GATOR FOOTBALL: Do the Gators stand a chance against the Vols?

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

Consensus opinion among the nation’s talking heads is that donkeys will fly before the Florida Gators take down the No. 11 Tennessee Vols Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Even Dan Mullen, Florida’s former coach who recruited 24 of Florida’s scholarship athletes, thinks it will be all Tennessee and the Gators will go belly up. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks the Gators can win, even among the writers who cover the Gators on a daily basis.

And yet, if Tennessee is that much better than the Gators, why is it the Vols are only 6.5-point favorites? Detractors seem to think it’s only because it’s The Swamp where the crowd will be loud and the humidity at a dehydrating level that the Gators can hope to keep it this close. They point to Tennessee’s 10-win season last year, its high powered offense directed by HBC Josh Heupel and quarterback Joe Milton as further reasons why the Gators have no chance.

Okay, the home field advantage does stand for something. The Vols haven’t won in Gainesville since 2003 and they’ve gone down in flames on fluke plays like “The Heave to Cleve” in 2017. Those things probably don’t happen at Neyland. The heat and humidity? Anyone remember how the Vols melted in 1999 on a sweaty night when Alex Brown made life miserable for Tee Martin and the previous year’s national champs? Tee Martin still hears the footsteps.

The Vols did win 10 games last year. Truth be known, the Gators should have beaten them. That was at Neyland and Florida didn’t have near as much talent on the defensive side of the football as now. Josh Heupel does direct high powered offenses but someone explain why the Vols had all sorts of problems with a D1AA Austin Peay team that they should have beaten by at least seven TDs. As for Joe Milton, Hendon Hooker he isn’t. He might be able to heave a ball 90 yards down the field but it’s the 15-yarder over the middle that he better be able to connect and right now he throws a lot of high hard ones.

Now maybe the crowd noise won’t bother the Vols. Maybe the heat and humidity won’t faze them in the least. Maybe the Vols have been bored so far and maybe Joe Milton will discover this week that every throw doesn’t have to be made with the kind of hurricane force that knocks down receivers.

Maybe.

What if the Gators make the Vols defend the entire field? What if Graham Mertz keeps throwing those quick little darts that are good for 8-9 yard gains and when the safeties creep to the line he throws over the top to Ricky Pearsall? What if hat-on-hat, Florida’s O-line creates creases that Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne squeeze through and get to the second level? What if Florida’s big guys like Cam Jackson, Caleb Banks and Chris McClellan fill the gaps so Shemar James, Scooby Williams and Teradja Mitchell stuff the run? What if Florida’s secondary latches on to one of Joe Milton’s overthrows?

Could it happen? Maybe. The Gators have no chance? Doubtful.

UF volleyball: Gators take 5-set win over FSU in Tallahassee

The 3rd-ranked Gators (8-0) remained unbeaten Tuesday night when they went white knuckles to take down Florida State (5-4) in five sets, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 and 16-14. Tied at 14-14 in the fifth and deciding set, Sophia Victoria scored back-to-back kills to put the match away for the Gators.

Freshman Kennedy Martin led the Gators with 25 kills, three service aces, one assist, nine digs and two blocks, while AC Fitzpatrick had 22 kills, three digs and three blocks. Alexis Stuckey had a monster game with 50 assists to go with three kills, one service ace, nine digs and two blocks. Gabbi Essix contributed four blocks.

The Gators will host No. 1 Wisconsin Sunday afternoon at the O-Dome (3 p.m., ESPN).

SEC football

No. 10 Alabama (1-1): Amid all the criticism that the Alabama dynasty is now a thing of the past, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback, says, “Alabama is not going anywhere. Period.”

Arkansas (2-0): Although the Razorbacks are 8-point favorites to beat BYU, HBC Sam Pittman says, “Our kids understand the urgency of this game.”

Auburn (2-0): Linebacker Austin Keys will miss Saturday’s game with Samford. Questionable are Donovan Kaufman, Nehemiah Pritchett and J.D. Rhym.

No. 1 Georgia (2-0): Discussing South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler, who the Bulldogs will have to defend Saturday, Kirby Smart said, “He’s got elite arm talent, I can tell you that. The throws he’s made, touch throws, deep, vertical, back shoulder throws.”

Kentucky (2-0): Offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who was rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency on Sunday, will be back with the Wildcats Saturday when they face Akron in Lexington.

No. 14 LSU (1-1): The Tigers, who rank dead last in the SEC in pass defense, will be going against Will Rogers of Mississippi State Saturday night. Rogers has thrown for 11,078 yards and 87 touchdowns in his career.

Mississippi State (2-0): Sophomore DB Ja’Kobi Albert will undergo season-ending knee surgery. Albert suffered the injury in August and did not play in the Bulldogs’ first two games.

Missouri (2-0): At his Tuesday press conference, HBC Eli Drinkwitz said the Tigers have to get running back Nate Peat more involved in the offense. Through two games, Peat has 22 carries for 108 yards and a TD.

No. 17 Ole Miss (2-0): Through two games, the Rebels are giving up only 102 rushing yards a game. Eight different Rebels have a sack.

South Carolina (1-1): There are whispers that injured wide receiver Juice Wells might be ready to go Saturday at Georgia. A year ago, Wells caught 68 passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns.

No. 11 Tennessee (2-0): D-lineman Omari Thomas says there was a players-only meeting Sunday. Thomas says, “We approach it like we do any other day. Come in, have fun and ready to work. That was really the main thing, just continuing to grow together and have that players meeting.”

Texas A&M (1-1): Paul Finebaum says if the Aggies decide it’s time for Jimbo Fisher to go the $75 million buyout won’t be a problem. On the Matt Barrie Show Finebaum said that if the Aggies are losing games like they did to Miami “on a consistent basis then he has no future.”

Vanderbilt (2-1): Through three games, QB AJ Swann has thrown for 766 yards and eight touchdowns with only three interceptions.

Countdown to Firing Day: September 13, 2023

Extinct Species List

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: Now that Mel Tucker has been suspended at Michigan State, maybe Fitzgerald doesn’t feel like such a creep.

On Life Support

Mel Tucker, Michigan State: She says she was sexually harassed. He says it was consensual. Either way, Mel Tucker is a married man who will be fired October 5-6 because he admits he whacked off while talking to a woman who was once gang raped by a football team and is now an advocate for women who have had similar traumatic experiences. There is a moral turpitude clause in his contract that will free Michigan State from about $90 million in buyout money.

Butch Jones, Arkansas State: The Red Wolves have scored three (count ‘em) points this year. Opponents have scored 110. He’s 5-21 and the only reason he hasn’t been fired is because a year ago they extended his contract to 2026 with a $1 million buyout. He’s 5-21 in metropolitan Jonesboro, Ark.

Tom Allen, Indiana: Back in 2021 when Allen was a hot property, Indiana gave him a 7-year contract extension that the powers that be now regret. To can him will cost $7.95 million.

Mike Bloomgren, Rice: Bloomgren may hold the all-time record for longest time On Life Support. Last week he pulled off a regular South Texas shocker by not only beating Houston but putting Dana Holgerson on the hot seat. The next four games are winnable and with a little luck, Rice could go 6-6 and bowling.

Danny Gonzales, New Mexico: The Lobos are 1-1 thanks to a win over hapless D1AA Tennessee Tech. The next two games – New Mexico State and UMass are winnable, which would put Gonzales halfway to a bowl. Hope springs eternal. The buyout is a mere $400,000.

Neal Brown, West Virginia: The Mounties are 1-1 with arch-rival Pitt on this week’s schedule. They really want to fire him and maybe they’ll figure out how to raise the $13 million it will take to buy him out.

Endangered Species List

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: Losing to Miami was bad. Getting stomped by Miami was beyond worse. The buyout is $75 million, not a problem for Aggie boosters who paid $450 million in cash back in 2012 to turn dumpy Kyle Field into a palace. As they say, only God and the Longhorns have more money than the Aggies. Anything less than nine wins and Jimbo probably is a goner.

Dana Holgerson, Houston: He lost to Rice. Not only did he lose to Rice, he fell behind Rice, 28-0 at the half. The faithful think for the amount of money they’re paying him -- $4 million per – they should be better than 28-21.

Tony Elliott, Virginia: Blowing a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter for a loss to James Madison hasn’t helped his cause at all. They won’t fire him after two seasons on the job will they?

Jeff Hafley, Boston College: If Florida State does to BC what everybody seems to think Florida State is going to do to BC, then the sharp knives will be out and Hafley may find himself On Life Support. He’s under contract through 2026 thanks to a 5-year extension he signed after going 6-6 in year two. Now they wish they hadn’t. If he survives it’s because they can’t afford the buyout.

Dino Babers, Syracuse: That 2-0 start looks good but it’s against a pair of very bad teams. He could win the next two then lose the last eight. Two winning seasons in eight years on the job won’t cut it, but neither will paying him $10.5 million to just go away. A real dilemma here.

Ken Wilson, Nevada: The Wolfpack got hosed by D1AA Idaho, 33-6, last week. Wilson is 3-14 since taking over and it’s not going to get much better, at least this year. He’s got three years left on the contract and estimated buyout is $1.8 million. The buyout probably gets him one more year.

Dave Aranda, Baylor: Things are about to get wacky in Waco. The Bears are 0-2 and they get Texas in a couple of weeks. The natives are restless and wondering whose bright idea it was to extend Aranda through the 2029 season.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: When Tez Walker transferred from Kent State to North Carolina, he cited the need to be closer to family, particularly his ailing grandmother who has multiple documented medical issues. Walker cited his desire to help his family and his own mental health as additional reasons for the transfer. Now this is the second transfer for Walker, although the first one is pretty much a sham. He was at North Carolina Central in 2020 when their D1AA season was canceled because of COVID. He transferred to Kent State, played there two years and then transferred to UNC. Three days after he transferred, the NCAA implemented a new transfer rule and made it retroactive regarding two-time transfers and declared Walker ineligible.

Walker and North Carolina appealed. Several times in fact, each time denied by the NCAA, which had the audacity to make this statement: “Citing extenuating circumstances such as mental health does not necessarily support a waiver request, but instead may, in some situations, suggest a student-athlete should be primarily focused on addressing those critical issues during the initial transition to a third school.”

Translation: Stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, kid.

Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South has a rather novel solution to the Tez Walker situation. Hayes says North Carolina should defy the NCAA and play Tez Walker. In doing so, he points out the many hypocrisies of the NCAA, all of which got hammered in court. If Carolina played Walker and the NCAA protested, is there a court in the country where the NCAA could expect to win?

Hayes says no, writing, “Draw the line, North Carolina. The NCAA won’t do a damn thing about it.”