College Football
The Big Letdown
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I was a freshman at Young Harris College, I was introduced to a south Florida-based parrot head musician named Del Suggs. The chorus of one of his songs said “when everything’s coming up roses, I get suspicious.”
Boy howdy, does that sentiment ring true right now.
As any lifelong Dawg fan will gladly tell you – whether you want to hear it or not – we’ve been through a lot over the years: Second & 26. Half a hundred between the hedges. No, make that the entire Steve Spurrier run.
The Dawgs have been close (or should have been close) so many times since 1980 that many of us have developed a healthy sense of skepticism. Can you blame us though? We survived Jim Donnan *AND* Mark Richt.
This year feels different, though. Undefeated through seven games. Undefeated in the SEC with our backup quarterback and a decimated receiver corp. A defense that has allowed only 4 touchdowns all year…and it would have been three if Mark Stoops’ bookie hadn’t gotten that call through. Georgia, no matter how badly we don’t want to say it out loud, looks unstoppable.
This year’s Georgia/Florida game shouldn’t be a trap game. So why is it making me so nervous?
The 2021 Floriduh Gaturs are not a good football team. Neither QB has proved to be outstanding, although both were described as such in the preseason.
Yes, they almost took Bama to overtime, but I’m standing by my belief that this year’s Bama is a paper tiger.
Dan Mulllen has already gotten a third L to supplement the two Ls you can’t spell his name without. Not only are they not at their usual spot in the top 2 spots of the SEC East, they’re in 4th, behind Tennessee AND KENTUCKY.
Let that sink in. Florida is behind Kentucky. In FOOTBALL.
I’m pretty sure this is mentioned somewhere in Revelations, I’m just scared to look.
I’m nervous about this game because records and rankings absolutely do not matter in this matchup. Let’s take a look at the last few times a highly ranked UGA team has gone up against an unranked Florida squad.
2017 – #3 Georgia 42 – Florida 7. Okay, this one worked out the way we thought, but just wait.
2014 – Florida 38 – #9 Georgia 20. I’m not sure, but I think this was the year Fred Taylor’s kid decided he had some of his old man’s talent. Not sure, I’ve blocked this game from my memory.
2002 – Florida 20 – #5 Georgia 13. Ron Zook’s first year as coach (yeah, I forgot him, too), and a team led by a QB most famous for almost breaking his fool neck headbutting a cement wall on national television.
If we were to flip the script, the last time an unranked Georgia squad beat a ranked Florida team was 1989.
Thirty-two years ago. When George Bush was still in office. The first one, that is.
This is why I am hesitant to embrace hope this year, much less this week. Weird stuff happens at the WLOCP.
True, the 2021 Bulldogs have started to be mentioned in “best of all time” discussions, and rightfully so. JT Daniels is trending towards playing, and let’s be honest, it won’t be a heartbreak if he doesn’t – you’d like to see the Mailman get some payback for last year too, yeah?
My mind says “we’ve got this.” My heart says “ease up off the gas there, pablo.”
My cardiology nurse, however, says “please stop watching Georgia football.” I should probably listen to her, considering she’s my wife.
The Ole Ball Coach
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Going into the 1990 season Georgia held a commanding 44-22-2 lead in the annual rivalry game in Jacksonville.
UGA fans went to Jacksonville knowing they would find a way to win the contest even if Florida had a better record or more talent.
Bad things always happened to Florida when games were on the line and they would find a way to lose a game they had won. The Florida fan base had come to expect to lose every year.
Florida fans say that was BS, which stands for “Before Spurrier”. Florida hired their Heisman winning QB Steve Spurrier as their head football coach in 1990.
Spurrier’s teams were known for winning with aggressive and high-scoring offenses, and he became known for teasing and “needling” rivals, both before and after beating them on the field.
He is the winningest coach in both Florida and South Carolina program history, and his last Duke squad won the program’s only Atlantic Coast Conference championship over the last half-century in 1989.
Florida’s four consecutive Southeastern Conference championships in the mid-1990s is the second-longest streak in conference history, behind Bear Bryant’s 1970s Alabama teams, and Spurrier and Bryant are the only coaches to hold the record for most conference wins at two different SEC schools.
Spurrier is second to Bryant in total wins, while leading an SEC program.
When Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy during the Gators’ 1996 national championship season, Spurrier became the only Heisman Trophy winner to coach another Heisman Trophy winner.
In recognition to his contributions to the university and its football program, the University of Florida officially renamed the Gators’ home field “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium” in 2016.
Immediately the ball coach dominated the series. Take a look at these scores:
1990: Florida 38-7
1991; Florida 45-13
1992: Florida 26-24
1993: Florida 33-26
1994: Florida 52-14
1995: Florida 52-17
1996: Florida 47-7
Georgia fans stopped coming in droves to Jacksonville and began to say we may never win in Jacksonville ever again as long as this guy is there.
No head coach in history has owned more free space in the head of an opposing fan base than Steve Spurrier has over the Georgia Bulldog nation.
When UGA broke the 7 game losing streak in 1997 to UF the ball coach responded by winning four straight before leaving for the Washington Redskins after the 2001 season.
Spurrier ended his Florida coaching career with an 11-1 record against UGA. Total domination from every possible angle, but the mental control over UGA still lingers to this day.
I’m a huge UGA fan and always seem to expect the worst possible scenario because of one man Steve Spurrier. If you are a Georgia fan and say this Spurrier mojo doesn’t still linger then you are lying to yourself.
The mojo is losing its luster as the years go by, but it still creeps in from time to time.
Steve Spurrier is on the Mt. Rushmore of SEC Football Coaches. The man transformed the SEC into what it has evolved into today.
I’m not a Florida fan, but I respect Steve Spurrier as much as any football coach that has ever roamed the sidelines. Steve Spurrier did a number on the Bulldog Nation that has lingered for 30 years.
Georgia leads the series with Florida now 53-44-2. Florida is 22-9 since they hired the Ole Ball Coach, who got 11 of those wins and he hasn’t coached in this rivalry game since 2001.
Big Game Dan
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dan Mullen likes to play Darth Vader, but this recent stretch of Florida Gator football has exposed Dan as more of a Wile E Coyote.
The last time the Gators played, it was like Coach Orgeron painted a tunnel on the side of a mountain, and Mullen ran right into it.
Mullen has become the hapless villain more likely to have an anvil fall on him than to succeed in chasing down the roadrunner.
LSU lost their star receiver and top two corners. On paper, the Tigers had no chance to win.
But, through the power of Mullen mayhem, the Florida Gators found a way to make it happen.
Todd Grantham, a fan favorite in every SEC town except Gainesville, coached a defense that surrendered 321 yards in rushing yards alone.
Tyrion Davis-Price ran for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns, the most ever against a Gator defense, breaking a record previously held by Herschel Walker. With all due respect to David-Price, it took a special kind of defensive breakdown to let a running back of this caliber not only break a Herschel Walker record, but do it by 50 yards.
Richardson did look terrific on the bulk of his offensive drives, but even that story comes with a twist. The Gators’ quarterback said after the game he couldn’t write off the possibility that he’d transfer. On the plus side, no one threw a shoe!
Losing sucks, and the Gators are going to have more than 3 losses for the first time since 2017.
Mullen’s Record…
LSU is 1-3
UGA is 1-2 (1-3 on Saturday)
UK is 2-2
Alabama is 0-2
His first three seasons were fun. It felt like the swag and excitement were back. For a moment, The Swamp was rocking again. Florida was a top 10 team hungry for more. Playing in the SEC Championship and winning NY6 bowl games. For a moment, The Gator Standard had returned.
How did Florida get to where they are now?
Let’s start with three years of mediocre recruiting, as well as settling on a mediocre staff; and it is finally catching up.
Mullen will not want to get rid of Grantham, but Mullen’s hand will be forced. The heat will turn onto the head coach instead if nothing is done, or better yet, accomplished soon.
Last year, Mullen opted to retain Grantham, instead firing a pair of assistant coaches in the secondary, content that should be enough to fix the issues.
If you go back and look at their last 15 quarters in SEC play, Florida has given up 37 points per game. 49 LSU points later, it might be time for a change.
Florida and Georgia will face off in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, but Florida fans might want to as well start drinking now. The less you remember, the better.
Florida has now lost six of their last eight games against Power 5 teams, dating back to last year.
Of course, Mullen has already explained that the final game of 2020 came before the blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and in fairness, he’s never said when the 2021 season was officially going to start, and with his performance, he could fool me!
Toothless Gators
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Florida Gators are at a crossroads going into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. They are 4 – 3 but the concern is the way they looked against teams perceived as inferior.
Florida started the season off with two blowout victories against Florida Atlantic and South Florida.
It looks like things went wrong after the third game. The Gators lost to #1 Alabama, 31 – 29. They played well against the defending national champs and may have been too satisfied with the moral victory.
Florida had more total yards than the Crimson Tide, 439 yards to 331. They ran for 244 yards and it looked like that would be their offensive identity going forward.
They beat Tennessee the following week, then lost at Kentucky. They pummeled Vanderbilt for homecoming, 42 – 0.
Going into the LSU game the Tigers were a .500 team. They lost two consecutive games to Auburn and Kentucky. This was also the case last season when they beat Florida in The Swamp. UF was favored by 11 ½ points.
Ed Orgeron was on the hot seat again, but he saves his best coaching performances for the Gators. They ran the ball at will and running back Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for 287 yards with three touchdowns.
Florida’s leading rusher was backup QB Anthony Richardson, but he only had 37 yards.
“The one stat to me stands out a lot is we’re minus-4 turnover ratio,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “We didn’t stop the run and make the stops we needed to in the second half when we started to gain momentum. Every time we’d get that kind of fix to get ourselves out of the hole we kind of couldn’t get the stop to get over the hump.”
Quarterback Emory Jones struggles with accuracy, consistency and decision making. He’s thrown for 1,305 yards, 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He has rushed for 495 yards and two scores.
The Gators are coming off of a bye week getting ready for the October 30th game against #1 Georgia.
The Bulldogs have a historically good defense. They are the top-rated defense in the nation in yards and points. They give up an average of 6.6 points per game, the only team that holds opponents under double digits.
Florida ranks 9th nationally in total offense, averaging 502 yards per game and 34.4 points. I don’t think they have a chance to perform like that against UGA.
They rank 38th in total defense and they give up 134.4 rushing yards per game. Running the ball is Georgia’s strength.
Dan Mullen has not publicly said if he will make a change at quarterback. Last season the strength of the offense was the passing game led by quarterback Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts. This season they lack an identity.
They are no longer ranked following the loss to LSU. They will be underdogs for the Georgia game. They will have to limit penalties and turnovers to have a chance to win. The offense will have to produce which is a lot to ask.
This is a rivalry game so strange things can happen but anybody with eyes has to pick UGA to win this game.
Chomped From Inside
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Steve Spurrier created the Gator Standard, Urban Meyer exemplified this standard by taking the program to new heights, and after two failed coaching hires, and numerous embarrassing losses; Dan Mullen was the man hired to awaken the sleeping giant.
Year one under Mullen saw a quicker turnaround than any realistic fan could have expected (and could’ve asked for). Bad losses occurred, and red flags appeared, but they were excused due to the upward trajectory of the program in only one season.
Fast forward to year four, the bad losses and red flags remain; this time, Mullen has run out of excuses. I am no insider, and don’t claim to have any secret knowledge inside the University of Florida’s football program, but several things have made me scratch my head.
Mullen’s ego is disproportionate to his on-field accomplishments. What big game has he won? He has been extremely close twice versus Alabama but lost at both contests.
I would think he’d carry himself with a chip on his shoulder, but quite the contrary. Dan Mullen refuses to hold himself to the Gator Standard.
He does not hold himself accountable! After his second loss to Kentucky in four years, being the first Florida coach since Doug Dickey to lose multiple games to Kentucky (for reference on how long ago that was: Jimmy Carter was President), Mullen snapped at a reporter who asked if felt outcoached tonight.
Mullen’s quoted, “NO! But 382 yards, I guess that sputtering. I don’t know. We had 382. They had 211 yards. I wouldn’t think that would be the case. I think guys did some pretty good things right there, moving up and down. I think we got to really look at the penalties that we have and how to get ourselves in better situations that way. I got to do a better job coaching up the PAT/field goal group. They’re a physical group. We outrushed them. We outpassed. We out total gained them. The time of possession, we were better on third down.”
BUT COACH, AT THE END OF THE GAME, YOU DIDN’T OUT SCORE THEM! SOUNDS PRETTY OUTCOACHED TO ME!
Mullen has also refused to make changes to his coaching staff. He has selectively neglected staff incompetence, especially in recruiting SEC-level talent.
He has yet to win a game as an underdog in his tenure at Florida. Fans will calm down and Florida will finish the season with eight or nine wins. Dan Mullen isn’t going anywhere soon.
I am not one of those calmed down fans. The stench from the Gators’ loss to Kentucky is lingering like burnt popcorn after the worst movie ever. Another loss like the last one and noise will build in the program for an exit.
Mullen will be a name next to Zook, Muschamp and McElwain, and be another coach that can’t return Gainesville to glory.
Let’s not forget that most Gator fans (and I) are already miffed with him for not starting Anthony Richardson.
If Mullen wants to win championships, he is going to have to change.
First, he will have to make significant changes to his coaching staff. Next, he is going to have to give a Damn about recruiting. Finally, he is going to have to hold himself to the Gator Standard.
Mullen has steadied the program, and now, can he take them up to the next level?
It’s Game Day In Athens
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
ESPN announced that College GameDay will be headed to the Classic City for Arkansas versus Georgia. Dawg fans are complaining about the noon kick-off, but I like it. ESPN will have eyeballs from 10 am to midnight.
This isn’t College GameDay’s first visit to Athens. GameDay has been on Georgia’s campus five times. Here are those results.
October 10, 1998: #5 Tennessee vs #3 Georgia. Tee Martin and the Volunteers came “Between the Hedges” and dominated the Dawgs. Strolling out of Athens with a convincing 22-3 win en route to winning a National Championship.
September 27, 2009: #8 Alabama vs #3 Georgia. This was Georgia’s big Blackout game that wasn’t. This was one of the most anticipated games of 2008. The Tide opened the game by punching the Dawgs in the mouth. The game was over at halftime with a score of 31-0, Bama. The final score of 41-30 was more cosmetic than the result.
September 21, 2013: #6 LSU vs #9 Georgia. The battle between Murray and Mettenberger, both quarterbacks put on an offensive firework show. Mettenberger had a career day 23 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns. Murray did not disappoint, completing 20 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. One of the loudest days in Sanford Stadium’s history. Whoever had the ball last would win. Murray found Justin Scott Wesley for the game clinching touchdown with less than two minutes left in the 4th quarter. This, my friends, is a classic. If you are ever bored, pull this one up, sit back and enjoy.
September 21, 2019: #7 Notre Dame vs #3 Georgia. A perfect day in Athens to host the Fighting Irish in the Classic City. Jake Fromm and Lawrence Cager didn’t show the same southern hospitality, Fromm threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Cager early in the fourth quarter and the Dawgs survived for a 23-17 victory. This was also the debut of the Celebrated Red Lights at Stanford Stadium to add to the already electric Light Up Stanford tradition at the close of the third quarter.
October 3, 2020. #7 Auburn vs #3 Georgia. Stetson Bennett and The JunkYard Dawg’s Defense led Georgia to a 27-6 win over the Tigers in last year’s rendition of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” GameDay was held inside Stanford Stadium with no fans due to COVID.
October 2, 2021. #8 Arkansas vs #2 Georgia. The Hogs come in 4-0 with wins over Texas and Texas A&M. It is important to emphasize that Arkansas is a good football team. Vegas book makers have installed them as a 19.5 underdog. That’s because Georgia is an elite football team. Kirby Smart has built a roster loaded with studs on both sides of the ball.
Georgia’s defense looks impermeable and the offense continues to stretch the field. Georgia 44 Arkansas 13.
The Bright Sunshine
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It has been cloudy in The Sunshine State for the Big Four (UF, FSU, UCF & Miami). All four teams recently suffered setbacks and the storm clouds are building up around a couple programs.
Miami and Florida State are on the list of programs with a name that inspires nostalgia and memorable expectations, but with little or no reference to recent big-time success.
Manny Diaz and Mike Norvell may not be on the “hot seat” right now, but with recent performances their seat will be red hot in no time.
Speculation about Diaz and Norvell seems sure to start. Who could replace them in Coral Gables and Tallahassee? If fans had their way, both would be gone immediately.
Here’s a realistic list of replacements, so you won’t see James Franklin, Deion Sanders, Mario Cristobal, or Urban Meyer on this list.
- P.J. Fleck, Minnesota head coach: Fleck has a 27-20 record with two bowl game wins that includes an Outback Bowl win over Auburn.
Fleck is known for his motto Row the Boat. I could see Fleck leaving Minnesota for a high-end job like Florida State or Miami. In some respects (as bad as things are at UM and FSU), Fleck could be rowing his boat in Florida water next year.
- Mark Stoops, Kentucky head coach: In his ninth season, Stoops has a 52-50 record.
The Wildcats are a basketball school, but Stoops has made them somewhat respectable. Stoops has ties to the last of Miami’s glory days; he was the defensive back coach under Larry Coker from 2001-2003.
Both teams would prefer Mark’s brother Bob, but among realistic candidates, they’ll settle with Mark.
- Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina head coach: Chadwell hit the national radar with an 11-1 record in 2020.
Chadwell has built his system quickly during his time as a head coach. Coastal Carolina went from three, to five, to 11 wins in Chadwell’s first three seasons.
Coastal Carolina couldn’t afford to keep Chadwell if either Florida State or Miami came calling. Chadwell’s track record of building a winner will bring Power 5 money, so watch out for his name.
- Lane Kiffen, Ole’ Miss head coach: Kiffen has been the head coach for the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Volunteers, USC Trojans, Florida Atlantic Owls and his current gig with Ole’ Miss.
Kiffen is a relentless recruiter and offensive mastermind. His name will be thrown into discussion for every job opening in 2021.
He would be a perfect fit with both programs, because he knows the terrain and he’s a fierce competitor.
1.Tony Elliott, Clemson Offensive Coordinator: This OC has been in talks for several jobs in past years.
He has been waiting for the right job and most importantly, a big-time job.
Elliott has the best resumé and accolades for a non-head coach. He is a respected recruiter in the South Florida area, and that is essential to building a college football program. If Elliott is to become a head coach, it will likely be a blue blood.
Getting the hires right for Miami and Florida State is extremely important for the trajectory of these once dominant programs.
Contrarily, this article can be for nothing if Miami and Florida State turn it around on the field with their current Head Coaches.
Where’s The Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re a few games into the college football season, so we have a small sample size to evaluate teams.
The team we are going to examine is Georgia Tech. Geoff Collins is in his third season as head coach and I’m wondering has the program gotten any better?
The Yellow Jackets started the season with a loss at home to Northern Illinois, 22 – 21. Losing to a school outside of the Power 5 is embarrassing enough, but the Huskies were winless in 2020 (0-6). This game should have been an easy win before ACC play begins.
The one positive from that game is Jordan Yates came in to relieve an injured Jeff Sims at quarterback. I believed he was a better player and he has played like it so far.
The next game was against an FCS team, Kennesaw State. They won 45 – 17, which is expected.
The Jackets then went to #6 Clemson. Last season the Tigers humiliated Tech, 73 – 7. In 2019 they won 52 – 17. Clemson did have the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence playing quarterback in those games. They also had fellow first-round pick, running back Travis Etienne.
They are replacing a lot of talent and experience, but we expect a program like them to reload. Their offense looked anemic in the season opener, but they did play an elite Georgia defense.
The Tigers won, 14 – 8. This score was much closer than anyone would have predicted. Did Tech close the talent gap between the programs or is Clemson overrated?
I think the truth is closer to Clemson struggling on offense, led by sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. He completed 18 of 25 pass attempts for 126 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
Yates completed 20 of 34 passes for 203 yards, no touchdown and 1 interception.
Clemson had not been held under 20 points in an ACC game since losing 28-6 to Tech in 2014. Likewise, the Tigers’ 284 yards of total offense was their fewest since the same loss to Tech, when they gained 190 yards.
The Tech defense came out in a 3-3 (three defensive linemen, three linebackers) look for the first time this season after playing out of a 4-2-5 (four linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs) as its base defense. They worked on the 3-3 throughout the preseason but Collins did not feel they were ready for the first two games.
“And then once the guys were really confident in playing it, we rolled it out there (Saturday) and they did a really nice job with it,” Collins said.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said that Tech lined up in “absolutely nothing that we prepared for.”
This moral victory may give the team some confidence going forward. The question is will that translate to wins?
Looking at the rest of the schedule I think there are four games they have a chance to win; Duke, Virginia, Boston College and Miami.
Pitt, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Georgia are guaranteed loses. The Yellow Jackets are in for another losing season and missing a bowl appearance.
Fear The Spear?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It was a nightmare for Florida State football fans, it was their first EVER loss to an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) opponent, falling 20-17 to Jacksonville State, allowing a 59-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired.
It usually gets worse before it gets better, but Coach Mike Norvell has not shown anything on the field for me to suggest any upward trajectory. All Coach Norvell has done so far is apologize.
Coach Norvell said, “Did not have our team ready to play today.” That was evident from the start of the game, UCF transfer McKenzie Milton had not one, but two touchdown throws dropped by Milik McClain and Keyshawn Helton.
The offense committed penalty after penalty and could not find a rhythm. For most of the game, Florida State’s defense was solid, but undisciplined; blown coverages literally cost them the W. Six days after the moral (losers) victory against Notre Dame, FSU suffered the worst loss in program history.
College football today is becoming the land of haves and have nots. Florida State: yes, the Florida State that was not far removed from being a dominant program in college football in the mid 2010s, finds itself a ‘have not’ in the early 2020s.
In truth, I don’t know where Florida State goes from here. If you feel they hit rock bottom, then up, but could the program fall into the lower ranks of ‘has beens’ such as Nebraska, Texas and Miami?
Since Jimbo Fisher departed from Tallahassee, Florida State has been in the dumps, both financially and on the field. FSU fired Wille Taggart near the end of his second season and have now made their bed with Mike Norvell, who has 3 wins in 11 games so far.
Can Florida State afford to even consider another change this early on in Norvell’s tenure? Mike Norvell’s buyout is $18 million. Most coaches are given at least three seasons before trajectory dictates job security, but Florida State has already set precedent with Willie Taggart that they are unafraid to pull the plug on a failing coach.
Florida State owes Willie Taggart about $17 million for his buyout. The next month is extremely important for Norvell if he wants to keep his job in Tallahassee.
I entered the season predicting Florida State would go 6-6, and I’m no longer convinced that 6-6 is attainable.
Florida State currently has the 10th ranked recruiting class in the country. Recruits are singing the right tune at this moment. Fans have to continue to hope this class sticks together. But I’ve heard this tune before and so has the transfer portal.
Is Florida State a victim of high expectations that are no longer realistic? Besides Clemson, the ACC is not a great conference; and winning 8-10 games a year shouldn’t be too tall of a task.
Due to economics, Norvell is not on the hot seat in 2021. Norvell is in his second of his six-year deal, and his buyout is 85% of his remaining base salary.
I fear that Florida State is entering a cycle where they’re going to be so deep in a hole that climbing out of it and returning to a consistently great standard is going to be an insurmountable task.
The Boys Are Back
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College football is back and week one brought us some great games.
Seeing fans fill stadiums from Blacksburg to Charlotte to Madison, showing the love and passion for the game.
Not only did we see some of the top teams in the sport flex their muscles, but two teams from the same conference established themselves as favorites to win the College Football Playoffs.
There were some real surprises Saturday that will cause a domino effect with the College Football Playoffs.
Check out my top takeaways from what I saw on the gridiron this weekend.
1.The Georgia Bulldogs defense is very, very NASTY!
Coaches at every level preach 11 to the ball and on Saturday night it looked like 11 hungry Dawgs snapping at orange jerseys.
D.J. Uiagalelei was under siege for the entire contest. He attempted 37 passes and it felt like he was pressured on half of those throws. With good health and defensive play at this level, the Bulldogs should waltz into Atlanta 12-0 for the SEC Championship.
- The Alabama Crimson Tide seemed determined to defend their national title and preseason number one ranking by dismantling the Miami Hurricanes.
Even with Matt Jones, Jaylen Waddle, Najee Harris and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith drafted to the NFL, Bryce Young set a school record for a starting debut with 344 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air.
Even more impressive, Young is rolling with a new offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien.
- Never mind Notre Dame beating FSU in overtime, the hero of the game was McKenzie Milton.
Milton may provide the sports story of the year after just week one of the season. Just three years ago after leading UCF to a National Championship, Milton suffered one of the most gruesome knee injuries: dislocation, shredded ligaments and arterial damage.
Fast forward to Sunday night, Milton entered the game late in the fourth quarter trailing 38-28. All he did was lead the Seminoles to 10 consecutive points to send the game into overtime.
- First year UCF head coach Gus Malzahn; it took the Knights and Malzahn two days to beat Boise State 36-31.
Weather delayed the start time four hours, and the Gus Bus started the game with flat tires.
The Knights dug a 21-0 deficit against the Broncos. Transfer running back Isaiah Bowser and quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the offensive comeback, but the defensive unit controlled the game in the second half.
Also, news broke Friday that UCF along with BYU, Cincinnati and Houston are planning to join the Big 12 Conference.
- The ACC had an awful Week 1. Let’s recap: Clemson lost to Georgia, Miami was throttled by Alabama, Georgia Tech lost to Northern Illinois; a MAC team, and North Carolina was upset by Virginia Tech.
The top three teams in the ACC and the league’s best playoff hopes are now holding an L after one week. That’s not a good look.
- Emory Jones’ starting debut for the Florida Gators was not smooth.
After leading the Gators on consecutive touchdown drives in the first quarter, Jones didn’t look the same after throwing an interception.
He finished 17 for 27 with 113 yards and a pair of interceptions in a 34-14 win over FAU.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson stole the show with a 74 yards touchdown run and a leap over a defender for a first down.
I’m not suggesting there is quarterback controversy in Gainesville, but keep a close eye on this situation for any developments to unfold.
As I reflect on an amazing Week 1 of college football. I can’t help but think that for the first time in a long time we stopped yelling at each other, and started yelling for each other; if you’re rooting for the same teams at least.
