Kenneth Harrison
A-Day
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Alabama recently played the 2023 Golden Flake A-Day Game.
After 14 spring practices Alabama is taking the first steps to get back on top this season.
The roster and coaching staff was split via a draft earlier in the week as they competed for a celebratory steak dinner.
It ended up going to Team Crimson as they beat Team White, 30-21, in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Defenses normally look good in scrimmages, and this was no exception. Malachi Moore finished with nine tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass breakup and he won the Dixie Howell Memorial Award (MVP of the A-Day Game).
Defensive lineman Tim Smith garnered the Dwight Stephenson Award (Most Valuable Lineman of the A-Day Game). In all, the Crimson defense had three interceptions, 10 tackles for loss and four pass breakups in the victory.
Freshman running back Justice Haynes played well. Haynes combined for 64 total yards and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) to lead the Crimson squad.
Meanwhile, White’s Malik Benson led all receivers with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Bama must replace Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young, who declared for the NFL Draft.
Redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe was Young’s primary backup last year. The QB competition is between him and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson.
Milroe threw for two touchdowns and ran for one score, but he also competed barely higher than 50% of his passes (19 of 37). He also threw two picks.
Simpson, who rushed for 58 yards on six carries, was only 12-of-26 passing with no touchdowns and an interception.
“We’ve tried to build this program here with the guys that we recruit and the people in the program,” Saban said, “but we have had a few guys that have come in and made real impacts on the team, and if we see an opportunity to do that, we’re always looking for a way to make our team better.”
Saban said he was pleased with the two true freshman quarterbacks, Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein, who were the No. 5- and No. 6-rated pocket passers in the 2023 class, respectively.
“I’m pleased with the progress they’re making and I think they both have bright futures,” Saban said.
They are working on the quarterbacks’ ability to process the defense.
“Are they playing Cover 2, are they playing Cover 7, are they playing three-deep zone?” Saban said. “So that way you have a plan in your mind, ‘This is what I’m reading, this is where I’m going and this is the progression that I want to go through,’ and trust in that and believe that and not start drifting around in the pocket before you give up on what your read might be. Because I think we have pretty good skill guys. I think we have guys that can make plays.
“… I like both guys’ athleticism to be able to extend plays and get out of trouble and make plays with their feet, which they did a couple times today. But at the same time, I think we’ve got to work on going through progressions and develop confidence in the passing game so that we can distribute the ball to other people who can make plays more effectively and more efficiently.”
Saban did say he was happy with the team’s physicality.
The Crimson Tide will open next season at home against Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2. The following week, they will host Texas.
Spring Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech played their 2023 Spring Game on April 15.
This was the first spring game for head coach Brent Key. He took over as interim head coach last season after Geoff Collins was fired.
The Yellow Jackets started the 2022 season 1 – 3. Key went 4 – 4, which led to Tech removing the interim tag.
The program has been in disarray since Paul Johnson retired after the 2018 season. That was also the last time they played in a bowl game.
They look to get back on track in 2023. Let’s take a look at the White and Gold Spring Game.
The White and Gold teams were divided with offensive and defensive players on each team, rather than one team with all offense and another with all defensive players. It gave the players a chance to play in a different format than they had in practice.
Key was looking for the players to focus all their energy on themselves and to execute the plays. “I thought we did a good job of that,” Key said.
Freshman quarterback Zach Pyron was the first quarterback on the field. He operated out of the shotgun for much of the drive. There were a lot of two tight end sets and UGA transfer Brett Seither was splitting out wide often.
Pyron got the team down to the eight-yard line and running back Dontae Smith carried it in to give ‘Team Wreck’Em’ an early lead.
After that, Texas A&M transfer Haynes King took the field as QB for ‘Team Swarm’. He is a former four-star recruit and he showed flashes of that. He led the team down to the goal line but the defense stepped up and forced a 4th and goal. King hit Avery Boyd for a touchdown and tied the game.
Pyron finished the game 11 for 16, 153 yards and one touchdown.
King was 4-11 for 94 yards on Team Swarm, 9-11 185 yards and two touchdowns on Team Wreck’Em. Zach Gibson was 5 for 7 with 64 yards.
Junior running back Trey Cooley led all rushers with 59 yards on eight carries. Jamie Felix had seven carries for 29 yards, Smith had five carries for 27 yards, Evan Dickens had six carries for 24 yards.
Malik Rutherford led all receivers with seven catches for 154 yards. D.J. Moore had four catches for 92 yards, Boyd had two catches for 66 yards, Dylan Leonard had four catches for 43 yards, and Christian Leary finished with three catches for 35 yards.
Both Sirad Bryant and Ahmari Harvey finished with six tackles.
Team Wreck ‘Em won the game 42 – 24.
Were there good things in the scrimmage? Key answered that by saying, “yeah there were good things, and we made some plays on both sides of the football.” Key laughingly noted that there were calls that the referees could have made that they missed. “No penalties, that’s huge,” Key said with a smile. “I don’t know how that happened today.”
The offense looked good in the scrimmage. Only time will tell if that will be the case when they play other teams. The season kicks off Friday, September 1st against Louisville.
Fighting Owls
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Kennesaw State Owls men’s basketball team made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 2023.
The Owls (26 – 9) were the No. 14 seed in the Midwest Region. They got there by winning the Atlantic Sun regular season and conference tournament. They faced No. 3 Xavier (26 – 9), who finished second in the Big East.
KSU played well early on, going into halftime with a 43 – 36 lead. They looked like they were to pull the upset. They led by as many as 13 points in the second half.
The Musketeers had a 68 – 67 lead in the final seconds of the game. Kennesaw State point guard Terrell Burden got a shoulder past his defender and drove to the paint. He stumbled and Xavier’s Jack Nunge blocked his shot.
The 7-footer’s block was part of the reason the Owls shot 2-for-15 over the final 9 1/2 minutes, reversing the momentum of the game.
Souley Boum hit four clinching free throws in the final 2.6 seconds for the Musketeers, who ran off 15 unanswered points as part of a game-ending 24-6 run. The final score was 72 – 67.
“In the timeout, we were supposed to switch everything,” Nunge said, adding: “He’s a really good driver at getting to the rim and I just came over and blocked it.”
Burden said everything with the play ran as designed until Nunge’s arrival.
“It was a great play by him to meet me at the rim,” Burden said.
Jerome Hunter scored a career-best 24 points to lead the Musketeers, while Boum had 17. Nunge had 10 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Burden and Chris Youngblood each scored 14 points to lead Kennesaw State, which appeared on the verge of a signature March moment.
“We did some things early on both ends of the court that helped build that 13-point lead,” Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim said. “But if anybody in that building thought that was going to be how the game stayed, you hadn’t watched much basketball in March — and you probably haven’t watched much basketball in general.”
Amir is the younger brother of NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim. They both attended Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta Georgia.
Abdur-Rahim has been the head coach at KSU for four seasons. Things looked terrible in his first season (2019-20) when they went 1 – 28. They were also winless in conference play. Things gradually improved his second year with a 5 – 19 record. Last season they were 13 – 18.
This performance might propel Abdur-Rahim into the conversation for any head-coach openings this hiring cycle. This season was the Owls’ first winning season in the program’s 18-year history as a Division I school.
It looks like the Owls have a bright future. They did have three senior starters this season.
Playing in the NCAA Tournament should help raise the recruiting profile. I also believe higher profile players from the transfer portal will take a look at going to KSU.
I hope they can sustain the progress they made this season.
The Madness
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA basketball tournament begins this week. Let’s take a look at teams around the Southeast and predict how they will do.
Alabama (29 – 5) is the number one overall seed in the tournament. They are the top seed in the South region. They will play the winner of No. 16 Texas A&M CC and No. 16 SE Missouri State. They will steamroll whoever they face in the first round.
The Crimson Tide have been making headlines off the court, unfortunately. Star freshman small forward Brandon Miller is accused by police of giving now-former teammate Darius Miles the gun that was allegedly used by another man to kill a woman near the school’s campus in mid-January, according to multiple news reports.
He’s still currently playing but I think the pressure will grow the further they advance. Miller is a projected lottery pick.
The second-round matchup will either be No. 8 Maryland or No. 9 West Virginia. Expect Bama to get to the Sweet Sixteen with ease.
Virginia is the No. 4 team in the region and the first-round game is against No. 13 Furman. They will likely face No. 5 San Diego State in the second round, which will be tough.
Auburn is No. 9 in the Midwest region and they play against No. 8 Iowa. That’s a fairly even matchup. If the Tigers win the next round should be against No. 1 Houston.
No. 5 Miami faces No. 12 Drake. Upsets typically occur in the 12 versus 5 seed games so this should be interesting. The Hurricanes are a very solid team so I expect them to advance and play the winner of No. 4 Indiana or No. 13 Kent State. I think Miami has a real shot of getting to the Sweet Sixteen.
Kennesaw State (26 – 8) is the fourteenth seed in the Midwest. The Owls won the Atlantic Sun tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. They face No. 3 Xavier in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a KSU alum I hope they can pull off the upset.
I think the East is a very interesting region because they have some lower seeds that are dangerous. No. 5 Duke will play No. 12 Oral Roberts in round one. The Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament, beating Virginia in the championship game. They will face the winner of No. 4 Tennessee or No. 13 Louisiana.
I think Duke is a Final Four team loaded with talent. They’re led by freshman power forward/center Kyle Filipowski. He’s a 7 footer that can handle the ball and he plays hard on both ends.
No. 6 Kentucky plays No. 11 Providence. The Wildcats are led by freshman guard Cason Wallace.
Kentucky recruits well so they have a lot of talent. They have underachieved all season though. If they win, they will more than likely play No. 3 Kansas State in the next round.
No. 8 Memphis (26 – 8) won the AAC Tournament. They upset No. 1 Houston in the championship game. I think the Tigers will beat No. 9 FAU and face No. 1 Purdue next.
Under Achievers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In previous years the ACC has been the premier basketball conference.
Blue blood programs like Duke and North Carolina routinely make the Final Four and win national championships. Both teams played in the Final Four last season and UNC played in the national title game. Both programs are struggling this season.
The Tar Heels were the No. 1 team in the preseason. They have not lived up to those expectations. They currently are 18 – 11, 10 – 8 in conference play.
They did defeat No. 6 Virginia over the weekend. That was their first Quadrant 1 win, which is crucial for an at-large team. They were previously 0 – 9 against those teams.
“His ability to stretch it, and then he can also go inside – he’s tall, man,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said of Pete Nance. “He filled in the way (Brady Manek) did last year. When they can stretch you out and all of a sudden the floor opens up, that changes their dynamics.”
The Cavaliers (21 – 6) are the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 13. They are currently third-place in the ACC behind Pitt and Miami. They also lost to lowly Boston College earlier last week, scoring a season-low 48 points. UVA is going in the wrong direction less than a month before the NCAA tournament begins.
The Blue Devils (21 – 8) are fifth in the conference. They were No. 7 in the preseason poll. It looks like they are coming together at the perfect time. Star freshman forward Kyle Filipowski is the leading scorer (14.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.2 per game) this season. He should be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft and if he plays well Duke can win any game.
Duke won four consecutive games and they are trending in the right direction as the season is winding down. They have two regular season games remaining against NC State and at North Carolina. The ACC Tournament begins March 7th.
No. 16 Miami (23 – 6) has changed the culture of their program. They used to be known as a football school but over the last few years they changed that. The Hurricanes are coming off of a bad loss to in-state rival Florida State (9 – 20) over the weekend. They blew a 25 point second half lead to lose, 85 – 84.
“We played as well as we could in the first half,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “But it appeared to me to start the second half that our battery died. We didn’t have the energy or juice and it showed most of all with our defense.”
The loss ended Miami’s seven game winning streak. It also knocked them out of an outright lead in the ACC standings and a perfect home record. They have one game remaining against Pitt.
Clemson (21 – 8) is having a surprisingly good season. They are currently fourth in the conference. In previous years this would be more impressive. They should make the NCAA Tournament and they have a chance to win a game.
This is a down year for the ACC but they should get 5-6 teams in the NCAA Tournament. I would be surprised if they have a team that can advance to the Elite Eight.
Super Recap
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2022 NFL season has concluded. Kansas City beat Philadelphia 38 – 35 in Super Bowl LVII. It was the third-most-watched television show in history, with an estimated 113 million people watching, according to preliminary numbers released Monday.
The 2015 game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on NBC holds the record at 114,442,000 viewers (not including streaming), followed by Super Bowl LI in 2017 on Fox between Atlanta and New England (113,668,000).
Rihanna’s halftime show averaged 118.7 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched show in Super Bowl history. Katy Perry’s 2015 performance holds the top mark at 121 million.
The Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening possession. The Chiefs responded on their first possession with a touchdown as well. Travis Kelce caught an 18-yard score from Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City missed a 42-yard field goal on their second possession. Philly made them pay on the next drive. Jalen Hurts threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown.
The momentum shifted on the next drive when Hurts fumbled, and Nick Bolton recovered the ball and scored a 36-yard TD. Bolton also lead the team with 9 tackles.
Philadelphia scored a touchdown and field goal on the next two possessions of the first half. They had a 24 – 14 lead going into halftime. Mahomes was tackled toward the end of the first half and he tweaked his high ankle sprain.
KC outcoached the Eagles after halftime and the second half was completely different. They scored three touchdowns and a field goal.
Mahomes was 21/27 for 182 yards, 3 scores, 0 interceptions and he was not sacked. He also ran 6 times for 44 yards. He was named the Super Bowl MVP.
The Eagles led the league for the most sacks with 70 in the regular season so it’s surprising they could not record one in the Super Bowl.
Kelce had 6 catches for 81 yards and a score. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 7 receptions for 53 yards. Isiah Pacheco had 15 carries, 76 yards and a touchdown.
Hurts was 27/38, 304 yards, 1 TD and no 0 interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 15 carries, 70 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“I thought guys just embraced the moment,” Mahomes said about rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit. “In that first half, we were playing and doing some good stuff, but I felt like the guys were getting consumed by everything around us.”
Coach Andy Reid, who couldn’t win the big game in Philadelphia, beat his former team to earn his second ring with Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“We wanted to get this so bad for him,” Tracis Kelce said. “His legacy in Philly lives on forever. … There’s a lot of pride in knowing that he’s had success in two different organizations, but this was the better one.”
The Chiefs won their second Super Bowl following the 2019 season, 50 years after the first one. Mahomes led them back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against San Francisco in that one. It took just three years to get another Lombardi.
Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL and he’s now adding to his resume as an all-time great. The Chiefs played the third most rookies in 2022. Only Chicago and Houston played more rookies and they have the top two picks in the NFL draft.
KC has reached at least the AFC Championship game in the five seasons that Mahomes started. That has to be the expectation going into the 2023 season.
Super Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Super Bowl LVII is this weekend and it features a matchup of two top seeds. The Kansas City Chiefs (16 – 3) and Philadelphia Eagles (16 – 3) both dominated this season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid coached the Eagles from 1999 to 2012. In Philadelphia he had a reputation of not being able to win the big game. He coached the Eagles to five NFC Championship games, only winning one. They lost Super Bowl XXXIX to New England.
He became the head ball coach in KC in 2013 and won Super Bowl LIV. They played Tampa Bay the following year in Super Bowl LV and got blown out.
For quarterback Patrick Mahomes, this will help define his legacy. Based on talent he’s an elite QB but he is judged on championships. If the Chiefs win this will be his second Super Bowl win. That will give him more SB wins than Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Steve Young and Kurt Warner.
This will be the first Super Bowl matchup that features two black starting quarterbacks.
“To be on the world stage and have two Black quarterbacks start in the Super Bowl, I think it’s special, and I’ve learned more and more about the history of the Black quarterback since I’ve been in this league,” Mahomes said. “The guys that came before me and Jalen set the stage for this, and now, I’m just glad that we can kind of set the stage for guys that are kids that are coming up now.”
“I think it’s history,” Jalen Hurts said in Philadelphia. “I think it’s something worthy of being noted. It’s come a long way. I think there’s only been seven African American quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl. To be the first in something is pretty cool, so I know it will be a good one.”
Mahomes led the league in passing yards (5,250) and passing scores (41).
The game also features the first time two brothers will face off. Tight end Travis Kelce (KC) and center Jason Kelce (Phi) are both Pro Bowlers. Travis was third in the league in receiving yards (1,338) and he had 12 touchdown receptions. It’s safe to say he’s the focal point of the offense.
Philly has the #2 total defense in the NFL, only giving up 20.2 points per game and 301.5 yards per game. They also led the league in sacks with 70 during the regular season. They primarily did that with just their defensive linemen.
Kansas City was second in the league in sacks with 55. They rank 11th in total defense with 21.7 ppg and 328.2 ypg.
The Chiefs had the top offense in the league and Philadelphia is ranked third.
Running back Miles Sanders is an underrated threat. He was fifth in rushing with 1,269 yards and 11 TD’s. Hurts is a true dual threat quarterback, rushing for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was also tenth in passing yards (3,701), 22 TD’s and 6 picks.
The Eagles feature two elite wide receivers is A.J. Brown (1,496 yards) and DeVonta Smith (1,196 yards).
I think this will be a very close and exciting game. I give the slight edge to the Chiefs.
Grounded in 2022
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Going into the 2022 NFL season the expectations were low for the Atlanta Falcons.
They traded Matt Ryan in the offseason to Indianapolis. Ryan had been the starting quarterback in Atlanta since he was drafted in 2008.
Veteran journeyman Marcus Mariota signed a two-year deal and was named the starter in March 2022. They also drafted Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati in the third round (74th overall) in the 2022 NFL draft.
I thought the Falcons were good enough to win six games before the season started. They went 7 – 10, primarily because Tampa Bay clinched the NFC South and rested several starters in the final game of the season.
Mariota had an outstanding college career. As a junior at Oregon in 2014 he won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named the AP College Football Player of the year.
He was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft by Tennessee, but he never lived up to the hype or expectations. He struggled with injuries and poor play before being benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill in 2019. He was a backup for the Raiders for two seasons before he signed with Atlanta.
He was clearly a short-term option at QB and the Falcons started the season 0 – 2 with losses to New Orleans and the Rams. They won their next two games against Seattle and Cleveland to get to .500. They won two of their next four games, which were against San Francisco and Carolina.
Mariota was serviceable in the thirteen games he started, with a 5 – 8 record. He passed for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and completed 61.3% of his passes. He also rushed for 438 yards and 4 scores.
He did play timid and make questionable plays. In the Week 2, 31-27 loss to the LA Rams Atlanta had the ball and was driving in the final six seconds. They were at the 50-yard line and had to throw a Hail Mary. He scrambled around running out the last 6 seconds, got sacked and fumbled.
Ridder started the final four games, going 2 – 2. He did not throw his first touchdown pass until Week 18 against Tampa. In those four games he threw for 708 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 picks and completed 63.5% of his passes. I’m not sure if he has done enough to not make Atlanta consider drafting a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
The future looks bright because they have some talented skill position players. Rookie Drake London (USC) was drafted 8th in the 2022 draft. He had 72 receptions, 4 touchdowns and 3 fumbles.
Fellow rookie running back Tyler Allgier (BYU) was a fifth-round pick and he played well down the stretch. He only started seven games, but he rushed for 1,035 yards, 3 scores and averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
Starting running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson missed five games this season due to injury.
Atlanta ranked 27th in total defense, giving up 362.1 yards per game and 22.7 points per game. They are currently looking to hire a new defensive coordinator.
“It will be refreshing to go in there as we get to more formal interviews and hear other people’s perspectives and learn a lot about people,” coach Arthur Smith said. “We’ll hire the best candidate, but the way we built it won’t change.”
The Falcons will pick eight in 2023 so they have an opportunity to draft a superstar.
Frog Stomp
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Going into the national championship game I thought UGA winning was a slam dunk.
I thought they were forty points better than TCU. I was surprised to see people like Stephen A Smith and Robert Griffin III picking the Horned Frogs to win. They pointed out how they only had one five-star recruit and one four-star on the roster.
It turns out I underestimated the Bulldogs. No. 1 Georgia (15 – 0) demolished No. 3 Texas Christian University (13 – 2) 65 – 7. It was a beat down from the opening kickoff.
Starting quarterback Stetson Bennett IV was taken out of the game with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter. Kirby Smart called a timeout so he could walk off the field for the last time.
Bennett accounted for six touchdowns, four passing and two rushing. He completed 18/25 passes for 304 yards and rushed for 39 yards.
“As simple as it is, just one last huddle with the guys,” said Bennett, who finished with a 29-3 career record as Georgia’s starter. “That was special, coming off and seeing Coach Smart. That was really cool, and I appreciate that.”
“First time he’s ever walked off that I was hugging him,” Smart said with a smile.
The defense played great, recording 5 sacks. They also recorded three turnovers. They recovered a fumble and had two interceptions. TCU quarterback Max Duggan was also a Heisman finalist like Stetson Bennett, but he struggled.
The Horned Frogs did score their lone touchdown in the first quarter to make the score 10 – 7. They very briefly made it look like they could compete with the Bulldogs. Both of Duggan’s interceptions came in the first half and led to UGA scores.
He threw his second pick with 36 seconds left in the half. Two plays later Bennett threw another touchdown pass to make the halftime lead 38 – 7. It was the largest halftime lead in a national championship game since the 2002 BCS title game when Miami lead Nebraska 34 – 0.
Georgia won their first national title in 41 years last season. Now they’ve repeated as national champs, making them the first team in the College Football Playoff era to accomplish that.
TCU was 5 – 7 last season, which lead to them hiring head coach Sonny Dykes from SMU.
“We’ll learn from it,” Dykes said, “and next time we’re on a stage like this, we’ll handle it better.”
Last season’s championship team had five first-round NFL draft picks.
“If the team last year played this year’s team, last year’s team probably had more talent on it,” Smart said, “but this year’s team was different. They just had this eye of the tiger; they weren’t going to lose.”
Georgia dominated on the ground, rushing 44 times for 254 and five TD’s. Kenny McIntosh was the leading rusher with 8 carries for 50 yards. Branson Robinson had 7 carries for 42 yards and two scores.
Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers won the John Mackey Award this year for the nation’s best tight end. He played great in this game, recording 7 catches for 152 yards and a score.
Ladd McConkey also had a big night with 5 receptions, 88 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Dykes compared Bowers to a tight end he coached while he was the offensive coordinator at Arizona. That guy was named Rob Gronkowski.
Tame Gators
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This was a tough first season in Gainesville for first year head coach Billy Napier. The Gators started the season off with a win over No. 7 in the Swamp. It looked like they were going to have a great season.
That was the best game quarterback Anthony Richardson played this season. They finished the regular season 6 – 6 and 3 – 5 in SEC play. They lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, which is shocking.
The average season landed Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl against No. 17 Oregon State.
Florida was down to their third string quarterback because Anthony Richardson declared for the NFL Draft and skipped the bowl game. I have to wonder who is advising him because there’s no way he’s getting drafted in the first two rounds.
Backup quarterback Jalen Kitna, son of former NFL quarterback John Kitna was arrested on child pornography charges.
This was the first start for Florida redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Miller, and it showed. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 180 yards. Miller is a transfer from Ohio State.
The Beavers dominated and won the game 30 – 3.
“It’s my job to have the team ready to play,” Napier said. “We were not as ready to play as we needed to be.”
The Beavers reached 10 victories for the third time program history and the first time in 16 years. They first accomplished the feat in 2000, when coach Jonathan Smith was the team’s quarterback.
OSU running back Deshaun Fenwick rushed for 107 yards. He took up the load when Pac-12 Conference offensive freshman of the year Damien Martinez went out with an apparent shoulder injury on the Beavers’ second drive.
Martinez had rushed for at least 100 yards in six consecutive games and needed just 30 yards to become the fourth freshman in program history to gain 1,000 for the season. He had 12 yards on three carries before the injury.
Florida was 16th in the nation with 213.7 yards rushing per game, but Oregon State also had the 20th-best rush defense in allowing a 114-yard average. This was the fifth time the Beavers didn’t allow an opponent to rush for 100 yards, holding the Gators to 39.
Oregon State allowed just 219 yards while gaining 353.
Florida committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, including six for false starts. Back-to-back false starts wiped out a potential touchdown drive in the first quarter.
“I don’t know if we’ve had that many in an entire season, much less one game,” Napier said. “We lived in third-and-long today as a result of inefficiency, missed opportunities, penalties. When you live in third-and-long, your percentages of having success are not good.”
The Gators will begin next season with a trip to Pac-12 champion Utah. The roster will be very different so this will be a tough game.
One positive thing is they are a “serious contender” for Coastal Carolina signal caller Grayson McCall. He entered the transfer portal on December 12.
McCall took over as the Chanticleers starting quarterback in 2020 and never looked back. He’s since started 32 games, compiling a completion percentage of 70.4, 8,019 passing yards, 78 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 1,053 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns along the way.
He’s the only player to earn Sun Belt Player of the Year honors three times in conference history.
Finishing 6 – 7 is disappointing but Napier should be able to improve in his second season.
