Bishop Media Sports Network
Drain The Swamp?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Billy Napier’s third season at Florida didn’t start well. We’ll wait to see whether he finishes it or not.
It would take the second-biggest buyout of a coach in college football history ($26 million) but Florida’s administration has to ask themselves hard questions after in-state rival Miami thumped them on Saturday in front of 90,000 fans in The Swamp.
Florida hasn’t been patient in the past. Since Urban Meyer resigned at the end of the 2010 season, the Gators have cycled through Will Muschamp (28-21 from 2011-14), Jim McElwain (22-12 from 2015-17) and Napier’s predecessor-Dan Mullen, without blinking.
It’s hard to tell where the Gators have improved since athletic director Scott Stricklin pulled the plug on Mullen with one game to go in 2021. Mullen went 34-15 in his four total seasons coaching the Gators, including 11-2 in 2019. Stricklin told Paul Finebaum this week that he expects Napier to “be at Florida for a long time.”
That could mean several seasons or just one.
The University of Florida has an interim president in charge. Once a new president is hired (which could be a long way off), Stricklin and Napier will very likely be looking for work.
Here’s what we know: The Gators haven’t gotten any better since Napier was hired. They’ve actually gotten worse on defense. Florida is giving up more points than they did under Dan Mullen. Looking back, defense was why Dan Mullen was fired in the first place.
How about the offense? It’s more conservative than Mullen’s, and it also doesn’t score nearly as much. Is there any reason for the program to keep him?
Napier is 11-15 in Gainesville. He has lost six games in a row. Florida has endured three consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the 1940s. On Saturday, it was obvious that the coach developed Miami into a better team in the same time frame that Billy Napier had with the Florida Gators.
“Miami outplayed us. They outcoached us,” Napier said. His team was out-gained 268 yards by the 19th-ranked Hurricanes.
Is it fair to point out that Napier has plenty more resources than his predecessors?
Mullen fought for a new $85 million standalone football facility, and it opened doors when Napier took over. Florida’s support staff under Napier grew by 17 staff members to 62 in total and the assistant coach salary pool has doubled compared to 2021. Not to mention Florida’s NIL efforts have been buttoned up.
So why haven’t the Gators improved? Maybe it’s the way Napier has tried to rebuild his roster over time.
Maybe Napier is a poor game day coach and his offense is lethargic and predictable.
Billie didn’t help himself on Monday, with this quote:
“I think we’ve got to become a more consistent team and we have to execute better. If we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in the basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better, right? I think that’s the key.”
The Gators play Samford next week before facing Texas A&M.
Odds are pretty good quarterback DJ Lagway will be starting for Graham Mertz next week. He left Saturday’s loss with a concussion.
Lagway could be a special player for the Gators, but the Gators’ issues run much deeper than who is playing quarterback.
I don’t think Napier will change who he is, and he shouldn’t. Off the field he’s thoughtful and intelligent and stoic. He intends to address the media with quotes they want to hear.
I believe Napier has lost support from the masses and Florida fans are turning on him.
Who do you think will be the new president, AD and coach for the 2025 season?
Mixed Bag
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the 2024 SEC season was a mixed bag for one of the nation’s most dominant conferences.
While many SEC teams took care of business in nonconference matchups, the conference struggled in high-profile games against ranked opponents. The SEC went 1-3 against ranked teams, raising questions about its early-season strength and readiness for top competition.
The standout victory of the weekend was Georgia’s 34-3 dismantling of No. 14 Clemson.
The No. 1 Bulldogs looked every bit the part of a national championship contender, dominating both sides of the ball, once they settled in.
Georgia’s running back depth stood out, rushing for 169 yards against Clemson’s NFL-talent-loaded defensive front.
Freshman RB Nate Frazier emerged as a future star, leading the backfield with 84 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the impressive win, Georgia’s offense had a slow start, punting on three of its first five drives, struggling to convert scoring opportunities.
Clemson couldn’t keep up with Georgia’s depth in the second half, but the sluggish first half could be an issue against stronger offensive teams later in the season.
Elsewhere in the conference, however, the results were less encouraging.
Florida suffered a 41-17 blowout loss to No. 19 Miami.
The Gators struggled offensively, with quarterback Graham Mertz leaving due to injury. Freshman DJ Lagway showed flashes of promise, but the offensive line’s struggles, giving up three sacks and allowing constant pressure, were a significant problem. Florida’s defeat leaves the team searching for answers.
Texas A&M also fell short, losing 23-13 to No. 7 Notre Dame.
While the Aggie defense did well to limit Notre Dame’s quarterback, Riley Leonard, to just 158 passing yards, the offense faltered.
Quarterback Conner Weigman struggled with decision-making, throwing two costly interceptions. Texas A&M had opportunities to make a statement in head coach Mike Elko’s debut, but missed chances and mistakes cost them the game.
LSU continued its recent trend of struggles in season openers, losing 27-20 to No. 23 USC in Las Vegas.
The Tigers, despite being favored, failed to capitalize on key moments and displayed a lack of discipline. Costly penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct foul and a targeting penalty, contributed to LSU’s defeat.
The Tigers also struggled with tackling, allowing USC’s running backs to break free for extra yards on multiple occasions.
LSU’s wide receiver depth remains a strength, but the team’s defensive and disciplinary issues need to be addressed quickly.
On the positive side, most of the SEC teams dominated their nonconference matchups, though many of these victories came against inferior competition.
Alabama cruised to a 63-0 victory over Western Kentucky, with new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s aggressive defense making a strong debut.
Arkansas posted a 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson leading the Razorbacks’ rejuvenated ground game.
Auburn’s offense also shined in a 73-3 win over Alabama A&M, showcasing an explosive new-look passing attack led by freshmen receivers.
Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Missouri all secured comfortable wins, with Tennessee defeating Chattanooga 69-3, Mississippi State routing Eastern Kentucky 56-3, and Missouri shutting out Murray State 51-0.
SEC newcomers Oklahoma and Texas also started their seasons with dominant wins. Oklahoma dismantled Temple 51-3, while Texas blanked Colorado State 52-0.
There were some close calls in the conference, though. South Carolina narrowly escaped with a 23-19 win over Old Dominion, thanks to timely defensive plays from edge rushers Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, earned a hard-fought 34-27 overtime victory against Virginia Tech, with quarterback Diego Pavia providing a much-needed spark for the Commodores.
Kentucky’s 31-0 victory over Southern Miss was notable for being one of the shortest games in recent history, as it was called off with 9:56 left in the third quarter due to weather.
Quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who transferred from UGA, impressed in his first significant action, completing 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, despite the shortened game.
As the SEC moves forward into Week 2, teams will look to build on their successes and correct the issues that emerged in the opening week.
For some, like Georgia and Alabama, the season is off to a strong start. But for others, particularly those who lost marquee matchups, there is work to be done to meet the high expectations of the SEC.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Travis Roland September 3 2024
McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers Coach’s Show w Bradley Warren September 3 2024
Dawgs And Tigers To Tear It Up
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Boot meets ball and we’ve got Football in 2024!
While I know college football officially began last week with Week Zero, we have our first full weekend of football coming this weekend and the first marquee game kicks off at Noon with the Aflac Kickoff game between Clemson and Georgia.
The Bulldogs come into the match-up a consensus number 1 team while Dabo Swinney’s Tigers come in as the 14th best ranked squad.
This SEC vs ACC clash is the 65th meeting all time between the two, and a rematch of the 2021 Kickoff game in Charlotte where the Bulldogs won 10-3. That 2021 match-up was the last meeting between the two, and the only touchdown scored in the game was a pick-six by Georgia’s Chris Smith taking a (now former Tiger) DJ Uiagalelei pass back 74 yards to the house in the second quarter to start the scoring.
This game away from Memorial Stadium marks the 5th straight season that Clemson will open the year away from the friendly confines of Death Valley.
The Tigers look to build off the success they had in the back half of 2023. After starting the season 4-4, Clemson finished up the 9-4 slate by winning the final five games of the year.
On the flip side, Georgia has become accustomed to playing inside Mercedes Benz Stadium after having played at least one game inside “the Benz” each of the last eight seasons.
That being said, the Dawgs are looking to get the sour taste out of their mouths from the last contest in Atlanta with the loss in the SEC Championship game last season to Alabama 27-24. While the loss to Alabama still sticks in the crawl of Dawg fans, the loss in the SEC Title game was the only loss in the last 30 contests.
The quarterback match-up is one of experienced signal callers. Georgia’s QB1 Carson Beck ranked third in all the FBS with 3,941 passing yards and was a Manning Award finalist a year ago.
Beck is going to be protected by familiar faces with four returning starting linemen with LT Earnest Greene III, LG, Dylan Fairchild, RG Tate Ratledge and RT Xavier Truss. That combination helped lead the Georgia offense to a school record 7.26 yards per play and leading the country on third down by converting on over 55% of the time.
For the Clemson Tigers, Cade Klubnik already made a name for himself last season already ranking in the top 15 in Clemson history in career passing touchdowns and collected three contests of over 300 yards passing, which is good for 6th best in Clemson lore.
This match-up is the only meeting between two AP Top 15 teams this weekend and clashes two legendary head coaches. Dabo Swinney and Kirby Smart are two of only three active head coaches to have won an FBS National Championship (along with North Carolina’s Mack Brown).
Obviously, Georgia is the favorite in the game, and casual fans have overlooked the Clemson squad for the last year plus, I think Clemson makes this more of a game than many believe.
Clemson hasn’t utilized the transfer portal much, but honestly didn’t need to this year with fourteen returning starters from a year ago from a team that arguably had the most momentum in college football down the back stretch.
So, on Saturday, after a morning of College Game Day, it will lead you to the ABC kickoff in Atlanta for the first major matchup of the season. The Dawgs and the Tigers to kick off your Week 1!
Jason Bishop Show August 29 2024
Sunshine State Heat
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Florida is set to open their regular season against Miami on Saturday at 3 PM at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It is Billy Napier and Mario Cristoball’s third season at their respective programs.
Though it’s just Week 1, there’s a lot on the line for both teams, particularly with their head coaches. Both Billy and Mario have a lot to prove to fans and athletic departments in their third seasons, with losing records.
For Napier and the Gators, wins are scarce this season, as they face the toughest schedule in the country.
For Cristobal and Miami, the competition gets more manageable after Saturday. Neither coach wants to take a loss right off the bat.
Is the Florida defense strong enough to win tough games like this? They started strong last season but crashed soon after.
The Gators should be better this year, but the Hurricanes are far stronger offensively thanks to former Washington State Cougar Cam Ward.
Ward might be the best quarterback transfer in the 2024 cycle. He has all the tools and experience, and he gets the ball out of his hands in a hurry.
In addition, Oregon State running back Damien Martinez should be a star behind an improved Hurricanes offensive line that should dominate the trenches against the rebuilt Gators front.
On the other side of the ball, Miami’s defensive front is undergoing a bit of an overhaul. They have several talented players that might take time to acclimate.
Florida’s offensive line has been an issue over the last few years. Injuries are the Gator’s biggest problem, but their roster has improved through the transfer portal, and the health concerns are okay as of Week 0.
The Hurricane secondary, like the line, will be good, but it’s counting on a slew of transfers to rise up and perform right away.
Florida needs to get QB Graham Mertz going quickly after he completed 73% of his throws for close to 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.
So, this all comes down to…Which defensive front can be more disruptive?
Miami has the pieces in place to finally win with Mario Cristobal, but The Canes are about to face 2023 Week 3 University of Florida.
That team rose up and rocked defensively in an energy-charged win over Tennessee, and it’s about to happen again in week 1 of 2024.
The Florida defense will hold on in the fourth quarter, and Mertz will be just a bit better than Ward.
Miami is the team playing with more pressure to play well, given the NIL investment that have been made on both sides of the ball.
Florida 31 Miami 27.
This keeps the fans off of Billie‘s back for a few weeks until the gators face Texas A&M at home during week 3.
I think Miami finishes first or second in the ACC and still has a shot at the college football playoffs even with this loss.
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show w Brandon Derrick August 28 2024
Revised Reality
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A few weeks ago, I did a season preview for Georgia Tech. I said I expect them to lose the season opener against Florida State and struggle to win 6 games and become bowl eligible.
By now, you have to be aware of their upset win in Week 0, beating #10 FSU 24-21.
“It’s definitely a special moment, definitely want to enjoy this one tonight, but like the guys said, it means nothing if we can’t go out next week and handle business,” Tech running back Jamal Haynes said. “We gotta get back (Sunday) got to practice, clean up the details, clean up anything that we made mistakes on and get to work.”
Tech was more physical than the Seminoles. They had a physical run game, which accounted for 190 yards of the 336 yards of total offense. They scored on four of seven drives and were 5-of-9 passing on third downs.
They ranked 120th last season in total defense out of 130 FBS teams. They looked much better in that game and if they can sustain this, they can have a special season.
They have a new defensive coordinator this season, Tyler Santucci. He was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Duke last season. Before that he was the co-DC and LB coach at Texas A&M.
“We talk about putting the extra emphasis on response, how to respond to adversity,” linebacker Kyle Efford said. “We knew after that first drive we had to respond. We can respond negatively or positively. We got on the sidelines and was talking about it, ‘Hey we gotta step up. It’s gonna be on us.’ It was really just that response.”
This win has led to a recruiting win. Two days after the game, four-star defensive lineman Christian Garrett committed to Georgia Tech. The 6’4, 280-pound senior at Prince Avenue Christian was previously committed to Georgia since June and then he backed off that pledge earlier this month.
He is a top 20 defensive lineman in the nation. Garrett had offers from programs like Tech, UGA, Clemson, Florida, Auburn, Miami, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
This is a bit different from when Paul Johnson was the head coach. The players he recruited would have offers from teams like Austin Peay and Gardner-Webb.
I have reexamined their schedule and I think they can get off to a fast start. The next game is home against Georgia State. That should be a blowout win.
The next five games are at Syracuse, VMI, at Louisville, Duke and at North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets should be favored in all of those games. I believe they have a real shot to start the season 7-0. The schedule will get drastically tougher after that.
They will face off against #7 Notre Dame October 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Initially, I did not think Tech had a chance in this game but I think they have a chance to win.
Establishing the run game and playing physical gives them a puncher’s chance in every game.
The final games are at Virginia Tech, #19 Miami, #22 NC State and at #1 UGA. My new assessment of GT is they can win nine games as a best-case scenario. Realistically, I think they go 8-4 and that is a very good season.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Travis Roland August 27 2024
