GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida is nearly halfway through the season, but the top-ranked Gators feel like they've already faced a season's worth of adversity.
There was quarterback Tim Tebow's much-chronicled concussion. There was the flu bug that affected Tebow, receiver Riley Cooper, tight end Aaron Hernandez, running back Jeff Demps, cornerback Joe Haden, safety Major Wright, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, linebacker A.J. Jones, assistant coach Billy Gonzales and others.
There were season-ending injuries to offensive tackle Matt Patchan (knee) and highly touted receiver Andre Debose (hamstring), and significant setbacks to safety Dorian Munroe (knee), cornerback Jeremy Brown (back) and receiver Carl Moore (back). Throw in Deonte Thompson's slow recovery from a hamstring injury and linebacker Brandon Spikes' tendinitis in his Achilles' tendon.
``They've done a great job managing everything,'' offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. ``That's a challenge, and it's a continual challenge.''
Could the Gators (5-0, 3-0 SEC) be done?
``No! I've been in this league, I've been in other leagues, I've been around it long enough to know,'' Addazio said. ``You're only halfway, man. We've got a long way to go.''
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A.C'S STRUGGLES: Auburn defensive end Antonio Coleman isn't airing out his frustrations publicly.
Coleman, who has been playing with a cast on his right hand, still was bothered enough by his recent play to visit with Gene Chizik on Monday to talk about ``him personally and just production and things of that nature,'' the coach said.
Coleman's overall numbers are hardly worrisome: 2.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown, but the senior hasn't had a tackle in the past two games.
``You see guys out there every day playing with casts and stuff on their hand,'' Coleman said. ``That's not the reason for me not being more productive. It's just me getting out there trying to make plays to help this football team win.''
Chizik doesn't think his star defender is necessarily playing poorly just because he's not getting tackles.
``The stat sheets don't tell the story,'' Chizik said. ``I've seen guys have two sacks in a football game and they become All-Americans because the guard blocked the wrong way and that's all anybody sees. So it's very overrated.''
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GAME BALLS, REDUX: After further review, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier had one more player to honor for last week's win over Kentucky.
Spurrier said after Saturday's 28-26 victory that he would look at the game film and see if replacement cornerback C.C. Whitlock had earned himself a game ball. Turns out he did.
While filling in for suspended starter Akeem Auguste the sophomore had six tackles - 1 1/2 for loss - and a pass breakup.
It's a welcome honor for Whitlock, who has made more headlines for his off the field issues the past two seasons than his play. Whitlock was among five Gamecocks involved in an on-campus fight in September 2008, although the players were listed as victims in a report by university police.
This spring, Whitlock was suspended twice by Spurrier, the second time after his arrest for trespassing at a club in Fairfield County. A magistrate found Whitlock not guilty.
``After I went through all that, I can say there's a reason for everything,'' Whitlock said. ``I've got a lot of people pulling for me and a lot of people trying to bring me down. I'm trying to do the right thing, which is to be here.''
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TUG-OF-WAR: Although Les Miles was quick to concede that No. 1 Florida outplayed LSU last Saturday, the Tigers' head coach isn't sure the Gators' lone touchdown should have counted.
Miles said he has sent to the Southeastern Conference video evidence of a missed offensive penalty on Tim Tebow's 24-yard scoring pass to Riley Cooper, which helped Florida emerge with a 13-3 victory. The coach added he was ``savoring'' the opportunity to talk to the SEC about it.
After LSU cornerback Chris Hawkins was beaten for the score, he motioned at the side judge and to his own coaches that he had been tugged by Cooper from behind. Indeed, replays showed Cooper grabbing the back of Hawkins' jersey to slingshot himself into the end zone wide open.
Hawkins, meanwhile, wound up being benched in favor of Jai Eugene for the rest of the game.
``That was an inadvertent coaching decision, to be honest,'' Miles said. ``What we (thought) we saw from the sideline, we did not see. ... He just got yanked on, and there are no corners that I know that sustain that and don't give up position on the ball. There's none.''
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RELIVE THE PAST? Mark Richt hopes he can look back at the end of the season and draw some promising parallels to a difficult stretch Georgia endured three years ago.
After dropping four of five in 2006, including losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Richt wondered how his players and coaching staff would respond. The Bulldogs closed with three straight wins over Auburn, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Georgia (3-3, 2-2) has lost three games this season and must face No. 1 Florida and No. 19 Georgia Tech before it ends.
``You just never know how close you are to success until you live it out,'' Richt said. ``I was pretty proud of that team considering what they went through and how we finished. Even that last ballgame I think we were down 15 or 18 at the half to the No. 1 defense in America. It didn't look like we had much of a chance, but we found a way, and there is a lot to be said about that.''
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NO TURNOVER: Vanderbilt is finding out that protecting the ball and forcing more turnovers doesn't always translate into victories.
The Commodores (2-4, 0-3) rank 22nd nationally in turnover differential at plus-5. But they join San Jose State as the only teams in the top 25 in that category with a losing record.
The problem? They can't score enough points off those turnovers.
Vanderbilt didn't score anything off a turnover last week at Army. Against Mississippi State, Tim Fugger recovered a fumble at the Bulldogs 6, but Vandy managed to gain only 3 yards on three runs before settling for a field goal in a 15-3 loss.
The Commodores host Georgia (3-3, 2-2) on Saturday. Georgia is minus-11 in turnover differential.
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AP Sports Writers John Zenor in Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Pete Iacobelli in Columbia, S.C.; Brett Martel in New Orleans; and Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tenn.; and Associated Press Writer George Henry in Athens, Ga., contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
