TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Speed Last Season Shocked LB Hicks

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 18, 2008

GAINESVILLE - With the completion of the first two games of the season, Florida is looking forward to beginning its true season.

The start of that season signals the time when the Gators must step their games up and prepare for some of the fastest teams in the nation.

LB Brandon Hicks was certainly surprised by the speed of the opposition when he received his first action last season.

"I was like, 'Oh my God, I ain't never seen a 300-pound dude running this fast in my life.' That had to be the craziest thing I ever experienced," he said. "An opponent guard running almost as fast as I was sideways, I'm running but I'm not running as fast as I can, but he's keeping up with me.

"I'm like, 'What in the world?' 'I'm like, 'I've never seen this?' "

Adjusting to that speed is often difficult for many young players, who may think they're playing the game in fast forward. According to Hicks, that realization is a wakeup call to a young player in the SEC.

"You can just go up there tippy-tiptoeing or what not come in there with a lackadaisical attitude like I'm just going to run through, I'm going to swim past them or something like that," he said. "You've got to be on your P's and Q's and just go."

NEWTON STILL HURTING: Coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that backup QB Cameron Newton is still battling an ankle injury that has hampered him since the spring.

Karl Hyppolite

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT