State notes: UF's offensive fix not a snap

University of Florida senior C Mike Pouncey strolled into interviews after Saturday's 34-12 win against Miami (Ohio), plopped down in a seat and proceeded to answer each and every question about why he was snapping the ball all over Florida Field when QB John Brantley was in the shotgun.

He took all the blame, called his play "terrible" and vowed, "It won't happen again." Sunday morning, Brantley and Pouncey went back to work.

Florida had eight fumbles for minus-55 yards in the game. There were missed kicks, blown blocking assignments, three lost fumbles and, well, maybe Gators coach Urban Meyer summarized it all best: "It wasn't a beauty pageant. ... Everybody saw what we saw. That was a mess."

A mess Florida probably can't get away with when it hosts South Florida at 12:20 p.m. Saturday.

"(USF is) probably a top-25 team, top-15 team, with talent," Meyer said. "(They have) an athletic quarterback (B.J. Daniels) who is a dual threat, who is a problem, very skilled wide receivers. ... This is an SEC-caliber team we are playing."

David Jones

Holtz expects UF to be sharper

TAMPA - University of South Florida coach Skip Holtz said he expects the Florida Gators to drastically improve from their mistake-prone season-opening effort against Miami (Ohio).

"If I was sitting here watching a rout, I may have already gone home and said, 'Forget it. We don't have a chance,'" Holtz said with a laugh. "I know that Urban (Meyer, Florida coach) is extremely competitive and determined. They will make a huge (improvement).

"How that game turned out and played out is irrelevant to our preparation. We just have to be task-oriented this week. We've got more than we can say grace over in our own camp."

HAPPY FOR ECU: Holtz said he saw a portion of East Carolina's dramatic 51-49 victory against Tulsa on Sunday. East Carolina, Holtz's former team, won on a final-play 33-yard touchdown pass from Dominique Davis (Lakeland Kathleen) to Justin Jones.

"The Florida film kept catching my attention, so it made it hard to watch the entire game," Holtz said. "My son was texting me score updates. Any time you leave a place, you want to see those players be successful. I'm proud for those players and for Coach (Ruffin) McNeill, who I think has done a great job."

Joey Johnston

Noles now focusing on Oklahoma

TALLAHASSEE - After ringing up an easy win in its season opener, Florida State heads west for a long-awaited rematch with Oklahoma of their 2000 national title game.

So much for taking a moment to celebrate Jimbo Fisher's first win with the Noles.

"It's going to be a great test," Fisher said Monday, two days after No. 20 Florida State romped to a 59-6 victory against Samford. "Hopefully we can handle a little pressure when we go out there. It's good for our young football team."

The No. 7 Sooners survived a test from Utah State in their opener, winning 31-24.

The Associated Press

Harris to fans: Forget Fiesta Bowl

CORAL GABLES - Miami QB Jacory Harris has a message for fans: Forget the Fiesta Bowl this week.

No. 13 Miami visits No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday in the first meeting of the programs since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, where the Buckeyes beat the Hurricanes in double-overtime for the national championship.

Harris turned to Twitter on Monday to remind people that Saturday's game isn't necessarily a rematch. He wrote, "Leave the past in the past fans. This is a new (year) with two totally different teams. We're just going out there to ball."

Both teams got off to easy starts on Thursday. Miami beat Florida A&M 45-0; Ohio State took a 45-7 win against Marshall.

The Associated Press