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Florida looks to rebound vs. Vanderbilt

Nov 3, 2007 - 10:42 AM Vanderbilt (5-3) at No. 18 Florida (5-3) 12:30 pm EDT

GAINESVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- For a third time this season, Florida coach Urban Meyer has to get his team past a loss.

Meyer's No. 18 Gators look to stay in the SEC East race when they host division rival Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Florida (5-3, 3-3 SEC East) lost to Georgia in Jacksonville last Saturday, 42-30, for just its third defeat in the past 18 meetings of their "Cocktail Party" game.

Heisman Trophy candidate Tim Tebow, who was battling a bruised right (non-throwing) shoulder, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another but was sacked six times and held to negative rushing yardage.

Despite the defeat, the Gators sit just a game behind Georgia in the standings.

In fact, the six-team division is separated by just 1 1/2 games, with Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-3) tied for last with Kentucky, which had been ranked until this week.

The Commodores began the month by losing consecutive contests to Auburn and Georgia. But they have bounced back with a 17-6 win at then-No. 6 South Carolina and last week's 24-13 non-conference win over Miami of Ohio.

Chris Nickson gave the Commodores the lead for good with a two-yard TD run with just under five minutes to go in the third quarter against the Mid-American Conference squad.

Florida has won 16 straight in the series since a 24-9 loss in 1988.