Florida offense regroups after rough start in scrimmage

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida&#39;s offense looked downright inept Tuesday to begin the team&#39;s first fall scrimmage.<br> <br> There were turnovers, bad snaps and dropped passes. But play improved considerably after an emotional meeting with coaches near midfield.<br> <br> ``It started borderline pathetic,&#39;&#39; coach Urban Meyer said. ``It finished pretty strong.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Chris Leak was 3-of-9 passing for 68 yards with an interception. Backups Josh Portis and Cornelius Ingram weren&#39;t much better. Portis was 4-of-5 for 21 yards. Ingram was 3-of-4 for 13 yards.<br> <br> ``You&#39;re going to have that some times,&#39;&#39; Leak said. ``But the main thing you have to do as a leader is keep your composure and keep going and keep playing.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Leak opened the scrimmage with a 23-yard completion to Dallas Baker. But the offense quickly stalled, thanks to a couple of dropped passes, a few poor throws and several errant snaps.<br> <br> On the second play of the third series, cornerback Reggie Lewis deflected a pitch and recovered it in the end zone for a defensive score.<br> <br> Meyer immediately called the offensive players together, and coaches had a few choice words for them. Receivers coach Billy Gonzales yelled, ``Someone take control!&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Eventually, the offense did. But overall, the defense was more effective during the steamy morning scrimmage.<br> <br> ``We had a pretty good scrimmage, did a pretty good job against our offense,&#39;&#39; cornerback Vernell Brown said. ``There were some good plays by the secondary, but it was the first scrimmage of the fall camp and we still have some work to do.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Meyer&#39;s lone criticism of the defense was too many missed tackles.<br> <br> He was much harsher on the offense.<br> <br> ``If you had to say what the worst thing was today four times the ball was on the ground, or interceptions,&#39;&#39; he said. ``That can&#39;t happen. I don&#39;t care who it is, third team, first team. Offensively, we can&#39;t let that happen.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The scrimmage results were much different that the team&#39;s last scrimmage, the Orange and Blue game that capped spring practice. In that game, the offense ran up and down the field against the defense. However, the defense wasn&#39;t allowed to blitz.<br> <br> The unit was given free rein Tuesday, playing bump-and-run coverage against receivers and blitzing early and often against a line that played without center Mike Degory.<br> <br> ``(Blitzing) makes it a lot different,&#39;&#39; said Leak, who also was picked off twice during the situational . ``In the spring, you don&#39;t want to get anybody hurt. But in a scrimmage, that&#39;s what you&#39;re going to see in a game. You&#39;re going to see a lot of different looks from teams and that&#39;s what you have to be ready for.&#39;&#39;<br> Notes: Meyer said RB DeShawn Wynn has made strides the last few days and would be the starter if the season began this week. ... QB/WR Gavin Dickey was back under center Tuesday for the first time since fall practice began. ... LB Todd McCullough (knee) and DT Marcus Thomas missed their second consecutive day of practice, but Meyer said they should return soon. ... Meyer said S Kyle Jackson has not solidified a starting spot and is being pushed by fellow sophomore Tony Joiner. ... CB Reggie Nelson has been slowed by a staph infection on a foot, but Meyer said it should be cleared up soon.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)