The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season. The Gators competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They were led by fifth-year head coach Urban Meyer, who coached the Gators to a first-place finish in the SEC East, a 51–24 Sugar Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats, and an overall win–loss record of 13–1 (.929).
With senior quarterback Tim Tebow and eleven defensive starters returning, the Gators had hoped to repeat as back-to-back national champions following their BCS National Championship at the end of the 2008 season. They finished with an undefeated 12–0 regular season, their first since 1995, but the Gators' 32–13 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game derailed their national title hopes, and forced them to settle for a berth in the Sugar Bowl. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, the Gators were ranked No. 3 in both major polls.
On December 26, 2009, Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley announced that Urban Meyer would step down as the team's head coach for health and family reasons. The following day, Meyer stated that he would instead take an indefinite leave of absence, allowing him to resume his position as the head coach. Meyer returned to coach the Gators in spring practice in March 2010.
Pre-season On January 11, 2009, during the national championship celebration at the University of Florida, quarterback Tim Tebow announced his intention to return for his senior season, followed on January 15 by linebacker Brandon Spikes intention to return as well. With Spikes' return, the entire two-deep of the Gators defense was set to return for the 2009 season. One major loss was All-America wide receiver Percy Harvin, who opted to leave the University of Florida to enter the 2009 NFL draft.
The Gators also lost offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Dan Mullen, who became the head coach at Mississippi State following Sylvester Croom's resignation. Former offensive line coach Steve Addazio was named as Mullen's replacement, with Scot Loeffler hired to take on the role of quarterback coach.
The Gators played their spring scrimmage on April 18, 2009, with the Orange winning.
Florida was voted #1 in both the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll and the AP Poll. The Gators received the highest ever percentage of preseason #1 votes in the history of the AP Poll, which began in 1950.Gators are No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25 poll
Schedule
2012 Florida Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 114 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.GatorZone.com, Football, History, Florida Football 2009 . Retrieved November 25, 2011.
Rankings
Game summaries
Charleston Southern
In the season opener, the Gators met the Charleston Southern Buccaneers in Gainesville. In a game that was never close, the Gators won 62–3. John Brantley threw for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Troy
The Florida Gators met the Troy Trojans in Gainesville, Florida. After a slow start, the Gators scored four times in the second quarter before cruising to a 56–6 victory.
Tennessee
In what may have been the most talked about game all pre-season, the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers met in Gainesville, Florida. Most of the pre-game talk surrounded comments made by Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin. Despite Kiffin’s talk during his introductory press conference, of singing Rocky Top all night long after they beat Florida, Tennessee played very conservatively on offense and was kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, by which time they were down 23-6 and ended with the Gators holding on for a 23–13 victory.
Kentucky
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+FLAKTY1FLA11:13FGCaleb Sturgis 32 yd FG330FLA7:11TDTim Tebow, 3 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7100FLA6:04TDChris Rainey, Recovers blocked punt in end zoneCaleb Sturgis Kick7170FLA5:56TDTim Tebow, 2 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7240FLA0:00TDAaron Hernandez, 44 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick73102KTY2:44TDRoss Bogue 2 yd pass from Mike HartlineLones Seiber Kick73173FLA3:45FGCaleb Sturgis 32 yd FG33474FLA6:39TDRiley Cooper 8 yd pass from John BrantleyCaleb Sturgis Kick7417
In their first road game of the season, the Florida Gators traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats. The Gators quickly took at 31–0 lead in the first quarter before going on to win 41–7. The biggest news story to come out of the game was a concussion suffered by Tim Tebow during the third quarter. Tebow spent the night in a Lexington hospital; returning two weeks later for Florida's 13–3 win at LSU.
LSU
Arkansas
Mississippi State
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+FLAMSU1MSU9:05FGDerek DePasquale 43 yd FG303FLA3:36FGCaleb Sturgis 21 yd FG3332FLA13:16TDTim Tebow, 26 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7103FLA7:15FGCaleb Sturgis, 21 yd FG3133MSU0:27TDJohnthan Banks, 100 yd interception returnDerek Depasquale Kick713103MSU9:32FGDerek Depasquale 31 yd FG31313FLA5:15FGCaleb Sturgis 27 yd FG316134FLA9:08TDChris Rainey 8 yd runFAILED62213FLA8:25TDDustin Doe, 23 yd interception returnCaleb Sturgis Kick72913MSU3:51FGJohnthan Banks, 20 yd interception return2PT FAILED62919
Georgia
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+UGAFLA1FLA12:21TDRiley Cooper, 22 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick707FLA3:20TDRiley Cooper, 29 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick70142UGA13:45FGBlair Walsh 49 yd FG3314UGA10:40TDAron White, 26 yd pass from Joe CoxBlair Walsh Kick71014FLA4:47FGCaleb Sturgis 56 yd FG31017FLA1:32TDTim Tebow, 23 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick710243FLA13:30TDTim Tebow, 5 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick71031UGA6:17TDMichael Moore, 4 yd pass from Joe CoxBlair Walsh Kick717314FLA7:42FGCaleb Sturgis 44 yd FG31734FLA6:24TDBrandon Spikes, 5 yd interception returnCaleb Sturgis Kick71741
Vanderbilt
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+VANFLA1FLA1:00FGCaleb Sturgis, 27 yd FG3032FLA12:43TDJeffery Demps, 25 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7010FLA6:08FGCaleb Sturgis 45 yd FG30133VAN8:40FGRyan Fowler, 32 yd FG3313FLA1:52TDTim Tebow, 1 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick73204FLA1:32TDDavid Nelson, 8 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick7327
South Carolina
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+FLASC1FLA12:04FGRiley Cooper, 68 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick770SC5:51TDBrian Maddox, 1 yd runSpencer Lanning Kick777FLA1:18FGCaleb Sturgis, 32 yd FG31072FLA10:28TDEmmanuel Moody, 17 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7177SC2:10TDWeslye Saunders 9 yd pass from Stephen GarciaSpencer Lanning Kick717143No scoring in 3rd Quarter4FLA13:25TDTim Tebow 1 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick72414
Florida International
Scoring SummaryQTeamTimeScoring PlayExtra PointScore+FIUFLA1FLA13:10TDBrandon Spikes, 41 yd interception returnCaleb Sturgis Kick707FLA9:18TDTim Tebow, 55 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick70142FLA13:39TDChris Rainey, 27 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick7021FLA9:41TDChris Rainey, 22 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7028FLA1:38TDJeffery Demps, 3 yd runCaleb Sturgis Kick7035FIU0:29FGDustin Rivest 37 yd FG33353FLA13:38TDRiley Cooper, 18 yd pass from Tim TebowCaleb Sturgis Kick7342FLA4:06TDOmarius Hines 20 yd pass from John BrantleyCaleb Sturgis Kick73494FLA11:10TDJustin Williams, 16 yd pass from John BrantleyCaleb Sturgis Kick7356FLA2:28TDFrankie Hammond Jr. 31 yd pass from John BrantleyPAT Blocked6362
Florida State
In the regular season finale, the Gators blew by the Seminoles 37–10. A new attendance record at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was set with 90,907 present.
SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama
In a rematch of last year's SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide handed the Gators their only loss of the season. Alabama running back Mark Ingram II scored three touchdowns in the 32–13 win.
Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati
Personnel
Depth chart (revised 12-2–09)
Roster 2009 Florida Gators rosterQuarterbacks 12 John Brantley – Sophomore 14 Andrew Blaylock – Junior 15 Tim Tebow – Senior 16 Jordan Reed – Freshman
Running backs 3 Chris Rainey – Sophomore 21 Emmanuel Moody – Junior 23 Mike Gillislee – Freshman 29 Christopher Scott – Junior 37 Vincent Brown – Sophomore 44 Ean McQuay – Sophomore 48 Marquis Hannah – Junior
Athlete 2 Jeff Demps – Sophomore 25 Brandon James – Senior
Fullbacks 37 Marcus Nemeth – Freshman 42 Steven Wilks – Sophomore 45 T.J. Pridemore – Freshman 48 Rick Burgess – Senior
Wide receivers 3 Brandon Frazier – Junior 4 Andre Debose – Freshman 6 Deonte Thompson – Sophomore 7 Justin Williams – Junior 9 Carl Moore – Senior 11 Riley Cooper – Senior 18 T.J. Lawrence – Freshman 22 Cade Holliday – Senior 39 Joey Sorrentino – Senior 82 Omarius Hines – Freshman 83 David Nelson – Senior 85 Frankie Hammond Jr. – Freshman 89 Stephen Alli – Freshman
Tight ends 80 Desmond Parks – Freshman 81 Aaron Hernandez – Junior 84 Christopher Coleman – Senior 87 Josh Postell – Freshman Offensive line 50 Sam Robey – Freshman 55 Mike Pouncey – Junior 56 Maurkice Pouncey – Junior 57 Carl Johnson – Junior 58 Nick Alajajian – Freshman 58 Christopher Guido – Freshman 60 William Steinmann – Sophomore 61 Gary Beemer – Junior 62 Hayden Chance – Freshamn 63 Cole Gilliam – Freshman 64 Kyle Koehne – Freshman 66 James Wilson – Sophomore 67 Jon Halapio – Freshman 70 Shawn Schmieder – Junior 71 Matt Patchan – Sophomore 72 Jonotthan Harrison – Freshman 73 Xavier Nixon – Freshman 74 Maurice Hurt – Junior 76 Marcus Gilbert – Junior 78 David Young – Freshman 79 Corey Hobbs – Junior
Defensive line 6 Jaye Howard – Sophomore 8 Carlos Dunlap – Junior 34 Lerentee McCray – Sophomore 44 Duke Lemmens – Junior 47 Brandon Antwine – Junior 49 Jermaine Cunningham – Senior 57 Samuel Johnson – Freshman 62 Lamar Abel – Sophomore 65 Glen Watson – Freshman 90 Lawrence Marsh – Junior 91 Earl Okine – Freshman 93 Kedric Johnson – Freshman 94 Justin Trattou – Junior 95 Gary Brown – Freshman 96 William Green – Sophomore 97 Edwin Herbert – Junior 98 Troy Epps – Senior 99 Omar Hunter – Freshman Linebackers 16 A.J. Jones – Junior 26 Lorenzo Edwards – Junior 30 Chris Pintano – Junior 32 Dustin Doe – Senior 33 Scott Peek – Freshman 40 Brandon Hicks – Junior 41 Ryan Stamper – Senior 43 Jelani Jenkins – Freshman 46 Michael Ross – Freshman 51 Brandon Spikes – Senior 52 Jon Bostic – Freshman 54 Brandon Beal – Sophomore
Defensive backs 23 Corey Henderson – Sophomore 24 Josh Evans – Freshman 34 Reginald Hopkins – Sophomore 42 Miguel Carodine – Junior
Cornerbacks 1 Janoris Jenkins – Sophomore 4 Wondy Pierre-Louis – Senior 5 Joe Haden – Junior 14 Markihe Anderson – Senior 27 Adrian Bushell – Freshman 28 Jeremy Brown – Freshman 36 Moses Jenkins – Junior Safeties 10 Will Hill – Sophomore 13 Dee Finley – Freshman 20 Dorian Munroe – Senior 21 Major Wright – Junior 35 Ahmad Black – Junior 46 Cody Worton – Junior
Punters 17 Chas Henry – Junior 40 David Lerner – Freshman
Kickers 19 Caleb Sturgis – Sophomore 38 Jonathan Phillips – Senior
Long snappers 47 John Crofoot – Freshman 50 Cody Hampton – Freshman 53 Mike Williamson – Senior 58 Christopher Guido – Freshman 59 John Fairbanks – Junior
Coaching staff 2009 Florida Gators coaching staffHead Coach: Urban Meyer
Offensive coaches Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/offensive line: Steve Addazio Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler Running backs: Kenny Carter Wide receivers/recruiting coordinator: Billy Gonzales Tight ends: Brian White
Defensive coaches Associate head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers: Charlie Strong Assistant defensive coordinator/safeties: Chuck Heater Assistant head coach/defensive line: Dan McCarney Cornerbacks: Vance Bedford
Statistics
Team