Thoughts of the Day: September 20, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

CONSIDER IT A SPEED BUMP ON THE ROAD TO ATLANTA

As disappointing as Florida’s 31-29 loss to Alabama is, it’s only a speed bump on the road to Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. There are seven remaining SEC games and if the Gators go 7-0 the rest of the way in league play, they’ll be in Atlanta, perhaps getting a second shot at Alabama.

The Gators are almost certain to be favored in all but two games – October 16 at LSU and October 30 against Georgia in Jacksonville. If the game were played right now, the Gators would be favored to beat LSU even though that game is in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers could put it all together and they can be formidable at home. It is expected the Gators will go into the Georgia game with that one SEC loss, so this could be a de facto championship game for the SEC East championship.

Before the season began, I said that to win the SEC East, Florida had to win two games out of the three with Alabama, LSU and Georgia as long as one of the wins was Georgia. I think that will prove true.

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This is the fastest the Gators have reached 1,000 rushing yards in at least 40 years. Through three games the Gators have run for 1,021 yards, an average of 340.33 yards per game and

7.68 yards per carry with 11 rushing touchdowns. To put things in proper focus, a year ago the Gators ran for 1,575 yards (4.29 yards per carry) for 12 touchdowns in TWELVE games. In THIRTEEN games in 2019, the Gators ran for 1,687 yards (4.24 per carry) for 21 touchdowns.

Against Alabama, the Gators ran for 258 yards on 43 carries, an average of 6.0 per carry and they scored four TDs on the ground. Coming into the game, Alabama had given up 158 yards on the ground, an average of 2.31 per carry. Back in December in the SEC Championship Game, the Gators had 54 net yards on 26 carries (2.08 per carry).

Here is what Paul Finebaum had to say about Florida’s running game after seeing it up close and personal Saturday: “We have been told prior to the season that this may be the most elite defense in Nick Saban’s tenure, and that defense in the final 2.5 quarters yesterday was anything but elite. They got gashed constantly. The Florida offensive line just went right through the defensive line of Alabama and nobody thought that was even possible. Alabama could barely stop anything.”

The SEC Office should review …

And this is just from one series, Alabama’s second touchdown drive to go ahead 14-3. There were a couple other dubious calls but these three should be reported to the SEC office:

On third-and-7 at the Alabama 28: Bryce Young throws behind John Metchie III, misses his receiver by a good two yards. Completely uncatchable. Kaiir Elam called for pass interference. Metchie grabbed the jersey of Elam. If there was a penalty it should have been holding on Metchie.

Later on the same drive, third-and-1 at the Alabama 48: A complete pass to Jase McClellan who clearly grabs the face mask of Mohamoud Diabate. Four yards later he goes out of bounds at the UF 34. Should have been a 10-yard penalty from the spot, which would have put the ball back at the 48. Repeat third down.

On the same drive, the TD pass to Jahlil Billingsley from the UF 26: Billingsley was wide open because John Metchie III ran into the DB covering him. Should have been offensive pass interference for an illegal pick.

The Coaches Top 25 Poll: 1. Alabama 3-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Oklahoma 3-0; 4. Oregon 3-0; 5. Texas A&M 3-0; 6. Iowa 3-0; 7. Clemson 2-1; 8. Penn State 3-0; 9. Cincinnati 3-0; 10. Notre Dame 3-0; 11. FLORIDA 2-1; 12. Ohio State 2-1; 13. Ole Miss 3-0; 14. Iowa State 2-1; 15. Wisconsin 1-1; 16. BYU 3-0; 17. Coastal Carolina 3-0; 18. Arkansas 3-0; 19. Michigan 3-0; 20. North Carolina 2-1; 21. Michigan State 3-0; 22. Oklahoma State 3-0; 23. Auburn 2-1; 24. UCLA 2-1; 25. Fresno State

The Associated Press Top 25 Poll: 1. Alabama 3-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Oregon 3-0; 4. Oklahoma 3-0; 5. Iowa 3-0; 6. Penn State 3-0; 7. Texas A&M 3-0; 8. Cincinnati 3-0; 9. Clemson 2-1; 10. Ohio State 2-1; 11. FLORIDA 2-1; 12. Notre Dame 3-0; 13. Ole Miss 3-0; 14. Iowa State 2-1; 15. BYU 3-0; 16. Arkansas 3-0; 17. Coastal Carolina 3-0; 18. Wisconsin 1-1; 19. Michigan 3-0; 20. Michigan State 3-0; 21. North Carolina 2-1; 22. Fresno State 3-1; 24. UCLF 2-1; 25. Kansas State 3-0

MIKE WHITE GETS A COMMITMENT FROM DENZEL ABERDEEN

Denzel Aberdeen (6-4, 175, Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips), a highly regarded combo guard for one of the top prep basketball programs in the state of Florida, is the second commitment for the 2022 recruiting class for Florida coach Mike White. Aberdeen joins 4-star power forward Malik Reneau (6-9, 220, Hialeah, FL/Montverde, FL Montverde, Academy) in the Florida recruiting class.

Rated three stars by both 247Sports and Rivals, Aberdeen had more than 24 scholarship offers with a list that included Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, VCU, Illinois, Minnesota and Georgia Tech.

THE SEC AFTER THREE WEEKS

Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Through three games, Alabama’s running game has to be a concern for Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide is averaging just 4.0 per carry after gaining a mere 399 yard and that includes games with a Miami team that was constantly gouged by Michigan State and D1AA Mercer with its 280-pound defensive tackles. Against Florida, Alabama gained 91 yards on 27 carries. Next week: vs. Southern Miss (1-2)

Arkansas (3-0): KJ Jefferson threw for 366 yard and three touchdowns and Treylon Burks caught three passes for 127 yards and a touchdown on a 91-yard pass from Jefferson in the Hogs’ 45-10 win over Georgia Southern. Arkansas finished with 633 yards of offense. Next week: vs. Texas A&M (3-0) in Arlington, TX

Auburn (2-1): Tank Bigsby carried 23 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns in Auburn’s 28-20 loss to Penn State. Next week: vs. Georgia State (1-2)

Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): JT Daniels returned from his strained oblique to throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns (1 INT) against a bad South Carolina defense. Next week: at Vanderbilt (1-2)

Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC): A week after running for 330 yards on SEC Missouri, Kentucky managed only 102 against D1AA Chattanooga. Will Levis did throw for 254 yards and two TDs but he was picked off twice in the Wildcats 28-23 win. Next week: at South Carolina (2-1)

LSU (2-1): The Tigers scored a 49-21 behind five touchdown passes and 372 yards from Max Johnson, but they still can’t run the ball. LSU managed only 84 yards on 24 carries. Next week: at Mississippi State (2-1)

Mississippi State (2-1): The SEC has called out its officiating crew for not blowing a punt dead after it touched multiple Mississippi State players. When there was no whistle Calvin Austin III picked it up and raced 94 yards for a Memphis touchdown. Also on the play, Memphis had two number fours in the game, a penalty that should have nullified the play. Memphis won the game, 31-29. Next week: vs. LSU (2-1)

Missouri (2-1, 0-1 SEC): The Tigers threw for 440 yards and ran for 235 in their 59-28 win over D1AA Southeast Missouri State. Connor Bazelac threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns while Tyler Badie ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for a third.

Next week: at Boston College (3-0)

Ole Miss (3-0): If you want to know who should be the leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, look no further than Matt Corral, who threw for 335 yards and three TDs while running for 68 yards for four more TDs in the Rebels 61-21 win over Tulane. Corral was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week … The Rebels, who had 707 yards of offense, have an open date before playing host to Alabama on October 2. Next week: Open

South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC): After missing the first two games because of a foot injury, quarterback Luke Doty returned to the lineup, throwing for 153 yards with one TD and one INT against Georgia. Zeb Noland, who started the first two weeks was 1-2 with a 61-yards TDP. Next week: vs. Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC)

Tennessee (2-1): Hendon Hooker threw for three touchdowns and ran for one as Tennessee totally outclassed winless D1AA Tennessee Tech. Next week: at Florida (2-1, 0-1 SEC)

Texas A&M (3-0): Making his first career start, Zach Calzada threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while Isaiah Spiller was 15-117 rushing for two touchdowns in the Aggies’ 34-0 win over New Mexico. The Aggies held New Mexico to 122 yards of offense. Next week: vs. Arkansas (3-0) in Arlington, TX

Vanderbilt (1-2): The bright spot in the Commodores’ 41-23 loss to Stanford was 247 rushing yards led by Rocko Griffin, who gained 107 on 19 carries. Quarterback Ken Seals threw for 120 yards, averaging a pitiful 3.2 yards per attempt. Next week: vs. Georgia (3-0)

ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL In the ACC: Clemson (2-1) was outgained 309-284 and barely beat a bad Georgia Tech team 14-9 … Then 15th-ranked Virginia Tech (2-1) was throttled by West Virginia, 27-21 … Then 24th-ranked Miami (1-2) got hosed by Michigan State, 38-17 … Florida State (0-3) is off to its first 0-3 start since 1976 after getting poleaxed by Wake Forest Gump, 45-14 ... Pitt (2-1), which last week beat Tennessee in Neyland, was shocked by Western Michigan of the MAC (and Cheese), 44-41.

In the Pac-12: Oregon (3-0), which took it easy on D1AA Stony Brook, 48-17, is the only team in the league that hasn’t lost a game so far … Well, the only team unless you consider the fact that independent BYU is 3-0 against the Pac-12 South after whacking Arizona State (2-1) … The UCLA (2-1) bubble burst when Fresno State scored on a 75-yard drive in the final two minutes, getting a touchdown with 14 seconds left for a 40-37 win … Utah (1-2) lost to San Diego State of the Mountain West, Colorado (1-2) was slapped silly by Minnesota, 30-0, and D1AA Northern Arizona beat Arizona (0-3), 21-19.

The Big 12: The Big 12 was 7-0 against outside competition Saturday with both its ranked teams winning. No. 3 Oklahoma had a surprisingly tough 23-16 win over Nebraska and No. 14 Iowa State (2-1) cruised past UNLV, 21-20 … West Virginia (2-1) beat No. 15 Virginia Tech … Oklahoma State is 3-0 after a 21-20 win on the Smurf Turf at Boise State and Kansas State moved to 3-0 with a relatively easy 38-17 win over Nevada.

The Big Ten: With Ohio State (2-1) looking anything like a playoff team, Iowa (3-0) looking like a team that needs an offense, and Penn State (3-0) looking good but not great, Michigan (3-0) suddenly looks like the best team in the Big Ten. Could this possibly be the year Jim Harbaugh finally beats Ohio State and wins the Big Ten title?

Everybody else: Malik Willis accounted for six touchdowns – four passing, two running – to lead Liberty (3-0) past Old Dominion, 45-17 … Jake Haener of Fresno State (3-1) threw for 455 yards and two touchdowns … SMU (3-0) remained unbeaten when Tanner Mordecai’s Hail Mary to the end zone was deflected to one of his receivers for a touchdown on the last play of the game for a 39-37 win over Louisiana Tech. Mordecai, an Oklahoma transfer, threw for five touchdowns, while Oklahoma tight end transfer Grant Calcaterra caught seven passes for 138 yards.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Tennessee comes to Gainesville Saturday to face the Gators, who have won 15 of the last 16 games against the Vols, the only loss coming in 2016. Given the way the Gators have dominated the series, it’s hard to imagine that this was once the single most important early season game in the country. In all but one season (1997) between 1992 and 2001, the winner of the Florida-Tennessee game won the SEC East. Only one year (2000) was neither of the two ranked in the top five. Three times both teams were top ten and four times both were ranked among the top five. I love it when the Gators win, but I do miss the intensity of this rivalry.