Florida’s senior tailback tandem of Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps have not developed into 6-foot-2, 210-pounders during the first month of the season, but they have been used for yards up the middle under new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.
Last week:Winners…………………..20Willie Mack Garzas……..5Pasquali is 81-19 overall (81.0 percent) this season.OTHER PICKSFresno St. 36, Ole Miss 31Virginia Tech 23, Clemson 22Miami 55, Bethune-Cookman 6Maryland 52, Towson 7Virginia 38, Idaho 9Fla. International 29, Duke 23N. Carolina 34, E. Carolina 25Boston Coll. 20, W. Forest 17Oklahoma 49, Ball State 14Wisconsin 27, Nebraska 24Stanford 45, UCLA 18Boise State 56, Nevada 16Texas 42, Iowa State 21Michigan 31, Minnesota 13Ohio St. 17, Michigan St. 10Notre Dame 30, Purdue 20MTSU 28, Memphis 19
The Gators host Alabama and its unrelenting defense Saturday night, and first-year head coach Will Muschamp will not abandon trying to attack the Crimson Tide up front. The 5-9, 180-pound Rainey leads Florida with 411 rushing yards and 214 receiving yards, while the 5-8, 188-pound Demps has rushed for 320 yards and 9.4 yards a carry.
“The perimeter run game has been really good, but we’ve also run the ball well inside,” Muschamp said Wednesday. “That’s something we’re committed to doing regardless the size of our backs. If you do one thing too much, then these defenses – they watch film, too, and they’re going to hold the edges if you don’t run the ball inside.”
Alabama held the Gators to 88 rushing yards during its 32-13 win in the 2009 SEC championship and 79 in last season’s 31-6 romp in Tuscaloosa.