SB Nation User Blog: mlmintampa

Classic Moments In Championship Mode: Jarvis Moss Saves The 2006 Gators vs. South Carolina

mlmintampa — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:24 -0000

Every year, we have played this video the Thursday before South Carolina. And it never gets old. Block that kick, Jarvis.

Aside from the first two games in the Meyer-Spurrier series, this has been an uneven matchup. It is important to note that in the seven annual series; Urban Meyer is 29-4 (against SEC East, LSU, FSU; losses 2005 at LSU and SC, 2007 at LSU, UGA). Part of it is familiarity, but part of it has to be the value placed on winning those games. The SEC puts a premium on winning in your division, which is why you can never underestimate these games. Sometimes, you need a miraculous/Championship Mode play too.

Will UF Have A Nike Pro Combat Uniform? They Will.

mlmintampa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:14:32 -0000

A few weeks ago, we mentioned the rumor that UF got a shipment of white helmets, hypothesizing that they would be worn for a throwback game. Then we saw this on Friends of The Program (via EDSBS);

The Pro Combat uniform is Nike's latest attempt to make every school look like Oregon. While some of the designs are throwback-ish (Texas, Ohio State), others look like a cartoon (TCU, wearing them this weekend; FSU, wearing them against Maryland on Nov. 21). Florida's, assuming the picture is accurate, assuming that UF actually does have white helmets in storage, and assuming that Jeremy Foley thinks he can make some coin off this, is throwback-ish.

The white helmet presented by Nike looks like the helmets worn in 1966 and 1967. (UF wore white helmets 1951-61 and '68, but not with blue-orange-blue stripes.) However, this being Nike, they will probably use another logo, rather than the 'Block F' from '66 or uni numbers from '67. In that time, UF wore very simple jerseys, blue with orange/white sleeve cuffs. The jersey presented seems pretty similar to that, with the modern touch of blue pants.

For one game, this seems relatively harmless. But if the uniforms were changed, even to the 60's basic look, you might have a revolt. UF's uniforms have changed very little, except for the color rotation on the sleeve and pants stripes; compare Danny Wuerffel to Tim Tebow. The Gators script helmet has existed since 1979, and were worn for three National Championships and all of UF's SEC Championships. Any permanent changes would not go over well, with the continuous changes in uniform tailoring being acceptable. That said, the Nike design could be worse; it could be orange.

[Update] Now that it is confirmed, the Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler makes a good point; Tebow's last home game will be played in a gimmick jersey. Of course, Tebow's last two games will be in traditional jerseys.

Winning Championships Is Not Always Pretty

mlmintampa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:14:45 -0000

In between the hand wringing of Gator fans that UF is not winning with enough style points, and the hand wringing of the national media waiting for a truly dominant team to show up, it is important to remember that some times sports does not work that way. Alabama, Florida and Texas are undefeated, but they are increasingly mature teams. Each team has their own boogie men to deal with (new QB, new coordinator, computers), but continue to win because they know how to.

We usually look to pro sports for examples of this, since they are so easy to pick out. The 2000 Yankees, the Yanks' last World Series winning team before this season and last of three straight championships, won only 87 games in 2000. Last year, the Yanks won 89 games and finished 3rd place in the AL East. Those of us raised on "The NBA on NBC" remember the Bulls' 72 wins in the 1995-96 season to start the second three-peat. In '98, the last Bulls title season, Chicago won 62 games and did not have home court advantage against the Utah Jazz. We also forget they only won 57 in 1992-93 (the end of the Bulls' first three-peat) and had to beat the Knicks and Suns without the home-court advantage. When the Colts finally won the Super Bowl, they did it with the worst defense in Tony Dungy's tenure in Indianapolis, and had to rally back from a 21-6 halftime deficit against the Patriots.

Knowing how to win seems to be exclusive of pro sports, since college teams rarely have enough experience to understand what it takes to win. But, Alabama, Florida and Texas all competed for a National Championship last season, with UF and Texas having the added experience of winning prior championships this decade. I'm not making the case that these three are the only ones that can win a championship. (TCU had two losses last season to Oklahoma and Utah. They might be with the three I have mentioned.) It is that Bama, UF and Texas have had to play in pressure packed games, have had to harness their fears and win. With that comes the knowledge that 27-3 against Vandy isn't bad, when there is a road game coming up and you just destroyed your rival. That it is ok to score only 14 in the first half against UCF when you've been putting up 40 against your conference rivals. And it's no problem that you haven't scored more than 30 points in a month when you have a Heisman-quality running back and a throat stomping defense.

It won't always look good, but Alabama, Florida and Texas will continue winning until they face each other. These are teams built to win championships, not look good.

SEC Power Poll, Week Ten

mlmintampa — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:05:33 -0000

Our SEC Power Poll ballot. Final results at Team Speed Kills on Wednesday.

1. Florida: I don't care if it is Tim Tebow, you cannot win a championship and allow 22 sacks. Part of the blame is on the offensive line (too many sacks on four man rushes) and part is on Tebow (I've baked a cake in the time Tebow has held on to the ball).

2. Alabama: Bama does not score to get style points. They use violence.

3. LSU: Still the third best and nothing to be ashamed of. If they had a quarterback, it would be a different story.

4. Auburn: Auburn has doubled their offense in a year (17 to 35 points per game). Sure it includes 63 against Furman and 54 against Ball State, but they could probably get 40 on Georgia this week.

5. Mississippi: Ole Miss is no better or worse than they were last season. Isn't that what got Houston Nutt fired at Arkansas? Well, that and sending text messages to TV anchorwomen?

6. Tennessee: Monte Kiffin has confused and frustrated nearly every quarterback the Vols have played this season (16th nationally in pass defense). And that is without the athletes to run the system properly.

7. South Carolina: I know he's coaching against UF, but do you really think Steve Spurrier wants to be the coach who ended the Gators' undefeated season?

8. Mississippi State: They are not scared of anybody, even big bad Bama. Of their five losses this year, four of them were to teams in the top-15.

9. Georgia: 0-2 against Tennessee and Florida, will Willie Martinez get fired if they lose to Auburn on Saturday?

10. Arkansas: Two wins and they clinch the Papa John's Bowl! Hey, Papa's in the house!

11. Kentucky: They'll beat Vandy. But do they have the horses to beat Georgia and Tennessee?

12. Vanderbilt: I have nightmares about what it must be like to be a Vandy fan.

Basketball Finishes Preseason

mlmintampa — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:43:52 -0000

The Gators defeated Webber International 104-53, ending the Gators' preseason schedule. Sunday, the Gators face Stetson in their season opener. UF will have two games before facing Florida State on Tuesday, Nov. 24 rather than the traditional Friday before the FSU-UF football game. That is because UF will get Michigan State and Rutgers/UMass over Thanksgiving weekend.

Monday night, Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Ray Shipman were your leading scorers, just as they had done in Florida's first preseason game. The regular season will be a much more accurate test to see if those three are the key guys and if Shipman can crack the starting lineup as a third guard. Florida's two assumed tough guys; Tidewater resident Vernon Macklin and Israeli Nimrod Tishman, are getting time but Tishman is not yet in the rotation. Macklin will be a starter and his success will depend on if the three guards want to share and if Dan Werner will stop chucking threes. (That's right, we're getting our Werner-itis out of the way early.) We will have a complete basketball preview on Friday.

Countdown To Atlanta Death Match 2009

mlmintampa — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:13:30 -0000

It is a coincidence that Alabama and Florida are playing for the SEC Championship. Since divisional play began, Alabama has won seven SEC West titles and Florida has won ten SEC East titles, the top two in the Conference (including 2009). It is not surprising then that this will be the seventh time the teams have played for the SEC Championship, and the second time it has been in consecutive years (1992-94 were UF-Bama matchups as well).

It is fate though that the Gators and Tide are undefeated and ranked #1 and #2 in the BCS rankings. Both teams have their own pressures to deal with. Florida wears the crown of a champion, which at times has seemed to overwhelm their coaches and players. Alabama has the expectations of history, and the pressure seems to be gaining on them after the angst over their offensive woes, despite improving their total offense with a first year starter.

Urban Meyer and Nick Saban are both mercenaries, but have locked into posts where they can make or break their careers. Neither man can top their historic predecessors. But to a generation that will donate more money and follows college football with more passion and intelligence than their parents, they will be the pinnacle of their schools.

Florida does not have Mark Ingram and Bama does not have Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey or Emmanuel Moody. Bama does not have Tim Tebow and Florida does not have Julio Jones. Both teams still have defenses that prop up offenses that cannot score or kick too many field goals. Just like two heavyweights, it may not be pretty, but they will pound you into submission.

And just like two heavyweights, they will have to go through a few tomato cans before their unification bout. Florida, for all the talk about a terrible offense, has won 8 of 9 games this season by double digits. Now, they get a South Carolina team that hasn't scored more than 20 points in a month and lost 3 of their last 4. After a bye week against Florida International, they get FSU, which cannot win since they are too busy trying to pull a coup on their head coach.

Bama destroyed people in their first seven games, before needing Terrence Cody's big paws and Leigh Tiffin's big leg to defeat Tennessee. A bye week was supposed to fix all the offense's woes. Yet, the Tide was losing entering the 4^th quarter against LSU, before two field goals and a Jones TD and conversion sealed it for Bama. They face Mississippi State, who is not scared of anybody, then a bye week against Chattanooga. Bama then gets Auburn, who has scored 96 points in their last two games (wins) after scoring only 47 in their previous three games (losses).

Both fan bases alternate between various levels of panic and booking flights to Los Angeles on Orbitz. Both fan bases think the other is nothing but white trash or high and mighty snobs. Florida fans wonder if Bama fans will just drive their house to Pasadena, and Bama fans will reply that at least the bank doesn't own their home.

Of course, the Gators and Tide have to hold up their ends of the bargain and not slip before getting to the Atlanta Death Match 2009. Players have to avoid getting high on weed or tryptophan, and watch out for cousins giving them pills and NFL players recruiting for agents. Coaches have to game plan for everything or remove their head out of their ass. Florida has been under huge pressure all season. With the date set in Atlanta, Bama will get a taste of that same pressure too for the next three weeks.

The next four weeks will be cruel on fans and players. One loss will end a season, either now or in Atlanta. But we would not want it any other way. Only 27 days...

Victory By Cruise Control

mlmintampa — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:43:58 -0000

There isn't much to say new about the Gators' 27-3 win over Vanderbilt. It was clearly a low-key Gators team with low-key fans perfectly willing to hit cruise control for a night. Against a better team, nine penalties and allowing 7-16 on 3rd down conversions would have been a death sentence. But against Vandy, it is a 24 point win.

Tim Tebow is still holding the ball too long and carrying the ball too much (16 of 37 carries). But our boy was 18-23 throwing for 227. Not Colt McCoy numbers, but efficient.

~~Also with Tebow, here is his Bible verse, Colossians 3:25;~~

~~But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.~~

Apparently, it was 3:23 not 3:25. I was probably over excited that Tebow had picked an obscure verse.

I'm guessing this has something to do with the week Florida has had, but I haven't had to do Bible intrepretations since high school.

With Alabama clinching the West, there is now a clear path to the Atlanta Death Match and the National Semifinal, SEC Region. That's the most important thing to take away from this weekend.

Game 9 vs. Vanderbilt: FREE BRANDON SPIKES!

mlmintampa — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:16:08 -0000

by Phil Sandlin - AP

View full size photo »

Florida faces Vanderbilt today, which has a puncher's chance, if that puncher covers up and tries to score on jabs. Vandy has a clear head, even if they have suffered beatings in their last five games. The Gators don't have that advantage, but they also didn't allow 56 points last week. Vandy was winning 14-7 last week against Georgia Tech, and was tied 28-28 at the half. Vanderbilt had 8 guys with rushing attempts, and 6 with catches. But you can't win when the Jackets' 19th Century offense rolls 412 yards (on 69 rushing attempts). The Commodores can frustrate UF, so the Gators need to score and impose their will early. They cannot let the theme they established (soul crushing scoring drives, total warfare defense) in the Georgia game to be a one time thing.

Of course, we will also hear about our boy Brandon Spikes and why kids should never stick their fingers inside someone's face mask. Florida should be relatively healthy for the game, with the most serious issues being Brandon Antwine and Chris Rainey with bad shoulders.

$30,000 and no Brandon Spikes

mlmintampa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:45:41 -0000

That's the final damage tally for the Gators following the Georgia game. While the Bulldogs lost 41-17, the SEC picked up $30k by fining Urban Meyer for saying Tim Tebow should have been protected better by officials after a late hit by UGA's Nick Williams. And the media picked up a scalp after forcing Brandon Spikes into suspending himself.

It is interesting to note that the SEC is coming down hard on coaches for critical comments, but they did not come down hard on Spikes or previous athletes. Contrast this to the SEC Baseball policy of two ejections equaling a one game suspension. It's like the SEC just randomly sets punishment, but doesn't that sound about right for a conference with such a proud history of bending the rules?

Alligator Army Pick'em 2009 Update

mlmintampa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:56:07 -0000

With five weeks remaining, only four games separate 1st place and 9th place in the Alligator Army Pick'em. The leader "Clever Team Name" has 100 wins, and two have 99 wins; "It's not gay if it is with Tebow" and "Gainesville is Titletown". I am in 7th place with 97 wins.

Our first prize is the USA Today College Football Encyclopedia, which is heavy enough to knock your favorite rival unconscious during a fight over the last beer in the cooler. Our second prize is a double; you can open your beer with a Florida Gators keychain from WholesaleKeychain.com. And keep it from sweating on the table with a pack of Gators coasters from Paper Kraft Coasters. Prize winners will get the items in time for the Gators eventual bowl game this season.