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The Back Nine comes at you after a great weekend that included a little bit of everything including a lot of close games in college football that pretty much went the way I hoped each one would go.
- It seems crazy to think that Florida’s football season is half over and we still don’t know what to expect in any game except that whoever they are playing it will probably be a close game. Florida has a quarterback who has had three great games and three not so great games and a defense that is still waiting for its first great game. First, Anthony Richardson. Certainly, he made two great plays, the fourth-and-2 scramble to set up a score and the laser to Ricky Pearsall for what turned out to be the game-winner. That was one of only eight passes he completed in the game and he had two turnovers, his fifth straight game with a turnover. It is difficult to explain.
- And then there is a defense that is 125th out of 131 teams in third-down defense. Some of it is talent, but at some point the defensive coaches have to make sure the defense is lined up correctly and know what they are supposed to do. I still believe that the defensive problems are unsolvable after a very average quarterback was able to do what Brady Cook did. The Gator defense did hold Missouri under 400 yards, but UF is 99th in total defense and giving up 412.8 yards per game.
- The good news is that Billy Napier does not have what I call Zook-luck. That is based on Ron Zook never catching a break. Napier is now 19-4 as a head coach in one-score games. That’s cray-cray. But this team is going to drive a lot of people to drink. Well, to drink more than they already were.
- It is at the point when it almost seems redundant to talk about how well Ventrell Miller played again on Saturday. What you have to hope for is that his leadership, his work ethic, his film study, his love for the game, all of that run]bs off on the players who will be back at Florida next year. Steve Spurrier always tells me that a big reason he had so much success at UF was that the players coached each other and the leaders made it clear what was expected of you. Hopefully for Gator fans, that pays off and these guys are listening to Miller.
- One streak that is still ongoing is that Florida has scored in 429 games, which is the most in college football. And it’s a lot better than Oklahoma, which had scored in 311 straight games before getting shut out by Texas 49-0. That historic loss makes you wonder how Oklahoma got into such a hole with new coach Brent Venables and the best answer is that Lincoln Riley took a bunch of players to USC. But that’s not an excuse and neither is losing quarterback Dillon Gabriel for the game because of concussion protocol (it still works in the college game). “We look like a tired football team,” Venables said. I find it hard to believe that Jerry Schmidt, Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning coach who helped Florida win its first national title, is the problem.
- There is a run on injured quarterbacks in college football (and in the NFL) and it should not be too surprising the way the game has evolved. To be good, you have to have a quarterback who is fearless in the pocket and has the legs to get away from trouble. Both of those things make them more vulnerable. At least that is my theory.
- Maybe we should all just be tired of blaming Dan Mullen for not using Dameon Pierce more last year at Florida. But we probably will never stop. He now has 313 yards in five games and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He had the game-winner against Jacksonville Sunday. Of course, at Florida, he did have 790 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior year at UF. So, it’s not like he never touched the ball. Still …
- The comeback of Jaydon Hill from three knee injuries since high school is a great story, almost as good as Dr. Football’s comeback on The Picks. It was a 4-1 Saturday to get the record to 16-13 for the season. On to this weekend:
* The mighty Gators are giving 3.5 points to LSU and remember that one of the Dooley Commandments of College Football is that every game is its own game. What Tennessee did against both teams doesn’t matter. It’s a shaky pick considering how uneven Florida has played this season, but I will take the Gators and give the points.
* Alabama is giving seven points to Tennessee, so we must assume the boys in Vegas believe Bryce Young will be fine this week. Still, I’ll take the Vols and the points.
* Penn State is getting seven points at Michigan. I’ll take the Fighting Harbaughs and give the points.
* Clemson is giving 7.5 points at FSU, which was a second half disaster at N.C. State. Did you see the FSU punter pull a South Carolina State and punt it after crossing the line of scrimmage? Holy cow. I’ll take the Tigers.
* Mississippi State is giving six points at Kentucky. I just can’t see the Wildcats losing a third straight game. I’ll take the ‘Cats, assuming Will Levis can play.
- My wife was watching an 18-year-old movie the other day and as soon as I heard a song from it, the memories came flooding back. “This movie changed your life musically,” she said. And I agreed. So, here are three of my favorites from the Garden State soundtrack:
* ”Caring Is Creepy” by The Shins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUMkxH03V5c
* ”One of These Things First” by Nick Drake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOv5NAhLbms
* ”Lebanese Blonde” by Thievery Corporation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t7W6NtTKAw
