&ALLIGATOR E TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 Wynn could return to line- up Saturday By ANDREW ABRAMSON and BRYAN APP -, Alligator Staff Writers A day after Urban Meyer's Gators debuted to mixed results, the first-year UF coach said tail- back DeShawn Wynn may be available to play Saturday against Louisiana Tech. Meyer alt but admitted Wynn's absence from the field in UF's 32-14 victory against Wyoming- and the Gators lack of a running presence-was the result of a suspension, although Meyer didn't exactly call it that. Meyer said Wynn is paying for mistakes made months ago, and that UF's most talented tailback-who led the Gators in rushing touchdowns two seasons ago as a freshman-ex- celled in fall camp. "That hole was built a long time ago in February and March," Meyer said. "[Wynn]. Wynni climbed out of that hole in training camp, and it's week-to- week with him. He might play against Louisiana Tech, we'll wait to see how practice goes this week." KATRINA HITS HOME: As accounts of storm-battered relatives and friends reuniting continue to surface in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, UF offensive line- man Tavares Washington waits for a phone call. Washington, whose family in Greenville, Miss., dodged Katrina, said he still hasn't heard from friend and former Gators offensive lineman Sylvester McGrew. In 2004, McGrew, a native of New Orleans, transferred to McNeese State located in Lake Charles, La., about 200 miles west of the Crescent City. "I'm looking forward to hearing from him," -Washington said. "I actually called .his phone, but it wasn't working. "It-is upsetting because a lot of people don't know what's next; they don't know what their future will be. They're homeless right now, and some people are refusing to go. to another city right now, so it's disturbing." According to a team spokesman, McGrew no longer plays with McNeese due to academic is- sues during the offseason. While the uncertainty of his friend's where- abouts concern Washington, he remains thankful his parents emerged unscathed. ""My family, as far as in Mississippi, every- body is all right because they're more up north," Washington said. "I called my parents right after [Katrina] hit, and I was just happy to hear from them. It could've easily been me. I'm just glad it's not." WELCOME TO THE CLUB: To recognize their perfor- mances against Wyoming, Meyer named defensive end Jeremy Mincey (4 tackles, fumble recovery), linebacker Brandon Siler (5.5 tackles, sack), safety Jarvis Herring (2.5 tackles) and cornerback Vernell Brown (6 tackles, interception) to his Champion's Club on Monday. Meyer didn't induct any offensive players, say- ing, "they're very close but we need to get second- year production out of them.". Slier calls Jackson Heisman-worthy * JACKSON ENTERS COMPANY OF HISTORIC GATORS RECEIV- ERS. By BRYAN APP Alligator Staff Writer bapp@alligator.org Attention Downtown Athletic Club, UF linebacker Brandon Siler would like to make an announcement. Forget Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the rest. Forget about even watching football for the next four months. Bias granted, Siler knows what you're looking for, and he knows the perfect candidate. "Chad Jackson for Heisman," said Siler, following the Gators' 32-14 win against Wyoming Saturday. In Urban Meyer's debut game, the highly hyped UF receiver stole the show with 10 catches, 143 all-purpose yards while becoming the eighth UF player to score four touchdowns in school history. But stats are only the half of it; a Heisman hotshot requires a juiced highlight reel. Jackson began filming in the third quarter. Riding a 48-yard quarter-opening drive with a 17-0 lead, UF quarterback Chris Leak dropped back and checked down before lofting a pass toward the Gator-vacant east corner of the north end zone. "I wasn't really expecting it," Jackson said. "The ball was supposed to go to Dallas on the deep-post route. I didn't expect Chris to throw it. He overthrew-me, and I didn't expect to catch it." With the Pride of the Sunshine the closest thing to an orange-and-blue- dad receiver in the vicinity, in swooped Jackson past a pair of Cowboys de- fensive backs to make a one-handed touchdown catch. With the reception, Jackson became the first UF receiver since Jabar Gaffney to catch three touchdowns in a game.. For now he's not cuaght up in the Tricla Coyne / Alligator Staff Junior Chad Jackson can't help but celebrate- Jackson's four touchdown on Saturday were the most by a non-quarterback in UF history. Heisman hype. Jackson's more con- "When I go home I'll have to see cerned with making Sports Center's who makes on the top-10 tonight, Top-10. Jackson said following the game. UF dominates four teams in four days Soccer-splits at Notre Dame Faced with the task of playing four matches in four days, the UF volleyball team wasted no time disposing of its op- ponents. The No. 8 Gators pummeled Eastern Washington 3-0 (30- 27,30-16,30-16) Monday night after finishing a dean sweep of the Aquafina Volleyball Invitational over the weekend. UF coach Mary Wise said the tough stretch of games start- ed to affect the Gators on Monday, but she credits her team's stellar conditioning for allowing them to persevere. "I was beginning finally to see a little bit of fatigue, but this is a well-conditioned group," Wise said. On Saturday, UF defeated 15t-ranked UC-Santa Barbara 3-0 (30-25, 30-22,30-24) in front of 4,798 fans. UF had already claimed victories against Dayton and Missouri State on Friday, sweeping them as well. Senior outside hitter Jane Collymore led the Gators with 16 kills against UC-Santa Barbara and added 13.digs and four block assists. After the match, she was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Collymore said the Gators' domi- nance throughout the weekend tournament could be attrib- uted to the way the team has gelled on the court. "For us to come out and win each of these matches 3- 0 against some pretty tough teams says plenty about this team's cohesiveness and chemistry," she said. After Saturday's match against UC-Santa Barbara, Wise said she was impressed with UF's defensive performance. "It's fair to say we're much improved from playing these three matches against three very different teams," Wise said. "I'm not sure we'll play an opponent as good at serve, pass and receive as UCSB for a while. For us to go toe-to-toe and out-dig them says a lot about where we are." -BRYAN JONES SOCCER SPLITS AGAINST TOP-10: The UF women's soccer team scored six goals in two games this weekend, but it was defending national champion Notre Dame that treated the No. 19 Gators to an offensive clinic. UF faced what could be its stiffest competition of the season at taking'on the No. 1 Fighting Irish and then-No. 9 Connecticut in South Bend, Ind. The Gators (2-1) basted the Huskies 5-0 on Sunday, but could not handle Notre Dame, who topped UF 4-1 on Friday night. "We thought we attacked well against Notre Dame," UF coach Becky Burleigh said. "But obviously we had to get a lot better defensively." Notre Dame took control early, netting a pair of goals past keeper Jen Gardner in the first 20 minutes. The Fighting Irish racked up two more second-half goals on Gardner before the Gators tacked on a late Jasmine Johnson score. "They really did a good job of finishing," Burleigh said. "When we made a mistake, they punished us." - UF turned the tables against Connecticut, defeating the Huskies in UF's largest margin of victory since 2001. "It was a great recovery, a nice bounce back from the Notre Dame game," Burleigh said. "To score five goals on the No. 9 team [in an NSCAA poll] in the country is a pretty big feat." NICK ZACCARDI