OK, so the opener produced about what we expected, except for the blistering heat which never truly materialized and the massive lightning storm, which brought about a premature halt to the proceedings.
We basically saw what most of us surmised would happen during the course of the preseason ? the offense showed its explosive big-play capability and the defense, despite yielding just three points and only 204 yards (albeit to an overmatched opponent) exposed some potential holes that need to be closed up in a hurry.
Will Troy provide the barometer needed to gauge this team's readiness for Tennessee and the upcoming SEC battles? Not sure. Troy is decent, certainly a step up from Western Kentucky, but there's a reason why this team is considered Sun Belt-worthy and not SEC material.
Yes, I can already hear the cry of "Appalachian State' coming from the lips of worried fans. Those Division I-AA guys have created the ultimate tool for coaches, and perhaps some fans. Just those two words, "Appalachian State," will help coaches get the attention of their players when facing apparently overmatched foes.
All it took was one win in 10,000 attempts by a Division I-AA club against a Michigan to toss all those 60-point wins over the little guys into a barrel. Similar to the "Who will be this year's Boise State?" mantra that we'll hear incessantly as the season wears on, "Who might be this week's Appalachian State?" will carry the same cloying resonance.
With such a young team, and so many players still trying to prove themselves while finding their way into college football, it's doubtful that Florida will not be mentally ready tomorrow night. We wrote last week how it was important for Florida to look sharp in its season opener, something which hadn't happened around here since the good ole Zooker days.
Well looking crisp usually pertains to the offense, and the Gators certainly appeared ready on that side of the ball. This week it's the defense's turn to inch into the limelight, handle a Troy offense that likes to throw it around behind Sun Belt 2006 Player of the Year quarterback Omar Haugabrook, and gain some much needed confidence with Tennessee coming to town.
GRAND HIGH EXALTED MYSTIC RULER
For those who've been around these parts for a while, you'll know this is my creation, borrowed from one of the funniest shows ever on television, The Honeymooners (I know, I show my age again). The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler (GHEMR) is the player on Florida's team who deserves notice above all others for his play in the previous game.
And my selection of the GHEMR is totally subjective ? feel free to offer your own. To me, it's not simply the guy who threw or ran for the most yards, scored the most touchdowns or had the most sacks or tackles. Certainly that is part of the equation. But what the GHEMR truly represents is the player who rose above and performed at a higher level than expected, and was one of the key performers in the game. Again, this is my deal, therefore just one man's award. Heck, if Urban Meyer can give out something called a "Four-to-Six Second Award," then certainly the Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler can certainly carry some clout.
After week one, you could make a case for sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow, who was sensational, but we're giving the GHEMR nod this week to a fellow true sophomore, receiver Riley Cooper. No one knew what to expect out of Cooper, who was sidelined all spring and then limited in early preseason work due to a lingering foot ailment.
Cooper burst open against Western Kentucky, demonstrating that he needs to be mentioned in any conversation involving Florida's playmakers on offense. Cooper caught a pair of long touchdown passes from Tebow and wound up with four receptions for a game-high 122 yards. Of his eight career receptions, five have gone for touchdowns, a pretty fair ratio. Now we'll see if he can do it against anyone without a Western leading off its name.
STOCK UP
Ah, the rising fluctuation of the Gator stock market, identifying players who are moving up or down based on the past week's outing. On offense, tailback Kestahn Moore fits here. Most know that I've been fairly critical of Moore, feeling he is nothing more than an average tailback with little breakaway speed. Well for one week, Moore deserve merit here, gaining 91 yards in 16 carries with two touchdowns. He runs hard, but he still has to prove he can be a big-time back, against quality opposition. If he can not show home-run hitting ability out of the backfield (one again, his longest run was 17 yards), that big-play threat is going to have to come from other sources ? Percy Harvin, Jarred Fayson or maybe even Tebow.
On defense, not that many individuals stood out, but we'll go with sophomore defensive end Jermaine Cunningham. Cunningham was a force off the edge, combining with fellow end Derrick Harvey to create some chaos on the perimeter. He wound up with four tackles and a sack, but will need some help from the guys on the interior to keep the attention off himself and Harvey.
STOCK DOWN
Hard to find many who fit the bill here on offense, but junior receiver Cornelius Ingram had a tough game. He didn't have much action come his way, with just one catch for 11 yards, but fumbled on the end of that play and also let a potential touchdown pass slip through his hands. Ingram will certainly be a huge factor in the attack the rest of the season, but for one afternoon, it was not Ingram's shining moment.
On defense, anyone who lined up at defensive tackle. The Gators got scant production inside, and while no one is expecting these guys to play to the standards set by Steven Harris, Joe Cohen, Ray McDonald and Marcus Thomas from last season, they are going to need serviceable play inside for the defense to become SEC championship-caliber. In particular, upperclassmen Clint McMillan and Javier Estopinan have to do better than one combined tackle.
AROUND THE SEC
No great surprises last week, except that Georgia played a little better than anticipated and Auburn, very fortunate to escape Kansas State, was a little worse. We fully expected Tennessee to get beat on the road at Cal, and the Vols looked like a team with serious question marks.
This week, the marquee games are Virginia Tech at LSU and South Carolina at Georgia. With Virginia Tech sporting its standard pop-gun offense, it's not likely the Hokies are going to walk into Baton Rouge and steal a victory. With the Human Turnover Machine ? better known as JaMarcus Russell ? gone, opponents can't simply sit back and wait for the myriad of mistakes that would surely come from the Tigers' offense. LSU is too strong to get beaten by an opponent with little offensive flair.
After a less-than-inspiring performance against Louisiana-Lafayette, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said his team looked like a bunch of "average stiffs." Shoot, we didn't need a game to tell him that ? South Carolina has been, is, and always will be, the walking definition of "average."
This is a huge game for the Gamecocks, who next face LSU on the road in conference play. If they don't win tomorrow, they'll be staring down the barrel of an 0-2 SEC start, just about killing any chance to compete in the SEC East. No league team opens conference action with a tougher duo in Georgia and LSU on the road ? say sayonara for another year to the dreams of winning the East in Columbia.
Auburn will be pushed by South Florida, and it will probably not be pretty again, but the Tigers will emerge 2-0. Alabama (over Vanderbilt), Kentucky (over Kent), Tennessee (over Southern Miss) and Florida (over Troy) will all win comfortably, while Ole Miss will fall to Missouri and Mississippi State will get beaten by Tulane. Arkansas inexplicably has an open date.
MARTY LIKES
Well we opened the season with a 2-1 slate, after Oklahoma easily covered against North Texas and Penn State did the same to FIU, while Texas barely beat, let alone covered, against mighty Arkansas State. Here are this week's selections:
1) Clemson minus-26 over Louisiana-Monroe: We will stick with the house plan of taking solid teams at home against weak ones. Clemson didn't look great against Florida State, but will get well offensively in a hurry against a La.-Monroe team that opened with an 18-point loss at home to Tulsa.
2) Texas Tech minus-24 over Texas-El Paso: A case of a prolific offense against a putrid offense. Every year under Mike Leach, Texas Tech rolls up the points. UTEP barely managed 200 yards last week in a 10-6 win over New Mexico. This one looks like Blowout City.
3) Wyoming minus-25 over Utah State: Coming off a crushing 20-point home win over Virginia, the Cowboys will do it again. Utah State, 1-11 last year, is one of the five worst programs in the country and will prove it once more on the road at Laramie. (Also under consideration were Rutgers giving 16.5 to Navy tonight and Penn State giving 17 to Notre Dame. Going to the well with Penn State again scared me off).