After Appalachian State stunned Michigan last week, the Gators have been taking notes of what not to do Saturday when they take on Troy in The Swamp.
"Any time a big powerhouse like that goes down to a team not even in our division, it's a real big surprise," UF center Drew Miller said. "It just proves that anything can happen in a football game if you don?t prepare right."
Though some may assume that UF's first two games against Western Kentucky and Troy do not present a challenge for the Gators, a closer look at the Trojans might prove otherwise.
Troy is the reigning Sun Belt Conference champion and won its first bowl game in the program's history last season, defeating Rice in the New Orleans Bowl.
Troy senior Omar Haugabook is a proven quarterback with some talent around him, including running back Kenny Cattouse, who was placed on the Doak Walker Award watch list this season.
It's the same list that features players like Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Rutgers' Ray Rice, both Heisman contenders.
The Trojans return nearly all of their starters, making it virtually the same team that nearly upset a top-10 Florida State squad last September.
That game left an impression on Miller, but there hasn?t been much talk about it on UF?s practice field.
"I remember the game, but the coaches haven't mentioned it all," Miller said. "That's another point that proves that Troy is a good football team."
While the Gators don't plan on losing to Troy, UF coach Urban Meyer did say he is concerned that UF might believe it already has the game in the bag.
"I worry about that with the older guys like Drew Miller or Carlton Medder, but they are such good kids, and we are going to be on them so hard that I don?t see that being a problem," Meyer said.
Miller agrees, but said he could see how some teams might show up and expect to sleepwalk to victory.
"It's easy when you go against teams like that the last few years and usually blow them out - not really getting a scare," Miller said. "Teams come in as underdogs, and they'll do all kinds of things - crazy blitzes, different things on offense - and that can confuse you if you don?t prepare right."
During last week?s 49-3 victory against Western Kentucky, Miller wasn't completely happy with the way UF won the game.
"We had a couple drives where I saw the guys kind of go down to [Western Kentucky?s level]. Just play down, not as they?re supposed to play," Miller said. "When we were on the sideline, I would try to regroup them and say, 'This can't happen. We got to score as much as we can to get the young guys in, so they can get game experience.'"
The Gators will need as much experience as they can get against Troy, because Saturday's game will be UF's final test before facing its first Southeastern Conference opponent and divisional rival Tennessee.
The Gators will get a boost on defense from cornerback Markihe Anderson, who is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing the Western Kentucky game with a sprained right knee. The Troy match should be a valuable tune up for Anderson, as he'll soon face Erik Ainge and the Volunteers high-powered passing offense the following week.
