Florida runs rampant on overmatched Troy

Florida had just blown out Troy 56-6 on Saturday as senior linebacker Ryan Stamper started to weed through what is ahead.

"No comment on Lane Kiffin,'' the team captain said, simply.

Kiffin? Ah, yes, it's Tennessee week. You remember Kiffin's comments, the ones that everyone says have gone way now that the Vols are finally playing the defending national champions?

Right.

There is no question Florida players and coaches are still burning about Kiffin's comments, especially the one that was on the walls of the football facility most of the summer: "I'm really looking forward to embracing some of the great traditions at the University of Tennessee, for instance the Vol Walk, running through the T, singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida next year," Kiffin said. "It will be a blast.''

Tennessee visits Florida at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday. Buckle up.

"I don't think there will be much trash talking. . . . I think we're just going to go out there and work hard and go play and that's all there is to it,'' said Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, who completed 15 of 24 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters of work on Saturday.

The top-ranked Gators (2-0) actually looked like they needed to focus on the Trojans, after leading just 7-3 in the first quarter. Troy could have pulled closer if not for a botched field goal. UF fumbled three times in the early going, losing two.

But Florida's offense turned it on with 28 points in the second quarter. Tebow had 200 yards total offense in the one quarter, alone. He had touchdown passes of 6 (for the game's first points) and 33 yards to Deonte Thompson sandwiched around a 36-yard TD pass to Riley Cooper and a 4-yard touchdown run of his own.

Jeff Demps' 24-yard sprint for the final score of the half made it 35-3 at the break.

Tebow returned briefly in the second half for his final TD pass _ 32 yards to Brandon James _ that made it 42-3 with less than 13 minutes left in the third quarter. It was the second four touchdown game of his career (Kentucky, 2007).

A few minutes later, John Brantley took over at quarterback and many started thinking about Tennessee.

"We try to do our talking on the field,'' senior receiver David Nelson said.

Asked if he'd like to see Kiffin lash out with some more controversial quotes, he responded: "(Kiffin) can do whatever he needs to do. We're going to prepare for Saturday and we're going to take it like any other SEC game.''

Demps (7 carries, 87 yards) and Chris Rainey (12, 85) are forming the best 1-2 running game the Gators have seen since Urban Meyer arrived five years ago. Tebow had 71 yards rushing and another score - his 45th running TD, which ties Cadillac Williams (Auburn 2001-04) for third-most in SEC history.

Florida had 663 yards total offense - the fifth-highest total in school history. But Gators coach Urban Meyer said the defense was the key.

"Defense is the name of the game today,'' he said. "That defense was dominating.''

Senior linebacker Brandon Spikes: "The intensity was great. Guys were out there having fun.''

Troy coach Larry Blakeney's philosophy will be simple.

"We just close our eyes and pretend we never came here,'' he said.

Florida, meanwhile, is trying to pretend there's no bitterness towards the Vols and Kiffin who also accused Meyer of cheating during the recruiting period this year, was reprimanded by the SEC and later apologized.

Meyer promised: "This game is about the Tennessee football players vs. the Florida football players. You have a bunch of great athletes on both sides of the ball. The thing we'll never let happen around here is it's about the coach or coaches. I won't let that happen. And I told those players (in the UF locker room) that. This is about preparation and playing a game.

That's what it is. Period.''

There will no doubt be rumblings from the fans, if not from the coaches. There's bad feelings, for sure. Nelson smiled as he promised there won't be a lot of trash talking.

Demps, when he didn't like a question about UT, said simply: "No comment.''

But Stamper confessed, "we're thinking about Tennessee right now'' soon after the final seconds ticked off the clock on Saturday.

"I think the fact that it's Tennessee, it's the third Saturday. I've learned that,'' Meyer said on Saturday of the importance of next weekend. "I came in with my eyes wide open and kind of was thrown in and all of a sudden, bang, you're playing Tennessee and the SEC East. And I know the tradition of it very well. I know our players take it very seriously.

"Rivalry week at Florida is special. And I did talk to our players about that. I talked to our young players because they've never experienced or witnessed it. And a lot of our guys said the season starts tomorrow. I didn't say that, the players said that. And to go out there and play like they did today, and last week, with the professionalism that they did, I'm starting to admire some of the guys on this team. We'll see if they show up ready to rock n roll tomorrow. Rivalry week starts."