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SEC suspends crew of officials

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2009

GAINESVILLE - The officiating crew from last Saturday's Arkansas-Florida football game will be removed from its next scheduled assignment on Oct. 31 and will not be assigned to officiate as a crew until Nov. 14, Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive announced Wednesday.

"A series of calls that have occurred during the last several weeks have not been to the standard that we expect from our officiating crews," Slive said. "I believe our officiating program is the best in the country, however, there are times when these actions must be taken."

After each weekend, the conference office reviews games from the previous week, using video replays and interviews with officials, coaches and administrators.

"While only a few calls have been identified, the entire crew shoulders responsibility for each play. I have taken this action because there must be accountability in our officiating program," Slive said. "Our institutions expect the highest level of officiating in all of our sports and it is the duty of the conference office to uphold that expectation."

In addition, there will be an impact on eligibility for postseason bowl assignments for the crew.

Officials called a personal foul late in the game, and the penalty helped UF score its final touchdown at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The same crew called a celebration penalty the previous week against Georgia, which eventually lost to LSU.

The SEC also said that call never should have been made.

MORE PRESSURE: Things are starting to get a little tight after Saturday's narrow victory.

"(There is) a lot of pressure on this team to perform on a very high level - on these coaches, on the trainers, on the weight coaches, on the secretaries, on everyone associated with our program, a lot of pressure," Coach Urban Meyer said. "And I love that."

The Gators have leaned heavily on the run - specifically QB Tim Tebow.

Tebow leads UF in rushing attempts this year with 99. That's five more carries than the combined totals of RBs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey.

The Gators have a minus-2 turnover differential on the season and rank 76th in the nation in red-zone efficiency.

Are the expectations starting to take their toll on UF?

"I think it started in '06. It probably happened here at Florida in the '90s, when a guy named Steve Spurrier started winning at an extremely high level," Meyer said. "And he even said that to me one time - 'You got a little problem when 10 wins isn't enough.'"

David Jones, Mike DiFerdinando

Daniels hopes to rebound vs. Panthers

TAMPA - University of South Florida QB B.J. Daniels will look to rebound in Saturday's Big East showdown at No. 20 Pittsburgh after his subpar performance in last week's loss to Cincinnati.

The redshirt freshman finished 15-for-32 for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

"It eventually is going to happen for a young freshman to come out and miss some things," offensive coordinator Mike Canales said. "He did some good things as well, though, and we are going to build on the positives and correct the negatives."

In three games as a starter, Daniels has completed 48 percent of his passes for 631 yards, five TDs and four interceptions.

"He'll grow as he goes. It's a new learning experience every time out," Coach Jim Leavitt said. "You expect your quarterback to be perfect all the time, and that's very difficult, especially for a guy in his third game."

ANOTHER ARM: Looking to add depth behind Daniels, freshman Victor Marc was moved to quarterback from defensive back.

"He was a quarterback in high school," Leavitt said. "He'll stay there the rest of the year and we'll see if we can teach him a little bit of the offense and then make a decision at the end of the year."

ODDS AND ENDS: RB Aston Samuels (stomach) will not play at Pitt. ... Former USF and current Detroit Lions CB Anthony Henry donated funds to build the nearly completed nutrition bar in the weight room.

Gregg Becnel

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