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Florida looked like they were going to be blown out after Alabama grabbed a 21-3 first quarter lead. But the Gators battled back and gave the defending champs a battle, falling short 31-29. But Dan Mullen should have been trusted when it came to his quarterbacks. While many today are saying that if Anthony Richardson was healthy Florida would have beaten Alabama, that's just ridiculous. No one knows how a healthy AR-15 would have played if he played, so we have to judge on Emory Jones' performance because he did play. Was it flawless? No, it wasn't. Was it effective? Absolutely. Jones showed flashes of what could be as he develops into the role. He missed wide open receivers multiple times but Jones also was very impressive in identifying blitz packages and finding the right read. He also ran as a weapon and extended plays and gave Florida a chance. He ended up going 18-28 for 195 with a pick and ran for 76 and score. It was not a performance that will rank among the best in the history of Gator quarterbacks. But he still made Alabama defenders miss and he found receivers at times when the play broke down. Florida's offensive line was spectacular in the game. Jones was sacked once and the Gators ran for 244 yards. Mullen will need to figure out his plan for when Richardson is healthy. But count me among those who believe Emory Jones played better without looking over his shoulder and wondering if he is going in the next series. While the army of armchair QBs all know what Mullen should do he is right when he says he knows better on what he needs to do...
After FSU's embarrassing loss to Jacksonville State, Mike Norvell said the outcome was "unacceptable" and he took responsibility for the loss and promised to correct things. He didn't. The Seminoles were rolled by Wake Forest on the road and dropped to 0-3 for the first time since Bobby Bowden's first season in Tallahassee in 1976. FSU was held to 317 total yards in the loss and gave up 484 on defense. They ran 51 offensive plays to Wake's 89 and turned the ball over six times. Now Norvell faces scrutiny 12 games into his tenure. This comes after FSU has paid over $20M for all of Willie Taggart's buyouts(that includes his Oregon buyout and remaining buyout money Oregon owed South Florida). And if you are thinking about ending the Norvell era early, it will cost over $18M and his staff. Add the financial losses Seminoles' athletics suffered from a Covid year and where is the money coming from? But just like the move on Taggart, the question will be is Mike Norvell bad for business? How bad will attendance be in Tallahassee this week for Louisville and if they lose that game, imagine crowds for Syracuse and UMass. Then there's the rumor mill getting louder about Deion Sanders...
Miami's Manny Diaz says he still believes in his team despite their 38-17 loss at home to Michigan State. Miami has been blown out by the Spartans and Alabama and held on to beat Appalachian State for their only win. The angry fans have become the majority on the noise meter in south Florida(not the school, the region). The Canes looked outclassed, outmuscled, outcoached and out-interested in the loss. The announced crowd was 46,427 but anyone watching saw a stadium that looked maybe half full. But here's the deal for the Canes and Diaz: UM has been accused by fans and money supporters of not stepping up and paying for a big time coach. If the Canes' supporters want a new coach, they should pull the plug sooner than later. Why? Because Miami is likely to win a bunch of games in the weeks ahead with the schedule they have. Now, Diaz is 1-2 and fans would take Ibis the mascot as interim coach instead of Diaz. Upcoming games include Central Connecticut State and Virginia at home. They should win both and be 3-2. Then there is a challenging game at North Carolina. If they lose then it's 3-3 with remaining games vs NC State, at Pitt, vs Georgia Tech, at FSU, vs Virginia Tech and at Duke. Could they lose two or three? Sure. But they could also win five or all six and that might make them 9-3. It's not like teams have not made a change at coach with a winning record, but 9-3 would mean Miami went 8-1 in its final nine games and that's harder to move on from. But Miami's expectation of candidates versus who might be realistic has been part of their problem. I don't think Mario Cristobal is leaving Oregon to come home and Miami cannot outbid Oregon...
Dillon Gabriel's injury is devastating news for UCF. The Knights lost six starters to injuries in their 42-35 loss at Louisville. But losing Gabriel changes the season. Now Gus Malzahn has to get freshman Mikey Keene and transfer Joey Gatewood ready to play when they come off their bye week at Navy. Keene earned the backup spot and Gatewood transferred late into camp from Kentucky after leaving Auburn where Malzahn recruited him. Gatewood is intriguing at 6-5 220 pounds and started last season for Kentucky against Georgia. UCF went from massive momentum of the news on joining the Big XII and a 2-0 start to now game planning week-to-week on how to win games with a number of big games still on the schedule. It's not that UCF can no longer have a big season. In reality, they can. Malzahn has a bye week before games against winless Navy and ECU(1-2) at home. Then it's a huge challenge at Cincinnati. If UCF can win its next two and solidify the QB position going into Cincinnati, the goals are still there. It would be a huge victory to go on the road and beat the Bearcats. If they do then winning the league is not that crazy to think about. But that is a lot to ask of right now. UCF lost its top RB, WR, OL and LB in the game at Louisville as well as a defensive lineman and starting corner. Injuries are not the only reason UCF lost at Louisville but it was a factor. Now with Gabriel out, injuries may go a long way in determining what kind of season Gus Malzahn's Knights may have...
SEC officials blew several calls in the Auburn-Penn State game. The biggest was the call that got the down wrong and forced Penn State to punt on third down when officials claimed it was fourth down. There were also questionable calls by the Pac 12 crew working the Oregon win at Ohio State last week. Enough is enough. It's long past due to getting rid of conference officials in college football. There is no justifiable reason for conferences to have their own crews and then allow teams to take them on the road. Let the best graded officials get the based games and assign officials regionally. If a great crew is doing an SEC game in Gainesville one week, they can do a game at Clemson the next. Holding in the SEC should be the same as holding in the ACC. College basketball doesn't have conference crews. The best work the best games and the system works...
Division III Game of the Week: Carelton won at Crown 51-0. The Knights beat the Storm and held them to 116 total yards. Carelton is located in Northfield, Minnesota with an enrollment of 2,000. Crown is located in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota with an enrollment of 900.