in the SEC is 34. and hurricane relief efforts through these telecasts. View- ers should contact their local cable/satellite company for The following chart breaks down the 220 starts made by Gators this season by class: further details. Senior - 60 (27.2 pct.) Junior - 55 (25.0 pct.) POSTGAME For in-depth television coverage after the game, Sophomore - 66 (30.0 pct.) the “Geico Gator Postgame Show” airs live imme- Freshman - 39 (17.7 pct.) diately following each game on Sun Sports, with interviews from outside the lockerroom, press con- The following is a breakdown of positions by the percentage of scholarship players that are under- ferences and analysis. Sun Sports reporter Todd classmen: Lewis will be on site. QB - 75.0 DL - 78.5 TE - 33.3 DB - 71.4 DELAYED TELEVISION RB - 83.3 LB - 100.0 Sun Sports, with David Steele (play-by-play), Nat WR - 70.0 K - 50.0 Moore (color) and Steve Babik (sideline) will air the game at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18, on OL - 68.7 Sun Sports “Breakfast with the Gators” and again Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 11 p.m. (replays available in A total of 21 Gators have made their first career start this season (Tebow, Ma. Pouncey, Pupello, SEC territory). Hernandez, Henry, Cooper, Cunningham, A.J. Jones, Pierre-Louis, Haden, Munroe, Antwine, Nelson, Hurt, James, Wright, Fayson, Rickerson, Stamper, Mi. Pouncey, Anderson). THE GATOR RADIO NETWORK The Gator Radio Network team of Mick Hubert (play-by-play), Lee McGriff (color) and Steve Babik Entering the Ole Miss game (UF’s first road game of the year), 35 members of the Florida travel (sideline) will broadcast the contest. Scot Brantley roster had not played in a road game. Among the total were 18 true freshmen who were making the joins Babik as co-host of pregame. WFXJ radio first road trip of their careers. (930-AM in Jacksonville) serves as UF’s flagship station. The pre-game show begins two hours before kickoff. There is also a 90-minute show There are 57 players on the Florida scholarship roster that are either a freshman or sophomore (73 following the conclusion of the game. percent). SATELLITE RADIO Of the 25 true freshmen on the Florida squad, 14 spent last season on a team that played for a state Florida football can be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio. Fans can log on to www.sirius.com each championship during their senior season. week for information regarding specific channels. 2007 FLORIDA FOOTBALL WWW.GATORZONE.COM WHAT’S NEW WITH THE GATORS... Florida returned 38 letterwinners to the 2007 team. The total is the lowest in the SEC and tied with 2007 SEC STANDINGS (as of 11/10/07) six others for the 99th-lowest total in the nation. EASTERN DIVISION Team SEC Pct. Overall Florida lost 25 letterwinners from the 2006 national championship team. The total is tied with Georgia 5-2 .714 8-2 Tennessee 4-2 .667 7-3 Tennessee for the most lost in the SEC and it is tied for the 13th-highest amount lost in the nation. Florida 5-3 .625 7-3 Kentucky 3-3 .500 7-3 Going into 2006, the Gators brought back 10 players who began playing for UF in the fall semester South Carolina 3-5 .375 6-5 of 2002. In 2007, Florida returned three that started in the fall of 2003 (Andre Caldwell, Clint Vanderbilt 2-5 .286 5-5 McMillan and Carlton Medder). WESTERN DIVISION Team SEC Pct. Overall Florida Freshmen Notes From 2007 Season LSU 5-1 .900 9-1 UF started a true freshman on opening day for the third-straight year under head coach Urban Auburn 4-3 .571 7-4 Meyer. Alabama 4-3 .571 6-4 Arkansas 3-3 .500 6-4 Mississippi State 2-4 .333 6-4 UF started three true freshmen on opening day for the first time in school history (Maurkice Ole Miss 0-6 .000 3-7 Pouncey, Joe Haden and Chas Henry). Haden and Pouncey became the first true freshmen to start THIS WEEK IN THE SEC on opening day in UF history at cornerback and offensive guard, respectively. Chas Henry was the eighth true freshman punter to start on opening day. NOV. 17 Kentucky at Georgia, 12:30 p.m., LFS Mississippi State at Arkansas, 2 p.m. Tight end Aaron Hernandez started the Troy game and became the first true freshman to start at the position since Tate Casey did so against Middle Tennessee State in 2004. Also, free safety Major Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 2 p.m., PPV Wright started the Auburn game. The last true freshman to start at free safety for Florida was Lester Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama, 2:30 p.m. Norwood against The Citadel in 1998. LSU at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m., CBS Overall, 42 players who saw action in the 2007 season opener were either freshmen or sopho- mores. Fourteen true freshmen played, as did 10 redshirt freshmen. UF played 64 players total, 21 of those were making their first-ever appearance in “The Swamp.” All Times Eastern TRACKING THE OPPONENTS Florida’s 14 true freshmen and 24 overall freshmen that played in the season opener were the most by any team in the Southeastern Conference. WESTERN KENTUCKY (6-4) vs. Morehead State Last week: L, 21-7, vs. Troy Next week: at North Texas HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER Coach Meyer has started his Florida career with a 17-1 (.944) record in “The Swamp” and is 39-3 TROY (7-3) Idle Last week: W, 21-7, at Western Kentucky (.929) at home as a head coach. In addition, Coach Meyer has opened his career at UF with a 21- Next week: at Middle Tenn. (Nov. 20) 2 (.913) record in games played in the state of Florida. TENNESSEE (7-3) vs. Vanderbilt Last week: W, 34-13, vs. Arkansas With the win over Kentucky following Florida’s bye week this year, Urban Meyer moved to 23-2 Next week: at Kentucky (.920) all-time when having more than one week to prepare for a game. at Ole Miss (3-7) vs. LSU Last week: Idle With the win over Tennessee, Urban Meyer became the only head coach in Florida history to open Next week: at Miss. State (Nov. 23) his career with three-straight wins over the Vols. AUBURN (7-4) Idle Last week: L, 45-20, at Georgia Florida has been ranked in the AP, Coaches’ and BCS polls each week since Urban Meyer’s arrival Next week: vs. Alabama in Gainesville, which is a streak of 42-straight AP and Coaches’ polls (based on polls as of Nov.