The Gators got back in the win column, and on the road against a top-ten team no less. Joe is glad to see you've come in off the ledge. He'll look back at the wild win over the Wildcats, and ahead to what is now a three-game season. Joe's also getting a better handle on his Heisman ballot, taking shots at the Yankees and sorting out the various voices in his head. Here's this week's edition of The Girvan Report.
The Girvan Report XII
Writing while soaking up my favorite time of the year. College football and the NFL are in full swing...the World Series is here...and the NHL and NBA are getting going. Can't beat it.
That Didn't Take Long
Just two weeks after losing their second conference game, the Gators got the help they needed to get right back in the mix. Tennessee's lopsided loss to Alabama leaves the SEC East a collection of two-loss teams (and Vanderbilt), with Florida once again controlling its destiny. Urban Meyer said simply, "It is a three-game season." The journey begins this Saturday against a Georgia team that's been pretty good, with the exception of a 35-14 drubbing in Knoxville. Let the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party begin.
Lasting Impressions
Leftover thoughts from Florida's win over the best Kentucky team of my lifetime
*Dan Mullen's play-calling was the best we've seen in weeks.
*I'm not surprised the Wildcats moved the ball through the air, but I did not expect them to have so much success on the ground.
*There are so many weapons on Florida's offense, when your number is called, you have to deliver. Jarred Fayson dropping a would-be first down inside the 5 is no way to earn more playing time. The consecutive drops in the end zone by Kestahn Moore and Cornelius Ingram are also inexcusable.
*Of all the great players Florida signed in February, the high school tape of Aaron Hernandez impressed me most. It's good to see his role starting to expand. He's going to make some big plays before his college career is over.
*What more can we say about Tim Tebow? He's unlike any quarterback I've ever seen because of his ability to lower his shoulder and run you over. Tebow showed great toughness against Kentucky, playing through that sore shoulder and leading the Gators to victory.
Heisman Hopefuls
This week's look at my Heisman Trophy ballot, which is starting to solidify…
1) Darren McFadden, Arkansas. He bounced back from his first sub-100 yard game by rushing 22 times for 116 yards in the Razobacks' blowout of Ole Miss. What the stats don't reveal is the impact of McFadden's mere presence. Said the Head Hog, Houston Nutt, "As soon as Darren McFadden gets off the bus, everyone knows exactly where he's located. All eyes are on him. It's amazing to watch from the sideline when we get into the WildHog, they're yelling and screaming. You know they've been working on (defending) it all week and they're focused on him. The reason Felix Jones scored on the very first one (vs. Ole Miss) with Darren McFadden at quarterback in that particular set, if you watch the film, there are two, almost three, guys waiting on Darren to come outside, but he hands it off and it's well-blocked up the middle. Darren McFadden has to get an assist for that. You might as well give him half a touchdown."
2) Tim Tebow, Florida. He once again did it all in the Gators' win over Kentucky. The play-action touchdown to Louis Murphy and the jump-pass to Aaron Hernandez were brilliantly executed. Tebow leads the nation with a 177.5 passing efficiency rating. He could very easily move to the top of this list.
3) Andre Woodson, Kentucky. BC's Matt Ryan and a few others could sneak in here, but Woodson is still on my ballot for the time being. He kept the Wildcats alive against Florida by completing 35 of his 50 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns.
On Point
- CBS analyst Gary Danielson on the lack of a playoff in college football: "Cal is the perfect example of what I hate about the BCS. They lose one game without their starting quarterback, and they might not have a chance to play for the championship." The Golden Bears did drop their second straight, but Danielson's statement still rings true – college football desperately needs a playoff system. Later in the broadcast, Danielson showed he's done his homework on the Gators, recognizing the jump pass by formation moments before Florida ran the play.
- Tampa Bay talk show host Bobby Fenton on why the Dolphins are so horrible: "They have no players on their roster from the drafts of 1998 through 2003."
- National radio host Jim Rome on the Red Sox: "For a franchise that was known as the biggest chokers in all of sport, the Red Sox are now the most clutch team around."
- Andy Marcus, formerly of WRUF-AM and WUFT-TV, on why the Yankees can't hire Don Mattingly to replace Joe Torre as manager: "He's Ron Zook. Don't get me wrong, he's my favorite player of all-time, but he's never done it."
- Sports radio legends Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo agree it's not Mattingly's time, but for a different reason. They say the Yanks need a "disposable" manager for 2008, because anything less than a trip to the ALCS next season, in the wake of pushing Torre out the door, will be a catastrophic failure with heavy casualties. Firing Mattingly after one year would be a public relations nightmare.
Hot Routes
# It's been fun watching USF reach new heights this season but, honestly, I'm not disappointed the Bulls lost to Rutgers. I was really getting tired of the comparisons to Florida, especially those who said South Florida would beat the Gators.
# The Detroit Lions charge members of the media $30 for wireless Internet access in their press box. This service is free at nearly every other NFL stadium. Is it any wonder that team can't get any good publicity? Somehow it must be Matt Millen's fault.
# George Steinbrenner and the Yankees ought to be ashamed of themselves for asking Joe Torre to take a pay cut. It's a slap in the face to a guy who took New York to the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons as manager and to the World Series six times, winning four of them. Torre represented the franchise with class and dignity, and deserved to be treated in kind. If they didn't want him back, they should have said so.
Thanks for reading. Keep smiling, and remember: persistence brings down resistance.