Gators begin title defense against Hilltoppers

Aug 29, 2007, 15:32 GMT

Gainesville, FL - The defending national champions begin the 2007 campaign at home, as the sixth-ranked Florida Gators host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in non-conference action.

Western Kentucky is in the process of transitioning to the major college level, and while the program has never played more than two Division I-A teams in any season, the club will take on six Football Bowl Subdivision foes this year. Dave Elson, who is 30-17 in four previous seasons with the Hilltoppers, leads his squad into battle on Saturday as heavy underdogs.

As for Florida, it is 87-25-2 in opening games, including 37-1 in its last 38. The Gators are nationally ranked to start the season for the 17th consecutive year, and they are considered a threat to repeat as national champs despite being the youngest team in the SEC. A great deal of talent is gone from the 2006 squad that crushed Ohio State in the BCS title tilt earlier this year, but Urban Meyer has all the pieces in place for another tremendous run.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Western Kentucky and Florida on the gridiron.

Clearly, the focus of the Florida defense will be containing dangerous Western Kentucky receiver Curtis Hamilton. A Third Team I-AA All-American in '06, Hamilton made the most of his 52 catches by racking up 841 yards and 10 TDs. Hamilton also missed two full games and half of another in 2006, but he is currently healthy and a major threat.It will be the responsibility of quarterback David Wolke to get the ball to Hamilton, and the two have worked tirelessly on their timing in both spring and fall camps. Wolke has the arm to air the ball out, and the Notre Dame transfer will have his chance to shine against the defending national champs on Saturday. Keep an eye on tailback Andrew McCloud, as he ran for 5.8 yards per carry last year in a platoon situation.

The top player on defense for the Hilltoppers is safety Marion Rumph, a three- year starter at the free safety position. Last season, Rumph posted 87 tackles to pace the squad, the second straight year he has led his club in stops. The standout has been named First Team All-league in back-to-back seasons, and while it is certainly unfair to compare the Gateway Football Conference to the SEC, it is impossible to deny Rumph's ability. He figures to get some help from a talented linebacking corps, as there are three players with big-time ability. Blake Boyd and Dusty Bear are already proven performers who can get it done against both the run and the pass, while Andre Lewis made a major splash with the program in his first season a year ago.

Of the five returning starters on the offensive side of the ball for Florida, four are offensive linemen. The line has to be considered one of the top five units in the nation, and it is largely because of the big boys up front that the Gators will once again compete for the SEC title. Now that Chris Leak has moved on, Tim Tebow is ready to take over the reigns as the starting quarterback for Florida. Tebow is freakishly strong for a quarterback and tremendously athletic for a player of his size. A year ago, he ran for 469 yards and eight touchdowns while also throwing five touchdown passes on only 33 attempts. In Saturday's debut as the unquestioned starter in Gainesville, it will be interesting to see if Tebow can live up to the hype while ignoring the pressure. Andre Caldwell is the most proven of the receivers, but Percy Harvin has the most big-play ability of any player on the offensive side of the ball. Harvin may carry the ball a bit in this opener, as the club does not possess a proven tailback.

It is a bit concerning for fans of the Gators to see that 10 of the 11 defensive starters from the National Championship squad are gone. When you lose standout performers such as Reggie Nelson, Jarvis Moss and Brandon Siler, it is tough to find adequate replacements. Make no mistake, there are a number of outstanding young players hand-picked by Meyer who are more than capable of physically filling the void, but there will certainly be a transition period where this defensive unit will have to gel. In other words, Western Kentucky may find some success moving the ball early on. The middle linebacker spot is the biggest area of concern for Meyer. Senior strong safety Tony Joiner is the lone full-time returning starter, and he will be counted on to lead the defense. Junior defensive end Derrick Harvey has big-time ability, as he registered 11 sacks last season despite not starting a single game.

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