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South Florida-Florida Preview

Sep 7, 2010 - 8:00 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

South Florida (1-0) at No. 5 Florida (1-0), 12:20 p.m. EDT

After watching Tim Tebow successfully lead his offense for three seasons, Florida coach Urban Meyer was far from pleased after his first game without his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

The eighth-ranked Gators will try to move past a mistake-filled opener as it welcomes South Florida to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the first time Saturday.

Florida's problems in last week's 34-12 win over Miami of Ohio included one of the most fundamental parts of the game, the snap. Making his first career start at center after playing guard last season, Mike Pouncey had several off-target deliveries to new quarterback John Brantley, including one that zipped over his head and two more that bounced to his feet.

All told, the Gators (1-0) committed eight fumbles (losing three) and gained 25 yards through the first three quarters, including minus-16 on the ground, before finishing with 212, the second fewest in Meyer's six seasons.

"Frustration? I know I'm beyond that," Meyer said. "Frustration? You've just got to get a little better. We'll fix those things. If you keep seeing them over and over again, then you've got to make changes. We're certainly not going to hit that mode yet. We need to get a lot better."

Florida's defense picked up its inexperienced offense with four interceptions, including Janoris Jenkins' 67-yard return for a touchdown that started a 21-point second quarter. The Gators had one player, left guard James Wilson, starting in the same spot as the 2009 opener.

"It wasn't a beauty pageant," Meyer said. "If it was, we would have lost. ... Everyone saw what we saw, and it was a mess."

Brantley and Pouncey spent Sunday reviewing their errant exchanges and then heading off to the practice field. Afterward, the quarterback said any issues were resolved.

"We have two very accountable people working hard to get that thing right. That obviously disrupts the flow of the game," Meyer said. "It's Mike Pouncey and Johnny Brantley. Those aren't true freshmen, so we have to get that fixed."

While it's spending this week working out the kinks, Meyer's team should benefit from the expected return of left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee), tight end Jordan Reed (knee) and receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. (suspension). Left guard Carl Johnson and safety Will Hall could also be back after serving apparent one-game suspensions last week.

Hammond's return would give considerable help to a Gators receiving corps so thin that some players were on the field for almost every snap.

"You got to get a rotation," Meyer said. "Last week going into the game, every backup was a true freshman or a redshirt freshman. We didn't feel they were ready to go in. That wasn't fair to the starters."

Starting cornerback Moses Jenkins, however, is expected to miss six weeks after hyperextending his left elbow in last week's win. Jenkins sat out most of last season with post-concussion symptoms.

While Florida struggled at times, South Florida got off to a more positive start in coach Skip Holtz's debut, a 59-14 victory over Stony Brook. After five seasons at East Carolina, Holtz replaced Jim Leavitt, who was fired Jan. 8 following an investigation into a locker room incident with current running back Joel Miller.

Miller, a junior, caught one of two touchdown passes from B.J. Daniels as the Bulls (1-0) overcame an early 14-7 deficit to its FCS opponent. They also collected four interceptions, including Mark Joyce's 33-yard return for a touchdown, and Chris Lane recovered a blocked punt in the end zone.

"It's all in the past," Miller said. "I'm just glad to be with my team. They're great support, and we're just looking forward to the season."

Florida has won 21 straight regular-season games, and Meyer is 10-0 against intrastate opponents.