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Numerous Penalties A Concern For Gators

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

OXFORD, Miss. - It's safe to assume Florida wide receiver Louis Murphy won't forget his first touchdown of the season.

After the junior scored on a 37-yard reception from quarterback Tim Tebow, Murphy did the Gator chomp in the right corner of the end zone, which elicited a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

'I didn't know they threw a flag until I went to the sideline,' Murphy said after the game. 'We just have to make plays. I was excited, but I guess you can't do the Gator chomp in Ole Miss.'

Murphy's penalty was one of 14 for Florida, costing the Gators 127 yards in their 30-24 victory against Mississippi. To compare, the Rebels committed 10 penalties for 70 yards.
Florida coach Urban Meyer only needed two words to describe the statistic after the Gators' victory: 'Just awful.'

Meyer said all the team can do is address the issue and find out why there is a problem, but he doesn't expect it to take too long for the Gators to make the necessary corrections.

Senior offensive lineman Jim Tartt, who was called for a false start, didn't seem too concerned about the issue, either.

'We just had a expletive day with penalties,' Tartt said. 'We're going to work on it. That's all you can do. It's just stupid mistakes. That's all that is.'

INJURY REPORT: Redshirt senior kicker Joey Ijjas is suffering from a strained quadriceps, Meyer said after the game.

Ijjas, who missed a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter, did not practice all week after he pulled the muscle during the Tennessee game. Against the Volunteers, Ijjas had 10 kickoffs, eight extra points and one field-goal attempt.

'I've got to be smart,' Meyer said. 'I don't even think about that kind of stuff. I told him to come tell me. I'll put the other guy in.'

Riley Cooper's sprained ankle was still bothering him Saturday, so Meyer kept him out.

'I thought for sure he'd be able to go,' Meyer said. 'He tried to go and he couldn't. He wanted to.'

Senior Phil Trautwein (stress fracture) and Markihe Anderson (sprained PCL) did not make the trip to Oxford. Freshman offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey (low ankle sprain) did play a few plays Saturday.

Meyer said he expects Anderson, Pouncey, Cooper and Ijjas to be at full speed for next week's game against Auburn.

STREAKS BROKEN: Florida trailed for the first time this season when Rebels kicker Joshua Shene connected on a 40-yard field goal with 5:02 left in the first quarter, putting Mississippi up 3-0.

Before Saturday, the Gators had not trailed since the opening kickoff of the 2006 national championship game when Ted Ginn Jr. ran 93 yards for a touchdown.

It also marked the first time the Gators have failed to score a touchdown on their opening possession this year.

Chas Henry's 40-yard punt broke a four-game streak dating back to the national championship game, when Chris Leak connected with Dallas Baker for a 14-yard touchdown.

Jenna Marina

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