the girvan report - week 3
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:52 pm
The Girvan Report VII
Typing while soaking up the passion and pageantry of college football…
Hit the Road
Ole Miss obviously doesn't have the talent Florida does, but that doesn't mean this week's trip to Oxford isn't dangerous. As Urban Meyer said, "there are red flags everywhere." We know full well how young the Gators are this year. Many will be making their first trip to the Magnolia State, where Florida has struggled in recent years. It's an early kickoff, with a long bus ride to the stadium. It's also a trap game – squarely between the rout of Tennessee, and what should be an emotional match-up with Auburn, the only team to beat the Gators last season. Don't get me wrong though, Florida beats Ole Miss by at least three touchdowns.
Lasting Impressions
Leftover thoughts from Florida's shellacking of Tennessee.
*Did the Gators just hang 59 on the Vols? An offensive explosion like that overshadows a tremendous effort from the Gator defense.
*Brandon James is electrifying. Early special teams touchdowns don't always pave the road to victory (see: Buckeyes, Ohio St.), but James' 83-yard scamper got Florida off to a great start.
*For a kid who didn't play the position in high school, Joe Haden is quickly becoming a very good cornerback.
*Tim Tebow throwing for a first down while being pulled down. To say he's living up to the hype would be an understatement.
*Cameron Newton trucking that poor Tennessee linebacker. Florida has a couple monsters at quarterback.
Heisman Hopefuls
This week's look at three players moving up my Heisman Trophy ballot.
1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas. Three weeks in, he's done nothing but solidify the top spot. Though the Hogs lost to Alabama, McFadden carried 33 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
2. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin. Hill rushed 25 times for 168 yards, and tied a school record with five touchdowns in the Badgers' win over the Citadel.
3. Matt Ryan, Boston College. He completed 30 of his 44 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 24-10 win over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech. Ryan leads the ACC with an average of 328.3 passing yards/game.
Wynn Some, Lose Some
Of all the great seniors on last year's Gator football team, would you believe DeShawn Wynn is one of the few who's actually on an NFL roster right now? Chris Leak? Cut by the Bears. Dallas Baker? Released by the Steelers. Earl Everett? Bounced by the Bengals. Steven Harris? Billy Latsko? Jemalle Cornelius? Cut, cut, cut. Some of those guys did make practice squads, and the 49'ers kept Ray McDonald and Joe Cohen, but most learned the hard way collegiate success does not guarantee a professional payday. That makes this all the more amazing: the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports Wynn will see more carries this Sunday, and could soon supplant Brandon Jackson as the Packers' starting running back. Now, we can all wax poetic about the 65-yard touchdown run against Miami in 2003, but even after a solid senior season, Wynn's college career has to be considered a disappointment. He never lived up to the hype as one of the nation's top recruits out of high school, instead being labeled an injury-prone underachiever. Now Wynn's in a position to become an overachiever, and it will be interesting to see if he can turn the tables. Stay tuned.
Mildcats No More
Kentucky's upset of then ninth-ranked Louisville confirms what many of us suspected before the season started – this is the best bunch of Wildcats in decades. Quarterback Andre Woodson is one of the premier players in the nation at his position. Against the Cardinals, he completed 30 of his 44 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Woodson is now the SEC's all-time leader in consecutive passes without an interception (257), and is just 14 away from Trent Dilfer's NCAA record. The Gators go to Lexington on October 6th. Fortunately for Florida, that game follows a bye week, and here's one of my favorite stats about the Head Gator: Urban Meyer is 21-2 when he has more than a week to prepare for an opponent.
Patriot Games
Shame on Bill Belichick and the Patriots for cheating. It's a black eye for what has recently been one of the NFL's model franchises. The penalties were severe, but I think they could have been even more harsh, namely a minimum one-game suspension for Belichick. What amazes me most is the level of arrogance from the three-time Super Bowl champs. I mean, they weren't even trying to hide it. The camera wasn't in the stands, or up in the press box with some super zoom lens. The Pats were blatantly disregarding a memo sent by the league just three days before their game against the Jets. Stealing signals may be a time-honored tradition in many team sports, but you can't be so brazen about it.
Hot Routes
# Notre Dame is 0-3 and has yet to score an offensive touchdown. No punch line necessary, but here's one anyway: Demetrius Jones, who started the season opener at quarterback for the Irish, has already transferred to Northern Illinois.
# LaDainian Tomlinson said if his Chargers played the Patriots ten times, they'd win nine. Well, since San Diego has now lost two in a row to New England, and the last one was a blowout, I'm pretty sure that's not true.
# A sellout crowd of more than 22,000 saw Phoenix beat Detroit for the WNBA title at the Palace of Auburn Hills. That same Sunday, the Lions couldn't fill Ford Field for their season opener. This is known as the "Matt Millen Effect." Torture a fan base long enough, and it will turn to women's basketball. Tragic.
Thanks for reading. Keep smiling, and remember: the best mirror is a good friend.
Typing while soaking up the passion and pageantry of college football…
Hit the Road
Ole Miss obviously doesn't have the talent Florida does, but that doesn't mean this week's trip to Oxford isn't dangerous. As Urban Meyer said, "there are red flags everywhere." We know full well how young the Gators are this year. Many will be making their first trip to the Magnolia State, where Florida has struggled in recent years. It's an early kickoff, with a long bus ride to the stadium. It's also a trap game – squarely between the rout of Tennessee, and what should be an emotional match-up with Auburn, the only team to beat the Gators last season. Don't get me wrong though, Florida beats Ole Miss by at least three touchdowns.
Lasting Impressions
Leftover thoughts from Florida's shellacking of Tennessee.
*Did the Gators just hang 59 on the Vols? An offensive explosion like that overshadows a tremendous effort from the Gator defense.
*Brandon James is electrifying. Early special teams touchdowns don't always pave the road to victory (see: Buckeyes, Ohio St.), but James' 83-yard scamper got Florida off to a great start.
*For a kid who didn't play the position in high school, Joe Haden is quickly becoming a very good cornerback.
*Tim Tebow throwing for a first down while being pulled down. To say he's living up to the hype would be an understatement.
*Cameron Newton trucking that poor Tennessee linebacker. Florida has a couple monsters at quarterback.
Heisman Hopefuls
This week's look at three players moving up my Heisman Trophy ballot.
1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas. Three weeks in, he's done nothing but solidify the top spot. Though the Hogs lost to Alabama, McFadden carried 33 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
2. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin. Hill rushed 25 times for 168 yards, and tied a school record with five touchdowns in the Badgers' win over the Citadel.
3. Matt Ryan, Boston College. He completed 30 of his 44 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 24-10 win over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech. Ryan leads the ACC with an average of 328.3 passing yards/game.
Wynn Some, Lose Some
Of all the great seniors on last year's Gator football team, would you believe DeShawn Wynn is one of the few who's actually on an NFL roster right now? Chris Leak? Cut by the Bears. Dallas Baker? Released by the Steelers. Earl Everett? Bounced by the Bengals. Steven Harris? Billy Latsko? Jemalle Cornelius? Cut, cut, cut. Some of those guys did make practice squads, and the 49'ers kept Ray McDonald and Joe Cohen, but most learned the hard way collegiate success does not guarantee a professional payday. That makes this all the more amazing: the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports Wynn will see more carries this Sunday, and could soon supplant Brandon Jackson as the Packers' starting running back. Now, we can all wax poetic about the 65-yard touchdown run against Miami in 2003, but even after a solid senior season, Wynn's college career has to be considered a disappointment. He never lived up to the hype as one of the nation's top recruits out of high school, instead being labeled an injury-prone underachiever. Now Wynn's in a position to become an overachiever, and it will be interesting to see if he can turn the tables. Stay tuned.
Mildcats No More
Kentucky's upset of then ninth-ranked Louisville confirms what many of us suspected before the season started – this is the best bunch of Wildcats in decades. Quarterback Andre Woodson is one of the premier players in the nation at his position. Against the Cardinals, he completed 30 of his 44 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Woodson is now the SEC's all-time leader in consecutive passes without an interception (257), and is just 14 away from Trent Dilfer's NCAA record. The Gators go to Lexington on October 6th. Fortunately for Florida, that game follows a bye week, and here's one of my favorite stats about the Head Gator: Urban Meyer is 21-2 when he has more than a week to prepare for an opponent.
Patriot Games
Shame on Bill Belichick and the Patriots for cheating. It's a black eye for what has recently been one of the NFL's model franchises. The penalties were severe, but I think they could have been even more harsh, namely a minimum one-game suspension for Belichick. What amazes me most is the level of arrogance from the three-time Super Bowl champs. I mean, they weren't even trying to hide it. The camera wasn't in the stands, or up in the press box with some super zoom lens. The Pats were blatantly disregarding a memo sent by the league just three days before their game against the Jets. Stealing signals may be a time-honored tradition in many team sports, but you can't be so brazen about it.
Hot Routes
# Notre Dame is 0-3 and has yet to score an offensive touchdown. No punch line necessary, but here's one anyway: Demetrius Jones, who started the season opener at quarterback for the Irish, has already transferred to Northern Illinois.
# LaDainian Tomlinson said if his Chargers played the Patriots ten times, they'd win nine. Well, since San Diego has now lost two in a row to New England, and the last one was a blowout, I'm pretty sure that's not true.
# A sellout crowd of more than 22,000 saw Phoenix beat Detroit for the WNBA title at the Palace of Auburn Hills. That same Sunday, the Lions couldn't fill Ford Field for their season opener. This is known as the "Matt Millen Effect." Torture a fan base long enough, and it will turn to women's basketball. Tragic.
Thanks for reading. Keep smiling, and remember: the best mirror is a good friend.