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Harvin, UF Move Forward

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By ANDY STAPLES The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2007

Updated: 11/04/2007 01:11 am

GAINESVILLE - A week after his unit imploded in a loss to Georgia, University of Florida co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison approached his boss with a request. If we win the coin toss, Mattison asked Gators coach Urban Meyer on Saturday, can we defer and let the defense play first?

Thinking of the 79 points the defense had allowed the previous two weeks, Meyer naturally was reluctant.

"Ooh, yeah," Meyer said Saturday. "Yeah. There was a lot of hesitation."

But Meyer believed in his defensive coaches, so he acquiesced. The defense responded by stuffing Vanderbilt on three consecutive plays. The Gators then took the ball and gave it to receiver Percy Harvin, whose history-making day helped Florida to a 49-22 win that kept the Gators (6-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) alive in the race for the SEC East Division title.

Harvin became the first player in Florida's 101-year history to amass more than 100 rushing yards and more than 100 receiving yards in the same game. He finished with 223 total yards (113 rushing, 110 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns. Vanderbilt (5-4, 2-4) only outgained Harvin by 32 yards.

"He's pretty good," Vandy coach Bobby Johnson said. "I'd take him. I'd take him back on the plane."

With Harvin carving up an unusually porous Commodores defense, the Gators raced to a 35-7 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way. The win soothed many of the wounds opened by a 42-30 loss to Georgia last week. And while Florida still needs Tennessee and Georgia to lose to have a chance to repeat as the East champ, the Gators feel better about their prospects entering this week's showdown with former Florida coach Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team.

Some of that renewed confidence comes from Florida's defensive resurgence. In a win against Kentucky and a loss to Georgia, the Gators seemed incapable of stopping anyone. Saturday, Florida drew an energy boost from freshman tackle Mike Pouncey, a converted offensive lineman who joined the defense Tuesday.

More confidence comes from the knowledge that if the Gators keep getting Harvin the ball, opposing defenses will, as Johnson said, get "discombobulated." After Harvin averaged 11.5 yards a touch against Georgia, Meyer said he intended to get the sophomore the ball more often, perhaps as many as 20 times a game. Harvin touched the ball 20 times Saturday, averaging 11.2 yards.

"I'm glad we don't have to play against him," Mattison said.

After a 53-yard Brandon James punt return gave the Gators the ball at the Vandy 39-yard line early in the first quarter, Harvin caught a 21-yard Tim Tebow pass across the middle. The next play, Harvin took a handoff up the middle, burst through a hole, shimmied right and sprinted for an 18-yard score that gave Florida a 14-0 lead.

Harvin's other touchdown, a 13-yard run in the fourth, also began between the tackles. Harvin said he spent time last week with running backs coach Stan Drayton, who taught him he can sometimes gain more yards by running slower and allowing the blocks to develop.

"He said if I slowed down and made my cut," Harvin said, "a lot of my runs could go the distance."

Harvin's play - and Florida's defensive improvement - put some distance between the Gators and the despair of the Georgia loss. But in one of the wildest seasons in SEC history, neither the lows nor the highs typically last more than a week. Meyer knows his team must prove once and for all this week that it belongs in the SEC title race, and he considers Saturday's win a step in the right direction.

"It hasn't been a perfect year. Obviously, there have been a couple of bumps in the road," Meyer said. "But to see the team come out like that after we've had a tough month ... and stick together as a team, I'm very proud of them."

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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