A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

Will Florida take the next step and shock the prognosticators or will Georgia maintain status quo in the south and leave Jacksonville with a third straight win over the Gators?

The Florida Gators are set to face the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Jacksonville. The Gators will try to pull off the upset and break Georgia's regular season win streak, which is now at 34. Georgia's last loss in the regular season came to Florida in 2020 where Kyle Trask had a field day.

Hit hard, hit first and hit often.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: “I hit people and they go down. That’s what I do” – Brandon Spikes at a US Army All-American Bowl practice in January, 2006 It was a goal line situation for the East team. Head coach Ted Ginn Sr. called a power play off the right side for Arkon Garfield’s Beanie Wells. Ginn had been vocal about how good Wells was in the red zone. Then he met Mr. Spikes. This wasn’t just any hit. This one was so ferocious that it sounded like a thunderclap. Wells went down in a heap. Spikes bounced back up from the turf as if nothing happened. When Wells got up he took two or three steps to the defensive huddle. Spikes grabbed him by the pads and pointed him to the offense huddle. Wells took two steps and turned back toward the defensive huddle. This time Spikes walked him back to his own huddle. Fast forward to November 1, 2008. Georgia came to Jacksonville 7-1, with only a 41-30 loss to Alabama on its 8th-ranked resume. The Bulldogs were a very confident lot after the way they beat the Gators in 2007. Florida, on the other hand, spent an entire year reminded of Georgia’s entire bench storming the field after a first quarter touchdown, complicated by Georgia coach Mark Richt flat out lying that he was shocked that the Bulldogs would do that. He repeated the lie at SEC Media Days in July 2008. His nose grew at least eight inches. In Florida’s locker and training rooms, a loop of Knowshon Moreno scoring that first touchdown and Georgia storming the field afterward played over and over, a thousand times over, right up to the time the Gators boarded the buses for Jacksonville on October 31. Moreno ran for 188 yards in the 2007 game. From the moment Georgia stormed the field, Urban Meyer was seething. He wasn’t the only one. Brandon Spikes spent a year planning to decleat Knowshon Moreno. On the 2008 game’s second play, Georgia ran that same play that was so successful the year before. Moreno off right guard was so successful in 2007. This time it was meet Mr. Spikes. Spikes hit Moreno high around the shoulder pads with such force that Moreno landed on his back with Spikes in his face letting him know what was going to happen the rest of the day. It took Ahmad Black and at least five other teammates to pull Spikes off Moreno. From that moment, the tone for the entire game was set. Spikes played like a man possessed as the Florida defense carried out a seek and destroy mission. The Gators picked off three Matt Stafford passes (by Joe Haden, Dustin Doe and Ahmad Black) plus Terron Sanders picked up a Moreno fumble and ran it back 20 yards to set up a TD. On the other side of the ball, Tebow exacted his measure of revenge with touchdown passes to Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy plus three rushing TDs. On the O-line, the Pouncey twins spent the day mashing anyone in their way. The final payback came in the game’s final minute. With 44 seconds left and the Gators leading by 39 points, Meyer called time out after a 14-yard run by Emmanuel Moody. The clock would have stopped anyway, but this was Meyer’s response to Richt. CBS showed Mark Richt staring at the scoreboard which read Florida 49, Georgia 10. The next play Moody went for 17. Thirty seconds to go and Meyer called another time out. Again, CBS zeroed in on Richt who stared at the scoreboard. So here we are 15 years later. Florida doesn’t have a storming the field incident for motivation and this Florida team isn’t loaded up with All-Americans like Spikes, Tebow, Harvin, Haden, Black, Mike Pouncey and Marquise Pouncey. That 2008 Florida team had the kind of talent that we see now at Georgia. That 2008 Florida team went into every game knowing it was going to win. This year’s team goes into the Georgia game in so many ways still trying to find itself. On paper it’s a mismatch. Georgia is favored by 14.5 points and if it’s even close, the college football world will be shocked. Does that mean the Gators have no chance at all? Well, South Carolina played the Bulldogs within 10 points in Athens. Auburn, which has one of the worst offenses in all of college football, scored three TDs on Georgia and played the Bulldogs within a touchdown. Florida is better than South Carolina and better than Auburn. And, Florida has something South Carolina and Auburn don’t have. Mr. Spikes. Brandon Spikes, who is making a difference as a volunteer coach while he completes his University of Florida degree, is with those UF linebackers every day. He’s in the face of Florida’s defenders. He is a walking, talking legend sharing what he knows with the kids on this Florida team. He’s also sharing his passion and you can know this if you know nothing else: Brandon Spikes absolutely, positively despises the Georgia Bulldogs. Countdown to Firing Day: October 25, 2022 Extinct Species List Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: There is this chatter about Dave Clawson (Wake Forest) and Willie Fritz (Tulane). The only reason they would leave is if Northwestern offered a rather hefty chunk of that Big Ten media rights money, but even with that, they both know this is a dead end job. As long as Northwestern is in the same league with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, there is no hope. They would be smart to stick with interim David Braun. Mel Tucker, Michigan State: They want Mike Elko but he’s got a better gig going at Duke where he doesn’t have to play Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. On Life Support Mike Pittman, Arkansas: Six straight losses and firing the offensive coordinator eight games in are bad omens. Whether he stays or goes comes down to economics. He needs another win to guarantee at least a .500 record since 2021, which would mean the buyout is nearly $17 million. Lose the last four, the record dips below .500 and the buyout is a tad more than $11 million. Butch Jones, Arkansas State: Butch needs to win three out of five or else they’ll be holding car washes and bake sales to raise the $1.5 million to buy him out. Tom Allen, Indiana: Allen is definitely on a lava-hot seat, but his buyout drops from $20 million to $8 million, so if he hangs around another year it is only because of the economics. Danny Gonzales, New Mexico: The Lobos beat Hawaii and this week they get Nevada, which is very winnable. The last four aren’t. A 4-8 seems to be the ceiling. Dana Holgorsen, Houston: The Cougars are 3-4 with K-State this week. Beat K-State and the Cougars will only need two more wins to be bowl eligible. He’s hanging by a thread. Tony Elliott, Virginia: By beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Elliott doused water on the heat Of course, no one held a gun to their heads to give him a buyout that is $19 million either. Ken Wilson, Nevada: The Wolfpack won a game and the next two (New Mexico and Hawaii) are winnable. Can a 3-win season save his job? Endangered Species List Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: There are some folks out there who think the state of the national economy could save Jimbo’s job. If oil prices rise, the $77 million needed to buy out Jimbo will be raised with a few phone calls. If oil drops, Jimbo may get another year even if he goes 7-5. Jeff Hafley, Boston College: A three-game winning streak is cooling Hafley’s previously scorching hot tush. UConn, Syracuse and Virginia Tech are the next three. Win those and Hafley’s 7-3, safe no matter what happens in the last two games. Dino Babers, Syracuse: The Orange have lost the last three by a combined 88 points. They’re 4-3 and the natives are restless. Two wins in the last five may not do the trick, but three will be a job saver. Dave Aranda, Baylor: The Bears are 3-4, but finding three wins in the last five might need an Ernest Aingley miracle for Aranda to keep his job. The boosters are not the least bit happy. Brady Hoke, San Diego State: The Aztecs lost to previously winless Nevada. They’re 3-5 and six wins feels like a pipe dream. Mike Bloomgren, Rice: The Owls are 4-3 but Tulane and SMU are the next two. Bloomgren really needs 6-6 but that might take a miracle. New athletic director Tommy McClelland might decide to pull the plug if Bloomgren can’t get to 6-6. Zach Arnett, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs got a win last week but it was dog’s butt ugly. A win should have eased the pressure on Arnett, now 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC, but 7-3 over Arkansas doesn’t cut it with State fans. Remember, they fired Joe Moorhead after two seasons because he went 6-7 in year two after an 8-5 2018. Two wins will appease the faithful. One more might not be enough. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Now that we’re just past the midway point of the season, here are some observations about the 14 SEC teams. Alabama: If the Tide plays like it did in the second half against Tennessee, they could win the SEC and make the playoff. The LSU game will tell us everything we need to know. Arkansas: Mike Pittman isn’t dead man walking because of his buyout. The Hogs will be lucky to finish 4-8. Auburn: For the want of a quarterback … Hugh Freeze is wondering what the hell he was thinking when he signed Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne. FLORIDA: The Georgia and LSU games may take a miracle of parting the Red Sea proportions to win, but games with Arkansas, Missouri and even FSU look winnable. An 8-4 is possible, but 7=5 probable. Georgia: For a team that has such personnel advantages, how is it South Carolina played the Bulldogs to within 10 and Auburn could have won if it had a QB who could complete a forward pass? Georgia probably runs the regular season table, but the Bulldogs aren’t as good as they were the last two years. Kentucky: An 8-4 finish seems likely with the Wildcats going down in flames to Tennessee this weekend and Alabama in a couple of weeks. LSU: Jayden Daniels can still win the Heisman if he goes beast mode in the Tigers next two games at Alabama and home against Florida. LSU could win the West if it wins those two games. Mississippi State: There are winnable games with Auburn and Southern Miss. A 6-6 is possible but not probable. Missouri: Everybody’s feel good story, but are the Tigers really that good? They still have to play Georgia, Tennessee and Florida on consecutive weeks. A 9-3 record would be an accomplishment. Ole Miss: Could Lane Kiffin sneak out of Athens with a win over Georgia in two weeks or will the Rebels crash and burn like they did against Alabama? Beat Georgia and the Rebels might make the SEC Championship Game for the first time in school history. South Carolina: There were some experts predicting the Gamecocks would finish second in the SEC. Now they need to go 4-1 the rest of the way just to make it to the Weedwacker or worse. Tennessee: Remember the hype for Joe Milton? He’s the reason the Vols probably finish 8-4. Texas A&M: The Aggies play Ole Miss and LSU on the road so a Kevin Sumlin-like 7-5 or 8-4 seems likely. Divorce between Jimbo and Bobby Petrino is imminent. Vanderbilt: There were such high hopes, but it’s been two steps backwards. There is a reason Vandy is everybody’s favorite Homecoming opponent.

It was only a scrimmage so it won’t count as a win when games begin for real in a couple of weeks, but Florida’s 91-89 buzzer beater win over Miami in closed to the public scrimmage in Coral Gables might be a sign of good things to come. Miami made the Final Four a year ago and returns several key pieces from that team while Todd Golden had to do a total rebuild from last year’s 16-17 team that made the NIT. The win came on a fallaway bank shot off the bounce from Cal-Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin. Sophomore Riley Kugel led the Gators with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel had 19 points, six rebounds and Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. had 15 points and nine assists. Florida’s starting lineup was 7-1 Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten, 6-10 Samuel, 6-5 Kugel, 6-4 Will Richard and 6-2 Clayton. At a Tuesday afternoon session with the media, Golden seemed rather pleased with the win and the overall effort. “I feel like we have a good team,” Golden said. “I feel like we’ve grown and gotten better, but until you go up against someone else you always have those doubts and question marks. The thing that I was most pleased with, I thought our effort was great. I thought we played really, really hard. I thought we played with pace and we were super unselfish. I thought we did a great job sharing the ball and with a team on the floor with eight new guys and only two guys who had any rotational minutes last year, the way we played together is something we’re going to focus on and talk about and work on all the time. For our first effort, I thought it was really good that way.” The Gators were vertically challenged a year ago when the only quality minutes they got in the paint came from Colin Castleton. When he went down with an injury, so did Florida’s inside game. The Gators have more size both up front and on the perimeter, but they have the ability to push the ball up and down the floor. While the Gators played at a much faster pace against Miami – “It would have been our highest possession game of the season last year” – Golden was pleased that turnovers were minimal as were rushed shots in transition. “if you can play that way and take care of the ball, and play with efficiency that we did, pace is going to be really good for us, you know,” Golden said. “You start getting yourself into trouble when maybe you start taking bad shots or you’re getting loose to the ball and giving them easy run-outs and stuff like that, but I do think the strength of our team is ball-handling and ball-security, and if we can take advantage of that, as well getting the number up in terms of the pace and the way we’re playing, I think that’s going to benefit us for the long run, for sure.” Defense was not a strong suit. Playing with a small, quick lineup loaded with shooters, Miami shot nearly 50 percent (30-62) for the game and the Hurricanes hit 12-26 of their 3-pointers. If there was an alarm bell sounded with Golden, it had to do with Miami squeezing off 26 3-pointers. “I think it’s about containing the amount of attempts they get, you know, because once the ball’s in the air there’s only so much you can do when you’re guarding the three-point line,” Golden said. “We want to run them off, we want to follow them up, make them take those tough twos at the rim. So, you know, multiple games we don’t want to see more than 20 attempts from three, and we didn’t achieve that on Saturday.” From an offensive standpoint, the Gators had excellent ball movement which resulted in hitting 34-71 shots from the field. The Gators struggled a bit from the 3-point line, hitting only 6-24, but this team has more capable shooters on the team than last season. Kugel (2-5) and Richard (2-6) shot well, but the others combined to go just 2-13. The Gators had a very efficient game in the paint, where the added size paid off both in putting the ball in the basket as well as kicking out to shooters. “We shared it really well,” Golden said. “We played out of the pick-and-roll really well most of the day. We had a lot of assists. We had a lot of baskets close to the rim that are high-percentage baskets. Our depth up front really showed. ‘Reese (Samuel) and Micah started. Our freshmen came in and really did a great job carrying the load as well. Again, that was one of the encouraging things. We didn’t shoot it great, but we were able to be efficient and finish around the rim." Freshman Thomas Hauck (6-9) came off the bench to grab six offensive boards in 15 minutes while 6-11 freshman Alex Condon played 20. “We didn’t drop when they were in there,” Golden said, noting the two will have to be contributors this season. The big who showed up at both ends of the court consistently was Samuel, who spent four years at Seton Hall where he started on some very good teams. A very physical big guy (6-10, 240) Samuel is expected to bring toughness in and around the rim, something the Gators lacked if Castleton wasn’t in the game a year ago. Samuel’s offensive production was off the charts against the Hurricanes. "He's just a really good player,” Golden said. “He's a veteran, played in the NCAA Tournament before, a guy who averaged double figures in the Big East, so he's not scared out there. He's a guy who really understands the game and he's really good with the ball, he's really efficient. I think he only missed one shot on Saturday and he scored a good amount. Really impactful player.” Golden on Riley Kugel: “He’s made a huge jump. It’s really in his consistency. At times last year, you saw the ceiling and how well he can play, whether it was when he had [24] at home against Kentucky or when he carried us down the stretch to wins at Georgia and against LSU at home. But, for us, the way he’s practicing has been super consistent in going really, really hard and it really raises the level of our team. He’s just playing at a really, really high level and being really efficient, unselfish, smart and competing really hard on both ends. He had a great rebounding performance on Saturday, which was really encouraging. It’s just what we expect in our program. When guys go from freshman to sophomore we expect them to make a really big jump. He’s doing that." Golden on the big guys finding open shooters from the paint: “The way we want to play, I think it's really, really important because we want all five guys to be decision-makers. A big part of being a decision-maker is not turning the ball over when you touch it, so I think our bigs had 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and close to 10 assists combined and they found easy baskets for guys. Again, all four of those guys that played in the front court can really pass it and really have good feel and good understanding of the game. So again, that was that was what I walked away from most pleased with was the way we moved the ball. We did a really good job that way.” Golden on Zyon Pullin: “You know, he’s an incredibly smart player, you know, so he is good about being in the right place at the right time, and he can sneak out an extra one every now and again, but just his stability on both sides of the ball is where I think he’ll really help us and where I think he did on Saturday.” Golden on Joakim Noah visiting with the Gators in Miami: “It was special. It was really awesome. We talk a lot about the history and tradition of our program, and it's one of the things that we really sell when we recruit is we want guys that want to become a part of that. And so when Jo came by and visited with a lot of the younger guys it was really impactful. He shared some messages with the team. My favorite thing he said to the team was simply do your job. Do your job. And you know when a multiple all-NBA, NBA All-Star guy that’s made over $100 million in the NBA comes with a simplistic message like that to the team it resonates. It was really neat.” Injury update: San Francisco transfer Julian Rishwain (knee) has been cleared to practice. Sophomore Aleks Szymczyk (6-10, 250) just got his broken foot out of a boot. “He’s out of the boot, now it’s just about getting in shape and getting strong,” Golden said. “I’m not sure how quickly he’ll be ready to go. I think Julian’s ahead of him. I think we’ll see Julian before we see Shimmy. My hope is somewhere around the middle of November, maybe that third week of November we’ll get Shimmy back. But it’ll help, you know, having another body there will be beneficial for us, for sure.”

It’s that time during the season. Halloween is here and so is the Largest Cocktail Party in the World. Florida and Georgia are set to meetup for the 101st time, according to Florida, with both teams coming off of a bye week. Georgia hasn’t lost a regular season game since Kyle Trask and company upset Georgia in 2020 during COVID year, 34 straight regular season games. While Georgia is dealing with a few key injuries, notably star tight end Brock Bowers, Billy Napier and theGators used the off week to get healthy and prepare for the reigning back-to-back national champions. Bowers had to undergo ankle surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks, but Napier made sure to point out the kind of player Bowers is and the impact he can have on a game. “Obviously this is not only one of the best players in America this year, last year, I mean, this is one of the best players of all time,” Napiers said on Bowers. “They're handing the guy sweeps. They were handing the guy the ball. He's a terrific blocker. He's tough. He's got a really good set of fundamentals. Made him really hard to defend.” On the Gator’s sideline, Napier emphasized how the bye week came at a great time for his players. Not on just the physical side, the mental aspect as well. “Then I just think in general we played seven games,” Napier said. “There’s not only a physical break here but there’s a mental break as well.” One of the biggest darkhorse performers for Florida this season has been the play of Ocala local Jake Slaughter. The backup center was forced to step into the starting role after Kingsley Eguakun has played just two games this season. After an unideal opener for Slaughter in Utah, the redshirt sophomore has played very well up front for the Gators this season. With Eguakun missing the South Carolina game, the idea was for him to be back at full strength for the Georgia matchup. In addition to Eguakun, Trevor Etienne, who has been banged up the past few games, is back at full strength along with the emergence of young tight ends. “Jake [Slaughter] gaining experience helps. Just getting healthy to some degree. Trevor [Etienne] is back. I think you got a number of things that contribute to that,” Napier said. “I think the coaches have done a good job. I think the tight ends have improved. We're getting good play and production from boarding ham. I think Hayden Hansen is steadily getting better as he gains more experience.” The stage is set for Saturday where Billy Napier could get his first win against Georgia in an upset, or Georgia could be well on their way to their third straight SEC East title and fifth in the last seven years.

The Gators have had their eyes set on five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray for quite some time, but now it pays off. The Daytona Beach (Fl.) native announced his commitment to Florida on Saturday. McCray was potentially the most coveted remaining target for Billy Napier and the rest of the Florida recruiting team. He is ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 DL in the country by On3 and 247Sports respectively. Over the course of his recruitment, McCray made a total of seven visits to Gainesville, highlighted by his June 2 visit, the same weekend that other notable prospects were in town including DJ Lagway. "I really talk to a lot of the coaches there," McCray said of Florida. "Coach Napier a lot, but I would say Coach [Sean] Spencer and Coach [Mike] Peterson have been the ones I have talked to the longest. I talk to them evenly. Since Coach Armstrong has gotten there. I probably talk to him more than anyone at Florida now. Since he's been there, I think I am one of the first guys he called." The Mainland High School (Fl.) product narrowed his options down to a top five, which saw Florida joined by Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Miami. However, people within the Florida program believed that Georgia was their biggest threat heading into Saturday. Florida picked up a lot of momentum in the days and hours leading up to the announcement, with On3's recruiting prediction machine swinging in the Gators' direction. Additionally, Zach Blostein of 247Sports submitted a Crystal Ball prediction on Friday in favor of the Orange & Blue. Adding McCray is huge for the Gators, who are currently boasting a top-3 recruiting class according to both On3 and 247Sports. Florida is also in need of reinforcements on the defensive front. With the commitment from McCray, the Gators' 2024 class is up to commits.

On November 4th, when the Gators face off against Arkansas, the match will be aired on ESPN2, kicking off at noon, as announced by the Southeastern Conference (SEC) on Monday. Not an ideal starting time for Gator fans as the hype has been building around the debut of the black jerseys for Florida. -The Solar Eclipse Game Florida recently declared that the game is completely sold out, marking the fourth consecutive sellout this season and the eighth overall during Billy Napier's tenure. In Napier's inaugural season at Florida, four games witnessed full attendance. Prior to this, since 2018, the Gators had only managed four sellouts in total. The Gators maintain a commanding lead in the series with an impressive 8-2 record, with a 5-0 record against the Hogs inside the Swamp, outscoring them 217-102 in those matchups. The last showdown between the Gators and the Razorbacks took place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2020, with UF coming out on top with a scoreline of 63-35. The last time these SEC powerhouses clashed in Gainesville was back in 2013, resulting in yet another win for Florida. This Solar Eclipse game is a great narrative for the game since this is the first time the Gator's have pulled out the black jerseys in school history and it is a noon game. Gator enthusiasts attending the game are encouraged to wear black, although weather will play a factor in a lot of people's color choices. In a tribute to military personnel and first responders, each player's jersey will bear a nameplate featuring one of five words synonymous with the principles upheld by these individuals. These five terms, handpicked by a representative from each branch of the military and first responders, are Honor, Courage, Commitment, Excellence, and Integrity. Fans can prepare for game day by acquiring the official black alternate jersey and other sideline apparel through Florida's official fan site. Florida Head Coach Billy Napier said, "I know Gator Nation is excited about the team wearing black uniforms, but I don’t want us to lose sight of the intent relative to creating awareness and showing gratitude and appreciation for all branches of our military and first responders." He added, "We’re doing something that’s going to be a lot of fun, but ultimately, we’re hopeful that we can recognize and show appreciation for a lot of selfless people that have chosen a profession of service and put their lives at risk each day." Gators fans also have the opportunity to commemorate this occasion by acquiring replica black Gators helmets. A limited quantity of team-issued jerseys and helmets will be available through auction. The auction is set on Fanatics.com on October 30th, with fans receiving the merchandise after the game concludes.

The gymnastics portion of the Pan American Games took place on Sunday and Monday and the Florida Gators saw two representatives participating. Kayla DiCello helped the U.S. win the team gold, its sixth consecutive gold medal at the Pan American games. She also took home the gold medal in the all-around final, posting a 54.565 score through the four events. DiCello narrowly beat out Flavia Saraiva of Brazil (54.565) to win the gold. Meanwhile, the Americans won more handily, with a team score of 165.196, more than three points higher than silver medal winners Brazil. Canada rounded out the medaling nations, coming in third to take home bronze. The Gators gymnast is the first American to win the all-around gold medal at the Pan American Games since Bridgette Caquatto, a former Florida All-American, won in 2011. Anya Pilgrim, a Gator freshman, also competed in the games and placed 18th overall in the competition. It has been an eventful month for DiCello, who also won a gold medal as an alternate on the U.S. 2023 World Championships team. The reigning SEC Freshman of the Year is not done at the Pan Am Games as she prepares for the balance beam and floor exercise finals which will take place on Wednesday. DiCello announced earlier this year that she would be taking a gap year in hopes of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. She does still plan on returning to Florida for the 2025 season after the Olympics.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: