College Football
The Trask Train
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
“What if I told you a quarterback that hasn’t started a game since ninth grade would be the starting quarterback for the University of Florida.” Stealing the tagline for ESPN’s 30 for 30, Kyle Trask made his first start at quarterback last Saturday.
Kyle Trask, a redshirt junior, hasn’t started a football game since he was on the Freshman team at Manvel High. Trask backed up current Houston Cougars starting quarterback D’Eriq King.
Saturday that all changed, Trask led the Gators to a 34-3 routing of Tennessee. Trask went 20 for 28 with 293 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
He completed his first five passing attempts for 98 yard and most of the 98 yards were air yards, not yards after the catch.
Trask stated, “I’ve been waiting for my number to get called, and I knew I was going to be ready when my number was called.”
He came close to starting last season after playing well in relief of Feleipe Franks against Missouri, but a foot injury ended that chance.
Many fans on social media and message boards speculated that Trask would transfer to Central Michigan. Central Michigan is coached by former Florida coach Jim McElwain.
Trask has said repeatedly he never considered entering the transfer portal. That decision has paid off for both Trask and the Gators.
Trask did have three turnovers in the game. He was sacked in the first quarter and fumbled the ball. That cannot happen. The two interceptions are correctable with proper coaching.
The Florida Gators, after this week’s sacrificial lamb game against Towson, will face four games in six weeks against three teams ranked in the top 10. This stretch of games will define the Gators season and Kyle Trask.
Trask has shown in a game and a half that he is pocket passer and a willing runner.
Trask must improve his mental clock, reading coverages and blitzes. He looks too cool in the pocket with defenders bearing down on him.
He must recognize time in the pocket and either throw the ball away or run. Trask must learn to read the blitz package and get rid of the ball to appropriate receiver.
With Auburn, LSU and Georgia will Trask have enough in game experience to make good decisions? Those are the real tests.
For the Gators to be competitive against the Elite programs: Georgia and LSU, they must clean up their carelessness and bad decisions with the ball.
Simply put, they have to stop turning the ball over. Florida will not beat Auburn, LSU or Georgia if they lose the turnover battle.
In my opinion, the Gators are a better team with Kyle Trask at quarterback. His calm cool demeanor makes him QB1. October will make or break Trask.
Gator fans time to hop aboard the TRASK TRAIN.
SEC Week 3 Menu
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC kicks into full throttle this weekend with a series a good SEC matchups and then you have the monster Georgia/Notre Dame matchup to finish off a great football Saturday in the nation’s top college football conference.
Here are the games and my predictions:
Southern Miss @ (2) Alabama: In case you didn’t know Nick Saban does not like noon kickoffs.
Alabama will score early and often and Tua should have a field day on Southern Miss with Alabama’s NFL wide receiver unit. The entire Alabama WR unit could start this Sunday for the Miami Dolphins. Bama rolls 52-13.
(4) LSU @ Vanderbilt: The Tigers are feeling pretty good about themselves. Vanderbilt may make them uncomfortable for a quarter or so then LSU pulls away for a 38-17 win.
I want to see that Tiger defense improve in SEC play.
Tennessee @ (9) Florida: The Swamp has never been too kind to the Vols. Franks is done for the season and Kyle Trask is now the man in Gainesville.
Dan Mullen is paid to win football games so remember Gator Nation that there was a reason that Trask was the back-up QB.
The Gators seem to be already counting this one in the win column. My gut tells me Tennessee will play inspired football, but it also may be the burrito I ate for lunch. Florida wins 23-14.
(23) California @ Ole Miss: The Rebs should be ready for this one.
Could Cal wilt in the 90-degree heat in Oxford on Saturday? Ole Miss could make a statement and I think they will. Ole Miss 27-24.
That Ealy kid at RB is going to be a star in this league.
(8) Auburn @ (17) Texas A&M: Is Bo Nix ready for 100,000 Aggies in College Station.
The Aggies already played Clemson at Clemson and should be locked and loaded for this one.
I’m not sure Auburn can run the football consistently against a quality defense. Can Kellen Mond make plays on a good Auburn defense? I think A&M makes enough plays to beat Auburn 28-20.
Kentucky @ Mississippi State: The Cats gave away the game to Florida at home last week by playing not to lose.
Mississippi State lost at home to Kansas State and did not look good in the process. I’m not very high on MSU and I’m thinking Kentucky goes on the road and gets the win in a 20-17 type game. Both offenses may struggle in this game.
South Carolina @ Missouri: South Carolina gave up too many big plays against Alabama, and Missouri’s offense is nothing close to what Carolina witnessed last week.
Kelly Bryant is a South Carolina native playing against the Gamecocks. South Carolina needs this one more than Missouri. Give me Carolina 31-30.
San Jose State @ Arkansas: This one is going to be like two mules fighting over a turnip. These are the types of games Arkansas will lose, but maybe they are going to turn the corner with Nick Starkel at QB. Give me the Hogs 38-33.
(7) Notre Dame @ (3) Georgia: This could be the most anticipated home game in the history of UGA football.
The Irish come to Athens undefeated with Ian Book at QB. The Irish have questions stopping the run and UGA has four running backs who can start anywhere and a mammoth offensive line.
This could be the Zamir White and George Pickens coming out party. I think UGA is more talented and I’ll take Jake Fromm over Ian Book. UGA beats ND 31-21 and gets a bye week before Tennessee.
New Chomp For Gators?
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Every college football team enters a season with a plan.
Whether the plan is to contend for a national championship or merely try to make a bowl game, every team has a list of things that need to go right in order to end the season where it expects.
And without exception, a starting quarterback in a leg cast is a huge detriment to any team’s season goals, regardless of how bold or conservative they may have been.
That’s exactly where the Florida Gators now stand. The Gators opened the year with plenty of promise as veteran quarterback Feleipe Franks seemed to have Florida moving in the right direction, but Franks suffered a bad ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the Gators’ victory over Kentucky in one of the first SEC games of the season.
It’s easy to cite the ‘Next Man Up’ philosophy following any injury for a collegiate football team, but Florida has a ton riding on what happens next with Franks out of the picture.
Thrust into the spotlight is redshirt junior Kyle Trask. And – in true Hollywood form – Trask immediately set about pulling the Gators out of the fire.
Florida trailed 24-10 when Franks went down, but Trask ignited the offense, engineering drives that racked up 19 unanswered points that allowed the Gators to escape Lexington with a victory, if not their health.
Trask was able to deal with the immediate problem of replacing Franks on the fly and mounting a comeback, but now sees Florida pondering how it can achieve its goals with Franks done for the season.
For the time being, things should be just fine. Trask proved that he’s capable of commanding the offense. The Gators’ schedule also helps out as Florida hosts Tennessee – which is off to a nightmarish start – this week before taking on Towson out of the FCS next week.
Following that, the real tests begin.
Florida will face Auburn, LSU and Georgia in a four-game stretch that will cover all of October. That would have been a tall order even with the entire depth chart intact, but now the Gators have the task of navigating that top-10 minefield with a backup quarterback.
If nothing else, Trask is at least the same imposing physical figure that Franks was. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 235 pounds, Trask looked poised in hitting on 9-of-13 passing and bowling in for a rushing touchdown against Kentucky.
Replacing Franks’ big arm might not be possible, but there’s a chance that the injury might force the Gators into a more consistent attack, which is what their fans have been hoping for all along. The playbook will be limited in the coming weeks, but that could be a blessing in disguise.
Most agree that the Gators have top-10 talent all over the field, but that hasn’t shown on the offensive side of the ball in big games.
It may have taken a bad break – literally – but Franks’ injury could unwittingly force Florida into a new offensive direction that keeps them near the top of the rankings and allows them to remain as the only real threat to Georgia in the SEC East.
Pink Eyed
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have been a sports fan for the better part of thirty-five years, but over the past few years my enthusiasm has waned.
In part because of the antics that take place within schools, organizations, and players, but also because of the fans; when we get things wrong, we really get them wrong.
However, when fan interaction culminates into what took place in Athens for the Georgia/Arkansas State game, it shows that when we do get it right, we can make an impact.
Georgia’s impromptu “Pink Out” in honor of Wendy Anderson- the wife of Arkansas State’s Head Coach Blake Anderson- who passed away from breast cancer in August not only says a lot about the Georgia fan base (I’ll get to that in a second), but was also a significant gesture.
For one, this wasn’t proposed by the team being directly impacted by Anderson’s passing; it was done by the opposing school, with little to no ties to the program they were about to face. It’s one thing to participate in a cause someone else has put together, it’s something else entirely to be the place where the idea originates from.
Secondly, the fact it was done by Georgia brought an awareness to the story that frankly, Arkansas State would never be able to replicate.
Outside of the money raised from the pink t-shirts sold for the game, it’s difficult to know exactly how many donations came in solely because of the story’s exposure; I imagine it had to be a decent number though.
It’s like the difference between your local pizza place holding a fundraiser for an employee and Pizza Hut having one for that same employee. Suddenly. a story that had local roots was able to branch out nationwide.
Obviously, the Georgia fans- in particular the Bulldogs’ Battling Breast Cancer who initiated everything- deserve the credit for putting this together, something that has become somewhat of a norm in Athens.
Whether it’s the already planned “Pink Out” game scheduled for October, raising money for an assistant coach of an opposing team whose daughter was suffering from a rare genetic condition, or helping out their own former players, it seems pretty evident the UGA fan base does a good job of helping others in need.
I realize this type of assistance takes place at most programs across the country, but unfortunately most of those acts of kindness don’t get much publicity, and I thought this was more than deserving.
I also understand this type of loss is something that almost everyone has gone through at some point in their lives; many of whom don’t have the social support structure to help when it does occur.
It’s why things like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the Pink Out are so important; not only does it help raise money, but it lets people know there are things being done on their behalf.
No one would have blinked an eye or thought any less of Georgia had they just done a moment of silence in Wendy Anderson’s honor and then moved on to the game. Instead, they decided to go above and beyond and do something about it.
As fans, we like to preach about how sports can bring communities together, but are often slow to follow through. That wasn’t the case in Athens. For once, it was nice to see fans practice what they preach.
Rocky Slop
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Here is a question I have pondered for two weeks now.
Will the University of Tennessee football program be the Tennessee we once knew ever again?
Jeremy Pruitt has only coached 14 games in Knoxville and you get the feeling his job is on the line.
The Volunteers are 5-9 under Pruitt, and the program seems like it can’t get out of its own way.
It is bad enough to lose at home to Georgia State a team UT was favored to beat by 26 points, but to top that off Tennessee snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory last weekend against BYU with less than 20 seconds left in the contest.
The Vols gave up a tying FG and then folded in overtime to the Cougars.
What is wrong with this program? Here are my thoughts:
Recruiting: Tennessee does not recruit on a high level like it once did.
The Volunteers don’t even get the top players in Tennessee any longer. That used to be a given.
In the 1990’s Tennessee used to be a national brand in recruiting. The Vols dipped into New Orleans and plucked Peyton Manning. They dipped into Mobile, Alabama and plucked Tee Martin. Tennessee dipped into Georgia and grabbed Jamal Lewis, and had a foothold in the Atlanta area, and would cherry pick, Florida, Texas, and California.
That brand is gone now, but it must be rebuilt. Nashville is a growing city and High School football in that city is pretty good, but Georgia, Alabama, and LSU are more likely to pull a high ranked player out of Nashville than the University of Tennessee. That is totally unacceptable.
Head Coaching: The last three hires have been a nightmare. Lane Kiffin came in and threw discipline out with the bath water. Derek Dooley was a last resort because nobody wanted the job, and Butch Jones just could not bring the consistency needed to lead a program like Tennessee. Now Jeremy Pruitt, who was hand-picked by Phillip Fulmer, seems to be struggling as well.
Phillip Fulmer: This may not be popular, but I think Tennessee needs a clean break from the old guard in Knoxville and that starts with Phillip Fulmer, who at almost 70 years old needs to enjoy his family and grandchildren.
Fulmer, learned how to coach under Johnny Majors and then turned around and helped push King Johnny out the door in 1992 so he could take over, needs to be pushed out to pasture now for a permanent retirement.
He has been a great ambassador for the University but it is time for a fresh start in Knoxville. Making Fulmer AD was a temporary solution, and a not permanent one.
Fulmer led UT to great things in the 1990’s, but 1998 was 21 years ago. A fresh approach is needed.
Tennessee’s 0-2 start is as ugly as it gets. The program hasn’t started 0-2 since 1988. The Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Alabama games don’t look winnable right now.
Right now, the Vols are facing a must win scenario against Chattanooga Saturday to possibly avoid a disastrous 1-6 start.
The Flag Ship University in the State of Tennessee facing a must win against UTC is blasphemy.
Tennessee Football is currently like an abandoned factory in the Rust Belt. Once a symbol of manufacturing greatness, but now in decay. The University of Tennessee football program needs to modernize into the 21st Century.
On December 31, 2019 the worst decade in Tennessee football history will mercifully end. Will this proud program swallow its pride and make the changes needed to be relevant again?
I hope so a win in Knoxville used to mean something, but everyone seems to be winning there now.
UT was once here before and in 1977 brought in a Vol legend Johnny Majors to rebuild the brand. When will it be “Football Time in Tennessee” again?
It wasn’t a quick fix in 1977 and it won’t be now, but it can be done. The SEC misses and needs a relevant Big Orange.
Wounded Eagles
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Nothing ever goes exactly as planned in football, especially on offense.
To look at a play as it’s drawn up, every run appears to have enough blockers to spring the ball carrier.
Similarly, every pass seems to have plenty of protection and the perfect combination of routes that should lead to a receiver breaking into open space for the quarterback.
Yet, a quick look at even a few plays of any game show that the efforts to move the ball more often resemble a well thought-out plan that tries to hold together as long as possible before dissolving into chaos.
To be sure, the Georgia Southern offense isn’t flailing or in disarray after two games, the current state of the unit isn’t what was hoped for back in the summer.
A lot of that can be chalked up more to who isn’t playing than negative things being done by those who are on the field.
Starting quarterback Shai Werts was knocked out in the first half of the LSU game and remains doubtful to return this week after being held out against Maine.
Slotback Wesley Kennedy III has yet to play a down as he serves out an academic suspension.
Linemen Drew Wilson and Jarod Leeds missed time in preseason camp with concussions while starting tackle Brian Miller was lost for the season with an injury suffered two weeks before kickoff.
And in one final easy-to-see blemish, the second half of Saturday’s game featured a host of wayward snaps that came after starting center Jakob Cooper left with an injury.
For the most part, the scariest injury situation seemed to work out the best for concerned Eagle fans against Maine.
Werts will be welcomed back when he is healthy, but backup quarterback Justin Tomlin looked confident and ran hard on his way to 195 yards of total offense and a touchdown.
But Tomlin also had some sore spots as he contributed to the Eagles’ seven fumbles and seemed less sure of running the option when going to his left.
Cooper appears to be on track to return to the middle of the offensive line this week at Minnesota, but Saturday raised a red flag for Georgia Southern if the need to replace him pops up again. Spring practice featured a constant cycle of potential centers, with all having their trouble with inconsistent snaps.
Aaron Dowdell was called upon against Maine. His efforts keeping Tomlin guessing, ultimately highlighted (or lowlighted?) with a high snap that sent Tomlin scrambling 15 yards backwards and stalled what could have been a game-clinching touchdown in the second half.
As for the rest of the skill position players, the health is good, but the consistency hasn’t shown up quite yet.
Matt LaRoche had a career day with 154 rushing yards and a touchdown on Saturday while Logan Wright went for 114. But J.D. King was held to 16 yards on 12 carries aside from his one rush of 25 and the game plan didn’t appear to be comfortable showcasing any slotback in the manner that would be expected if Kennedy was on the field.
The yo-yoing nature of the Eagles’ early opponents continues this week as Georgia Southern travels to Minnesota.
Another long road trip against a P5 school it is facing for the first time might make it hard to make evaluations of the offense any clearer after this weekend, but the fact remains that continued explosiveness and more overall consistency is needed for the Eagles to end up where they want to be.
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Recapping last weekend college football action around the sunshine state, we have the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, to steal a line from the classic 1966 spaghetti western.
The Good:
UCF traveled to Boca Raton on Saturday and true freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the Knights to a 48-14 victory over FAU.
UCF’s rushing attack of McCrae (93 yards), Thompson (91 yards and a touchdown), Anderson (75 yards) and Killins (37) amassed more than 300 yards rushing for the second week in a row.
Gabriel finished the night 7 of 19 passing for 245 yard and 2 touchdowns. UCF’s defense put pressure on Florida Atlantic quarterback Chris Robinson all night long. UCF tallied 5 sacks with 16 tackles for loss.
Up next for the Knights is Stanford.
Stanford quarterback K.J. Castello is expected to start after missing last week’s loss to USC due to a concussion.
UCF opens as a seven-point favorite over the Cardinals. This is a classic battle of two contrasting styles. UCF wants to play fast, whereas Stanford prefers to play in a phone booth.
UCF’s defense will be challenged against Stanford’s huge offensive line.
Game time is 3:30 at The Bounce House. Stanford melts in the fourth quarter. My take: UCF 34 Stanford 21
Florida Gators took care of business against one of their cupcakes on Saturday by shutting out UT Martin 45-0. Feleipe Franks completed 25-27 for 270 yards, 0 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. The Gators took care of business on both sides of the ball against a less talented UT Martin.
Up next for the Gators is a trip to Lexington, Kentucky to open SEC play against the Wildcats.
Both teams are 2-0 but Kentucky is forced to play without starting quarterback Terry Wilson due to injury. Wilson torched the Gators last season as Kentucky ended a 31-game losing streak vs. Florida.
Sawyer Smith will get the nod for the Wildcats on Saturday night. Kavosiey Smoke leads the Wildcat’s rushing attack 18 carries for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Florida will enter this contest with two major players out due to injury Kadarius Toney (shoulder) and C.J. Henderson (ankle).
The Gators look for revenge in the commonwealth after Kentucky broke the streak. Gators defense too much for Smith and company. My take: Florida 31 Kentucky 16
The Bad:
The Miami Hurricanes have lost their first two games since 1978.
North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Hurricanes 28-25. The Tar Heels were led for the second week in a row by Freshman quarterback Sam Howell. Howell’s touchdown pass to Dazz Newsome with 1:01 left in the game put the Tar Heels up 28-25.
Miami had one last chance but Bubba Baxa shanked the field goal attempt wide left to seal the North Carolina victory.
Jarren Williams 30 for 39 for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns and Deejay Dallas 14 carries for 107 yards paced the Hurricanes.
Miami will rebound this week with a blowout win against an overmatched Bethune Cookman Wildcats. My take: Miami 54 Bethune Cookman 13
The Ugly:
Florida State won the game against UL Monroe but collapsed in the 2nd half again.
Leading 24-7 at half, Florida State forgot for the second week that there are four quarters to play.
UL Monroe scored on their first four drive of the second half. UL Monroe outscored the Seminoles 31-14 in the second half, and forced overtime.
Cam Akers carried the Seminoles the entire game with 36 carries for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns while also catching 5 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Akers scored on a third and goal to give the Seminoles lead 45-38.
UL Monroe QB Caleb Evans walked in moments later to bring UL Monroe an extra point from a second overtime.
The Seminoles got lucky when the extra point sailed wide right.
Florida State travels Virginia to open ACC conference play against the Cavaliers. Coach Taggart and company avoid a second straight disaster.
FSU right now is a dumpster fire and the Cavaliers take advantage of the chaos. My take: Virginia 31 FSU 23.
Week 3 Matchups
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is underway.
So far, the best matchup was with top-10 teams LSU and Texas. Let’s take a look at some of the best Week 3 games.
No. 9 Florida @ Kentucky: Both teams are 2-0. The Wildcats got the first win in the series last season since 1986. Star running back Benny Snell left for the NFL after his junior season. Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson will miss the remainder of the season with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.
Feleipe Franks can keep the other team in the game with turnovers. I’m expecting him to play well and the Gators just have more talent. They should get revenge and start a new 30 plus year win streak in this series.
Stanford @ No. 17 UCF: Notre Dame transfer QB Brandon Wimbush started the season opener, a 62-0 win over Florida A&M. He did not play in the last game against FAU and true freshman Dillon Gabriel started. Coach Josh Heupel was vague, saying Wimbush was not 100% after game 1.
The Cardinal lost badly to USC last week. The Trojans star quarterback went down and true freshman Kedon Slovis came in and passed for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns with no interceptions.
The question is, can the same thing happen this week? Will a bigger Power 5 school regret coming to Orlando to play UCF? I don’t think so. Stanford is more talented and physical than the Knights. It will not matter who they have at QB.
No. 6 Ohio State @ Indiana: We all know Justin Fields transferred from UGA and was able to play immediately. He’s played well in his first two games, throwing for 458 yards, 6 TD’s with 0 picks. He’s also rushed for 103 yards and 3 TD’s. Both teams are undefeated but the Buckeyes are the clear favorite.
Fields is an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, which is why this game is important. OSU also has a great running back in J.K. Dobbins that will run for over one hundred yards and multiple scores.
No. 2 Alabama @ South Carolina: This is the first true road game for the Crimson Tide. Anything can happen going into hostile conditions. Bama has star QB and Heisman front-runner Tua Tagovailoa and the best receiving corps in college football.
The Game Cocks lost the season opener to North Carolina. They bounced back and beat FCS Charleston Southern. Starting quarterback Jake Bentley fractured his left foot and will undergo season-ending surgery.
Nick Saban snapped at the media Saturday after being questioned about playing New Mexico State. I expect him to be hard on the team this week and they will come out on fire against SEC competition. They should win by 30 plus.
No. 1 Clemson @ Syracuse: The Orangemen were ranked 21st nationally when Saturday started. They ended with a 63-20 loss to unranked Maryland. They have played Clemson close over the previous two seasons, including a home win in 2017.
Trevor Lawrence looked amazing in last season’s national championship game. He received a ton of hype coming into the season and he’s been disappointing thus far. He threw 2 interceptions and 1 TD in the season opener against Georgia Tech. On the season, he has 3 picks and 2 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 77.3, putting him outside of the Top 20 nationally.
This should be a bounce back game for him and the Tigers will roll.
SEC Rankings
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week one is in the books in the SEC. Here are my power rankings after the first week of play:
1.LSU: The Tigers rolled Georgia Southern and looked fabulous doing so. Joe Burrow looked like a Heisman front-runner in the new spread offense. The Tigers looked the best of any SEC team in week one and start out at the top of the power rankings.
2.Georgia: The Dawgs rushed for 325 yards against Vanderbilt and looked pretty good doing it. The negative nellies will say they only beat Vanderbilt by 24 points. Georgia did not need the passing game in this contest. Since when is a 24 point road SEC win not considered a great accomplishment? This is a complete football team.
3.Alabama: The Tide struggled for a quarter against Duke then poured it on the Blue Devils. Alabama is a hunted team by everyone and will get their best shot every Saturday. Is this defense with the injuries up to Alabama standards?
4.Texas A&M: Kellen Mond lit up Texas State and many are saying this team might give the rock patters in Clemson trouble this weekend. Will this team play good enough defense to be elite?
5.Auburn: Bo Nix is the new hero on The Plains. Auburn came back from the dead against Oregon in typical Auburn fashion. Is there a luckier team in the history of SEC than Auburn? This defense is pretty good.
6.Florida: The Gators beat Miami who looked like hot garbage. That Gator defensive line is legit. Feleipe Franks needs to focus on being a quality QB and stop making Tim Tebow like speeches. Can this team run the ball against a quality SEC defense?
7.Mississippi State: MSU played a decent Louisiana team and hung on against the Ragin Cajuns. I wasn’t really impressed by MSU, but they got the W. This team will finish 5th at best in the SEC West.
8.Kentucky: The SEC East outside of Georgia and possibly Florida looks like a raging dumpster fire. UK struggled with Toledo most of the contest. The Cats have major work to do.
9.Missouri: How do you lose to Wyoming? Better yet how did they convince Mizzou to make that trip to Laramie? Missouri is a notorious slow starter and it showed again last Saturday.
10.Ole Miss: Memphis is not a bad team, but you expect an SEC team to go beat them. The offense needs work, but a good effort by the defense to only give up 15 points.
11.Vanderbilt: Vandy lost at home to UGA 30-6, but looked ok on defense in the second half. Vandy looks like the best team in Tennessee once again. That’s not saying a whole lot however.
12.South Carolina: The Gamecocks blew a 20-9 lead to a North Carolina team they should have beat. South Carolina had more talent than UNC, but could not get out of their own way down the stretch. I expected more out of this team last weekend. Will Muschamp is a good football coach that just seems to have the worst luck.
13.Arkansas: Yeah, the Hogs won against Portland State 20-13, but Arkansas 10 years ago beats PSU by 35 points. This team has a long way to go. Chad Morris will turn this thing around, IF he is given time.
14.Tennessee: You have got to be kidding me Tennessee. You lose at home to Georgia freaking State and get manhandled on the line of scrimmage in doing so. We heard all off-season about how things were changing in Knoxville. This team just flat out gave up in the fourth quarter of that contest. Kids are leaving the program in droves. Tennessee may be down for a good long time. BYU is coming to town this weekend. Rocky Top looks like Rocky Flop right now. Will 60K show up at Neyland Stadium this weekend?
LSU travels to Texas and Texas A&M travels to Clemson in huge games this weekend. Both SEC teams can make a huge statement, but will they? I think LSU does and A&M folds like a cheap camping chair.
The Florida Heat
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With fans on social media torching coach Willie Taggart in the aftermath of Saturday’s season opening loss to Boise State, Seminole fans are wondering what it will take for the FSU administration to Fire coach Willie Taggart.
Florida State played in 36 consecutive bowl games from 1982-2017. Before last year’s 5-7 season Florida State opened the 2019 season by blowing an18 point lead at half and getting beat down by a less talented Boise State.
This game, like the whole state of Florida, was impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday night in Jacksonville, but the venue and time changed.
It looked like Florida State was benefiting from a noon start at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles jumped out to a halftime lead 31-19 thanks to explosive plays from James Blackman and Cam Akers. Florida State fans were gloating about offensive coordinator Kendal Briles had succeeded and raised the bar for the Seminole offense.
Someone forgot to tell FSU they had to play four quarters on Saturday.
Florida State’s collapse was a complete (lack of) team effort.
Boise State’s ability to run the football wore down the Seminole Defense, and the offensive side of the ball.
The Seminoles stopped hitting those explosive plays shown in the first half. Boise State ran 108 plays and controlled the clock with 40:03 minutes of possession.
I could breakdown more stats on how Florida State choked on Saturday, but the bottom line is Boise State’s coaches out coached Willie Taggart and FSU’s staff.
Social Media went crazy after the epic melt down by the Seminoles. One Florida State fan posted a poll suggesting replacing Willie Taggart with Urban Meyer. TALK ABOUT POLL RESULTS!!
“We laid an egg in the second half,” Taggart said. This is Taggart’s second straight home opener loss and Florida State’s third.
Florida State is a premier college football program. Rivals recruiting ranks over the past five years had the Seminole recruiting class at number three.
The Seminoles won a National Title in 2013 and were in the playoffs in 2014. Many Florida State fans still want to blame Jimbo Fisher on the lack of talent, but the Seminoles don’t have a problem with talent
Some media outlets say Willie Taggart is on the “hot seat.” I do not believe this to be entirely true.
Willie Taggart’s buyout after this year is $17 million, not including assistant coaches.
Florida State Athletics has lost $3 million last year and had to get $6 million from boosters to balance the budget.
Florida State fans, Willie Taggart is not going anywhere!
Taggart amazes me with his ability to rise up and convince Athletic Director’s to pay him insane money with a record (52-57).
Also, Taggart just hired Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator in December. Briles served on his father’s staff at Baylor and received and NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. He was also named in a Title IX lawsuit filed against Baylor.
Florida State fans are fed up with Willie Taggart and it’s hard to blame them when you consider how last year went and how awful the collapse was in the second half Saturday against a non-power five opponent.
Considering the talent on the Florida State roster, Willie Taggart is in over his head.
Unless a Big Booster comes up with a pile of cash, Willie Taggart will be coaching Florida State this season and next, so buckle up Nole fans it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
