By CARLTON REESE: In Defense of Emory Jones, No ‘Quarterback Controversy’ For Me
If fans are going to dwell on something negative, it shan’t be the play of Emory Jones, which was in the aggregate, pretty good; instead, the personal fouls and other penalties warrant more attention.
Whatever the worst fears were Gator fans had during game week, they never came to fruition and Florida stands at 1-and-0. Still, the need to shower proved imminent as what felt a little dirty and uncomfortable took place Saturday evening in The Swamp. Just a shower, mind you – no need to sit alone in tepid bathwater crying, “I can’t get clean! I can’t get clean!”
The victory was comfortable, and although no one is dancing in the streets about the bright prospects that were revealed against an outmanned Florida Atlantic team, there’s no reason to believe this cannot turn out to be a special season.
In about a 30-minute span, hundreds of thousands of Gator fans went from believing Emory Jones to be the next Cam Newton, to setting their sights on Anthony Richardson as the next great hope. Hordes of Gator fans can be seen leaping off the Emory Jones train like depression-era hobos, quickly abandoning what was just yesterday the great promise of a new era.
Such are the whims of fans, those who call for Jerry Golsteyn to supplant Doug Williams or Eddie Haas to take over for Joe Torre – they’re not to be taken seriously.
Aside from three plays, Jones looked every bit the player that can lead the Florida Gators to a spot in Atlanta, and although Richardson (the physical “freak” that he is, according to Tim Tebow) made some eye-popping plays, the fact remains that when the Crimson Tide roll into Gainesville there had better be a veteran calling the signals for Dan Mullen.
Unfortunately, those three plays seem to be all that anyone not named Dan Mullen remember.
The problem with a game like Florida Atlantic is that not much can be revealed – a 50-0 victory would not have been taken seriously, yet a nail-biter or even a loss would have signaled the abandonment of all optimism. Thus, the bad plays draw the flies of our attention.
This was a season-opener where a lot of backups gained a lot of playing time and two mistakes squelched a 49-7 thrashing down to a 35-14 coasting. As season-openers go, it was fairly typical if not rather clean, relatively speaking.
So the clamoring for Richardson has begun and a so-called “quarterback controversy” ensues in Gainesville, and as such I take no part.
This is Jones’ team and Richardson may be more than just the “straw that stirs the drink” – he’s more like the half ounce of dry vermouth – so we had better get ready for the two-headed QB where Jones gets the starting nod. The ride should be fun, so why spoil it with the incessant drum pounding of Emory Jones naysayers?
If fans are going to dwell on something negative, it shan’t be the play of Jones, which was in the aggregate, pretty good; instead, the personal fouls and other penalties warrant more attention. Think of it this way: The team coached by Willie Taggart was by far the more disciplined squad on the field Saturday night. That thought alone should keep Gator fans up in the middle of the night.
There was also the mysterious semi-absence of Jacob Copeland and Justin Shorter, whose combined 26 yards receiving against FAU was more than puzzling. These two are supposed to break out in a big way, but Saturday night’s game certainly belied this notion.
Ultimately, it will come down to both Jones and Richardson settling into their position then being able to find them. For now, Copeland’s and Shorter’s sparse night will be attributed to green quarterback play.
Through all this, it should be noted that Florida Atlantic returned more starters from last season than any team in college football. Granted, they were all FAU scholarship players, but they were Florida Division-I scholarship players, nonetheless. N’Kosi Perry was the best quarterback on the field Saturday night and he had to deal with a menacing pass rush, so kudos to the young man from Ocala.
Thus, the silver lining: FAU is not among the mudfish of college football. You want bottom of the barrel? That would be the MAC team that visited Knoxville last Thursday night and actually proved to be a good challenge for the Tennessee Volunteers. Bowling Green went 0-5 in 2020 and came within 25 points of an opponent just once. That team brought back just nine starters yet seemed to compete admirably with the Vols.
In Knoxville, the fans are all excited about a 38-6 win over perhaps the worst team in the country while in Gainesville there are questions hovering after a 35-14 win over a team that will contend for a conference championship. Whenever Gator fans feel down, just look at Tennessee, which scrambles for any crumb that falls from the table of the SEC masters.
The South Florida game will be a blowout and Jones’ progression will lure some Gator fans off the ledge, but it’s all leading to the moment that matters most: the arrival of the Alabama Crimson Tide. To have a chance in two weeks, they’ll need that relentless pass rush, the emergence of Copeland and Shorter, and most of all an Emory Jones that exudes the poise of
a veteran.
I grew up in South Florida and spent my 20‘s (in the 90’s) in Tennessee. So nobody loves bashing Canes and Vols more than me. But if you’re not concerned about the passing game, you’re in denial Buddy. Running game looked amazing with the threat of both QBs. I’m all for “it’ll come around”, but it’s going to need to come around very soon. Now living in Atlanta, folks are feeling pretty confident up here. Are we going to give Bama and UGA some competition? Or is this a transition year?
All well said, Buddy. No true Gator should hope that one quarterback fails so another can play. Emory is far ahead of Anthony in the nuances of the passing game. We’re going to benefit from both. Unfortunately we have a small, internet-vocal wedge of fans who are quick to find fault with anything they can. As for Copeland and Shorter, I had an impression that both were open but Emory wasn’t looking downfield with confidence while instead majoring in short tosses to left and right flats. I believe Emory’s passing will emerge.