Bishop Media
Gators Offense Has No Bite
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jim McElwain is in his second year as head coach of the Florida Gators. Currently he guided the team to a 5-1 record and their first place in the SEC East. Last year they finished 10-4 and 7-1 in conference play. A 10-win season is very respectable in year one.
On the surface everything seems great. I’m going to delve just a bit deeper to really get a proper perspective on his coaching performance.
SSE Minute Oct 22
What Is UGA Playing For?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you ask me what I remember about the 1995 college basketball season two things come to mind.
The first thing was the one and only losing season the Blue Devils have endured since Kryzewski’s third year as their head coach. The other event I vividly remember that season is the half-court shot Jeff Capel hit to send their game against the #2 ranked Tarheels into double overtime.
Even though Duke lost the game 102-100 in that second overtime, the mere fact they were able to play that type of game against their rivals was enough to take one of their worst seasons in the past 30 years and almost turn it into a positive. Had they actually won the game, that year would be remembered more for their victory over Carolina than it would be for all their struggles.
I mention this only because that situation is more or less what Georgia is walking into when they play Florida on October 29th. I’m not saying the Dawgs are having exactly the same type of season as the ‘95 Duke squad that finished with a record of 13-18, but I feel pretty confident in saying a 4-3 record, following a loss to Vanderbilt at home, isn’t exactly what the fan base was expecting.
What’s Missing In Athens
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Headed into the bye week sitting at 4-3 on the season I have been wondering what is missing from this year’s edition of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Blown out by a three loss Ole Miss team, Can’t knock down a Hail Mary against a Tennessee team that just lost by 39 points at home to Alabama, and the mind blowing Homecoming loss to Vandy. Let’s examine what is missing in 2016.
Best Of Georgia-Florida Rivalry
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is time, yet again, for the annual Georgia-Florida border war. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been the location of many of the historical skirmishes in all of college football.
There is no doubt that Everbank Field, or best known as the former Gator Bowl, has been witness to some of the greatest college football players to ever grace the collegiate gridiron. Herschel Walker, Tim Tebow, David Pollack, and Steve Spurrier just to name a few in the last half decade, have seen the highest of highs or met the agony of defeat in this bitter rivalry.
There are numerous games that could be mentioned, but these are the top four games in this series.
Georgia’s Brian Herrien
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
What was considered to be a source of strength coming into the Georgia Bulldog’s 2016 football season was the position of running back.
With running backs such as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Brandon Douglas, plus the addition of true freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien it was thought that they would be a strong stable of running backs, and while that is still true it is the level of play and contributions of that freshman running back Brian Herrien that has been the biggest surprise of the season.
Frederica Show October 19
SSE Minute October 19
Florida Chomping For Dawgs
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Florida has been synonymous with greatness since Steve Spurrier took over as head coach in 1990. The program never won an officially recognized conference title prior to him returning to Gainesville.
They’ve won 8 conference titles since 1991 and had the best record in the SEC in 1990 but were ineligible for the league title due to NCAA probation. Their also tied with Alabama with the most SEC Championship game appearances with ten.
They haven’t won a conference championship since 2008 though. Back when Urban Meyer was the head coach and Tim Tebow was quarterback. Second year head coach Jim McElwain is working to end that drought.
So far the Gators are off to a good start, 5-1 and ranked in the top 15 in the Coaches Poll and in the AP Poll. The one loss was at Tennessee and they gave up a 21-point lead to lose 38-28.
The LSU game originally scheduled for October 8th was postponed because of the weather from Hurricane Matthew. The game was at home but now it’s been moved to Baton Rouge on November 19th.
Florida was impressive in their last game with a 40-14 blow out of Mizzou. They scored two defensive touchdowns.
“Anytime you get a defensive score or a non-offensive score, it’s a momentum shift for the whole team,” cornerback Jalen Tabor said. “I felt like I did that for my team today.”
Florida has one of the best defenses in the nation, currently ranked 3rd in total defense. They only allow 253 yards per game and 12 points per game. They have 19 sacks, which ties them for 20th nationally.
Tabor is the best player on defense, widely considered a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He returned an interception 39-yards for a touchdown. The opposite corner Quincy Wilson also took a pick to the house.
“When you’ve got two great corners like that, they’ve got to pick one side of the field,” Gators coach Jim McElwain said. “It’s like pick your poison. Where you going to go with it?”
Quarterback Luke Del Rio made his return from a sprained left knee, playing for the first time in a month. The offense looked sloppy and he didn’t play well. He threw 3 interceptions and they were flagged for 8 false starts.
“Knee felt great,” Del Rio said. “Brett Favre said it: Playing injured or hurt is not an excuse for playing poorly. The knee didn’t affect me at all. It was just bad decisions, bad throws.”
Del Rio played well before he was injured. He’s passed for 998 yards, 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a 57.6%completion rate.
The Gators have some talented skill players. Running back Jordan Scarlett leads the team with 375 yards and 5 TD’s. Lamical Perine has 300 rushing yards and Mark Thompson has 262 yards. Receiver Antonio Callaway has 23 receptions, 399 yards, 2 scores and averages 17.3 yards per catch.
The Gators are far from being a prolific offense but they can become more efficient. They have bye week before the October 29th showdown with Georgia. They will get the chance to rest players and get them healthy. It will also give them more time to game plan against true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.
Both teams should be prepared and well rested for this rivalry game. I give the advantage to UF.
SSE Minute October 17
