April in Gainesville, Florida means three things:  beautiful weather, co-eds in sundresses and spring football.  With a relatively forgettable college basketball campaign distancing itself from view, Gator fans now turn their attention to football with the promise of a return to greatness.

Sunday, the Swamp hosted its annual Orange-and-Blue game as seen nationally on ESPN.  Over 60,000 fans, including yours truly, piled into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to see what Urban Meyer and his highly touted recruits would showcase in the way of talent.  Fans did not leave disappointed.

Prior to the game, Coach Meyer pitted his fastest athletes against their fellow students and offered a tryout opportunity to anyone who could outpace them.  When sophomore tailback Chris Rainey clocked a 4.24 forty-yard dash, participants soon discovered why they weren’t the ones offered a football scholarship.  Rumor has it that one Ohio State fan phoned another and jealously asked “Did you see that kid Rainey?”

Although quarterback Tim Tebow was bed-ridden with a stomach virus and fever the night before, Superman still donned his cape and led his Blue team to victory, 28-14, passing for 200 yards in 13 of 21 attempts.  Tebow has never lost a spring game.  He only carried the ball four times.  While this may have been partially due to his recent illness, Meyer has vowed the 2008 Gators would feature much less of Tebow’s ground attack.  With incoming quarterback John Brantley injured, Cam Newton led the orange team in a loss.  While Newton looked impressive in spurts, Brantley is expected to challenge him for the back up QB position.

After smoking fellow students in the pre-game festivities, Chris Rainey carried that speed onto the field, rushing for 75 yards and gaining another 65 on a touchdown reception from Tebow.  Meyer expects Rainey to play a major role in Florida’s offense next season.  With Percy Harvin out until late summer with a heel injury, Rainey, Brandon James, Mon Williams, Kestahn Moore and USC transfer Emmanuel Moody are all competing for carries.  And despite Moody’s 111 yards on 14 carries, the one play coaches remember is his fumble in the end zone.  Coach Meyer’s post-game criticisms of Moody were direct, stating simply that Moody would not play in the fall if he continued to put the ball on the ground.  With that assortment of tailback talent, Meyer should be able to pick and choose his weapons.   Moody should get looks as long as he can become more comfortable in Urban’s schemes.

With the departure of Dallas Baker two years ago and Andre Caldwell last year, the Gators will  look to Riley Cooper and TE Aaron Hernandez for receptions, however with Meyer’s spread offense, catches can come from just about anywhere.

The defensive line looked strong, led by Carlos Dunlap’s four sacks, an orange-and-blue game record.  Lorenzo Edwards also intercepted a Tebow pass and ran it back fifty yards for a touchdown.  Both Dunlap and Edwards are freshmen.  The Gators still have some questions in their secondary, but anything would be an improvement from last season.

The Bright Side:  It’s doubtful that any defense will be able to shut down the multi-talented Gator attack.  Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow should be in full form and understands that 9-4 does not live up to his standards, or Gator Nation’s.  Florida’s schedule sets up favorably for a successful season with the most difficult contests coming in Knoxville, in Fayetteville, at home to LSU, in Jacksonville against Georgia and in Tallahassee against Florida State.  The Florida-Georgia game will once again mean something this year and could very well pit two top five teams against one another in this rivalry for the first time in decades.  The Gators will feature a deadly combination of speed and power as Urban Meyer continues to reload with top notch recruits at all positions.

The Concerns:  Despite their high-octane offense, the Gator D was porous last year.  The defensive line and secondary are talented, but young and relatively inexperienced.  The secondary will need to return the defense to its expected form or opponents will continue to pass over the top of them as they did last year.  On offense, the Gators still do not feature a pound-the-ball type running back.  And although Harvin is expected to return from heel surgery by July or August, only time will tell if he can be the multi-purpose threat he’s been his freshman and sophomore seasons.  The Gators also lack experience at the wide receiver position.

Prediction:  10-2, which should be good enough to get them a BCS bid.  I fear Mark Richt and Georgia may have finally figured out how to put their Gator woes behind them.  It’s been a long time since Gator fans have feared that game, but with Georgia likely ranked pre-season top three, whoever wins that contest will have not only a stranglehold on the Southeastern Conference, but also a shot at a national title.  Tennessee is also always an X-factor in the difficult SEC Eastern Division.  Although the schedule is favorable, Florida could easily drop another unsuspecting game, such as on the road at Tallahassee, which could potentially be Bobby Bowden’s last game ever.

The good news for Gator fans everywhere is that they may have uncovered the next great Gator Heisman trophy winner.

Saturday, in front of a crowd of nearly 70,000 delighted fans, the University of Florida celebrated its national championship and honored its football team and coaching staff.  For those of you Gator fans nationwide, and pete_nice, who were unable to attend, I thought I’d share some photos from the gala.

As the orange and blue clad throng filed into the stadium by the hundreds, they were treated to a replay of the title game in which the Ohio State Buckeyes were dismantled, putting an end to their undefeated season.

Since midnight last Monday, Gainesville has been much like New York City in “Ghostbusters II” after the metropolis is doused with the feelgood goo that makes everyone want to love and hug each other.  It’s like the town has taken one big hit of ecstasy… or so I’ve been told.

The grass on the field inside the stadium was pristine and untouched, much like Chris Leak’s jersey after the championship game.  After hours of anticipation paralleled by most home games, local sports personalities eventually introduced the team as they ran onto the field at noon wearing white jerseys and black warm-up pants. 

Urban Meyer then took the stage and honored his coaches and seniors.

Highlights of the season were displayed on the big screens with fans going particularly crazy over the Jarvis Moss blocked field goal attempt against South Carolina and Earl Everett, the “helmet-less assassin” chasing down Troy Smith.  When Reggie Nelson was asked about that defining play, he responded by saying “When I saw Earl running around without his helmet, I knew it was on.” 

Fans chanted ‘One More Year!” every time underclassmen Brandon Siler or Reggie Nelson took the microphone.  The championship emblem was then unveiled as fans roared.

Then came the grand finale.  Chris Leak has long lived in the shadow of Gator favorite Danny Wuerffel.  In a nice touch, Wuerffel took the stage and symbolically passed the baton to Leak, the only other Florida quarterback to lead his team to a national title.  Wuerffel also invited Timmy Tebow to join that elusive club.

So folks, enjoy the pictures and for Gator fans everywhere, congratulations on your championships!