Thoughts of the Day: September 5, 2022

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

THE O-LINE WENT BEAST MODE

There are people doing hard time in Raiford for less than what O’Cyrus Torrence did to whoever Utah lined up against him Saturday night. To say he beat them up would be grossly understating the punishment he dealt. He mauled them. Plain and simple.

On what proved to be the game-winning drive Saturday night, Torrence wasn’t the only mauler on Florida’s offensive line. The Gators went beast mode and they dominated Utah’s highly regarded defensive front seven. The Gators drove 75 yards in 14 plays, eating up nearly five minutes of valuable time off the clock. Given the way Utah moved the football on the Florida defense in the second half, you could go so far as to say Billy Napier had the Gators playing defense with the offense.

“I felt like we could move it,” Napier said post game after the Gators gave him a 29-26 win over 7th-ranked Utah in his Florida coaching debut before 90,779 insanely loud fans at The Swamp. Napier wasn’t afraid to let Anthony Richardson throw the ball, but he wanted the seconds ticking off the clock and the best way to do that was to run the ball.

Of Florida’s 14 plays on the drive, the Gators threw two very safe passes – a 5-yard swing pass to Xzavier Henderson that converted a third-and-four and a 7-yard dump off to Trevor Etienne that was almost an extended handoff. There was a third pass play called, this one a play-action on fourth-and-three from the Utah 26. When Utah brought the house, Montrell Johnson picked off a blitzer enabling Richardson an escape route to his right that turned into a 9-yard gain to the 17.

The 12 running plays on the drive netted 63 yards. There was a 21-yard run by Etienne and a 10-yarder by Johnson. Otherwise it was pound it between the tackles. Move the chains. Keep the clock running.

Once the clock dipped below the five minute mark, it was four-down territory the rest of the way.

“Once you got it under five minutes, it’s go for it,” Napier said. “You’ve got four downs the entire time. You’re throwing completions, can’t afford a negative play, right? And you have to have sound runs. We did that knowing that we’re going to go for it on fourth down the entire time.”

The drive ended with Richardson’s third touchdown run of the night, a 2-yarder on the right side behind Torrence and Michael Tarquin with 1:25 to go in the game. It was the perfect ending to a drive that owed its success to the combination of a quarterback with unmatched speed and skills, three outstanding running backs (Nay’Quan Wright, Johnson and Etienne) and an offensive line playing as tough as any Florida line we’ve seen in years.

We can’t begin to discount what Richardson, Wright, Johnson and Etienne bring to the running game, but the running game doesn’t click if the offensive line isn’t playing to a very high standard. Take a look at the numbers. Florida ran the ball 39 times for a net of 283 yards (7.3 per carry). The Gators had only four yards in losses, which is pretty remarkable considering the toughness and experience of the Utah D-line. Richardson wasn’t sacked, in part because he was strong enough to shuck a blitzer on two or three occasions and turn potential losses into gains, but he showed good decision-making. When he dropped back to pass and it looked like the Red Sea had parted in front of him, he was more than willing to take off. He only ran the ball 11 times the entire night (106 yards, 9.6 per carry).

For the last several years, the knock on the Florida offensive line was a lack of toughness and a lack of discipline. The Gators looked plenty tough and it was obvious from the opening drive that they’re far better coached this year. That two-coach approach (Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton) to the O-line does have merits. Lest we forget, the Gators won two national championships in three years (2006 and 2008) with Steve Addazio and John Hevesy splitting the duties.

There remains concern about depth on the offensive line. Just as we have to be concerned about injuries to Richardson, we have to be concerned that one or two key components to the offensive line could go down. Napier says the Gators have seven or eight O-linemen that he’s ready to go to war with. If they stay healthy and continue to develop under the coaching of Sale and Stapleton, they will be difference makers before this season is over.

SEC football

#1 Alabama (1-0): In addition to throwing for five touchdowns in the first half, Heisman Trophy QB Bryce Young ran for a career high 100 yards and a TD. Next week: at Texas (1-0)

#19 Arkansas (1-0): Quarterback KJ Jefferson was 18-26 passing for 223 yards and three touchdowns, plus he ran for 56 yards and another score as the Hogs opened their season with a 31-24 win over 23rd-ranked Cincinnati. Next week: vs. South Carolina (1-0)

Auburn (1-0): Next week: vs. San Jose State (1-0)

# 3 Georgia (1-0): Take a look at what Stetson Bennett did against Oregon (25-31, 368 yards, 2 TDPs) and what JT Daniels did for West Virginia against Pitt (23-40. 214 yards, 2 TDPs, 1 critical interception) and you have no problems whatsoever understanding why Bennett was the QB last year and Daniels rode the pine. Bennett makes plays and wins. Daniels does things that get you beaten. Next week: vs. Samford (1-0)

#20 Kentucky (1-0): The Big Blue Wall, the nickname for UK’s offensive line, has a few cracks in it and freshmen are starting on the left side. The Wildcats ran for 50 (count ‘em) yards on 26 carries against Miami of the MAC. Tackles David Wohlabaugh Jr. and Jeremy Flax had serious issues with speed off the edge which is why the Wildcats gave up four sacks. In the absence of All-SEC RB Chris Rodriguez, UK turned to QB Will Levis to carry the team. He threw for 303 yards but threw a pick, missed some open receivers and was inconsistent … HBC Mark Stoops won his 60th game, tying Bear Bryant for the most career wins. Bear left UK in 1953. Next week: at Florida (1-0)

LSU (0-1): Brian Kelly’s debut as the LSU coach ended in a 24-23 loss to Florida State when the extra point that would have sent the game into overtime was blocked. LSU drove 99 yards to score on the final play of regulation. LSU is the only team in the SEC with a loss. Next week: vs. Southern University (1-0)

Mississippi State (1-0): Get ready for Will Rogers to set the single season passing records in the SEC. He started the season against Memphis 38-49 for 450 yards and five touchdowns, completing passes to 11 different receivers. Next week: at Arizona (1-0)

Missouri (1-0): Wide receiver Chance Luper, who was supposed to be a starter, is in the hospital with an undisclosed illness and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. Next week: at Kansas State (1-0)

#21 Ole Miss (1-0): The QB mystery was solved with Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart getting the start, but he was underwhelming, averaging just 5.7 per attempt and throwing a pick. TCU running back transfer Zach Evans more than lived up to the hype with 20 carries for 130 yards.

Next week: vs. Central Arkansas (0-1)

South Carolina (1-0): Is there reason for concern with QB Spencer Rattler? He threw more picks (2) and TDPs (1) against Georgia State while averaging a very pedestrian 6.1 yards per pass attempt. The South Carolina run defense gave up 200 yards on 40 attempts to Georgia State. Next week: at #19 Arkansas (1-0)

Tennessee (1-0): If there is a real concern about the UT defense, it is in their ability to pressure the QB. They didn’t get a single sack in their win over Ball State and at Pitt they face Kedon Slovis, who threw for 308 yards without turning the ball over against West Virginia. Next week: at #17 Pittsburgh (1-0)

#6 Texas A&M (1-0): Haynes King threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns but he completed two passes to D1AA Sam Houston. The Aggies pitched a shutout and gave up only 198 total yards. Next week: vs. Appalachian State (0-1)

Vanderbilt (2-0): Yes, the two opponents have been a bad Hawai’i team and D1AA Elon Musk, but Vanderbilt has scored 105 points in two games. Vandy only scored 189 in 12 games last year. With Wake Forest Gump in Nashville next week, Vandy has a chance to open the season 3-0. What are the odds? Next week: vs. Wake Forest (1-0)

Our SEC orphans in the Big 12

#9 Oklahoma (1-0): Defense, which has been in short supply the last few years, seems to be heading for a resurgence under new HBC Brent Venables. In their win over UTEP, the Sooners allowed only 13 points and 316 yards. They sacked the QB six times. Next week: vs. Kent State (0-1)

Texas (1-0): Quinn Ewers completed 16-24 passes for 225 yards with two TDPs and one interception in his Texas debut … Alabama transfer tight end Jaleel Billingslee has been suspended for six games. The explanation is “something he did at Alabama.” Next week: vs. #1 Alabama (1-0)

Football played elsewhere beside the SEC North Carolina (2-0): Wasn’t Gene Chizik supposed to bring defense back to Chapel Hill? Then how is it Appalachian State scored 40 in the fourth quarter on the Tar Heels? Better yet, how is it possible to win a football game 63-61 when you give up 40 in the fourth quarter?

Coastal Carolina (1-0): Grayson McCall threw for three TDs without a pick and ran for one in Coastal’s win over Army. McCall has thrown for 57 TDs and only six interceptions in 512 career pass attempts.

Iowa (1-0): The Hawkeyes beat D1AA South Dakota State 7-3 on the strength of a field goal and two safeties.

Nebraska (1-1): Scott Frost might not have survived the weekend had the Cornhuskers lost to D1AA North Dakota. After a 7-7 halftime, the Huskers did pull out a 38-17 win. They get Georgia Southern this week.

BYU (1-0): The Cougars routed South Florida 50-21 to set up a Mormons vs. Baptists showdown in Provo next week when 10th-ranked Baylor comes to town.

Washington (1-0): Tampa Bay Tech alum Michael Penix Jr. is now the QB at Washington after departing Indiana via the transfer portal. He threw for 345 yards and four TDs in his debut with UDub, leading the Huskies past Kent State.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: There will be a 12-team College Football Playoff and it’s going to be virtually the same playoff that was proposed a year ago that “The Alliance” rejected. The six highest ranked conference champs will get in as well as six at-large teams, which guarantees that at least one Group of Five team will be in the playoff every year. This what the Greg Sankey-led group proposed in 2021 before the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 got snooty because Texas and Oklahoma opted to leave the Big 12. The four highest rated teams will get a first round bye.

There is hope that the 12-team playoff can be implemented prior to 2026, but that remains to be seen for a variety of reasons, chief among them will one single network carry the entire playoff or will other networks be involved? Also, there are serious details that must be worked out regarding logistics as well as playoff sites. There is a lot of sentiment for first and second round games to be played on college campuses rather than neutral sites.

In Pac-12 circles there is talk that the expanded playoff could save the league from extinction. Would Oregon, Washington, California and Stanford elect to remain in a league whose champion will almost certainly get in the playoff rather than die in obscurity in the Big Ten?