Alligator Army

Gator Basketball: Return To Toughness?

2009-11-15T17:37:53Z

When you have two season like the Gators had in 2006 and 2007, the hangover can last a while. The Gators were fat and happy following the accomplishments of the Oh Fours, with guys like Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas thinking that the name on the front of the jersey guaranteed success for the name on the back. But two trips to the NIT have lead to a reinvention of the Gators, as dead weight like Calathes, Lucas and Eloy Vargas dropped the program.

In their place, Vernon Macklin, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker are three guys who won't shrink back from pressure. The dark horse in this role would be Israeli Rod Tishman, since the only soft Israelis are supermodels. This isn't a team that needs two balls on the court to play happy. Macklin is still rough on offense, but he is a physical presence inside that has been lacking the past two seasons. Boynton and Walker will score and play off each other.

Alex Tyus needs to grow up and bit and run violence on the SEC with Macklin. Two big bodies inside, with Boynton and Walker, Florida can seriously challenge in the SEC. Maybe not get past Kentucky, but the way John Calipari is, maybe UK is under probation by March. As for Dan Werner, I just hope he doesn't get in the way and get hurt. And also stop chucking crappy threes.

Of course, it all starts and ends with Billy Donovan. He's had to reinvent himself every few years as he is trying to find the right chemistry to win again. The losses in personnel lately fit into Donovan's play to build a starting five, rather than finding individual stars and hoping they can spread the wealth. Donovan has had to do this before. The 2000 Final Four team, which included SEC regular season titles in 2000 and 2001, was built that way. Those teams, while talented, knew how to fight back after getting punched in the face. This team might be just as bad as the previous seasons, but on the surface, that does not appear to be the case this season. As of now, Bracketology puts the Gators as a 9th seed. In an improved SEC, Florida will get smacked around this season, but this team will be able to fight back.

Twenty Consecutive Wins And More Questions

2009-11-15T00:41:04Z

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

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The Gators' 24-14 win over South Carolina gives the Gators their first undefeated SEC regular season since 1996. UF has now won 20 consecutive games.

The Gators also will have to continue to deal with the problems of their offense. Poor Caleb Sturgis cannot be the only offense because, you know, he is a kicker. Not including the final kneel down, UF had 4 drives start in South Carolina's end and managed seven points. Sturgis missed two field goals and there was the reenactment of the Ole Miss game. In addition, UF had two drives start outside of their 40, both ending with non scores.

Give credit to South Carolina, who after allowing scores on the first three drives, locked down. While UF did not turn the ball over, the Gators were 5-14 on third down, 0-1 on fourth down, and SC held the Gators to only 140 yards of rushing. Once again, Tim Tebow was used as a battering ram, with 16 carries, 26 yards, and two flips on his head. His 199 yards passing was a sight for sore eyes, but 68 came on the long bomb to Riley Cooper. Cooper also had chances at two more long touchdown passes, a sign that maybe, just maybe, Urban Meyer and Steve Addazio are willing to drop the Big Ten offense and throw the ball down field.

The defense again saved the Gators, holding the Gamecocks to 61 yards on the ground as they were willing to blitz and make Stephen Garcia beat them. Garcia did get 186 yards, but on 17 of 32 passing and 2 interceptions. Every week, I think it is finally the week the UF defense cannot make a stop, but they continue to play above their heads.

Next week brings Florida International and more questions as to why Florida has to settle for so many field goals and leave points on the field. I don't know what Florida can do and you don't know either. The problem is that Meyer and Addazio might not know either. But relying on Tebow and praying that your players solve your awful playcalling is not the answer.

Game 10 at South Carolina: Homestretch Ahead

2009-11-14T16:45:17Z

Pictured: Man o' War, winner of 20 of 21 races, including the Preakness, Belmont and Gold Cup in 1920.

Our thoroughbred Tim Tebow has run a mile of this horse race and he's turning home. The patrons are screaming, the drunk college kids are yelling, the gamblers are telling him that he can't win, but still holding on to their betting tickets.

In this increasingly strange season, South Carolina can present a huge challenge for the Gators as their year long fight over offensive philosophy continues. If you follow horse racing, you understand the value of a good jockey. In this case, Urban Meyer and Steve Addazio need to figure out if they are just along for the ride or going to pull out the whip for the last five games. If they are just hanging on, hoping their horse is fast enough, they will get caught in those final furlongs/games. But show that horse the stick, he will take off. And no one can catch him.

Steve Spurrier's Last Grasp?

2009-11-13T17:10:49Z

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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In my SEC Power Poll ballot, I made this comment about South Carolina;

Do you really think Steve Spurrier wants to be the coach who ended the Gators' undefeated season?

This was half joking, half serious. As big of an egomaniac Spurrier and every college coach is, the love of Alma mater is the one thing that can top that. Spurrier says he is not over come with emotion when Florida plays South Carolina, and you'd have to believe him. But, it seemed like Spurrier was especially upset that it was his ballot that prevented Tim Tebow from being an unanimous All-SEC selection.

With Saturday comes Urban Meyer trying to lead his team to an undefeated season and a third National Championship in four seasons. Spurrier will always have a place at Florida, but it is increasingly covered by Meyer (as best coach), Tebow (as best player), Billy Donovan's success (more titles than Spurrier), and Jeremy Foley's Steinbrenner-like "breathing first, winning next" policy in all sports. It is natural for someone's influence to drop as time advances, but it's a totally different thing when the guys following you are bigger and better.

Victory on Saturday for South Carolina would be the worst regular season loss in Florida history. With five undefeated teams behind them, a loss Saturday for UF would sink them. For Spurrier, it would be a chance to reassert himself after losses this season to Georgia and Tennessee. Those Old Gators would talk about how they want the days of Fun n' Gun and Meyer only wishes he had Danny Wuerffel, Chris Doering and Fred Taylor. Those Young Gators would need to be talked off the ledge.

South Carolina's offense is 67th in yards per game and is only scoring an average of 19 points in SEC games (UF has scored 28). The Gamecocks have scored more than 30 points against D-1A teams only once this season (37 against Georgia). I don't subscribe to the theory that Spurrier is going to light it up since he will call more plays. As a Gator, I do worry that he is thinking about spoiling Meyer and Tebow's last chance at 14-0, and how that will give the Ol' Ball Coach a stronger hold on Florida's history.

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

2009-11-12T18:10:31Z

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.

2009-11-11T16:55:03Z

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

2009-11-11T15:55:24Z

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

2009-11-10T23:05:55Z

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

2009-11-10T06:03:00Z

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

2009-11-09T11:03:38Z

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

2009-11-08T03:54:53Z

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!

2009-11-07T15:15:14Z

by Phil Sandlin - AP

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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

2009-11-06T20:06:01Z

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

2009-11-06T16:32:12Z

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.

A Minefield Remains

2009-11-05T18:35:53Z

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

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Leaving downtown Jacksonville Saturday night, there was a sense of accomplishment for the Gators and their fans. As a fan, it suddenly felt like the negativity and self loathing following the team was washed off in the dirty waters of the St. Johns.

Florida is not the dominant team of last season and beating a team ranked 68th in total defense is not that big of a deal. For those who still want to see the Fun n' Gun, UF is 90th in passing offense. Beating Georgia did little to boost those numbers (165 yards passing) but it was effective (15-21 passing, six players had catches). That's not a trend though, and the next few weeks will determine how much the Georgia win really meant.

Vanderbilt: They've lost their last five games and have not defeated the Gators since 1988. They also have the 8th ranked pass defense nationally. Stats can lie and Vandy has not played great passing teams (Georgia, Georgia Tech, Army, Mississippi State), but being the top-10 in anything nationally is significant. Vandy cannot score with UF, but their defense will be enough to frustrate UF at times. That frustration, but Gator wins, has been a theme of the series in this decade (single digit wins in 2002 and 2006, UF's overtime win in 2005).

South Carolina: They crapped the bed against Tennessee, but South Carolina's defense will not lay down against UF. The Gamecocks go to Arkansas this week, which should inflate their rank of 16th nationally in total defense and 3rd in passing defense. And as long as Steve Spurrier is at South Carolina, there will be a segment of fans who hate playing this game. Stephen Garcia might be the worst ~~senior~~ redshirt sophomore quarterback in SEC history. Even Jonathan Crompton has a good game once a month.

Florida International: Essentially a bye week and a victory lap for the seniors before FSU. My little sister is going to this game (her first Tebow game), so if someone gets injured, she will be forbidden to go to any future games.

Florida State: Tim Tebow's first Hate Game was against FSU in 2007, when he destroyed the Seminoles and played with a broken hand after FSU talked trash for a week.. Last year, it was Evil Tebow murdering people after FSU's fans cheered Percy Harvin's leg injury. This year? Tebow gets to hear about how Christian Ponder is so much better than him. That's right, the FSU quarterback who is 4-4 this season and has only one home win against a Division 1-A opponent. Ponder has pretty statistics, but nothing to show for it. If win-loss was determined by who has a perfect throwing motion and more yards, Ponder wins. But as warped as college awards voting can be (FSU fans are pissed Ponder is not on the Davey O'Brien list), winning actually means something. Ponder is not a winner.

The thing I worry about in the final games is that this has been a strange season. Florida losing at South Carolina suddenly does not seem impossible when USC loses two Pac-10 games and Iowa is a top-4 team. In a year when FSU can't do anything right (they sue to get the NCAA report in the open; it says FSU players read at a 2nd grade level), beating Florida can salvage their season. We've already seen Tebow injured and each week is a new running back injury. The Gators are maturing each week, which helps with pressures that are out of their control. If they control themselves and remained focused, they will be upright and healthy for the SEC Championship.

You Can Get Over The Vapors Now, Spikes Is Suspending Himself

2009-11-05T01:09:37Z

Despite Washaun Ealey saying Brandon Spikes should not be suspended, Spikes has ended our long national nightmare and suspended himself for the Vandy game.

"I really don’t want to be a distraction to the team," Spikes said to the statewide media Wednesday with Meyer by his side. "I want the guys to prepare without any negative things going on. I feel like if I would play, it would be a big thing. I’m just trying to stay out of the way and just motivate the guys. I’m pretty sure (linebacker Ryan) Stamper’s got my back and my teammates really support me on this decision."

Spikes clearly knows what he did was wrong, but the level of anger at Spikes was unexpected. Despite the dreadlocks and brother in prison, Spikes has been a model citizen and teammate, not a thug. But an attempted eye gouge fits in with the look, making Spikes an easy target for any Gator hater or anyone scared of big black dudes with dreads. (Note the lack of vile for Michigan's recent low blow play. Also, that the Big Ten stepped in and suspended the player, instead of leaving the school and player twisting in the wind.)

On a larger note, I'm embarrassed for the level of anger directed at Spikes or LeGarrette Blount or any college athlete who commits a dirty play on the field. (And this includes fans of both sides.) Apparently, I'm the only person with access to a blog who has ever engaged in dirty play during a game. Everyone else is pure and "plays the game the right way". Everyone else thinks that if you see your player a victim of a dirty play, you turn the other cheek. Returning a dirty play with another one is irrational; you risk a penalty or in Spikes' case, a media pressured suspension. But defending yourself or your teammate is a rational move. If you have ever been the victim of a dirty play and didn't respond with one back, you are a better man than me. This is also part of the reason why I didn't take the incident as seriously as some have. How pissed can I get at a guy for sticking his fingers inside a face mask when I routinely started fights in hockey games only for the sake of getting my team excited?

Personal considerations aside, college is not the pros. College is rough around the edges still, and that includes Spikes playing peek-a-boo and Blount throwing a cheap shot. These things don't happen in the pros because everyone is a businessman and when business is good, you don't take anyone out. College players don't have that concept. All they know is they've been wronged and someone must pay. I'm not trying to make an excuse for Spikes, Blount or the Michigan nut punchers. But I am trying to make at least some people understand that these are still immature college kids playing a game. We may cover them like a pro team and obsess over them like family members, but the fact is that they are raw in ability and personality and we really don't know what to expect of them on a daily basis. (But when a coach screws up, you should go full steam into them. Adults are supposed to be intelligent.)

Blount has handled himself with class and just might restore his image. Spikes is probably a lost cause, unless you root for UF or his possible NFL/UFL/bobsled team. But Spikes is smart enough to remove himself from the Vandy game, leaving the focus on the team trying to defend a National Championship. I just hope all those Georgia fans are able to pull themselves off the fainting couch in time for the Tennessee Tech game.

Florida vs. Georgia on the Ice the night before the football game.

2009-11-04T16:14:52Z

Florida vs. Georgia on the Ice the night before the football game.

Wearing The Black Hat, Your Florida Gators

2009-11-03T17:00:47Z

Urban Meyer's half suspension of Brandon Spikes against Vanderbilt, which was then endorsed by the SEC, probably comes as a shock. The way things work now, IF THERE IS ENOUGH ALL CAPS LOCK ANGER!, someone gets in trouble. If the SEC thought 30 minutes was enough to teach Spikes not to stick his fingers inside facemasks, they must have seen or heard some stuff that makes Spikes' move look like kids' play. The Orlando Sentinel points out one of those other plays; Tebow getting blindsided on a late hit.

Since the masses have decided that Spikes' play was the dirtiest play of all time, and a suspension is merely a slap on the wrist, Florida will use this to their advantage. Georgia can wear the black helmets, Florida will wear the black hats.

As vile as eye gouging is, Spikes saw it as in defense of his team. Florida's opponents are right to say that there was light discipline and Spikes could have seriously hurt someone. But Florida's opponents now have another reason to fear the Gators. Not because they are a bunch of cheap shot artists, but now they really believe everyone is out to get them.

Instead of this becoming a distraction, UF is going to rally. Spikes is their star pitcher, risking suspension, but still throwing a 95 mph fastball at the head other team's best batter. He is the team captain, starting a fight with the other team's enforcer, and winning the fight. When those things happen in baseball and hockey, they can be a spark for change. The only suspension that would have hurt UF would have been if Spikes got a season suspension, and there was no way that was happening.

The Gators now have momentum and a nation of detractors at their back. They will gladly take it, even if it means having their best defensive player sit out for a half hour.

SEC Power Poll, Week Nine

2009-11-03T11:00:24Z

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

1. Florida: Beating your rival efficiently can erase a lot of doubts people have about you. But Florida should realize they beat Georgia in a down year. It was like beating a JV team.

2. Alabama: Defense wins championships, but Bama needed the bye week to fix their passing game. Otherwise, they are running into the same offensive problems that sunk them last season.

3. LSU: Between LSU and Bama's defenses, we might see another 3-2 game Saturday.

4. Auburn: Last week, I had them as 11. Now I have them as 4. That's what happens when you have three dominant teams and nine bums.

5. Tennessee: The best of the .500 teams, Tennessee can win out and finish 5-3 SEC and 8-4 overall. Not bad for Kiffin's first season in a real rebuilding job.

6. Ole Miss: The Rebels handed a win to Auburn with three turnovers. Poor Dexter McCluster got no help and his 186 yards were wasted.

7. South Carolina: I don't think Steve Spurrier can take much more of this. Just let him go home to some golf course so he can piss in the woods in peace.

8. Georgia: Lost in Gouge-gate, a clean play by a Gator actually injured a Bulldog; Major Wright's 4th quarter hit gave A.J. Green a bruised lung.

9. Mississippi State: The dream of 4-4 in the SEC is alive! Come on, Anthony Dixon!

10. Arkansas: Look on the bright side Arky; you're 7th nationally in scoring offense.

11. Kentucky: In their last chance to get people to pay attention to them before basketball starts, they allow 348 yards rushing to Miss State. Well played, sirs.

12. Vanderbilt: This season has been strange, but even Vandy beating UF on Saturday is outside the range of possibilities.

Basketball Begins Tonight, Sort Of

2009-11-02T23:38:35Z

In exhibition play, your Florida Gators face St. Leo in the first scrimmage of the season. Before real live basketball begins on Nov. 15, the Gators will get to see how legit Vernon Macklin and and Kenny Boynton are. You have to hope these two bring much needed toughness, especially Macklin as a former Georgetown center. Boynton will not be able to fill the void left by Nick Calathes exile to Greece, so you will see a UF squad much different than previous seasons.

UF will play Webber on Nov. 9 for their second and final exhibition game.