Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Spicer

Statement Saturday Across College Football

Ben Spicer — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:46:56 -0400

College football seems to vary week by week. On some weeks, it tends to be surprises. This week, however, it was nothing but statements.

Statements were made across the college football world today; some obvious and others not as predictable. Whatever the case, the tension and drama overwhelmed campuses across our nation on another beautiful Saturday for college football.

Starting things off, take a look at Terrelle Pryor's explosive outburst of offensive firepower Saturday against Minnesota. Preceding a five turnover, upset loss at the hands of Purdue, Pryor was on top of his game in Columbus.

Following a slow start, with many Buckeye fans frustrated, Pryor overcame adversity and threw two long touchdown bombs perfectly to his receivers. Terrelle also scored on the ground.

Sticking with the Big Ten, Penn State had Michigan's number—and by a huge margin. The Nittany Lions proved they are still sticking around for the conference race, which has proved thus far to be a bit crazy.

Crazy, as seen in the final quarter of the Iowa-Michigan State contest. Both the Spartans and Hawkeyes figured it'd be convenient to wake up on their final possessions after a tightly matched defensive battle leading up to the point.

The Spartans struck first, using some Boise State hook and ladder magic in the process. After Cousins hit with a 30-yard strike for a score, it was Iowa's turn to answer. In the final two seconds, Ricky Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt on a seven yard pattern for the game winning score.

With the victory, it's time to consider Iowa as a legit title contender. As always, that's a statement in itself.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East, a couple teams were playing with something to prove. One game was decided in overtime, another few decided by large margins.

Clemson was able to travel to Miami and knock off the tenth ranked Hurricanes in overtime, when Jacoby Ford dashed into the endzone on a bullet across the middle of the field. The game featured a bevy of lead changes and really spread some chaos across the race for the conference championship.

In the Big East, Pittsburgh demolished the South Florida Bulls. USF entered the game at 5-1, Pittsburgh came into the game ranked and looking for their best start to a season since the Dan Marino days. The Panthers looked most suited to defeat one of college football's more pleasant surprises in Cincinnati.

The aforementioned Bearcats trampled all over their opponent as well. Losing Tony Pike didn't appear to mean much in Cincinnati's trouncing of Louisville.

The Big 12 might have some of the more surprising statements around college football.

The drama in the midwest was mainly centered around the game in Lincoln, or lack thereof by the Cornhuskers. Nebraska played sound defensive football, but weren't able to display that same type of effectiveness on the other side of the ball. The Cyclones were able to knock off Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time since 1977, in large part to eight Husker turnovers.

Ouch doesn't begin to describe it. What's even more unbelievable is who is now in the division lead following Kansas' atrocity of a performance against Oklahoma, and the miserable display by Nebraska.

Bill Snyder and Kansas State now find themselves atop the conference standings in the Big 12 North.

Speaking of ouch, that goes without mentioning the beating that Texas put upon the Missouri Tigers. With a 41-7 final, Texas looked like the team we've been waiting to take a gander at all along. A good performance, especially considering that of Alabama and Florida, which was rather lackluster.

That couldn't have been a better way to shift focus towards the Southeastern part of the country, where college football's most prominent conference had several statement games played today.

Career performances out of both Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster propelled Ole Miss over Arkansas in a game that made the Rebels look a bit more promising. With the Rebels (including Snead and McCluster) starting off incredibly slow this season, a simple victory seemed like style points for Houston Nutt.

However, Snead and McCluster weren't satisfied with that. The 30-17 victory might have been enough to get the Rebels going down the stretch after a hot and cold beginning to the year.

In Tuscaloosa, new AP No. 1 Alabama, had to hold on for dear life against the kid, Lane Kiffin and his replenished Tennessee program. The Tide got two huge field goal blocks out of a huge contributor, defensive tackle Terrence Cody, including a field goal that would have given Tennessee the lead.

The Volunteers had two attempts blocked and kicker Daniel Lincoln missed another one. Jonathon Crompton made a couple statements to those who had criticized him as he's begun to go on a bit of a hot streak over the past few games.

The top ranked Gators survived another scare and has many people doubting that they're the real deal this season. The defense has bent a little bit the past two games, but in the contest against Mississippi State it seemed to be the offense that was struggling.

Tim Tebow threw two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns. Injuries still took a toll on the Gators, Brandon Spikes didn't play, and starting running back Jeffery Demps appeared to have injured his neck.

Mississippi State looked like a team that will be contending for the conference in a couple seasons, maybe next year if they can find more consistent quarterback play. Let's not forget that the Bulldogs almost beat LSU on their home field as well. Dan Mullen knows how to coach.

Last but not least, have a look at the mid majors. There's been a lot of debate lately about whether or not TCU would deserve a BCS berth over Boise State if both teams were to run the table. Boise State doesn't have much left on their schedule, and TCU still has a meeting with ranked Utah.

The Horned Frogs faced BYU in the only ranked matchup of the weekend, and absolutely destroyed the Cougars. With a 38-7 beating, many voters will have to take a closer look on who to place in a BCS bowl game, especially if both schools run the table.

Boise State was also convincing in a 54-9 stomping of Hawaii. Sticking with the WAC, Idaho looked to be a little overrated as they got curb stomped by the Wolf Pack of Nevada, 70-45.

Across college football, it has been a week of statements and thrilling games; hopefully, we see more of the same throughout the remainder of the year.

http://www.collegefootballconnection.b1.jcink.com (New college football forum)

Nick Adenhart: One Final Ode to the Angels Pitcher

Ben Spicer — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:17:08 -0400

Death is unavoidable and inevitable.

The ability to live or have life, to some living things, is unalienable. Always tragic, but never predictable, death can strike at any time—taking away loved ones or things we love. Most have had to cope with the trauma of tragically losing one so dear to them and in sports it's no different.

Just two days ago, the world of Major League Baseball was forced to indulge itself into horrific news. A young kid with an aspiring career and promising future in store, a pitcher for the Anaheim Angels who was just 22 years old, passed away.

Nick Adenhart died early Thursday morning in a traffic accident, presumably a victim to a drunk driver. It was only a couple hours after Adenhart had pitched the game of his career, with six scoreless innings against division rival Oakland.

Figured by many to be a future all-star, Adenhart never got to experience a full season in Major League Baseball. Although he had pitched in a professional game before, this was in fact his rookie season. Word of Adenhart's death may have been shocking considering that he had so much more room to improve, the sky was literally the limit as far as potential is concerned.

A depressing vibe lingered across Angel Stadium, the scene outside was home to many Angel fans or baseball fans alike, all paying tribute to the young pitcher. Stacks of cards, flowers and balloons began to climb higher and wider. One balloon even read "Nick, You're An Angel Now".

Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Adenhart was selected in the 14th round of the 2004 amateur entry draft. Just five years later, Adenhart was ranked as the No.1 prospect in the Angels farm system, 24th overall in Major League Baseball.

It's no secret his potential was through the roof. That may be the single reason this event is so tragic. It's sad to see anyone pass away, but even more sad to see a kid who's just beginning to do what he loves die, and under circumstances that are so sorrowful but yet so predictable in a society of now.

It's unclear whether or not Adenhart was a victim of a drunk driver at the moment but it's likely. Whatever the case, it's tough to see an admirable figure such as Adenhart, one that would likely have made an impact at the professional level, go in such a way.

A tough loss for the baseball world, indeed. Rest in peace, Nick Adenhart. You will never be forgotten.

For South Carolina's Stephen Garcia, Time Is Now

Ben Spicer — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:35:33 -0500

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier loves his quarterbacks.

During his time spent with the University of Florida, it was well documented that "The Ol' Ball Coach" wasn't thrilled at the challenge of coaching the defense, or any other offensive position, for that matter. Steve Spurrier had all attention shifted toward the epitome of his offensive system, the quarterback.

That procedure probably worked to Steve Spurrier's advantage, as Florida's head coach was the apparent mainstay to the Gators success. The visor-wearing coach, who stalked the sidelines of The Swamp (a nickname he had given to Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) had amassed some statistical advantages of which the University of Florida had never seen. Spurrier garnered six Southeastern Conference Championships while a Gator, become the second coach in SEC history to eclipse 100 wins in a decade, and averaged 10 wins per season.

Not to mention, his offensive system, the Fun 'N Gun, produced off-the-wall results and drove defensive coordinators across the south absolutely berserk. Spurrier saw Danny Wuerffel win the 1996 Heisman, as well as his Florida Gators win the 1996 National Championship over Florida State. Known for his witty press conference remarks and notable knacks of running up the score, Spurrier is having trouble mustering anything of the sort in Columbia, SC.

When Spurrier's marriage to the University of Florida abruptly ended on Jan. 4, 2002, the entire state was sent into shock. Gators fans and their unwillingness to cope with the loss only got worse when they witnessed their former coach become the new head coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins 10 days later.

Spurrier only spent a season with the Redskins, one that was a roller coaster ride of mixed results. Washington finished the season 7-9, with patches and portions of highs and lows throughout the year. Spurrier remained out of the football world for about a year or two, until his name resurfaced at the helm of an open job with the University of Florida.

Ultimately, Spurrier grew tired of waiting, and become South Carolina's new head coach. Urban Meyer took over at Florida, winning two National Championships in four seasons. With Spurrier's success at Florida behind him, the Ol' Ball Coach looked forward to beginning something new at the University of South Carolina.

To quickly sum up his tenure at South Carolina, it's been ugly. The Gamecocks have posted a 28-22 overall record since Spurrier inherited the program in 2005, and regressed almost as bad offensively this season as they did in Spurrier's first year at the university.

For a head coach that emphasized rivalries as much as Spurrier did while at Florida, his resume shows anything but with the Gamecocks. South Carolina is 1-3 against Georgia, Florida, and Clemson under Steve Spurrier. They're also 2-2 against Tennessee, and 1-2 in bowl games.

However, for a program that's been lacking firepower, Steve Spurrier might just have his knight in shining armor. On campus, quarterback Stephen Garcia is now stepping into the threshold of the South Carolina offense. Garcia, who has been in and out of trouble since enrolling at the university, now must show the maturity needed to be Steve Spurrier's starting quarterback, a job that hasn't been easy under Spurrier's watch.

Garcia looks to step up and perform under an offense that's been up and down throughout Spurrier's tenure. Garcia takes center stage in an offense that accounted for throwing 27 interceptions in 2008, the most in college football.

A regular in Spurrier's quarterback rotation, Stephen Garcia now has his back against the wall. The margin for error is slim to none, and with only four returning offensive starters and a handful of new offensive coaches, next year could either make or break Garcia.

The redshirt sophomore will watch as Kenny McKinley and Jared Cook leave the program, highly successful as pass catchers while Gamecocks. Although both Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher are indeed transferring, Garcia's job is still not absolutely secure. Stephen Gilmore, who plays both sides of the ball, could challenge Garcia's starting position with a strong spring.

Spurrier said of Garcia that "all of our eggs are in his basket now," meaning it's his time to shine. With the departure of some big time play-makers comes the arrival of some fresh blood, freshman and sophomores who are highly talented. Stephen Garcia is only the core of that program.

As a redshirt freshman, Garcia threw six touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, all the while throwing for 832 yards as the second option at quarterback for Spurrier's Gamecocks. Garcia also accounted for 198 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.

While the stats may not blow you away, it's a start. The foundation for winning seasons to come is set in Columbia, and it's up to Spurrier and his new coaching staff to provide that face lift for a program with high expectations.

By and by, the Ol' Ball Coach will keep teaching his guy, Stephen Garcia, while Garcia expects to produce. Either way, the hay is in the barn, and it's time for the Stephen Garcia era in South Carolina.

Recruiting Roundhouse: Grading the Florida Gators Class Thus Far

Ben Spicer — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:46:47 -0500

A victor of two of the previous three National Championships, the Florida Gators have been founded upon simple principles under head coach Urban Meyer.

Those unique philosophies haven't varied annually in terms of recruiting, and things aren't looking any different a couple days from National Signing Day.

The basic fundamental in Urban Meyer's mind for producing National Championships is good defense, special teams, and speed. Speed is already prevalent in a class that already contains two 5-star players and 10 4-star players.

Although player absences diminished the 2007 Gators, a season after their first title under Urban Meyer, the situation has been reversed now. Florida returns every defensive starter, including names such as Brandon Spikes, Major Wright, and Joe Haden.

On offense, however, some concerns have arisen. Former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen bolted for the Mississippi State head coach position, and the Gators lose Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy at the wide receiver position, as well as the likes of three offensive linemen.

Of those offensive linemen, two were starters. Jason Watkins and Phil Trautwein graduate as two-time National Champions. Jim Tartt, who suffered some injuries during his Gator career, also graduates.

Coaching at a program like that of Florida has it's perks. Certainly it's tough seeing a star player such as Percy Harvin go, but you've got numerous tools and capabilities to make up for it. Andre DeBose, a versatile and shifty wide receiver, has headlined a recruiting class that's still young.

DeBose has already drawn comparisons to Harvin, and has great speed, a principal that the Gators have become known for. The Gators also added Nu'Keese Richardson, a wide receiver that could potentially bring some noise to the table. Although Richardson is 5'8", he brings a lot of speed to Gainesville along with him.

Urban Meyer may also be satisfied with quarterback commitment Jordan Reed, who has great speed and may be engineered to run the spread option offense. The Gators also received a new running back in four star speedster Mike Gillislee.

The holes on the offensive line have been patched for future perfection as well, with commitments ringing in from several four star players. Notable signee Xavier Nixon is the first of five offensive line commitments thus far. Nick Alajajian and Jonotthan Harrison are the other two four star commits.

On the defensive side of the football, a unit that needs little to no new additions, there have been some notable commitments.

The defensive line will welcome five star defensive tackle Gary Brown, as well as four star defensive tackle Edwin Herbert and three star defensive end Kedric Johnson.

With the Gators stacking up for future runs at the title, the defensive line looks to be set. Florida received a few commitments from defensive lineman last season, most notably from five star defensive tackle Omar Hunter.

Florida has received a few commitments as far as linebackers and defensive backs are concerned. The Gators signed four star linebacker Jon Bostic, as well as four star defensive back Dee Finley and four star athlete Marsalis Teague.

The commitment list thus far would normally be enough to guarantee success for the next couple seasons, but the Gators aren't done yet. The defending National Champions are still in the mix for five star linebacker Jelani Jenkins, among others.

It's safe to assume Urban Meyer and his coaching staff aren't only pleased with being the best on the field; - they want to bring in the best talent off of it. In a recruiting season that's seen it's fair share of de-commitments, there's a good possibility that the Gators can land the No. 1 overall recruiting class come Tuesday.

Was It Houston's Aubrey Coleman That "Got The Boot", Or Chase Budinger?

Ben Spicer — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:24:01 -0500

When basketball fanatics use the phrase "getting the boot", they normally speak of getting ejected from further competition. Last night, in a college basketball game between the Houston Cougars and Arizona Wildcats, the phrase held true but was taken to new heights.

Controversy began as mixed emotions erupted at the McKale Center. With tension high, 9:51 left in regulation and the visiting Houston Cougars up by 12, Arizona Wildcats forward Chase Budinger fell to the floor after taking a routine charge. The end results were something beyond normality.

Houston's leading scorer and rebounder, Aubrey Coleman, the recipient of the charging foul, took some normal steps towards Budinger, who was on the ground. About eight feet from where the foul took place, Budinger laid on the floor with his eyes closed, uncertain of the event about to occur.

Aubrey Coleman had been taking a few stops towards Budinger and didn't intend to stop. He planted his foot right into the face of the Wildcats star player, stepping right on him like nothing had happened. Budinger sprung up and appeared to throw a punch. Budinger received a technical foul for his retaliation, and Coleman was ejected from the contest.

Reminiscent of the 1992 Regional Final game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils, the one in which Christian Laettner sunk the Wildcats at the buzzer to advance and later win it all, provides further recollection on an event like this one.

In a similar situation, Duke's Christian Laettner drove towards the basket and knocked over Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake. While Timberlake was still on the ground, Laettner stumbled backwards, re-gained his balance, and then stepped right on the chest of Timberlake.

Although the moment didn't escalate like that of Budinger's and Coleman's, Laettner was charged with a technical foul. Laettner later admitted to the incident, claiming that Timberlake had "pushed him down earlier in the game, maybe one or two minutes before" and that he had made a mental note to get back at him and be physical with him.

Timberlake sprung up quickly, much like Budinger had done in the comparable incident last night, but didn't attempt to retaliate. Instead, he just clapped and smiled, and watched as Laettner had received a technical foul.

Kentucky fans still wonder to this day why Christian Laettner was not ejected from further competition. Had he been ejected, the end result might have been different. Laettner later beat Kentucky at the buzzer in overtime.

While Laettner later admitted to his wrongdoings, Coleman has shown no signs of sympathy towards Chase Budinger. In fact, Houston head coach Tom Penders didn't even feel as though his player, Aubrey Coleman, should have been ejected. Penders said, "Aubrey said that he turned around to see what the refs called, and he stumbled over a prone Budinger".

Penders also added "Aubrey's not that kind of player. Had he kicked [Budinger] or thrown a punch, then I could understand [the ejection]."

In the case of Laettner, who before confessing the truth behind his incident, noted at the fact that he was losing his balance and barely stepped on Timberlake's chest. While the video evidence disproves this fact, it is more believable than what Houston head coach Tom Pender's is trying to sell.

As they say, "revenge is a dish best served cold." Arizona definitely delivered what Houston had coming their way, as the Wildcats rallied to send the game into overtime at the buzzer, and ultimately won it in the extended time frame, 96-90.

Chase Budinger felt as though this incident was intentional, saying, "He stepped on a part of my face, and my arm right here. You can see some footprints on my jersey here."

Although the media found it funny, there are many Wildcat fans, Cougar fans, and basketball fans in general that does not approve of something like this.

What put the icing on the cake, so to speak, was Coleman's appreciation of the "accidental" stepping on the face of Budinger. The cameras caught Coleman giving high fives to his teammates after the incident occurred, and smiling.

This is simply something that should not happen at any level of basketball. It is a sign of disrespect, poor sportsmanship, and an event that goes off the court. I'm one fan that will be very surprised if some type of penalty, a suspension at the least, is not imposed.

Darkhorses of the Draft: A Case for Florida Wide Receiver Louis Murphy

Ben Spicer — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:07:19 -0500

Each and every draft hosted by the National Football League has it's share of fine athletes and blossoming talent, but one would agree that there's a particular aspect within the base of the draft that defines it all: late-round draft selections.

Within these late-round picks emerges legends, legends that weren't highly sought after due to a specific weakness or their statistics at the collegiate level. There's been more than a few players which have come unto the scene and made a lasting impact as a pick in the closing rounds.

One notable selection would be New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

With the draft steadily approaching, it's time to look ahead to those types of role players, ones that aren't getting the attention they deserve. In a day and age when you're just as likely to select a winner as you are a loser, you must manage the final rounds effectively in order to produce a talent with a Super Bowl mindset.

A legend looms over the University of Florida, one that dismantles all hopes of success at the position of receiver in the National Football League. During the Steve Spurrier era, the Fun 'N Gun offensive system posed an aerial attack which statistically had receivers looking poised for success at the next level.

Unfortunately, many victims of the Fun 'N Gun system left their skill demonstrated in college back on campus, struggling to make the transition from Saturday to Sunday.

Whilst at Florida, names such as Jacquez Green, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, and Chad Jackson were all second nature. Each had a specific role in their respective career at Florida, each pertaining to a type of productivity that almost guaranteed success in the National Football League.

However, those four receivers never answered the call. The quad has a career average of 29 receptions per season, 369 receiving yards per season, and two total touchdowns per season.

With atrocities like those mentioned above, one would ponder why scouts would even examine the possibility of drafting a receiver of this caliber.

This year, the draft will likely see two Florida receivers be drafted. The obvious one is run-catch threat in Percy Harvin, but the second might be a diamond in the rough for the team who decides to draft him.

That diamond in the rough is senior wide receiver Louis Murphy.

I like to consider Murphy a pro-style wide receiver trapped in his worst nightmare, the spread offense. Primarily drawn up to get playmakers into the open field, the spread offense for Murphy has mostly been deep passes, and he's been amazingly consistent as far as that goes.

Underrated in the speed department behind the likes of Jeffery Demps, Chris Rainey and Percy Harvin himself, Murphy boasts sure 4.4 speed with excellent field vision and cutting ability.

Problem is, Chad Jackson boasted the same characteristics. Jackson, who was mentioned above as one of the infamous Florida receiver busts, has caught only 13 career passes for 152 career receiving yards and three career receiving touchdowns.

Pending a call and a chance to reverse the fate that has recently been evident amongst the Florida receiver alumnus these past few draft days. Louis Murphy quite possibly could be one of the offensive dark horses in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Attention NCAA: Tim Tebow Returning To Gators In 2009

Ben Spicer — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:45:49 -0500

Amidst the excitement of being victorious in the 2008 National Championship, one burning question still lingered over the Florida football team: Would Tim Tebow return for his senior season?

With the possibility of potential departures from the team, including the chance of losing middle linebacker Brandon Spikes and wide receiver Percy Harvin, as well as some members of the coaching staff, the real aftershock of this season would probably have been losing 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow.

However, the starting quarterback of the Gators left us with little time to ponder the thought, or discuss his NFL future.

Just three days after engineering the Gators to their second title in three seasons, Tebow announced he'd be returning in 2009.

That is, not until he had fans on the edge of their seats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's Championship Celebration.

After accepting the Offensive Most Valuable Player honors, Tebow proceeded to thank his teammates, coaches and the fans. Before walking off the stage, Tebow provided words that Florida fans across the country were dying to hear.

"Oh, and by the way, one more thing," Tebow announced. "Let's do it again. I'm coming back."

The roar of the crowd possibly overpowered an entire city, as the Florida quarterback stepped off the stage.

Tebow will step onto the football field once more, a confinement that has seen the burly gunslinger develop tremendously over the course of the past three seasons, making an impact from the day he signed with the program.

In 2006, he was the running back that Florida lacked, outworking and physically overpowering opponents on short yardage situations, beating teams with his feet, and in some instances through the air.

Following the 2006 National Championship, Tebow become Florida's starting quarterback. Few were impressed with what they'd seen in Tebow the year before, mostly due to the fact that he hadn't shown off his arm much. They begin to wonder about Tebow's role at the position, and question his throwing ability.

The hardware under his belt in 2007 says it all.

Tebow won the Maxwell Award as the Nation's best overall player, the Davey O'Brien award as the Nation's top quarterback, and the James E. Sullivan Award as the Nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport.

In a season that saw Tebow do it all, he accounted for an SEC record in terms of rushing touchdowns and touchdowns accounted for in a single season. (He had 23 rushing touchdowns, and 55 overall touchdowns)

The previous two seasons saw a statistical monster grind it out and will his Gators to victory, but in 2008 Tim Tebow had adapted his overall game to the play makers around him, and his position as a whole.

Although he had 13 less touchdowns overall in 2008 compared to 2007, Tebow was still invited to the Heisman Ceremony in New York City. While it was unlikely that he'd win the award, especially against what seemed to be superior competition out of the Big XII, Tebow would be the first to tell you that of the past three seasons, this was his favorite.

Why is that, you might ask?

He achieved a feat only two other Gator quarterbacks had done before him, and that's winning the National Championship. So maybe he doesn't have four trophies to show for, maybe he doesn't have the amazing statistics of 2007, but a crystal football known as the Coaches Trophy eases all the grief Tebow might have.

Any average player would be happy with a three year career of this glory, and would be willing to take the step up and join the NFL.

Not Tim Tebow.

Despite the trophies, the statistics that blow fans away, and the two National Championships he's been a part of, Tebow is still hungry for one thing: An undefeated season.

Returning at the helm as Florida's quarterback in 2009 gives the Gators a good shot at an unblemished campaign next season, and that will be a top priority for Tebow and company.

Ah, has the season begun yet?

Gators Earn Glory; 2008 National Championship

Ben Spicer — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:30:03 -0500

Entering 2008, Gator Nation was uneasy on the likelihood of a second National Championship in three seasons, especially following a 9-4 campaign in 2007 and going through the loss of play making tight end Cornelius Ingram and safety Dorian Munroe.

Pessimistic fans watched the Gators jump out to a 3-0 beginning to the 2008 campaign, only to see their undefeated dreams abruptly halted to the Ole Miss Rebels.

Negativity swarmed over the team, but they overcame adversity and built up a swagger demanding productivity and results.

Urban Meyer was impressed, but then again he got the thumbs up and support from the opposition's coaches more than a few times.

Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks blessed the Gators with the words of "win four straight" among other things, which the Gators ultimately did on their way to becoming the 2008 National Champions. Spurrier also added that the team that had beaten his Gamecocks by 50 was "a lot stronger than the team in 2006."

Florida State's Bobby Bowden also gave nothing but high praise for the Gators, calling his 30-point loss at Doak Campbell Stadium a "tail-whipping" and made note of not only the overall team speed of the Gators, but of the speed in which they score points, saying that, "They score so many points so fast that everybody gets out of their gameplan."

Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson gave the Gators a few compliments as well, after Florida beat the Commodores 42-14 on the road. "We played a really outstanding football team tonight," said Johnson. Vanderbilt's coach also made sure to mention Florida's speed, saying, "Their speed is really impressive."

Above all, the most memorable quote of the year wasn't deliver by Spurrier, nor was it uttered by Bobby Bowden or Bobby Johnson. Instead, it took Heisman winning Quarterback Tim Tebow to etch the portrait of motivation into the minds of the Florida Gators.

As you very well know by now, Tebow said the following after the Gators lost to Ole Miss by a point: "You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season, and you will never see someone push the entire team as hard as I will push everyone the rest of the season, and you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season."

Apparently, Tebow knew what he was talking about. The Gators went undefeated following the debacle at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to Ole Miss, a game in which they turned the ball over three times by way of the fumble and had a bevy of mental lapses, dropping passes and getting beat deep in coverage, as well as a couple costly penalties and some bad play call and execution.

The effects of the speech were immediate, and brought forth something that had been hiding during Meyer's tenure as Florida's head coach.

Consider the running game a weapon of mass destruction. It was there, but it wasn't fully unleashed until it needed to be.

In fact, the future on the ground looked better just a week in advance. The Gators started sluggish against Arkansas; but finished the game with 278 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Following that 38-7 victory, Gators fans met the likes of Chris Rainey, Jeffery Demps, Emmanuel Moody, and a vicious and relentless special teams unit. With a new found swagger and a warrior's mentality, the Gators were poised. Destination: Miami

It didn't come as fast as it seems. The Gators took on five ranked teams before they reached the BCS National Championship game, and beat them by an average of 32 points. That includes the 49-10 stomping of rival Georgia, the 56-6 thrashing of South Carolina, and the 45-15 beat down over Florida State.

With the Orange Bowl as the venue for the Championship game, the crowd was figured to be pro-Gators. While that held true, it wasn't being discussed as much as the dynamic offenses that were taking stage in Miami.

If the quote "Defenses Wins Championships" has ever been utilized overall more than the final result in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game, then I'd like to witness this.

Against a team that had scored 60+ in five straight games, and 58 in the game before the first 60 point game, the defense needed to rise to the occasion.

Boy, did they ever.

The Gators kept Oklahoma from scoring in the red zone twice, forcing two red zone turnovers, and also held Heisman winner Sam Bradford in check in the games entirety.

Without the defense, who a year ago disappointed many, the Gators probably wouldn't have hoisted the Coaches Trophy in Miami on Thursday.

Then again, they wouldn't have in 2006, either.

The Gators held the Sooners on their second trip to the red zone, when Oklahoma attempted to convert fourth down by running the ball. Like many SEC teams had seen in weeks past, the Gators got excellent penetration after the ball was snapped, and disrupt a routine run from getting going before it could even get started.

With their backs against the wall once more as the second quarter was in it's final seconds, the defense stepped up yet again. Bradford tried to force a pass into coverage, which was batted around and finally intercepted by safety Major Wright.

Safety, a position which looked exceptionally weak entering 2008 for the Gators, especially after team leader Dorian Munroe went down, rose to many challenges this season. In fact, both safeties were dominate in the pass coverage.

Ahmad Black, free safety, led the team with seven interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. Major Wright, the strong safety, was second on the team with four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.

Entering the game, Black had only six interceptions. So you figure his seventh was big, right?

An assumption that's presumably incorrect.

His seventh pick of the season being labeled big is an understatement. Not only was it big, it was huge, and probably won the game for the Gators.

With Oklahoma trailing by a field goal, 17-14, in the fourth quarter and the ball at midfield, Bradford dropped back to pass. He thought he had a man, it looked like he had a man, and he did have a man.

Unfortunately for him, Black played the role of robber; stripping the ball right of his man's hands and giving Florida possession.

The Gators obtained the final score following that crucial turnover, and got the last score, winning 24-14.

Although Tim Tebow was named Offensive Player of the Game, Percy Harvin was a large contribution in Florida's offense. The wide receiver/running back accounted for a touchdown, as well as 122 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards.

This after working hard to play in the game, suffering a high ankle sprain against Florida State in late-November.

That kind of gritty determination and refusal to surrender when times get tough has been the staple of Meyer's tenure at the University of Florida, and has been the component behind two National Championships in four seasons.

This is Gator Football, live it, earn it, and respect it.

Learn From The Rest, Dominique Franks, Because You're Next

Ben Spicer — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:55:15 -0500

Although he's been dubbed "Superman" by Florida pigskin faithful across Gator Nation, an adequate follow-up to the nickname Tim Tebow earned in 2006 might just be "The Hulk."

Why? Well, you won't like him when he's angry.

Apparently Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Dominique Franks disagrees. When asked about Tim Tebow, Franks said, among other things: "Yeah, I think our quarterbacks are better," [Referencing the Big XII Quarterbacks in comparison to the SEC's] "Hopefully he'll throw me the ball a couple times and I'll get my hands on them," and last but not least "...the right person won the Heisman, and we're going to show everybody the reason why he won it."

Take some notes from the young and the restless, Mr. Franks.

Reminiscent of 2007 against Florida State, and this season against LSU, Tim Tebow and the Gators have with them some bulletin board material as motivation against the Sooners, and that's something OU definitely doesn't want and can't afford.

A motivational mastermind, Florida head coach Urban Meyer chopped and pasted a series of articles and comments about his Gators' National Championship hopes in 2006 against Ohio State at their team's dinner table before the game.

As confusing as it might have been to some players, it worked. End result: Gators 41, Buckeyes 14.

With the comments made by Dominique Franks, Florida now has some additional motivation to bring with them to Miami against the high-powered Oklahoma Sooners.

But this isn't the first time Tebow has had objectionable comments slung his direction. In fact, it's happened twice, and for that matter, both helping Tebow and the Gators stomp their opponents.

So maybe the average margin of victory against opponents that "smack talk" Tebow is standing tall at 31.5 points, but the stories that Tebow brings with him is even more worthwhile.

In 2007, there were the Geno Hayes comments at Florida State, about "planting Tebow in the ground" and "denying him the Heisman." What happened there, Geno?

Tebow triumphed in this feud, with five total touchdowns, and dashed towards the end zone once with Hayes holding on for dear life.

This season, we had Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU defensive lineman, publicly state that he would take Tim Tebow out of the game.

Unfortunately Ricky wasn't on hand for the Tim Tebow show, nor was he on hand to see the Gators roll to a 30 point victory. Tebow sniffed the end zone three total times.

Averaging four touchdowns per game in these games in which Tebow hears his demise, it isn't looking pretty for Oklahoma right now.

Several fans are hoping that Tim Tebow takes the "Tom Brady approach."

Last season, in an AFC matchup between the Steelers and Patriots, little none safety Anthony Smith proclaimed that his Steelers were going to win. What happened has since gone down into smack-talk infamy.

Smith got burned for several deep touchdowns, and Tom Brady made sure he knew about it.

By the way, Bill Belichick and Urban Meyer are good friends, as if Tebow didn't know how to handle the situation already.

No. 15 for the Oklahoma Sooners better be on his feet, because he's not exactly Joe Namath.

5 Keys To The 2009 BCS National Championship

Ben Spicer — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:34:20 -0500

The Bowl Championship Series field is debatable, the outcry for respect and the demand for a playoff system is high, and teams are coming out with chips on their shoulders, ready to prove a point to the nation.

But above all, two teams have emerged from the submission that we as college football fans have come to know: the computers, the percentages, the countless polls, and most importantly, the BCS.

Amidst the controversy and chaos of the 2008-2009 campaign, we have the Big XII's Oklahoma Sooners and the SEC's Florida Gators squaring off in Miami, Florida, to be crowned 2009 National Champions.

The college football world hasn't seen such an immense and entertaining buildup such as this one since possibly 2005, when Vince Young's Texas Longhorns faced Southern California's Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

It's no secret that this game will be a hard-fought, highly contested and determined football game, possibly going down to the wire. Unlike the past two National Championships, many figure this one will be a lot closer and competitive down the stretch.

Here are 10 keys to watch for on January 8, most of which will decide who hoists the Championship Trophy and be donned "the best" in college football.

1. ) "Big Game Bob"

One factor that's been highly documented in this game's buildup is Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops' struggles when it comes to BCS Bowl games, and coaching in them.

Since taking over as Oklahoma head coach in 2000, Stoops is 4-4 overall in bowl games. However, the record that burns in the back of Sooner fans minds is the atrocious 2-4 BCS record.

That includes a 1-2 record in the National Championship game, and an average margin of defeat in those championship games of 21.5 points. (The Sooners lost to LSU 21-14 in 2003, and lost to Southern California 55-19 in 2004)

Stoops has lost four of his last five bowl games, the one he didn't lose being the non-BCS Holiday Bowl against Oregon.

Oklahoma has beaten ranked opponents by an average margin of 28.8 points per game this season, beating five on the season. During the stretch of their last five bowl games, Oklahoma has lost by an average of 16 points.

It's apparent by the numbers that the Sooners struggle come bowl season, despite succeeding during the regular season.

2. ) The Heisman 'Curse'

Heisman trophy winners are 2-6 in their respective bowl games since 2000, including 1-5 in the National Championship game.

Jason White, who won the Heisman for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2003, lost the National Championship game to LSU.

Heisman Winners have lost three consecutive bowl games, and are 1-4 when their teams score under 20 in a bowl game since the start of the BCS era in 1998. The Florida Gators, Sam Bradford's opponent, allows 12.85 points per game.

Since 2000, Heisman winners whose teams are in the top five overall in scoring offense are averaging 22.25 points in their bowl games, but that includes Chris Weinke's Seminoles scoring only two in a loss to Oklahoma in 2000, as well as the 2003 Oklahoma Sooners and Jason White producing only 14.

Matt Leinart's USC Trojans had 38 points in a bowl loss to Texas in 2005, and Tim Tebow's Florida Gators had 35 points in a bowl loss to Michigan last season.

All the teams and Heisman winners mentioned above lost their bowl games by a combined total of 7.5 points. Oklahoma lost one game on the season, losing by 10 to Texas.

Sam Bradford, who won the Heisman this season, has a tough task at hand with the Heisman curse following him into the Orange Bowl.

3. ) Oklahoma's Dominate Offense Resembles 2006 Ohio State Defense

Ohio State made the 2006 National Championship from one thing: their dominate defense and consistent offense. Oklahoma made this season's championship doing the exact opposite, they had a juggernaut offense and a consistent defense.

Oklahoma's offense is in the top 20 in the four major categories, (pass offense, rush offense, total offense, scoring offense) while Ohio State was in the top 20 in three of the four major defensive categories. (rush defense, total defense, scoring defense)

The fewest points Oklahoma scored on the regular season was 35, while the most points the 2006 Buckeyes allowed on the season was 39. Oklahoma scored an average of 54 points per game, while the Buckeyes allowed an average of 12.77 points per game.

An adequate comparison in terms of dominating on one side of the football, and consistently performing on the other.

Like Oklahoma, the 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes had a Heisman winner at the QB position. Ohio State played almost equally tough offensive competition compared to what the Sooners have faced.

There were six teams in the top 50 total offense for the Buckeyes defense to face in Big Ten conference play, and nine for Oklahoma to play. Ohio State also played four teams in the top 50 total defense in 2006, while Oklahoma has played three in the top 50 total defense this season.

To end the statistical comparison, both play Florida in the National Championship. Ohio State lost 41-14, and are looking identical to this year's Sooners team in some aspects. Is that something to watch for?

4. ) Game Preparation

As I mentioned earlier, Bob Stoops has a 4-4 bowl record while at Oklahoma. Florida head coach Urban Meyer has bounced around from Bowling Green State to Utah and finally to Florida. He's accumulated a 4-1 bowl record during this time, including a 2-0 record in BCS games.

The Gators are 6-0 since 2005 in the regular season when given more than a week to prepare for a football game. The Sooners are 4-1.

Both schools have excellent defensive coordinators, and a month (give or take a few days) to prepare for each other. While Oklahoma can't re-create Florida's speed in practice, Florida can't prepare for an explosive offense like Oklahoma's against a scout team.

It all comes down to being mentally ready for this game. Both teams will come in motivated, but the team that is more ready and has more knowledge of the opponent will win. As Florida coach Urban Meyer once said: “I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved. Well-prepared players make plays. I have yet to be in a game where the most prepared team didn't win.”

That quote has never been more useful than now.

5. ) Down the Stretch Play, Who's Got the Advantage?

If this game goes down to the wire, who steps up and performs?

Leading up to the Alabama game, Tim Tebow had never led the Gators to a fourth quarter comeback. Things changed in that one, as Florida prevailed 31-20.

A determined Tebow wouldn't allow the Gators to lose, would he?

Another thing to consider is the kicking matchup. Jonathon Phillips, a fifth year senior, kicks the field goals for Florida, while Jimmy Stevens, a freshman, kicks the field goals for Oklahoma.

Phillips is 11 of 12 on the season, going perfect up until the Alabama game, where he missed a field goal that would have tied the game. Stevens, the seldom used kicker, is 8 of 11 on the season.

Florida has blocked two field goals on the season, and stopped a fake field goal attempt by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Florida also has the special teams advantage, with two punt return touchdowns on the year, and three blocked punts. The Gators are eighth in net punting, while Oklahoma is 83rd. If the game comes down to field position, Florida certainly has the advantage.

Key Matchup: Brent Venables v.s. Charlie Strong

There's several routes I could take as far as impact player, thing to watch and so forth, but I'm not indulging into one significant player. Championship games are won by an entire team, hence why Heisman winners struggle in these games. Florida has played the best on both sides of the football this season, and has had an explosive offense recently.

My key matchup is Oklahoma's defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, against Florida's defensive coordinator, Charlie Strong.

Many say that Florida's defense is unlike anything seen by Oklahoma, but upon further investigation that might not be accurate. Oklahoma has played three teams in the top 50 overall scoring defense (TCU, Texas and Cincinnati) and averaged 40.6 points in these three football games.

Florida has played six teams in the top 50 scoring offense, while Oklahoma has played nine. If anything, Florida's scoring defense is a bit overrated. (Which I disagree with)

Above all, both defensive coordinators could be playing to get their name out there. Both have come up on numerous coaching rumors in the past, and that could increase with a big showing in the 2009 BCS National Championship.

Gator Nation's Eyes Are On One Thing: Percy Harvin's Bum Ankle

Ben Spicer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 06:44:10 -0500

Nov. 29, 2008, an infamous day for the Florida Gators Football team.

Well, not so much in terms of the team. The Florida Gators had knocked off dreaded rival Florida State by a score of 45-15 in a game that as now known as "The Soak At Doak," due to the mass amount of rain and mud that had swamped Bobby Bowden Field.

However, Florida's dynamic playmaker left the field in the second quarter.

Percy Harvin tucked the football in, looked left, and accelerated in that direction. Taken down after a gain of a few yards, Harvin wasn't up and ready to go like usual.

With Florida fans everywhere holding their breath, fingers crossed and ears open for an injury report—one thing was for certain and came to be known. Percy Harvin would probably be sidelined for the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

In sweatpants, a t-shirt, and his recognizable "1" stitched on his blue jersey, Harvin graced the sideline.

But he wasn't all smiles, even though his team was victorious.

An all-around playmaker for the Gators, with 16 total touchdowns on the season, Percy Harvin's presence was missed during the Alabama game, and it was obvious. There wasn't a place in the world Harvin would have rather been than on the football field during this game.

Certainly, the Gators would have taken him. Although Tim Tebow and the Florida depth prevailed, Harvin was certainly missed. The Gators got a tough 142 yards on the ground and 216 through the air, and also got contributions from Riley Cooper and David Nelson.

Cooper caught two passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, while Nelson caught three for 27 yards and a touchdown.

However, the Gators failed to move the ball consistently on the ground until the fourth quarter. Tebow carried the load with 57 yards on the ground, while Demps got 53 yards and a touchdown. Emmanuel Moody also had 23 rushing yards.

It was painfully clear that Florida had become reliant on Harvin. He was their do-everything type of guy, he'd break tackles, slash between blockers, and just does the unthinkable in general.

With a couple weeks remaining until the National Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma, the question that's been burning into the mind of Gators and Sooners alike is simple: "Will Percy Harvin be able to play in this game, and if so, how much of an impact will he have?"

Harvin was critical in the victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes for Florida in 2006—he accounted for 82 total yards and a touchdown in a 41-14 rout in favor of the Gators.

But things have certainly changed since then. Percy Harvin has changed in so many ways, for the better, since his freshman year in 2006. Not having Harvin in the lineup not only limits Florida's offensive options but also puts a lot of strain on Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen (pending he coaches in this game) to think of other possible options.

Not only does it make things harder for Florida, but it makes things easier for Oklahoma. If Harvin isn't healthy by this time, the Sooners don't have to contain him and his speed and are able to scheme towards shutting down Florida's other playmakers.

Having Harvin on the football field on Jan. 8 is exponentially important to coming out on top as 2008 National Champions. He's had an outstanding campaign and will be a critical factor for Bob Stoops to consider—especially if healthy.

Goodbye Gainesville, Hello Starkville

Ben Spicer — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:03:35 -0500

The coaching carousel—a wild ride that makes every college football fan a bit tipsy turvy at this time of the season. With questions being ask, reports being released, and rumors running wild, this part of the year is sure to drive fans crazy.

For myself, as a Gators fan, it already has spoken volumes with a rumor swirling atop the coaching carousel.

It appears that Florida offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen will be leaving the University of Florida to fill the vacant head coaching position at Mississippi State.

Known for his signature move of leaving the coach's box when a game is well wrapped up, Mullen is a presence that will be missed on the Florida coaching staff. He's been a critical part of the team, and most importantly he is very well respected by fans, players and the rest of the conference.

A coordinator that was somewhat hidden from media speculation and rumors, Mullen has quietly become an integral part of Florida's success during head coach Urban Meyer's tenure.

But why?

It's simple, really. Mullen has got a great passion for the game of football. He brings enthusiasm and a great mind to the table day in and day out, and loves the players that he coaches.

Coaching wise, he's just a Mississippi State kind of guy at this moment in time. He's offensive minded, something the Bulldogs have lacked since Sylvester Croom became head coach.

In fact, since Croom took over in the 2004-2005 season, the Bulldogs haven't been higher than 103rd overall in total offense, including three spots at 113th total offense, and haven't been higher than 96th in scoring offense.

In terms of Mullen, he's been highly successful as an offensive coordinator, and a quarterbacks coach. He was a crucial factor in Alex Smith's development that later made Smith the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Since 2005, when he became an offensive coordinator for the first time at Florida, Mullen's worst scoring offense was 49th in the nation during his first season with the Gators. Since Mullen has been in the top-25 in that category each season, including consecutive berths at the 3rd best scoring offense the past two years.

This season, the Gators offense has been virtually unstoppable on their way to an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators ranked 18th in total offense, 3rd in scoring offense, 11th in rushing offense, 61st in passing offense (5th best passing efficiency), tied for 2nd with the fewest turnovers lost all season (11), and is 13th in third down conversion efficiency.

The numbers speak for themselves, especially in a defensive minded conference, one in which all 12 teams rank in the top 75 total defense.

Aside from that, Mullen is a very successful recruiter, something Mississippi State has lacked in Sylvester Croom's tenure. Mullen was responsible for the recruitment of several current Florida standouts, and has really made an impact on the recruiting trail for the University.

Dan Mullen brought speedster running back Jeffery Demps to Florida. He brought Junior College standout Carl Moore to the program. He got John Brantley, the second string quarterback, and Brandon Antwine, a defensive tackle that's made an impact this season. He's also received a commitment in the 2009 class from quarterback Jordan Reed, and a 2010 commitment from dual-threat quarterback Trey Burton.

He's also known for recruiting Tim Tebow, prying the future Heisman winner away from the likes of Southern Cal, Alabama and so on.

However, it's truly a shame Mullen won't remain a Gator long enough to do the thing he's arguably done best; developing young players into superstars.

Mullen was a huge success with Chris Leak, turning him into a Florida Gators legend at the position and a National Championship winner. He's also been noteworthy in helping the development of Tim Tebow, totally revamping his delivery into something that's made Tebow an immense success.

It's uncertain as to whether or not Mullen will leave the team before the Championship Game, but as far as I'm concerned I don't think this will happen. Dan Mullen has been a great coordinator, coach and person to have around during his time. He will certainly be missed, and I'd like to wish him the best of luck in his future aspirations.

Mullen's Decision - A Distraction to the team?

If there was ever a bad time to make it official that your leaving a team, this is it.

A few weeks before the National Championship Game, Mullen has decided to announce that he will take over as Mississippi State head coach next season.

One thing that is widely being overlooked by the media and fans is how the Gators will respond to the news, especially if Mullen leaves the team before the National Championship.

If Mullen were to leave before the Championship Game, it would take a brutal toll on coaches and players alike. A lot of time was spent by Mullen in terms of game plan and preparation, and with him gone that would put a lot of work on the shoulders of Urban Meyer and the rest of the staff to replace him.

Trust me, Mullen won't be as easy to replace as what it may seem like.

Heads Up For the Program?

Rumors have also been surfacing around defensive coordinator Charlie Strong about various positions elsewhere. The decision by Dan Mullen could be very critical on Charlie Strong, and losing them both in the same off-season could really send the program spiraling downwards.

The Gators have been known for their outstanding offense, that's a fact, and their defense has also been highly under the radar. Florida was ranked 9th in total defense this season, 5th and scoring defense, and most importantly, 19th in pass defense—which is a 79 spot increase from 2007.

Strong has also been a highly successful recruiter. He's recruited several notable starters on this season's team, including: Jermaine Cunningham (DE), Carlos Dunlap (DE), Ahmad Black (S), and Brandon Hicks (LB). Black is the team's leader in interceptions, while Dunlap and Cunningham have 15 combined sacks.

Many speculated that Strong was the best coordinator on the team, and many thought he would be the first to go before Mullen. With Mullen gone, losing a defensive coordinator like Strong could be very bad, so that's something to watch for.

What This Means For Florida Football, And Possible Replacements

Losing Dan Mullen is a major loss for the program. Fans remember Mullen's trick but excellent play call, his wonderful developmental skills and his fine recruiting ability. With intangibles like that as a coach, that's going to be highly tricky to replace.

A name to watch for is Galen Hall, Penn State's offensive coordinator. Hall runs the spread offense with the Nittany Lions, and some Gator fans might have heard the name before. Yes, he used to be a head coach at Florida!

Chip Kelley of Oregon is a name to watch, too, as well as Steve Logan at Boston College and even Joker Phillips of Kentucky. All have had solid success with their schools, so it may be hard for Florida to pry these coaches away. (Especially Phillips, who's Kentucky's head coach in-waiting)

It's hard to specify who will call the shots next season. A lot of uncertainty remains, and it's going to give a lot of Gator fans, including myself, something to discuss.

The Greatest Conference In Football Belongs To One Team

Ben Spicer — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 15:25:15 -0500

Florida's Defining Moment

The University of Florida's Quarterback, Tim Tebow, stood every inch of his 6'3" frame on September 27th, 2008, over the podium set in front of him. Tim Tebow had went 24-38 for 319 yards, 1 TD and carried the ball 15 times for only 7 yards and 2 scores.

A performance normally very Tebow-esque, as he accounted for 326 total yards and 3 touchdowns in the game, but the end result was not as planned.

The scoreboard at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium read: "Ole Miss - 31, Florida - 30"

Despite leading at the half by 10, the Gators played undisciplined football all day, playing right into the hands of their counterpart, the Ole Miss Rebels.

Although the Gators out gained Mississippi by 118 yards, they put the ball on the ground a total of 3 times, all recovered by Ole Miss.

Receivers dropped passes, Tim Tebow overthrew intended targets, playcall was questionable throughout, and the Florida offensive line allowed 3 sacks and a constant rush from the relentless Mississippi front seven.

A determined Rebel team quite simply outplayed, outcoached and flat out beat the fourth ranked Florida Gators on their home field in wake of Southern California's loss at Oregon State.

Gathering his thoughts, Tebow took a few deep breathes, clinched the podium and absorbed defeat. What came next, though, has brought an unbelievable swagger to this Florida team on their way to a 12-1 campaign.

Tim Tebow looked into the eyes of a media member, and apologized for his play. The rest of his press conference was just words, the following is the story of the 2007-2008 Florida Gators football team:

"I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this" Tebow stated, "You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season, and you will never see someone push the entire team as hard as I will push everyone the rest of the season, and you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season". Without pausing, Tebow looked down towards his feet disgracefully, and finished "God Bless".

With each word that came from Tebow's lips, you could almost feel a completely different football team. Words so riveting and inspirational couldn't lie to the Gator Nation, and couldn't fool the rest of the Southeastern Conference.

The Florida Gators were on a mission, a mission to destroy anything and everything thrown their way, and they did just that. Since the Ole Miss loss, Florida has outscored opponents 445-117, and have out gained the opposition by 1,647 net yards. (Florida has 4,314 net yards since the Ole Miss game, their opponents have 2,667 net yards since the Ole Miss Game)

With performances such as this, one may question whether Florida's opppositon were pushovers. Well, statistics disagree with that logic. Of the 8 games played after the Ole Miss dibacle (The Citadel was not included due to no stats provided), 7 were against teams that are currently ranked in the Top 50 in total defense. (Alabama included, Arkansas was the only team not in the Top 50 overall)

Having put all of this into perspective, it's been an excellent season for this Florida team. Florida is in the top ten in both scoring offense and scoring defense. (3rd in scoring offense, 5th in scoring defense)

To make things simple and straight to the point, Tim Tebow lived up to the promise made following the upset, which has transformed this Florida football team into something special.

But the question wasn't whether or not the Gators had an outstanding football season following the loss to Ole Miss, but rather the question being could Florida upset number one ranked Alabama and become Southeastern Conference Champion?

Story Of The Season

Nick Saban inherited a Alabama program two seasons ago that was up in arms, a traditionally excellent and passionate football state torn to shambles, especially with Alabama's recent struggles and Auburn's struggle.

The Tigers are 34-16 since 2004, while Alabama is 35-16. Auburn has put together a 0.68 winning percentage in this span, while Alabama pieced together a percentage point better.

However, what has offered more concern in Tuscaloosa and for Alabama fans around the country was the Tide's miserable 1-7 record against their arch-rivals, Auburn, since the 2000 season.

That concern was addressed later on in the season with a shutout, Iron Bowl Victory for the Crimson Tide, as they rolled on to a 36-0 triumph.

Although that was a peak to a magic season, that wasn't the point of emphasis on how good this team actually was. Since opening night for the Tide, they've rolled to an improbable season, one that wasn't expected from not only Alabama fans, but the SEC in general.

The season opened with a 34-10 upset win in the Georgia Dome over 9th ranked Clemson. The 24th Crimson Tide didn't surrender anything, and that's a serious statement. A tandem of running backs with quick feet, great field awareness and most importantly pure speed didn't intimidate the better prepared Crimson Tide in the least bit.

In fact, it didn't scare Alabama at all. Clemson might not be what they were projected now, but at the time they certainly had high expectations. Not only did Alabama win this game, they didn't allow a single rushing yard to two of the ACC's best running backs in James Davis and CJ Spiller, and that set the tone for a fine season for the Tide.

Marching through anyone and everyone, the Crimson Tide rolled through the SEC's western division and finished the regular season undefeated. Standing in Alabama's way of a 13-0 season and a National Championship appearance was the Florida Gators, an opponent that Alabama had not seen before.

It is also important to note how big of an impact Saban's freshman recruits have had on this Alabama team. Some freshman who have received significant playing time, or are starters for the team, have had huge impacts on this entire football team as a whole. Those being second string running back Mark Ingram, highly touted wide receiver Julio Jones, and linebacker Donta Hightower.

Mark Ingram has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season, and has played a great role in Saban's pound it out, physical style offense. Julio Jones also caught 55 passes for 4 touchdowns on the season. Donta Hightower has also been a starter, like Jones, and has stepped up as an immediate leader on the defensive side of the ball, behind senior Rashad Johnson and junior Terrance Cody.

Alabama has 71 of 108 players on the football team that are freshman and sophomores. That makes up about 65 percent of Alabama's football team, and there's only just comparison as of late to that... and that's the 2007 Florida Gators.

The 2007 Gators, which finished the season 9-4, had a mass influx of productivity on the offensive and defensive side of the ball from true freshman (particularly defensive lineman and defensive backs) and sophomores. The 2007 Gators were made up mostly of recruits from 2006 and 2007, although some roles were filled by upperclassman. (For instance, safety, with Tony Joiner)

Re-visiting the Georgia Dome, the Crimson Tide looked to follow the same principles outlined in their upset over Clemson, stop the rushing game. The Crimson Tide brought a top 5 rushing defense and the best third down defense to the table in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Southeastern Conference Championship.

Adding to the jubilation and high expectations was the fact that dynamic Florida play maker Percy Harvin was sidelined with an injury. Harvin, who had 16 touchdowns on the season, was projected to give an Alabama defense fits, a defense that many speculated would struggle against a spread offense like Florida's.

The Showdown in Hotlanta

The 17th Southeastern Conference Championship game was the first ever match-up in a conference championship that put a first-ranked team in the Associated Press Poll against the second-ranked team in the Associated Press Poll.

The two teams had met up 5 times coming into this match-up, with Florida holding a 3-2 overall lead. The last meeting between the two in the SEC Championship resulted in a 34-7 Alabama victory.

Coming into the game, Florida also boasted a 6-2 overall record in the SEC Championship Game, and Alabama had a 2-3 overall record.

It's safe to say that the contest did not disappoint. There was a lot of questions asked about Florida's offense, whether or not it would struggle without the presence of Percy Harvin in the starting lineup.

It seemed as though the question had been answered on the first Florida drive, where Florida moved the ball 61 yards on Alabama's stiff, physical defense to score first. Of the 61 yards the Gators moved to score, 35 were on the ground. The Gators went straight at Alabama's strong point, and succeeded early.

Alabama knew they needed to answer, otherwise Florida could end the game and end the game fast. So how did the Tide counter? Well, it was simple. John Parker Wilson found freshman Julio Jones for a 64 yard gain, then Glen Coffee pounded it out on the ground for a 18 yard touchdown run.

Something of relevant note is that at this point it appeared the two had switched identities. Alabama was supposed to be the long drive, physical, wear the opposition down type team while Florida was supposed to take the mold of the quick striking, high paced, catch you off-balance team.

In fact, Alabama is 12th in the nation in time of possession, and Florida is 73rd. Yet we were three possessions into this game overall, and Alabama had score a touchdown in 1:27, while Florida scored in 4:28.

After Alabama scored, Florida looked sluggish. They played Alabama's game this whole contest, but at this point they were getting manhandled by the Tide's immense amount of strength. We're talking about an excellent Florida offense going 3 plays and out consecutively, a feat that hasn't been accomplished against the Gators much this season, if at all.

Even though Florida continued to struggle offensively, Alabama couldn't score either. Through the two drives that Florida went three and out consecutively, Alabama only was able to produce a field goal. On the fourth Alabama drive of the game, the Crimson Tide decided to run a fake field goal, but Florida's special teams prevailed and stopped it in it's tracks.

A wake up call for the Gators, as from that point on it was nothing but senseless Alabama errors, and an easy victory for the Gators. Although Alabama did end up taking a 20-17 lead, and made even myself as a Gator fan nervous, it was almost obvious that Florida was in control and ready to attack.

Florida was able to get a field goal and tie the game after the failed fake field goal by Alabama, and a significant play occurred following the kickoff by Florida.

Caleb Sturgis, Florida's kickoff specialist, has been a gambler all season long. He's had a couple miscues where he's kicked the football out of bounds, resulting in the opposition taking over on their own 40 yard line.

However, in some rare occurrences, like this one, Sturgis' mind games have paid off for the Florida Gators.

Kicking to Alabama return wizard Javier Arenas is never a fun thing, but kicking around him is always a choice to consider. However, Florida went right at Arenas. Kicking slightly towards the out of bounds line, Sturgis put Arenas into an awkward position.

Instead of fielding the football with his foot on the out of bounds line, or just letting the ball go out of bounds, Arenas caught the football, then proceeded to go out of bounds.

So, what could have been a start at their own 40 cut Alabama back to their own 4. It was 3 plays and out for Alabama, and all of a sudden the Gators had some momentum and confidence, and that is probably the worst advantage you can give the Gators.

Following the 3 and out, Florida used speed as a weapon. Brandon James ran to the outside, forcing a tackle by way of the face mask - an automatic 15 yard penalty. James could not have been caught from behind, therefore Alabama decided to take him down by the face mask, giving Florida an automatic first down and 15 free yards.

A costly mistake resulted in a Florida score, the final score before the half. Urban Meyer preached the basics that Gator Nation has heard all season once more to CBS Sideline Reporter Tracy Wolfson, as Meyer told Wolfson that Florida would look to bring "30 minutes of high energy football" to the table in the 2nd half.

And Meyer didn't make a fool of himself. With a 17-10 lead, Alabama dominated Florida in the 3rd quarter, scoring 10 points and jumping ahead to a 20-17 advantage over the Gators. It looked as though Nick Saban's Crimson Tide had put on cruise control and were headed for Miami.

But in the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend". There were 15 more minutes of a game to play, and Florida wasn't going to come so far and lose this football game, especially with the way they've won their games up to this one.

What came in the fourth and final quarter was the story of Gator football all season long, sheer determination and the mindset to never quit and never put themselves out of a game - no matter how much the odds were stacked up against them.

In wake of a Leigh Tiffin field goal, Brandon James ended the third quarter with a 38 yard kick return, putting the Gators in position to tie or take the lead. In a drive ever so similar to that of the first one, which got the Gators their first score of the game, Florida ended with the same result - a touchdown.

With a 24-20 lead, Alabama was now trapped inside a cell, and the walls were closing in on them. They must have been claustrophobic, because all they put out was 3 plays and punt.

Florida then did the reverse of their last drive, moving the ball down the field and putting more points on the scoreboard. With a 31-20 lead and little time remaining, it was clear that the Gators were SEC Champs for the 3rd time since 2000.

If there was ever a Heisman defining moment for Florida QB Tim Tebow, it occurred on the final drive of the game. Tebow led the Gators down the field, mainly through the air on a 34 yard strike that fell right into the hands of senior wide receiver Louis Murphy, and then found Riley Cooper on a slant for a 5 yard touchdown.

Why was it so significant? The Gators had been penalized the play before on a sideline infraction. It was 3rd down and Florida was 5 yards out, and a field goal would have meant that Alabama could tie the game with a touchdown and point after touchdown. However, Tebow stepped up and delivered a strike to Cooper, and closed out the game.

Joe Haden then intercepeted John Parker Wilson, ending all hopes of a miracle. The confetti strolled down, the fans let a roar that could be heard all the way in Gainesville, and the players and coaches gathered together to commerorate the year that has been "it" for the Florida Gators.

Stats Show An Interesting Note

The Gators beat Alabama at their own game.

The Crimson Tide had been so effective in third down defense all season, allowing the opponent to convert about 27 percent per game. Florida converted 54 percent on third downs in this game, going 7-13 on third down.

Florida also proved they weren't afraid to run at Alabama. A physical game had the Gators outrush their opponent, posting 142 rushing yards in this game. The Tide usually didn't allow over 80 yards per game on the ground, so it's a significant note, especially since the Gators almost doubled what Alabama usually allows.

Tim Tebow also struck Alabama's weak point, getting a couple big grabs through the air, mainly to Riley Cooper and Louis Murphy (51 yards and 34 yards respectively on their catches) on two fade routes. The Gators posted 216 passing yards on the game.

Florida was also balanced in terms of getting first downs. The Gators got 8 passing first downs, and 9 rushing first downs.

As always, the ever so important time of possession battle played an important role in this one, too. Alabama, who was great in that department all year, failed to hold the football longer than Florida, and all and all I think that was one of several deciding factors in this excellent game.

As a Florida Fan, I'd like to congratulate the Crimson Tide on an outstanding football season, and wish you as well as the SEC as a whole the best of luck in your individual bowl games.

Past Gator Games Tell Tale of Success In SEC Title Game?

Ben Spicer — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:36:07 -0500

Amidst the Bowl Championship Series crisis, the chaos that is the Big XII South and the Heisman race, a great game has yet to be played that has significant title game influences.

That game is in the Southeastern Conference, it's the Western Division's Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Eastern Division's Florida Gators next Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

The contest pits offense against defense, speed against strength, blemished against perfect. This is the type of game that the Southeastern Conference has been awaiting, especially in the shadow of all the prime time, shoot-out games that the Big XII has offered up this season.

It's not secret that the SEC is having a down year this season, with embarassing non-conference losses to Wyoming and Louisiana Tech, something the conference and it's teams would not like on it's resume.

However, the SEC does boast No. 1 vs No. 2 in Alabama vs Florida in this season's SEC Championship Game, which is shaping up to have the excitement and competitiveness that has been seen all throughout the stretch in the Big XII South.

There's a lot of points to consider, but one that really strikes me is Florida's continuous success all season against defenses that are nationally ranked, most recently 501 total yards and 45 points against Florida State's seventh ranked total defense on the road on terrible field conditions.

Lest we forget the thrashing by 50 points against the South Carolina Gamecocks...or the 58 point atrocity that was the Kentucky game (UK has the 38th best total defense currently). Nor should we forget the pounding from the two teams from the state of Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Tennessee (Vanderbilt is the 29th best total defense, Florida won by 28, Tennessee is the fourth best defense, Florida won by 24).

The results tell a tale of Gator success, and possibly what is to come in the SEC Championship Game.

Upon further review, Alabama has played only three teams in the top 50 overall in total offense. (Those being Georgia, Arkansas State and Ole Miss)

Against Georgia, Alabama surrendered 324 total yards. In the Arkansas State contest, Alabama surrendered 158 total yards, and in the Ole Miss game, Alabama allowed 359 total yards of offense.

A closer examination also provides an interesting fact: 5 of Alabama's opponents are 79th or worst statistically in total offense (Tulane is 79th, Clemson is 82nd, Auburn is 102nd, Mississippi State is 113th and Tennessee is 116th).

Does that dignify that the Crimson Tide and their defense are a bit overrated?

Indeed it does. Alabama gave up only 188 total yards against Clemson, and shut down the ground game of the Tigers. However, against Tulane they allowed 318 yards of total offense (Tulane is 96th in rushing offense currently, and 51st in passing defense).

In that Tulane game, Alabama surrendered 232 yards through the air. Without question the ground defense of the Crimson Tide is rock solid, but looking at their pass defense reveals something many people have yet to take note of.

Alabama allowed 188 passing yards to Tennessee, who's 107th in the NCAA in passing offense this season. They gave up 132 passing yards to Mississippi State's 93rd ranked aerial attack.

This is only the gist of my findings. Against higher acclaimed passing offenses, Alabama gave up even more. They surrendered 274 yards of passing offense to Georgia, who's 16th in the nation in passing offense (Hhwever, Matthew Stafford, Georgia QB, did throw the ball 42 times).

Against Arkansas, who's the 23rd best passing offense in football, Alabama allowed 217 passing yards (Casey Dick, Arkansas QB, went 20-39, with one TD and three INT).

In the Ole Miss game, Alabama contained the 58th best Rebel passing attack to 201 passing yards.

If there's any indication of things to come, it might just be that Florida will be passing the ball alot, right? Wrong. Florida's fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, against Alabama's 5th passing efficiency defense.

But why is Alabama's passing efficiency defense so high? It's simple, they're playing opponents that are choosing to throw the ball alot against them. Like I pointed out, Matt Stafford threw the ball 42 times, and Casey Dick threw the ball 39 times against Alabama.

With Alabama having such a solid rushing defense, one would presume that Tebow would be airing it out alot. Tebow has only thrown over 25 attempts three times this season, and hasn't gone under 60 percent in terms of completion percentage in any of those games.

Tebow also has some success against nationally ranked passing defenses. Against South Carolina (fourth best in the nation), Tebow threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Facing Tennessee, the fifth best passing defense, Tebow threw for only 96 yards, but did throw two touchdowns.

Yesterday's game against Florida State's ninth ranked passing defense was another big game for Tebow, as he threw for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Against Miami's 14th ranked passing defense, Tebow found success, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns. For the final game against a top 20 team in pass defense, Tebow went for 171 passing yards and three touchdowns on 19th ranked Vanderbilt.

Tebow has had a lot of success against top-tier passing defenses, and I expect him to do well against Alabama's as well (the Crimson Tide have the 20th best pass defense) .Looking at more numbers, the rushing offense can expect to do well against Alabama, too.

Against Ole Miss' fifth ranked rush defense, the Gators managed 124 rushing yards. At the time, they had to find a true identity rushing the football, as Rainey and Demps had yet to establish themselves.

Looking at more numbers, the Gators got 147 on the ground against 13th ranked Tennessee. During this game, once again, the Gators had yet to find themselves on the ground.

It wasn't until their contest with a 16th ranked run defense in LSU that they really emerged as a success on the ground. The Tigers gave up 265 rushing yards to Florida in that game.

In yesterday's game against Florida State's 36th rush defense, the Gators got 317 yards on the ground.. even with horrible field conditions at Bobby Bowden Field.

Facing South Carolina's 41st best run defense, Florida exploded for 346 rushing yards. Even against Georgia's 42nd best run defense, Florida got 185 rushing yards.

The Gators are capable of running the football on Alabama, it won't be done all through the air. I hope this article exposes Alabama's defensive numbers to be a little phony, although they aren't entirely. I give a lot of credit to Alabama, as they do have a great defense, but I expect Florida to go right at Alabama, and do it with some success.

Look forward to seeing some more previews throughout the week on the Showdown in Hotlanta this Saturday. Thanks for reading!

Tim Tebow: The Most Underrated Quarterback in College Football

Ben Spicer — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:30:42 -0500

Is it possible for last season's Heisman winner to be under the radar?

Because sure enough, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is.

Lost behind the aerial attack that has become known as the Big XII, Tebow is still producing—just not as well as he was in his Heisman season.

With the addition of a ground game, Tebow's productivity has decreased, but there are other reasons behind this. For the most part, Tebow hasn't finished all of his games. He usually exits around the third quarter, whereas Bradford, Harrell, and Co. usually play the full game.

No team in the Big XII, other than maybe Oklahoma, has a more balanced team than Florida does. The Gators are third in the nation in scoring defense, so at times Florida scores without even having Tebow and the offense out on the field. The Gators have also gotten contributions on special teams, returning a couple punts for touchdowns on the season.

With a great supporting cast, many have left Tim Tebow in the dark and hopped onto the Big XII bandwagon. It's even caught up with voters across the nation, as Tebow was left off of the Davey O'Brien short list (annual award for the best quarterback in college football) in favor of Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell, and Colt McCoy—all quarterbacks in the Big XII.

A closer look tells a tale that hasn't been told very often this season. Tebow has 20 touchdowns in his past five games, an average of four per game. Colt McCoy has 17, Sam Bradford has 21, and Graham Harrell has 22.

Tebow is capable of sticking with these quarterbacks consistently, so why was he left off?

Tim Tebow has 346 combined attempts, whether it be through the air or on the ground. McCoy, Harrell, and Bradford all have more passing attempts alone than Tebow's combined attempts alone. It's clear to me that Tebow would be just as good, if not better, than McCoy, Harrell, and Bradford if he had as many attempts as what they each have had.

Another interesting statistic is the fact that Tebow throws for a touchdown every 10.22 attempts, and rushes for one every 11. Colt McCoy throws a touchdown every 11.56 attempts, and rushes for one every 14.62. Sam Bradford throws a touchdown every 8.30 attempts, and rushes for one every 8.75 attempts (only 35 rushing attempts on the year). Graham Harrell throws a touchdown every 13.28 attempts, and rushes for a touchdown every 5.3 (however, Harrell has negative 43 rushing yards all season)

With that said, Tebow looks better on paper than some quarterbacks, and that's putting more statistics into consideration. Tebow and McCoy are the only ones on the list with more than 100 rushing yards.

Something else to look at is interceptions. Tim Tebow throws an interception for every 112.5 passes thrown, while McCoy's is every 49.57 passes thrown, Bradford's is every 58.16 passes thrown, and Harrell's is every 86.3 passes thrown.

Only Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Kansas are in the top 50 overall in passes intercepted on the season out of the Big XII, so that makes those stats look even worse for Bradford, Harrell and McCoy, and that's without mention of the numerous ties which were found in the passes intercepted category among teams.

On note of the passes intercepted category, Florida has faced six opponents in the top 50 in passes intercepted. Since Tebow only has two interceptions all season, that goes to show that he's been just as good as his competition.

For a previous Heisman winner, he's not getting the respect and credit that he should.

The Spread Offense: Coming to an NFL Franchise Near You?

Ben Spicer — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:34:39 -0500

What is the Spread Offense?

The spread offense is a rapidly growing offensive scheme all around various football leagues, specifically in college football.

Adapted by several elite programs, including, but not limited to, schools such as Florida, Oregon, Texas Tech, and so forth, the spread offense has taken over college football and is becoming almost impossible to stop along the way.

A spread offense usually consists of the quarterback coming from the shotgun formation, with four or five-wide-receiver sets, if it's being ran correctly. The objective of the spread offense is to spread the length of the football field horizontally and to distribute the ball to the wide receivers via the flats or by way of a screen pass.

Several teams in the National Football League have already adapted and used the spread to full effect, most notably last season's New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England had, historically, what might have been the best offense of all-time, or at least the best of this millennium. The attack featured Tom Brady, who broke several records at his position at quarterback, and record-breaking wide receiver Randy Moss, who set a new single-season record for touchdown catches.

However, with the exception of the "Wildcat Formation", (A formation in which the running back primarily lines up at quarterback) we haven't seen the basic principles of the spread designed for running the football.

At least we've yet to see it.

The Spread in College

With upcoming draft classes showcasing quarterbacks fully capable of running AND throwing the football, we should see the league taking notice to this and adapting to their capabilities.

Of these "dual-threat" quarterbacks that are currently in college, we've got guys such as Florida's Tim Tebow, West Virginia's Pat White, Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards, Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, and Illinois' Juice Williams, to name a few.

All of the players mentioned above are able to run the ball effectively and throw the ball with efficiency. Of the players I've mentioned above, they've all combined to throw for 91 touchdowns and only 26 interceptions (Juice Williams had 15 interceptions), which isn't bad considering the fact that these guys are projected as run-first type quarterbacks.

Not to mention, we've yet to begin on those in college football that are already garnering National Football League spread-style experience with the pass-first spread formations, like Graham Harrell of Texas Tech, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Chase Daniel of Missouri, and David Johnson of Tulsa.

Again, these four had a combined passing touchdown number of 141 already this season, and that's with one less player mentioned than the five listed above that run first, pass second in their respective spreads. However, these players are NOT as consistent as the run-first players, as they have 33 interceptions on the season.

But there's probably some reasoning behind that, correct? Absolutely. The pass-first spread quarterbacks have had a total of 1,480 combined passing attempts on the year, while the run-first spread quarters have had a total of 1,102 (plus they had an extra player listed).

That makes the pass-first spread quarterbacks bound to struggle a little bit, don't you think?

Draft Selections on Spread Quarterbacks

In the 2008 NFL Draft, two dominant spread-running quarterbacks were selected, those being Oregon's Dennis Dixon with the 156th pick in the draft by the Steelers, and Hawaii's Colt Brennan with the 186th pick in the draft by the Redskins. Paul Smith, Tulsa's quarterback, which ran the spread, went undrafted.

Dennis Dixon was injured and durability was a question. Thus far, he's yet to play in any regular-season games for Pittsburgh.

Colt Brennan shined in the Hall of Fame Game during the preseason, throwing for two touchdown passes. However, Brennan has yet to play in the regular season for Washington.

It's clear that these two have yet to be given any real shots, so it's hard to see how the more recent spread-based quarterbacks are doing in the National Football League. However, we can see how Troy Smith and Vince Young, who ran certain variations of the spread at Ohio State and Texas respectively, are doing.

Troy Smith has thrown three career touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens and ran for a touchdown. However, he's only accounted for one touchdown this season and has only attempted two passes all season. He's a backup to rookie Joe Flacco.

Vince Young has had some crazy games as Tennessee quarterback, and isn't starting this season. Kerry Collins has taken over Young's starting role, but as a starter over a three-year period, Young totalled 951 rushing yards and 22 passing touchdowns (compared to 32 interceptions).

Is the Spread Being Properly Executed?

Passing wise, yes, it's worked out very nicely for some teams. It seems as though the pass-type spread will be a nice and consistent offense down the road if a team has the given players to execute it properly. The prototypical spread offense in the National Football League today can be seen in the New England Patriots.

As for the spread-option offense, no. It hasn't been ran effectively and won't until people figure out the concept. Most quarterbacks in this offense will NOT succeed unless given a powerful, quick offensive line and wide receivers capable of blocking defensive backs and safeties.

With the Wildcat Formation being ran properly, it's only a short while before I see the spread-option being branched out across the National Football League, however.

Arguments Against a NFL Spread Attack

Many critics of the spread-option offense in the NFL state that the linebackers and defensive backs are too smart and fast for quarterbacks and running backs to execute the spread like it's drawn up to be executed.

Well, if that's the case, then wouldn't NFL offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers be better at reading plays as they happen, moving where they need to go, and blocking?

It makes perfect sense, it just needs to be designed flawlessly or else it could backfire with aimless, haunting results.

Another argument is that quarterbacks will get tossed around like rag dolls and injured, week in and week out.

Again, all signs are pointing to the last argument. If the quarterback was durable enough in college, I'm sure he'll become even more durable as he endures NFL hits in practice and gets stronger.

I've seen linebackers hit Florida quarterback Tim Tebow with all their body frame, hits that look like they really rattle the guy, and he just gets right back up.

The final argument people always bring up is that the speed of linebackers and defensive backs are a lot higher than that of college defensive backs.

It's like the previous two statements, one improves once making the National Football League. If guys can't stop Chris Johnson's 4.4 speed this season, and are giving up runs straight up the middle by guys like Jonathon Stewart (Oregon spread product at half-back) then how can they stop quarterbacks with the same speed and athletic ability?

Most arguments against the spread-option seem logical at first, but upon second thought, it doesn't make total sense.

If Michael Vick Succeeded, so can Other Quarterbacks

Michael Vick, who was widely considered as one of the founders of scrambling, especially in the National Football League, wasn't the best of the best when looking at statistics.

A 75.7 career passing rating isn't great, nor is a completion percentage of 53.8.

However, one thing he was good at doing is running the football. He racked up 3,859 career rushing yards at the quarterback position, accounting for 21 rushing touchdowns. Vick battled some injuries throughout his career, but on field he was able to stay away from fumbling the football.

Through six seasons, he fumbled the ball 19 times, losing only nine fumbles.

If a mediocre quarterback like Michael Vick succeeded just because of his legs, then why doesn't the NFL adapt to a spread-option? With some of these newer athletes, you've got much more efficient throwing accuracy and throwing power, something Vick never consistently possessed.

When To Expect the Launch of the Spread Offense

It's bound to happen somewhere. Just face the facts, the spread offense is loved by many in college football because it's an array of offensive explosions all across the football field.

Offense puts people into the seats, so I'm expecting a team such as Dallas, who's always looking for something to draw attention, to become the first to launch a full-scale spread option attack.

If the athletes set themselves in place, there could easily be a system of spread-option offense in the league by 2010, especially considering the talent emerging in upcoming drafts.

Where Spread Offenses Rank in College Football Now

Total Offense

Top 10 in total offense features a variety of the spread offense attack, including Tulsa, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Nevada (Pistol Set is a branch of spread offense), Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas. Oregon is ranked 13th in total offense, Illinois is 16th, and Penn State is 18th. Florida rounds at the top 25.

Scoring Offense

The entire top five of scoring offense features a spread running team. The top five goes: Oklahoma, Tulsa, Texas Tech, Missouri, Florida. Texas, Oklahoma State, Rice and Oregon are also in the top ten overall. Arizona State, Penn State and Nevada follow shortly there after.

Rushing Offense

The top five features four teams which fully execute a branch of the spread, including Nevada at No. 1 in the nation, Navy second, Air Force fourth (Air Force features a spread-flex offense, or an offense with both passing and running mechanisms mixed in) and Oregon fifth.

Oklahoma State is sixth, while Georgia Tech comes in at eighth with their new triple option offense. Tulsa is ninth overall nationally.

Passing Offense

We see some usual teams around here once more, with Texas Tech at No. 1, Oklahoma third, Missouri fourth and Tulsa fifth. Texas, Kansas, Illinois and South Florida are also all in this mix.

Why I Expect the Spread to Succeed in the NFL

If the "Wildcat Formation" is succeeding with such frequency, then by no means can the spread-option attack, which is fundamentally and preparation-wise executed better by a long shot in comparison to the Wildcat.

There isn't anyone out there that wouldn't agree that the spread is a better designed, more effective, and harder to stop offensive attack than what the Wildcat is; just look at the success it's had so far in this NFL season.

Given the correct personnel, I expect the spread to become as mainstream to NFL franchises as what it is in college.

If not, someone better find a home for all these quarterbacks.

Florida Gators Roundtable: Florida Downs South Carolina, Spurrier Style

Ben Spicer — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:41:37 -0500

Game Recap

Former coach of Florida football, Steve Spurrier, used to hold a reign over the Southeastern Conference. He'd frequently run the score up, and most notably proclaimed that he scored 52 in a 52-17 victory of the Georgia Bulldogs at Stanford Stadium in 1995 just for one simple fact:

"I wanted to hang half a hundred on them".

Well, now Steve Spurrier knows exactly what it feels like to have a half a hundred dropped on the team he's calling the shots for.

Coming into the game, South Carolina had the third best total defense in the Nation (allowing about 256.5 yards a contest) and the tenth best scoring defense in the Nation (allowing about 15.6 points per game)

So, what happened, exactly?

Florida "dropped half a hundred", and a little bit over that mark, winning 56-6. Florida had 519 total yards, which is 262.5 yards more than what South Carolina usually allows. Not to mention that the 56 points Florida scored were 40.4 more than South Carolina normally permits, as well.

In a 2:49 second span, the Florida Gators scored 21 points from turnovers, adding to their already impressive 2nd ranked turnover margin in all of college football. (Which would probably be ranked first if it wasn't for a couple miscues that led to Florida fumbles)

In a sense, the game felt like it had already fallen into Florida's hands after Chris Smelley threw an interception to Brandon Spikes with South Carolina backed into their own goal line.

From there, it was smooth sailing for Brandon Spikes as he waltzed in for the first Florida touchdown of the game, adding points to Florida's scoring defense, which is the 4th best in college football.

And in a way, the Gators never looked back.

Following that critical interception, the Gators scored in their next 3 of 4 possessions, making the score 28-0, and went into the locker room with a 28-3 halftime lead over Spurrier's Gamecocks.

Up to this point, Spurrier had rotated between Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley all game, and with results that weren't as planned. At the half, Florida had 3 sacks, intercepted 2 passes, and caused South Carolina to throw a total of 7 incomplete passes.

When asked by Tracy Wolfson, CBS Reporter, what he would do in the second half in terms of starting quarterback, Spurrier replied: "I don't know, who do you think I should put in?"

Spurrier went with Smelley for the most part of the 3rd quarter, but began to alternate throughout the second half. Again, Florida's defense wasn't fooled, causing 8 incomplete passes this time, sacking the quarterback once, and causing another interception.

While South Carolina struggled to get anything moving in the least bit, Florida struck fast and struck well, totaling 28 points in the second half, 14 in each quarter. Spurrier had this to say about Florida's performance: "We got clobbered", said the Ol' Ball Coach, "I don't know what we could have done differently except try to keep things close".

Spurrier earned his paycheck at the University of Florida by embarrassing what the Southeastern Conference threw Gainesville's way. It seems as though Urban Meyer isn't one to ruin the tradition, as he's continued his dominance throughout this 2008 campaign with the Gators.

The Stats Don't Lie

South Carolina ran a grand total of 62 offensive plays, while Florida ran a total of 61 offensive plays. Florida had 20 first downs in comparison to South Carolina's 10, and averaged 8.2 average yards per play compared to the Gamecocks 2.8.

Florida pounded out 346 yards on the ground and 173 through the air, a total of 519, while South Carolina had 53 on the ground and 120 through the air, totalling 173 total yards of offense.

South Carolina was forced to punt 10 times during the game, 6 of those punts coming in the first half. The Gators outscored South Carolina 28-3 in the first half, which now has Florida outscoring opponents 227-26 in the first half of this season.

The turnover margin, which I discussed earlier, was +2 for Florida in this game, with South Carolina turning it over 3 times by way of interception, once by fumbling, and Florida fumbled twice. The Gators have dominated the turnover department all season long, and aren't just getting the offense the ball at times, they're also scoring points, like I also mentioned. (4th ranked scoring defense)

With statistics like so, the Gators aren't just winning the game, they're dominating in every category, all throughout the game, and putting up National Championship numbers in the process.

The Citadel Provides Much Needed Rest For Some UF Players

With a couple Florida offensive lineman going down by victim of injury, the Gators picked just the right time in their schedule to play The Citadel. A game that will likely showcase a lot of UF's second stringers by the end of the 1st quarter gives some well-deserved and much needed time to rest.

And for that matter, recuperate.

Especially with a November 29th showdown with the Seminoles of Florida State coming up. The 'Noles were ranked 20th in the AP Poll coming into play yesterday, but suffered a lost at the hands of Boston College, 27-17.

With the SEC Title Game following the Florida State game in Tallahassee, Florida can't afford to look ahead to the meeting with Alabama, especially if they still hope to make the National Championship game.

Florida Looks Like A Well-Oiled Machine

Following the performance yesterday against a defense like South Carolina's, I'm thoroughly convinced that the Gators are set to destroy anything in their path on a way to another National Championship, unless they slip up along the way. (Which isn't looking so likely at this moment)

With so many offensive weapons, Tebow hasn't become a liability for gameplans like he was last season, and that's given him just enough to total 20 touchdowns in the past 5 games, or, in other words, 4 touchdowns per game.

Florida's running game looks to be solid, and if the offensive line remains healthy, Florida could dominate the Seminoles and the Crimson Tide like they have every other team, especially considering the fact that Alabama is more built for stopping a pro-style attack, and Florida State has only played 2 teams in the top 75 overall in total offense this season, so their 5th ranked defense looks a bit overrated. (Georgia Tech is 65th in total offense, Clemson is 71st. Florida State is 1-1 in these two games, losing to Georgia Tech)

It's looking like it could shape up to become 2006 all over again, and maybe even better. As South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier put it: "This team is a lot better than the one two years ago".

Why I Feel Army-Navy Is The Greatest Rivalry In College Football

Ben Spicer — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:32:16 -0500

"When Army and Navy meet, there is no other game with deeper foundations or greater prestige."

-Official Army-Navy Website

How do you define the term "rivalry"?

The dictionary definition lists rivalry as "the act of competing or emulating". In sports, rivalries are judged by team against team, normally by the quality of both competitors, what's on the line each time the two square off, and what it means to the organizations and fans.

But the most important thing is how much the teams like each other. The average fan would specify that a "rivalry", which is defined as the act of competing or emulating is anything but. The average fan would justify that a rivalry game is the competition of two teams that dislike each other, or the competition of two teams that have storied traditions, rich histories, or title game aspirations.

In college football, though, the term rivalry might bear a bigger definition on how much respect and class the universities exemplify towards each other, whether it be on the field, off the field... or defending the great country that is the United States of America.

In my sincere opinion, the biggest rivalry in college football is the annual Army-Navy game. Meeting at neutral locations every year since 1890, this rivalry might just be the most evenly-matched and most consistently competitive match-up in all of not only college football, but sports in general.

The Navy Midshipmen currently hold a 52-49-7 series advantage over the Army Black Knights, which allows for Navy graduates and students some bragging rights they'll use to their advantage every slight chance they receive.

With the powers toning down in recent years, the game hasn't taken as big of a stage as it used to have back a few decades ago. When these teams matched up several decades ago, the National Championship was usually discussed, or on the line for these two rich programs.

Army has 3 total championships (1914, 1944, 1945), while Navy has one. (1926)

It isn't exactly as glitzy and glamor filled for these two programs on paper compared to the likes of Ohio State - Michigan and Southern California - Notre Dame, but there's many points to consider on why this rivalry is the best in the game.

For one, due to specific regulations administered and outlawed by both Universities, there are more guidelines instilled to ensure that the graduates and alumnus of the respective Universities are fully prepared for their duties following their scholastic careers in the Army or Navy.

For example, Navy is more tough academically to enroll into. We've seen many academic scandals and controversies in the past couple seasons, mainly involving players that were highly sought after out of high school. These players might not choose Navy because they realize and comprehend how difficult the challenges in the classroom are.

Army is a tough military school, and has a lot of discipline. This is the obvious reason that many high school seniors turn away from committing to the Army program, because they want to experience full campus life when they are in college... and going to Army just doesn't give that to you in a sense. (Of course I'm talking about the social experiences, partying and so on)

And for the obvious pointer in this scenario, the post-graduate commitment you make when attending these schools - joining the Army or Navy, respectively. Many football players that do indeed pan out to be National Football League talents are denied permission to play in the league, with only a few exceptions.

The most recent example being Caleb Campell, a defensive back from Army who was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Overjoyed with the opportunity to be a part of the league, which so many hope to reach, he was disheartened when he remembered he had to serve his Army time before he could join his new team.

With so many talented players joining college football today, and top-tier recruits hoping to make a name for themselves on Sundays, becoming a star on campus during Saturday for a traditionally good program such as Navy and Army is overlooked entirely.

With that, though, adds a unique experience to the game.

While it isn't superstar against superstar like most rivalries showcase, it's military branch against military branch. If any game in this fine country is deserving of the crown "America's Game", this is positively the one that has to be it.

No game displays as much passion for the pigskin as what this competition turns out to be. Without the focus taking prime attention to one athlete, the game is taken shape as a team game, with all 11 players for both teams becoming the stars, and that's what really makes sport today, and what really makes this rivalry what it is.

The schedule proclaims Army and Navy each play 12 games, including their game against each other. But in the back of every player and coach's mind burns one deep thought, and that's either "Beat Army" or "Beat Navy".

The game has always been competitive, whether the competition be on the field, in the stands, in the press boxes or where each school's band is seated.

This meeting has seen some spectacular finishes, and some moments well worthy of being proclaimed the best rivalry in college football hands down, and maybe even the best rivalry in all of sports. These players are passionate about playing football, not about the money, the rankings or the draft status.

History has been made countless times in this contest. Instant replay was introduce to the world of college football during an Army-Navy game in 1963. The game has seen future NFL Hall of Famers play, like Roger Staubach, and countless future professionals that were allowed to play... possibly even more if regulations weren't so strict.

Many people tend to imagine what the rivalry would become if the University policies for each Army and Navy weren't so strict.

I feel there would be a big difference, mainly because this rivalry is the best because of the schools. It's a branch of the United States military against another branch of the United States military. It's representatives of what this nation is and has become, and that's explained with one word and one word only:

Freedom.

It's not university against university out there. It's against the men that protect and defend this nation to the fullest of their capabilities, and if that doesn't spell out rivalry game to you, then nothing should, and nothing does.

These teams play for the love and respect for the game of football, not for the sake of hating each other. That's what makes this rivalry the biggest and best in college football today.

Matt Holliday Trade Kicks Off MLB Offseason

Ben Spicer — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:48:55 -0500

The 2008 Major League Baseball season brought forth a lot of memories, which has led many fans to believe that this offseason will not disappoint.

And thus far, it hasn't.

Earlier today the Oakland Athletics acquired 28-year-old left fielder Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. Holliday's contract is up after next season, and many were projecting the Rockies to dump him off somewhere, as they likely didn't have the kind of money to keep him in the Rocky Mountains.

Contrary to popular belief, however, is the fact that Colorado might just have come out victorious in this swap.

The Rockies acquired Huston Street, a 25-year-old former relief pitcher for the Athletics, Greg Smith, a 24-year-old starting pitcher with some solid upside, and one of the Athletics' big farm prospects in Carlos Gonzales, a 23-year-old outfielder.

Gonzales has a lot of potential, so down the road a scenario could occur in which he becomes a better player than Holliday was.

Certainly that's a side to examine of this deal.

Not only that, there's also the fact that the Rockies added Huston Street, a relief pitcher with room still to grow and the potential to become something bigger than he already is.

There's also another piece of the trade in Greg Smith.

Smith has been widely overlooked in this deal, but at 24 years of age there's always the chance that he can develop. And with the expectations for young Rockies pitchers, such as Ubaldo Jimenez, so sky-high, Smith could progress very nicely with his new team.

The one thing I do not like about this trade for the Rockies, though, is the fact that it was done in the offseason.

A type of transaction, especially one with the magnitude of trading away your star player and team icon, should probably be best fit for the trade deadline. Especially considering he could produce immediately on Opening Day, something I'm not really expecting out of Gonzales, Street, or Smith out of the gate.

With a .242 batting average last season, the Athletics needed some help there, and Holliday is a productive piece to that portion of needs in Oakland's lineup. But will he be there for a long time?

If the answer is no, than it's almost easy to proclaim Colorado the winner of this deal, for one reason and one reason only. And that's potential.

Inside The Down Year Of SEC Conference Football

Ben Spicer — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:26:53 -0500

Arguably the richest annual football talent conference wise in college football, the Southeastern Conference has taken a turn for the worse it seems so far.

Looking into last weeks box scores and stat lines gave an obvious and blunt explanation of the already visible struggling that the SEC has turned into in this year. The prime showing of this point was demonstrated in Tennessee's loss to the likes of Wyoming.

It hasn't been the first time the SEC has been embarrassed to lesser teams and conferences this season.

In fact, Duke knocked off Vanderbilt, and Louisiana Tech beat Mississippi State. It just goes to show that anything can happen in college football.

Amongst all the chaos, there are two legitimate National Title Contenders in Alabama and Florida, but that will dwindle down to one after the showdown that's set up in Atlanta, barring neither the Crimson Tide nor the Gators stumble beforehand.

We always see National Title Contenders out of the pack. It's the Southeastern Conference, the goldmine of collegiate football.

However, what's been missing is the middle of the pack teams. Last season there were 10 bowl eligible teams out of the Southeastern Conference, this season, there's several middle-of-the-road teams, but nothing superior out of the back.

Nothing worthy of the crown "January Bowl Game".

And what screams louder than the numbers is the bold statement that has been made in the loss columns by both Tennessee and Auburn.

The Volunteers are a miserable 3-7 overall thus far through the year, while Auburn is only 5-5. Rocky Top was shaken with the news of Fulmer leaving the program, and nobody knows what's going on in War Eagle territory with Tommy Tuberville.

The statistics speak a high volume of what's been a matter with the SEC. This season, to the current date, only 4 SEC schools are in the Top 50 overall in Scoring offense. Last season, there were 4 SEC schools in the Top 15. That's a number that clearly shows how down production has been from this conference in 2008.

Another thing that's been evident is that the big games aren't up to par.

Florida beat LSU when they were 3rd by 30 points, beat Georgia by 39 points, and beat Kentucky (who's bowl eligible) by 58. The conference is giving way to one school, and that's been the recurring theme this year, as it's bounced around from Florida to Alabama and back again.

Whereas, it's always been up for grabs at this time in recent memory.

With the conference in controversy, and the integrity of the SEC on the line for next season, you can't expect the conference to plunder in consecutive seasons, can you?

No, you sure can't. To this date, also, Rivals has 10 commitments of their top 50 going to SEC schools. Of the 50, 17 have yet to decide on a school to attend. So that gives the SEC as having 1/5 of the top 50 recruits, with some obvious possible options to consider.

It's safe to say this is only something you'll see this season and this season, only, and that's a great thing coming from a resident of the south.

In The Trenches: Can Florida Stop Matthew Stafford?

Ben Spicer — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:15:56 -0400

The No. 17 Florida Gators' pass defense, led by Ahmad Black and Major Wright, has yet to be tested this season in a sense. That will change this Saturday.

The Gators, who square off with the Georgia Bulldogs, are facing their first real test at the quarterback position all year as they are matched up with Georgia's Matthew Stafford, who has 12 touchdowns and almost 2,000 passing yards on the season.

While Stafford looks, feels and expects a big day through the air, Florida has other ideas. The Gators are playing a more aggressive pass defense, as they've already intercepted 10 passes on the year, which is just one shy from their total last year.

The key factor for Florida, however, might not necessarily be related to the defensive backs, but on how much pressure the Gators can send in Stafford's direction. The Gators are currently tied for at no. 54 in the nation in sacks on the season with 13, but with a young Bulldog line, that should change.

Young indeed, the Bulldog offensive line is. With two sophomores and three freshman protecting Stafford, it might be a field day for the Florida pass rush. Georgia has allowed 13 sacks on the season, which is tied for the 13th most in the NCAA.

If Stafford is under pressure constantly, look for playmakers such as Ahmad Black, a sophomore safety who leads the Gators with three interceptions on the season, and Brandon Spikes, a middle linebacker, to disrupt the passing game and put this rivalry on the shoulders of Georgia runningback, Knowshon Moreno.

I'm projecting at least three sacks and an interception from Stafford in this contest. Florida's pass defense is extremely underrated, and I'm predicting that many will give them the respect they deserve after a performance like this—one they are certainly capable of doing.

They had a big game against Kentucky, although they didn't force a lot of turnovers.

Florida got to the quarterback once, and also had an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Ahmad Black. However, one thing that spoke to me was their awareness on the field.

So often, you'd have players knocking the ball away, hitting players before and directly after they caught the football, and playing intelligent and disciplined coverage—a major difference from last season's secondary play.

The Gators could have the Bulldogs indeed "playing into their hands," with a speedy core of defensive backs and linebackers, and a creative pass rush heading Stafford's direction.

Georgia-Florida: The Thrill In Jacksonville

Ben Spicer — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:04:40 -0400

Attention might be focused towards No. 1 Texas' challenge next week against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but the deep south, myself included, will religously be focused towards the SEC headline of the week in the Georgia-Florida game.

Last season, "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" as the game is sometimes referenced to, featured a 42-30 victory for the Georgia Bulldogs, and the donning of a new hero gracing the Georgia white, red and black in running back Knowshon Moreno.

Moreno, who almost single handedly won the game on bursts of speed, agility and grace that drew comparisons between him and Bulldogs legend Herschel Walker, is now infamous to Florida fans and famous to the rest of the college football community. With 3 touchdowns on 33 carries, the Bulldogs ended up winning last season's meeting by the score of 42-30.

The turning point, however, was not the many tacklers Moreno juked, threw aside or avoided completely. It wasn't the constant pressure Tim Tebow faced, nor was it the performance from Percy Harvin at the running back position. The game changing performance was a celebration by the Georgia Bulldogs, which has been set ablaze in the back of any Gator fans mind like a hot summer day in Gainesville.

In case you were living under a rock during last year's college football season, Georgia decided to add more fuel to the rivalry, which has been noted as classy and respectful through the days of play. He told his team that if they didn't draw a penalty on a celebration sometime or another in the game, that he'd have the team undergo some difficult and rigorous conditioning drills.

So, in a creative yet blood churning decision, the Bulldogs gathered together and sent their entire roster, from Matt Stafford to the third string punter, out on the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium football field in celebration.

Of course, the team was forced to kick off from their 8 yard line, but it really got the Bulldogs inspired, and was a major turning point in the game. However, the Gators haven't forgotten it.

This season's game brings forth new expectations for both teams, and this game boasts a massive amount of National Championship implifications. Both teams are riled up, with big victories today, and will be ready for this rivalry game, especially the Gators, who, even though they may not admit it, are thinking of that specific celebration above every costly play in the 2007 season.

What really speaks to the college football world of this matchup is the team speed and playcall creativity that Florida is bringing to the table, with the main talents showcased that weren't present in 2007 being Jeffrey Demps and Chris Rainey, both running backs.

But Georgia rightfully counters, with the 12th best defense in college football to date. Florida comes in defensively at 15th, a major improvement from where the Gators were last season, and something else the Bulldogs have to plan for.

But something that seems to be forgotten is the fact that Knowshon Moreno is still playing.

While the Gators come in with the 15th ranked defense, they haven't faced a running back that stacks up to the production and overall ability of Knowshon Moreno. Last season's game was the one that Moreno really burst onto the scene, and it could be the game this year in which he shows up on another scene—that of the Heisman discussion, or he could fall into another scenario, one that would fall into the hands of Florida.

While the stats indicate that Florida is the juggernaut, you can never pick a team on paper. Florida comes in with the 26th ranked pass defense, a faster, more experience pass defense than the one Georgia Quarterback Matthew Stafford disected last season.

However, the deciding factor for me is Tim Tebow. Last season he was beat to bits, injured and tattered from previous games, ones like the victories against Ole Miss and Kentucky where he literally carried this Florida team on his shoulders. The Georgia pressure made things worse, but with a more experienced offense line—and a better Tebow at that, I expect the Gators to come out victorious.

It's not likely that Tebow will need to carry the Gators on his shoulders in this game, as his offense is loaded with weapons, particuraly speed. Tebow has made excellent reads this season, and Florida has an excellent special teams unit stacked up against a middle-of-the-road Georgia special teams defense on punts and kickoffs.

With Georgia giving up around 8 yards per punt return and about 20 yards per return on kickoffs, which aren't exactly bad numbers, but ones that could be better, I expect Urban Meyer to design a gameplan around star player Brandon James, who's had a major impact returning the ball this season.

Also, look for the packages that Meyer sends out on the field. He blocked two punts and a field goal against Kentucky in a 63-5 victory, and he's got good enough team speed to do it once more against Georgia. The Gators have also had an intense nose for the ball lately, so I expect a few turnovers forced from an intensified Florida unit.

The only way I see Georgia coming out on top is if they establish themselves early, and if Moreno becomes the dominate factor throughout the game. If he gets going and can't be stopped, the Gators might have their hands full, as Stafford could then spread the field with the play-action pass.

I see the game being very close, and a great game to watch offensively. I'm going to say the final result is 35-24 Florida.

In my opinion, the Gators will make Georgia pay for that celebration from '07, as they dance, step and hop their way to a victory in the 2008 "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party".

Did Gundy's Tirade Benefit The OSU Cowboys?

Ben Spicer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:08:01 -0400

As talented coaching wise as a man such as Mike Gundy is, he will not be remember for his triumphs on the collegiate gridiron, but rather his antics in the media room - those antics, which could have arguably greatly benefited his Oklahoma State Cowboys.

On September 22nd, 2007, following a shootout victory of Big XII South rival, the then 6-1 Red Raiders of Texas Tech, Mike Gundy sent the Stillwater nation in shock, and left many college football fans in awe with a now legendary 3:20 explosion on local reporter Jenni Carlson - all in defense of Bobby Reid, who hadn't done a lot in terms of contribution in his career with the Cowboys.

A 6'3", 225 lb. highly touted recruit out of Houston, Texas, many compared Bobby Reid to the likes of Vince Young. With the ability to run and throw, many considered Reid to be an instant success with the Cowboys offense, and, at times he was, but injuries ruined Reid's Cowboys career. (He is now with the Texas Southern Tigers)

Those same injuries caused a new star to glimmer in the Oklahoma dunes, a kid by the name of Zach Robinson. Robinson, who took over at times for Reid when he had been injured. Statistically, Robinson has been the better quarterback, but the position isn't played on paper.

With the swagger that Reid possessed towards the end of his Oklahoma State career, it's almost impossible to agree on the performances he was capable of producing if given the opportunity. He faced some deep emotional issues, and felt as though he wasn't a part of this team anymore, but what if he was?

Certainly we'd see a brighter side to the kid, for sure someone that would actually want to put on his helmet with a sense of pride, passion and dignity. Someone in the huddle that would lead the team. And in the final few games of his career, no emotion was there. Football is a game of emotion, and Bobby Reid wasn't playing the emotions game.

Although Coach Mike Gundy was attempting to help and defend his player amidst all the numerous controversies and criticisms, Bobby Reid didn't feel it was necessary. Said Reid on the rant and the situation involving him and his Oklahoma State career, "It basically ended my life".

In his 2007 campaign, Reid would go down several times with some nagging injuries, something he simply couldn't avoid in his Oklahoma State career. Had he been healthy and all things flowing smoothly, he would have obviously been a productive value to the state of this football team as it currently is.

Overall, Reid liked Gundy as a head coach. He loved his attitude and child-like enthusiasm for the sport, and how Gundy found humor in every bit of the sport of football. Bobby Reid felt like Coach Mike Gundy was a great guy, and in a sense he had been to Reid, giving him more than a couple chances to redeem himself and make things right with his Cowboy offense.

But when there's a will, there's a won't, as some like to say. It seemed as though everyone on campus realized what Reid was capable of, as did the coaching staff and even the man at the helm in Mike Gundy, too, he just didn't shine as though expected too, he knew it, the fans knew it and so did Coach Gundy.

With a situation as sticky as this one had been over the days of Bobby Reid in Oklahoma black and orange, a coming of something such as the "kicking of someone when they are down" as Coach Gundy put it, was something that was unnecessary and really disrupted what charisma was still left at the time between Gundy and Reid.

That's what brought forth Mike Gundy's verbal assault on The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson, and while many fans, reporters, analysts and players agreed with what Mike Gundy was trying to do, one man didn't.

That was the same man Gundy was trying to testify against, Bobby Reid. Reid didn't understand Gundy's principle of benching him throughout the year, then going to war for him when someone said something wrong about him. As Reid put it, "it was almost as though the rant was a fake".

If it was a fake to anybody, it certainly hasn't been a fake the Oklahoma State Cowboys and their football program.

Since Gundy's tirade, the Cowboys have went an impressive 12-4 overall, including an amazing 7-0 start to the 2008 season. Zach Robinson, former backup to Bobby Reid, has scored 19 touchdowns on the season (14 through the air, 5 on the ground) and orchestrated and amazing victory of the Missouri Tigers when they were in the title discussion and the top five, at that.

In a negative sort of way, the rant helped the program by replacing a kid like Reid, who was inconsistent and bitter to a point that was pushed beyond capacity with a kid in Zach Robinson, who's almost the perfect mold for the Oklahoma State offense. The numbers indicate that this transition has greatly benefited the team's offense, so I guess in ways you could indicate that the rant has benefited the program.

For example, the points per game production is up by about 12 points per game compared to last season. The Cowboys are also fueled after the half, as they've scored 103 points in the 3rd quarter, which is already a higher mark than last season's total and we're about midway through this season.

Defensively, the team is playing more disciplined, fundamental football, as they're on pace to break last season's interception total and have already tied last year's fumbles recovered number. With a new attitude to this team, the Cowboys are truly the "man of this town".

The numbers, rankings and statistics point that this rant has the Oklahoma State Cowboys with a new swagger and attitude to them, one that has them in serious conference championship talks and even gaining some national attention.

This new Cowboys team has gotten the energy on-field that Gundy had off of it, and that's ultimately, and unfortunately in some ways, been the success of the Cowboys in 2008. It will truly be interesting to see how the Cowboys and Mike Gundy finish this season, and if the rant truly is what is fueling them, or if it's just ingenious coaching that is being overlooked.

In case you were wondering, Bobby Reid is now starting quarterback for the Texas Southern Tigers. He's tied with Robinson in terms of touchdowns scored with 19, and holds a slim margin over Robinson in terms of passing yardage. Obviously Robinson faces stiffer competition, but it is a great thing to see that Bobby Reid is doing well and getting the opportunity that he truly deserves.

For the sake of this article, I'm ending it in a fashion relevant to that of Coach Gundy's with this comment: "That's all I got to say".

Clawed Down: Clemson, Tommy Bowden "Part Ways"

Ben Spicer — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:41:48 -0400

If the preseason speculation and hype had truly represented the Clemson Tigers, they’d be beyond their sputtering 3-3 record, their miserable offense, and their lackluster defensive play. Maybe then they wouldn’t have had to fire head football coach Tommy Bowden, who was let go by the University earlier today.

Ranked No. 9 to begin this college football season, Bowden’s Clemson Tigers fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the opening weekend of play. It wasn’t just a loss at that point—it was utter domination, as the Tigers lost 34-10.

The stat that spoke above all in that meeting was that the duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, two Clemson running backs who cracked many people’s preseason Heisman watch list, was only able to gain 20 yards combined against a young Alabama defense.

While Alabama is now second in the nation, compared to 24th during this early meeting, it seems like all the energy, emotion, and depth of this Clemson football team were sucked right out of the entire roster after that defeat.

Sure, they beat the Citadel the following week, North Carolina State after that, and South Carolina State the next week, but really...is that much of a challenge? With a 3-1 record, maybe the Tigers could have put their opening week woes behind them.

Well, not exactly. The following week the Maryland Terrapins, who have played spoiler several times this season for ranked teams, knocked off then 3-1 Clemson 20-17, making the Tigers 3-2.

Suddenly some criticism arose, and many knew that Wake Forest was a must win game for not only the possibility of the conference championship and a prestigious bowl game, but also for Tommy Bowden’s job security.

If you put it that way, that must not have meant much to the Clemson Tigers, as Wake Forest defeated Clemson 12-7, putting the Tigers at 3-3 on the season, which ultimately led to the firing of Tommy Bowden.

With expectations as high as they were, losses to Maryland and Wake Forest were certainly inexplicable and inexcusable, especially with the offensive talent that Clemson has on that team.

How do the numbers stack up? Clemson is 73rd in total yards per game and 56th in total points per game, miserable statistics considering the talent they’ve got in the backfield, with Cullen Harper at quarterback and the ever-so-elusive tandem of Spiller and Davis.

Bowden got the boot from the program because he and the Clemson AD both agreed on one thing: the fact that their goal is almost unreachable. What was their goal? Conference champions.

Speaking of Cullen Harper, the senior quarterback who is probably the on-the-field leader for this Clemson offense, he was a little overjoyed when he heard the news of the Bowden firing, saying he “got what he deserved” in a clear attack on Bowden, who benched Harper late in the 12-7 loss to Wake Forest.

Harper added that interim head coach Dabo Swinney is a “fine man, and will do an excellent job.” The former wide receivers coach for Clemson, Swinney is a great recruiter and could probably get Clemson into a bowl game, possibly winning over the head coach position if he impresses athletic director Terry Phillips.

With a 3-3 record, a bowl game isn’t out of the question. Can new coach Dabo Swinney lead them there? It’s possible, and it will be interesting to see how this team pulls together.

Gator Bait: Tebow, Gators Thwart LSU at The Swamp

Ben Spicer — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:19:36 -0400

After scoring a touchdown in a 51-21 victory of the third ranked Louisiana State Tigers, Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow gave the LSU student section and sideline a nod of the head and a raising of the finger in triumph, a gesture that stretched all throughout the capacity crowd of 88,548 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and didn't stop there.

Certainly the gesture was felt in Baton Rouge, as the route of the hometown Tigers meant more than a loss on the schedule, but was the third time that Tebow made the opposition choke on their words in terms of talking trash.

Ricky Jean-Francois, who did not play in tonight's route of his team, was the main perpetrator in this game, saying if given the chance he'd "put Tebow out of the game."

Instant comparisions were drawn too last season's Florida State game, in which Geno Hayes, Seminole linebacker, said that his team was going to "plant" Tebow.

How'd he respond?

Oh, with five total touchdowns in a stomping of the in-state rival.

And lest we forget Tennessee's verbal assault on the 2007 Heisman Award Winner. We all know how that game ended up; 30-6 in favor of the Florida Gators.

It seems as if Tebow has taken advantage of the words tossed his way, as he's added a third victim to the list of unfortunate trash-talking suspects.

Ricky Jean-Francois, a LSU defensive lineman, who didn't even travel with the team, saw not only his front four get dominated by an overpowering Florida offensive line, but also saw his linebacking core get plowed down by the ground game of Florida, as they attacked the turf with 280 rushing yards, splitting carries equally with Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps and Kestahn Moore.

With the past two performances out of the University of Florida's backfield, Florida has established a new attack in their already explosive offense—that being the running game.

With split carries between Moore, true freshman Jeff Demps and redshirt freshman Chris Rainey, the Gators ran through, around and over the Arkansas Razorbacks and LSU Tigers, dominating the trenches in both games, and flying from sideline to sideline for big gains on the ground.

That, in turn, opens up Tim Tebow and the aerial assault the Gators provide. Tebow found Harvin twice for his two passing touchdowns, the first of the two touchdown passes being a 70-yard bomb downfield which was deflected and then caught by Harvin in the third play of the game.

Tebow also rushed for that now memorable score from 2 yards out, raising his hand in triumph with an effect that pierced the Tiger faithful with an Excalibur of blue and orange dominance, and left many spectators, including myself, a bit surprised.

A team like Florida, which had been somewhat inconsistent thus far in their 2008 campaign, gave AP Poll Voters and fans alike something to look forward to.

Urban Meyer has said that his lone goal for the season is to be the fastest team in college football, and all evidence of that wish coming true burst upon the scene after Jeff Demps caught an option pitch and took it 42 yards for a score in the third.

The Gators are playing like a team on a seek and destroy mission, and it seems their targets are anything and everything in their path. They've played emotionally-fueled college football so far, and if that continues, they should widely be considered legitimate title contenders.

With a victory like this one, it gives you a chance to speculate on the forthcoming games for the Florida Gators, and with the mental attitude and mindset this team currently pertains, it should be a fun ride to finish out the rest of the season.

It looks like the gesture from Tebow might be striking not only to Baton Rouge residents and LSU fans, but SEC faithful alike. It appears the man in blue and orange is back with a vengeance.

Oh yes indeed, he's back.