What will these next two weeks tell us about the Florida Gators? They’re 2-0 with potentially one of the most spectacular offenses in school history and a defense, that while loaded with veteran talent, is suspect through the first two games. If you go by rankings alone, the 4th-ranked Gators (Associated Press poll; UF is tied for third in the Coaches poll), the roadie to 21st-ranked Texas A&M followed by the homer with 17th-ranked LSU should cruise through these next two games as they set up the ultimate showdown with Georgia in Jacksonville on November 7. But games aren’t played on paper and one or both of these games could prove to be more than just a speed bump along the way on this 10-game virus inspired gauntlet of all Southeastern Conference games. Win both and the perception nationally is that Florida is indeed a challenger for the SEC title and potentially a berth in the College Football Playoff. Lose one of the two and the Gators are still in good enough shape to win the SEC East. Lose them both and Florida can all but forget about the playoff and probably the SEC East, too. So, much is at stake and the burning question is are the Gators ready to take that great leap forward to go from really good to elite? That’s what it is going to take to become a championship caliber team. Good teams go 8-2 and 7-3. Great teams can have a one-game hiccup and go 9-1. Elite? To get there the Gators have to run the table. The Gators did that in the 1995 regular season only to have their national championship aspirations destroyed by a Nebraska team that most experts say is one of the two or three best teams in college football history. The Gators also ran through the 2009 regular season unbeaten only to lose to eventual national champ Alabama in the SEC title game. This is the year that Dan Mullen was pointing towards when he took the Florida job. What he has done in the first two seasons is fairly remarkable, certainly better than expected considering he took over a team that had gone 4-7 the year before and a recruiting base that was left shaking on its foundations by the previous coaching staff. The 10-3 record in 2018 that included a kneecapping of Michigan in the Peach Bowl raised eyebrows. Last season’s 11-2 that concluded with an Orange Bowl win over Virginia was another big step forward. The 21-5 mark with wins in New Years Six bowl games at the end of both seasons is quite an accomplishment considering Mullen did it with a patchwork of players left over from the previous staff, some strategically good transfers such as wide receivers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes and edge rusher Jonathan Greenard plus solid if not spectacular recruiting. Four of the five losses can be pegged with the quality label. In 2018 the Gators lost to a Kentucky team that won 10 games and to Georgia, which came within a whisker of knocking off Alabama in the SEC title game. The two losses in 2019 were to eventual national champ LSU in a close call in Baton Rouge and another loss to Georgia. The two losses to Georgia are the ones that have stung the most because to make the leap from very good to elite the Gators first have to start winning the SEC East. Georgia has won the last three division titles and is the obstacle the Gators must get past to take the next step in Mullen’s plan to restore Florida to a championship-level program. As the flamboyant wrestler and passionate Gator fan Ric Flair might say, “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” Right now, Georgia is the man. In Kirby Smart’s four-year tenure, he’s turned Georgia into a true national power and has recruited four- and five-star players at an astonishing rate. While Mullen’s first three recruiting classes haven’t had the spectacular acclaim as those at Georgia, he’s methodically built the Florida roster into one that is very capable of challenging the Bulldogs. For the first time since he arrived at UF, Mullen has a roster that hasn’t any real holes. In a season in which depth is more of a requirement than ever before due to Covid-19, Mullen has quality starters and the two- and three-deep are filled with players who are capable of stepping in if someone has to miss a game due to injury or the virus. To dethrone Georgia, the Gators have to get to November 7 poised and ready to score a win and take charge of the SEC East but first they have to take care of business by getting past the Aggies and LSU these next two weekends. The Gators can’t win the SEC East by winning these two games since there will be six remaining on the schedule, but they can certainly lose any shot at a title so there will be real pressure for the first time. How the Gators handle pressure will go a long way toward telling us if this team is ready for prime time or heading for just another good season. Adding to the pressure that’s on the Gators’ shoulders are the desperate situations at both Texas A&M and LSU, both 1-1 on the season. The Aggies got their doors blown off by Alabama last week while LSU was shocked by Mississippi State in the season opener. One more loss and both the Aggies and Tigers can kiss good-bye any championship dreams. The Gators are certainly capable of winning these next two games, particularly if the defense starts playing to its potential. Neither Texas A&M or LSU seem capable of stopping Florida’s high-flying offense led by the Kyle-to-Kyle connection. Trask to Pitts might be the nation’s most lethal passing combo. Kyle Trask has thrown 10 touchdown passes in two games, six of them to Pitts. Both have gone from off the radar to serious Heisman Trophy candidates with their play but more importantly, they have become nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators. Throw in an emerging running game with Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis that seems ready to add a serious dimension to the offense and the Gators could take on the look of unstoppable. Scoring points doesn’t seem like it will be a problem as long as Trask is pulling the trigger and Pitts is roaming through secondaries as the ultimate nightmare matchup. Stopping the other team from scoring? That’s what has Florida fans feeling edgy. They know teams that have to win in shootouts generally stumble at a time when they least can afford it. UF fans won’t rest easy until the defense shows it can get opponents off the field, a real problem through the first two games. Florida has allowed 15 third down conversions in 31 attempts and five fourth down conversions in seven tries. Those numbers are a huge red flag and spell trouble if they continue. The Gators gave up 613 yards and 35 points to Ole Miss in the season opener and while they held South Carolina to just 329 yards last week, the Gamecocks ran off 83 plays and held the ball for more than 11 minutes in the fourth quarter. South Carolina didn’t have the explosive offensive plays of Ole Miss, but the Gamecocks kept plugging away and keeping the chains moving. What the Gators need is a real leader on defense who can be a tackling machine while at the same time the traffic cop who gets everyone in the right place. Middle linebacker Ventrell Miller, who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after he made 15 tackles in the Ole Miss game, has the tackling part down pat but can he be another David Reese, an unparalleled leader who was like a coach on the field? Miller can’t do all the tackling but he should get some help when Jeremiah Moon is back up to full speed. Moon missed game one due to Covid-19 and out of gas by the time the fourth quarter arrived against South Carolina. If he’s at full speed, he is a versatile linebacker who can stop the run, rush the passer and play in space. Amari Burney, who was moved to linebacker (played safety last year), has yet to play with consistency, but the physical talent is there. Getting those three going would certainly improve the Florida defense enormously. The Gators have eight sacks in two games but the pass rush has to become more consistent to help a secondary that played the first two games minus Brad Stewart, who will be in the lineup against the Aggies at the STAR position which he will share with Marco Wilson. Brenton Cox Jr. is a terror off the edge. It only took the first half of the Ole Miss game for everyone in the SEC to see what Cox is capable of doing. He’s been doubled up and sometimes tripled up ever since. He’s gotten some help from Zacharay Carter, who won SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after the South Carolina game, but the Gators still need another serious edge rusher. Khris Bogle, who was playing at less than 100 percent against South Carolina, looks to be that guy and Moon will also make it so that teams doubling Cox will pay a severe price. There is ample talent on the defensive side, but the Gators have yet to put a complete game together. The defense made strides against South Carolina, but the Aggies and LSU are far more potent offensively than the Gamecocks so the time to make serious improvement is now. Get through these two games with wins and the Gators will be in excellent shape with only bottom feeder Missouri standing between them and a Jacksonville showdown with Georgia that probably will decide the SEC East championship. Win them both and the Gators truly establish themselves as potential national contenders. Win only one and the season isn’t over, but the path to the playoff becomes murkier. Lose them both and the Gators are simply a really good team for the third straight year. There is a fine line between really good, great and elite. The path to elite starts Saturday against the Aggies.

There were 88,034 fans in attendance for a battle of unbeatens. Granted, it was week two and the Gators were playing East Carolina, but 88,034 people packed The Swamp. What a time to be alive. Despite a piss-poor matchup against the ECU Pirates, a Jim McElwain-led Gator squad kept it close through four quarters. In just his second game at Florida, McElwain had the Gators white-knuckling a 24-17 lead with under seven minutes to play. But Florida running back Kelvin Taylor had something to say about that. From the 7-yard line, Taylor collected the handoff from Treon Harris before bolting ahead to the end zone to add some cushion to Florida’s lead and seemingly put the game on ice. Taylor, in front of an end zone full of fans, quickly slid his left hand across his throat. “I took it as the game was over,” Taylor later said. “It’s a wrap.” It’s a miracle Taylor lived to tell the story after the spitting tirade McElwain gave him in return. But now, five years removed from Taylor’s “incident” and the head coach of the Gators is asking his team to be cutthroat. “I think it’s growing,” Dan Mullen said of his team’s cutthroat mentality. “I don’t want to downplay that we don’t have it.” But the reality is, if the Gators do have a cutthroat mentality, it hasn’t exactly shown in week one and two. Like in 2015, the Gators were widely favored to win their first two games. And they did. In 2020, especially in a conference-only schedule, 2-0 is a great start. However, it’s no secret that something has been missing. That little extra oomph isn’t there. Last Saturday, though Florida was up on South Carolina 38-14, the Gators looked like a green driver learning how to drive a standard — they were putting their foot on every pedal but the gas. According to Mullen, not including plays from victory formation, the Gators ran nine plays on offense after their final touchdown with 4:44 to play in the third quarter. “You know I don’t count the take-a-knee at the end of the game, but you know I mean, nine plays, 11 yards, three-and-out and a turnover. Defensively had 40 plays for 160 yards, more than a third of their yards came after we were up 38-14. Gave up 10 points and then stopped them on a goal line play at the end.” Come the fourth quarter, South Carolina’s offense owned the football for 11 minutes and 12 seconds of the 15 minute quarter. In Florida’s 3:48 of possession, the Gators earned two yards on six plays in two drives that ended in an interception and a punt, respectively. Meanwhile, Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks put together 113 yards on 29 plays. “You’ve got to be efficient on offense,” Mullen said. “That’s a big thing we always harp on. You don’t know how many plays and opportunities you’ll get. Obviously, our last couple possessions offensively were very disappointing, really the whole second half very disappointing offensively of the game.” It’s bizarre to hear someone call Florida’s offense disappointing. Through just two games this season, the Gators’ offense ranks 13th in FBS rankings of total offense. With 127 plays and 990 yards, the Gators are averaging 7.8 yards per play, a stat in which they are only behind BYU, which has averaged 8.1 yards per play. The Gators’ offense, which touts two *early* Heisman hopefuls, has been successful. And in a game like football, where everything works hand in hand, one must ask if the fingers should be pointing at the defense. Just two games into the season, and Florida’s defense has been a whipping post for criticism. Missed tackles, lack of pressure on the quarterback and soft coverage in the defensive backfield are all issues that have surfaced. And those on defense haven’t been shy about criticizing themselves. “The defense has to go out there and start making stops instead of just giving the team life back,” Florida linebacker Amari Burney admitted. “I’ve got to step it up. These last two weeks have been unacceptable for me, personally.” Instead of giving opposing teams life, the Gators are grappling with finding their killer instinct — something that can’t be coached. “I just think it comes from playing, you know what I mean?,” Mullen said of teaching the intangibles. “It’s getting back into that whole game mindset. It’s like at practice, ‘Hey, we get it taught. I’ve got it figured out. I know we got this period. I got it, coach. I’m kind of going through the motions.’ “It’s got to be addressed with every aspect and every member of the team, start to finish the effort we give and the looks we give, whether I’m on the scout team, whether I’m a backup or I’m a starter. It’s got to start at practice with just that mindset of complete while we’re playing, everything we do, maximum effort to finish.” Mullen has always harped on his team having relentless effort… keeping on the gas… being cutthroat. Back in 2018, after an early season home loss to the Kentucky Wildcats—the first in over 30 years—Dan Mullen publicly called his team out and famously told the world the attitude needed to be, "if you wanna thumb wrestle me right now, I wanna beat your ass." Florida went on win 10 games that season and defeat Michigan in the New Year's Six Peach Bowl. And the Gators certainly have the talent to do that again. They just need to find the attitude to match it. Just like Kelvin Taylor did on Sept. 12, 2015.

No. 4 Florida Gators (2-0, 2-0 SEC) @ No. 21 Texas A&M (1-1, 1-1 SEC) Location: Kyle Field, Bryan-College Station, Texas Kickoff: 12 p.m. Broadcast: ESPN On the call:Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline Vegas lines: -7, Florida Setting the scene: There’s limited history between the Gators and the Aggies. However, in that short history, both programs have kept the series close. Since joining the SEC in 2011, the series is tied 1-1, with the overall series knotted up at 2-2. It's been eight years since the Gators visited Kyle Field, where they’re 1-0. Florida enters Saturday’s matchup coming off of a 38-24 win at South Carolina, while Texas A&M looking to bounce back after falling to Alabama 52-24. Rosters: Florida: Check Here South Carolina: Check Here

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: A year ago when faced with a deluxe scrambler in Bo Nix, Florida kept the Auburn quarterback bottled up, holding Nix to 18 yards on 10 carries. Florida only got to Nix for a pair of sacks but defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s strategy was to make certain Nix didn’t break containment and beat the Gators with his legs. Mission accomplished and it had plenty to do with the Gators winning that game against the Tigers, 24-13. A similar strategy might be in the works Saturday when the 4th-ranked Gators (2-0) face 21st-ranked Texas A&M (1-1). Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond, a four-year starter who has run for 1,352 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career, is fast and dangerous when he gets outside the pocket and has the option of throwing on the run or picking up yardage. Mond is at his best when he’s throwing on the move. A look at the Aggies’ 49-30 win over Mississippi State in 2019 is the perfect example of what Mond can do when he consistently gets outside the pocket. In that game he threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards (on nine carries) and two more. A few weeks later, LSU played the containment game and forced Mond to stay in the pocket. As a result he went 10-30 passing for 92 yards and finished with -8 yards rushing. Saturday, the Gators have to find a way to keep Mond bottled up better than they did against Matt Corral of Ole Miss in game one (13-50 rushing). UF still has to get pressure on Mond but it has to be controlled and disciplined. Although the Gators have eight sacks in two games (for 63 yards in losses; tied for second in the SEC and tied for 8th nationally), the pass rush hasn’t been consistent nor has it been controlled and disciplined. Too often, players have departed their lanes and the stay home guys have been out of position. If they don’t do a better job Saturday, they’ll have to win in a shootout because Mond will eat them up if he can break containment. As of Wednesday night, Florida has been established as a 6.5-point favorite. RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING IN THE SEC This may come as a complete and total shock to you but Nick Saban says “nobody really listens to anything I have to say.” Nick said that during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday when discussing the options available in the event Hurricane Delta forces the Southeastern Conference to reschedule Alabama’s Saturday night encounter with Ole Miss in Oxford. If the current models hold true, then what’s left of Delta might pass through Oxford Saturday morning. The SEC is considering the possibilities of playing the game either Friday night or Sunday but Saban prefers staying on schedule for Saturday night. “I think the worst of the weather will be through there by game time so I don’t think any players will be in danger,” Saban said. “It will be raining get a better feel for when this thing is going to move through so we’ve had discussions but I think everybody is going to try to make sure we get to play the game Saturday. Nobody is for sure what the best time to do that is.” Bet the farm on this: If Nick wants to play Saturday that’s when the game will be played barring Delta still packing hurricane winds some 250 miles beyond its Friday landfall. Quote of the day from Nick Saban when asked about his former offensive coordinator and now Ole Miss HBC Lake Kiffin: “I always thought he’d be a really good head coach and I think he has been.” Lane Kiffin’s reputation as a highly skilled snake oil salesman dates back to his days working for Pete Carroll at Southern Cal. He might need all his skills to deal with what could be a quarterback controversy that centers around John Rhys Plumlee, who has gone from a 1,000-yard rusher (1,023 to be exact) in 2019 to Matt Corrall’s seldom-used backup in 2020. Plumlee, who also threw for 910 yards (but only 6.1 per attempt) last year, has carried the ball nine times for 20 yards, attempted one pass (complete for three yards) and caught a pass for six yards this season. Meanwhile, Matt Corral is ripping and shredding through two games, hitting 46-60 passes for 715 yards (11.9 per attempt) and seven TDPs. He has also gained 101 yards rushing. Plumlee can’t be happy as a backup who rarely sees the field so will he be the good teammate who is content watching Corral start or does he voice his discontent? Since the 2020 season won’t count against anyone’s eligibility, Plumlee could transfer out after the season and still be a sophomore wherever he lands next year. Kiffin could convince Plumlee to stick it out because Corral (third-year sophomore) will be draft-eligible next spring. That might take a bit of snake oil on Kiffin’s part since there are no guarantees Corral will bolt. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Plumlee put his name in the NCAA transfer portal within a couple of weeks if he doesn’t see significantly more playing time. Imagine the subplots Saturday when Arkansas (1-1) visits 13th-ranked Auburn (1-1). First year Arkansas coach Sam Pittman was maybe the fourth or fifth choice. The top choice was Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, who was a high school coaching legend in Arkansas. Gus said no, preferring to stay at Auburn, where they pay him $7 million a year. Pittman replaced Chad Morris, fired after two seasons and is now Malzahn’s offensive coordinator at Auburn. Whereas Razorback fans everywhere will hoist a Mason jar of moonshine to toast Pittman, Auburn fans are about ready to tar and feather both Malzahn and Morris after last week’s disastrous loss to Georgia, so bad that it might have set offensive football in the SEC back 20 years. If Auburn somehow goes belly up to Arkansas Saturday, Malzahn’s butt will feel like it is blowtorch hot. The Pirate has news for anyone who thinks Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom has found the key to shutting down his Air Raid offense. “You just have to go out and execute,” Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said Wednesday. “We have one misstep and everyone thinks it’s something new. It’s ridiculous.” In the Bulldogs’ 21-14 loss to Arkansas, they threw three interceptions, fumbled the ball away once, turned the ball over in the red zone two times in the fourth quarter and converted only 6-17 on third down. Maybe the best way to defend the Air Raid is to get the running game going and keep pounding away. That’s probably the strategy Kentucky (0-3) will try Saturday. The Wildcats are averaging 276.5 yards per game (5thnationally) and 5.76 per carry, both figures tops in the SEC. Mississippi State ranks sixth nationally against the run, giving up just 71.5 yards per game and 1.91 per carry. Georgia will be without stud safety Richard LeCounte in the first half of Saturday’s game with 14-th-ranked Tennessee (2-0). LeCounte was ejected in the second half of last Saturday’s game with Auburn for targeting. Who wins Saturday’s SEC showdown between 14th-ranked Tennessee and 3rd-ranked Georgia (2-0) might be determined by who does the best job of stuffing the run. Georgia is averaging 161.5 yards per game on the ground (3.71 yards per carry) and giving up just 58 rushing yards (2.32 per carry). Tennessee is averaging 182.5 yards per game on the ground (4.35 per carry) and allowing 107.5 per game (2.99 per carry). Vanderbilt (0-2) is at the bottom of three of the four important offensive categories in the SEC. The Gamecocks are averaging 9.5 points per game (dead last), 260.5 yards total offense (dead last) and 131.5 yards passing (dead last). The Commodores rank seventh in rushing (129 yards). The Commodores will be facing a South Carolina (0-2) defense Saturday that ranks fourth in the SEC in total defense (371 yards per game). THEY PLAY FOOTBALL OTHER PLACES BESIDE THE SEC North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, who went 17-0 as the starting quarterback in his career after Saturday’s one-game fall season for NDSU. In that game Lance threw for two TDs and ran for two against Central Arkansas last Saturday. NDSU will play a spring schedule but Lance won’t be a part. He has declared for the NFL. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) will be playing a six-game schedule beginning on November 4. That’s the fewest games of any of the four conferences that didn’t elect to start the season in September. The Big Ten will play eight, the Mountain West eight and the Pac-12 seven. Former Oklahoma nose tackle Tony Casillas on the Sooners’ 2020 defense: “Painful. It’s the only word I can think of.” The Texas defense looked really good against Conference USA bottom feeder UTEP in game one. In the two Big 12 games since (63-56 win over Texas Tech; 33-31 loss to TCU), the Texas defense has given up 449.5 yards per game, 250 per game through the air and 199.5 on the ground. The Longhorns (2-1) face Oklahoma (1-2) in a survivor game in Dallas. A Texas win keeps the Longhorns in the Big 12 title race. An Oklahoma loss might mean the Sooners are headed for a .500 season. Top-ranked Clemson (3-0) is a 14.5-point favorite to beat 7th-ranked Miami (3-0) Saturday night in Death Valley. Also in the Always Clemson Conference, Florida State (1-2) is a 21-point road dog at 5th-ranked Notre Dame (2-0). FEELING PITHY ABOUT NON-FOOTBALL STUFF ON A THURSDAY Former Georgia baseball player Adam Sasser was kicked off the team for using racial epithets at a Georgia football game in 2018. Justin Fields used Sasser’s words as his reason for transferring out of Georgia and on to Ohio State, where he made the Heisman podium last year. Sasser has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the University of Georgia, the state board of regents and several others for violating his freedom of speech and equal protection under the law. He seeks a jury trial, punitive damages and compensatory damages for keeping him from playing professional baseball … Tony Finau won’t be playing in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this week after testing positive for Covid-19 … Home plate umpire Dan Bellino forgot the count in the Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins game Tuesday night. Adam Duvall had a full count when he was served up what should have been ball three, but instead of a full count, Bellino changed the count back to 2-2. The next pitch was a ball so Duvall should have walked. On the next pitch, Duvall hit a fly ball out to right field. What’s amazing is none of the other umpires (five of them) bothered to correct Bellino.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: “It’s never been this bad,” my friend told me. He was talking about Florida’s defense through the first two games of the season in which the Gators have allowed 59 points (29.5 per game) and 942 yards (471 per game). The defensive numbers stink, but the Gators did score 89 points and win those two games by a combined 30 points. But has the defense been this bad for any two-game stretch since 2011? A search of the records, which includes Florida’s only two losing seasons (4-8 in 2013; 4-7 in 2017) since the 0-10-1 debacle of 1979 shows there have been worse efforts just not this bad to start a season. In 2013, the Gators were torched for 500 yards in a 36-17 loss to Missouri and 414 the following week when they lost to Georgia 23-20. In 2014, the Gators gave up 1,172 yards in games two and three, a 36-30 win over Kentucky and a 42-21 loss to Alabama. In the Kentucky game, the Gators gave up 450 yards. Alabama threw for 449 yards as part of a 672-yard onslaught in Tuscaloosa the following week. The Gators lost consecutive games to Missouri (45-16) and South Carolina (28-20) in which they gave up a combined 924 yards (455 to Missouri and 469 to the Gamecocks). Missouri ran for 227 yards while South Carolina ran for 220 the next week as part of the worst three-week span of rush defense since 2011. The week before the Missouri game Georgia ran for 292 yards in a 42-7 walloping of UF. Prior to the first two games of this season, the worst consecutive defensive games for the Gators in the Dan Mullen era were the two straight losses in 2018 to Georgia (36-17) and Missouri (38-17) in which the Gators allowed a combined 900 yards including 490 and six touchdowns through the air. The 2019 defense gave up 42 points and 511 yards to eventual national champ LSU and 407 in game two against Kentucky. Those were the only two games UF allowed as many as 400 yards. Some of Florida’s issues have to do with personnel. Nose tackle Kyree Campbell and STAR Brad Stewart have yet to play due to non-virus issues. Stewart will be back Saturday when the 4th-ranked Gators play 21st-ranked Texas A&M (1-1) in College Station. Campbell should be suited up but may not play even a single snap. Jeremiah Moon missed game one due to Covid-19 protocols. He played game two but was physically worn out by the fourth quarter. James Houston IV also missed the first game but played sparingly in game two. Moon and Houston should be back close to full strength Saturday. The issues with missed tackles and blown assignments, which have been a plague through games one and two, may have something to do with the virus and a lack of hitting and tackling in practice. Because the virus can wipe out a substantial amount of depth at any position, it’s risky to allow too much hitting and tackling in practice so it’s a matter of on-the-job training so far. That’s only a theory but it’s plausible. USA TODAY FIRST HEISMAN TROPHY POLLING RESULTS Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who has been on every Heisman radar since he led the Tigers to the national championship in 2018, is the leader in the USA Today network’s first polling of 21 Heisman voters who work for network. Second and third place, however, belong to Florida quarterback Kyle Trask and UF tight end Kyle Pitts. Through three games, Lawrence is 55-75 passing (73.3%) for 848 yards (11.3 per attempt) and seven touchdowns without an interception. He has run for 14 yards (1.0 per attempt) and three TDs for the top-ranked Tigers. One of Lawrence’s games was against D1AA Citadel. In two games, Trask is 51-71 passing (71.8%) for 684 yards (9.6 per attempt) and 10 touchdowns with one interception. Trask is 9-24 rushing. Pitts, meanwhile, has established himself as the nation’s premier tight end with 12 catches for 227 yards (18.92 per catch) and six touchdowns. Here are the 12 players who received either first, second or third place votes in the polling followed by total votes: (1) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson 54; (2) KYLE TRASK, QB, FLORIDA 20; (3) KYLE PITTS, TE, FLORIDA, 19; (4) Mac Jones, QB, Alabama 8; (5, TIE) D’Eriq King, QB, Miami, and Zach Wilson, QB, Brigham Young 6; (7) Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama 4; (8) Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson 3; (9, TIE) Shane Buchele, QB, SMU, and Khlalil Herbert, RB, Virginia Tech 2; (11, TIE) Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas, and Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State, 1. RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING THROUGH THE SEC Officially, this is #2 Alabama (2-0) traveling to Ole Miss (1-1), but since Alabama is a prohibitive (-24 points) favorite the game is being obscured, replaced by all the recollections of the three years when Lane Kiffin was Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator. In his three years at Bama, Kiffin transformed Blake Sims from a nobody into record-setting QB who got the Tide to the playoff semifinals, won the national championship (2015) with FSU castoff Jake Coker at QB and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry at running back, and got the Tide to the CFP championship game (2017) with true freshman Jalen Hurts at QB. Saban dismissed Kiffin for being late to some team meetings prior to the championship game, won by Clemson, 35-31. I’m of the opinion that Alabama would have won that game with Kiffin calling the plays. I wonder if Nick looks back, wonders the same thing and has regrets? When Gus Malzahn got a win over Kentucky in game one, the Auburn fan base loved him. Love is in short supply in Auburn this week after Georgia put the kibosh on the Tigers and made the Malzahn offense look downright antiquated. Those same fans who loved Gus after Kentucky want him gone now but barring something totally disastrous such as a 3-7 or 2-8, he will be the coach in 2021. Count on it because the buyout on his contract is in the neighborhood of $14 million and Auburn’s athletic department is going to bleed $60 million of red ink. There are a lot of coaches who are going to be saved by the athletic department’s bottom line. This is the Covid-19 world we live in. Leave it to Paul Finebaum to put Kentucky’s 0-2 start in proper perspective. On Birmingham’s WJOX, Finebaum said, “After Saturday there’s no more cases to be made for Kentucky. It’s time to start thinking about John Calipari’s basketball team.” Kentucky is a basketball school. Football is what they do in the fall while waiting for basketball season to begin. Go 7-5 at Alabama or Florida you get fired. Go 7-5 at Kentucky and they’re perfectly content because it was, is and always will be a basketball school. Remember, this is the school that ran Bear Bryant off. Bear, by the way, is still the winningest coach in Kentucky football history some 66 years after he put Lexington in his rearview mirror. It will be homecoming for Mike Leach Saturday when Mississippi State (1-1) visits Kentucky (0-2). Leach came to Kentucky with Hal Mumme from Valdosta State and was the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator in 1997-98. With Leach calling the plays, Tim Couch threw 73 touchdown passes in those two seasons, made All-America in 1998 and became the top pick in the NFL Draft. Due to Hurricane Delta, currently a category four that seems headed for the Louisiana Gulf Coast, the Southeastern Conference will decide Thursday whether to keep Saturday’s Missouri-LSU game in Baton Rouge, move it somewhere else or reschedule it for later in the season. If the game is rescheduled, it will have to be either November 7, when both teams have an open date, or December 12, which is the SEC’s league-wide open date for games that have to be rescheduled. The current weather forecast for Baton Rouge on Saturday calls for an 80% chance of rain with winds gusting to 29 miles per hour. Tennessee comes into Saturday’s game at 3rd-ranked Georgia with an eight-game winning streak – tied with Notre Dame for the longest current streak in all of Division I – but none of those wins is against a ranked team. That makes what happens in Athens doubly important for the 14th-ranked Volunteers, who are 7-33 against ranked teams since 2010. UT quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has only one win against a ranked team in his career, 2018 against then 12th-ranked Kentucky. THEY PLAY FOOTBALL OTHER PLACES THAN THE SEC The Athletic reports that the NCAA Division I Council is expected to vote to introduce a one-time transfer proposal for all sports to the full membership for a vote in January. If approved, any football player who is a first-time transfer in January would be eligible to play in the fall. The one-time transfer rule will likely have a dramatic effect on the early and regular national signing dates for recruiting. Rather than sign the full complement of scholarships, coaches will probably save a few slots for transfers. The sacks allowed stat is a fairly good indicator of how 7th-ranked Miami’s offensive line play has improved since last year. The Himmicanes have allowed only three sacks in three games, which ranks 15th nationally. A year ago the Himmicanes allowed 51 sacks, which ranked 128th out of 130 Division I teams. This is important since Miami faces top-ranked Climpson Saturday evening and the Tigers are tied for second nationally with 13 sacks in three games. In the latest version of the football hokey pokey (you put your left foot in, you put your left foot out, you put your left foot in and you shake it all about …) Oregon corner Deommodore Lenoir is opting back in to play. Lenoir opted out back on September 9 but now that the Ducks are planning to play, he’s planning to play, too. How sweet. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has attempted 314 consecutive passes and gone 11 games without throwing an interception. His last pick came in game seven last season when he threw two in a 45-10 win over Louisville. He has 73 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions in his 33-game career. In Oklahoma’s first game of the season – a 48-0 win over D1AA Missouri State – the Sooner defense held Bobby Petrino and the visiting Bears to 135 total yards and 2.93 yards per play. In the two losses to Kansas State (38-35) and Iowa State (37-30), the Oklahoma defense has given up 817 yards, an average of 7.63 yards per play. The Houston Cougars will play their season opener against Tulane Thursday night. Maybe. This should be the Cougars fourth game of the season but the previous three were postponed due to Covid-19. So far so good on the virus front for the Cougars, but there is that teensy matter of Hurricane Delta. Currently it’s projected to hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast as a category four as early as Friday night, but hurricanes have been known to confound the computer models and projections. NON-FOOTBALL PITHINESS ON A WEDNESDAY: SME Steel Contractors in Utah will not renew its suite at Vivint SmartHome Arena as its way of protesting the protestors. The NBA and its players have used the re-start of the season to turn the sport into what SME considers a political protest so the company is giving up the suite it has had for 28 years as its response. NBA TV ratings are in the tank. How much of the bad ratings are because the virus has totally disrupted things and how much are in response to the politicization of the sport? If there are more suite owners opting out, plus a significant drop in attendance and a continued drop in ratings when the league gets back to normal, will the NBA re-think its image or continue along the same path? … In case you missed it – I sure did – Sergio Garcia won a golf tournament, his first win on the PGA Tour since the 2017 Masters. My over-under on Sergio’s four day re-grip total is 2,614 … It’s October and the Masters is in a little more than a month. How weird is that? … Giancarlo Stanton’s second home run against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday night traveled 458 feet and left the bat an astounding 118.3 miles per hour. I think Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow got whiplash as he watched the ball launched.

Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen spoke with local media on Monday. He recapped the No. 4 Gators win over South Carolina, previewed the Texas A&M matchup on Saturday and expressed frustration with a lack of pressure in the second half versus the Gamecocks. As a valued subscriber to GatorBait Magazine, we are offering this transcript in full. Opening Statement "I would like to thank all the fans that came out and cheered us on and created that atmosphere for us..Unbelievable in this time to have that energy and how critical their energy is over the course of the game. You go back and we have had a lot of improvements on both sides of the ball but made some critical errors too. The two turnovers offensively, giving them the ball on a short field twice to account for 14 of the 24 points we gave up really goes on the offense. And then at 38-14 our ability to finish the game, if you look at the game from that point forward, offensively is not very good at all. Defensively, they were going for it a lot on fourth down and we got to understand, when you get the big leads, getting off the field is not just about third down, it is about third down and fourth down. So we got that stuff that we could continue to improve on. "On the injury front, we came out of the game pretty healthy…Here is how I will handle this the rest of the  year. With the uniqueness of the situation, with COVID and everybody trying to find out, ‘okay, what's this guy got? What's going on with him? Is he COVID positive? He’s not.’ For the safety, security and the privacy of players, if someone does have an injury that will have them out for a significant amount of time I will certainly let you guys know on the injury front- as we did with Ethan White,  who is coming along and we hopefully expect him back..hopefully two more weeks. With everybody else we will keep it with who is available and who is not available - to who is not available on game day. At this point coming out of that game, we didn’t have any injuries with Ethan still two weeks. Ethan and Ethan, Ethan Pouncey and Ethan White out a couple of more weeks. We expect everybody else to be available on Saturday." Opponents’ abilities to run for first down in opening two games "Well there are a couple of combinations of that. Number one which is in game one, a bunch of their first downs on third downs came on scrambles, which essentially is a run first down, even though it's a pass play - so we kind of break it down into different categories. Is it run play or pass play? Or is it a pass play that's a scramble? Or is a pass play that's a throw and a completion? So that's one. And then a couple, you know a bunch of the other ones in the short yardage you know and I think, you know, you go back to this past game when you're six, you know—you know the defense, we stop them 11 out of 17 on third down, but give up five out of six on fourth down, and you know a bunch of those were kind of fourth and shorts that we gave up the run. So you know we got to make sure that we're taking care of business not just third down, fourth down, especially when we're playing with a big lead.” With that said, can you consider some of the defensive issues flukey? You did give up 350 yards- “Certainly not flukey. I think, you know if you watch it, I think it's growing into it. I think we tackled, we tackled significantly better this game and our effort was significantly better this past game. I think we're still getting into the live aspect of football and the different things for, especially guys that haven't played, you know when you look at it and say 'hey, you know, Coach were great on third down.' When you put, you're up 38, you know, whatever it is 38-14 whatever it was at that point, when you're up at that score is really goes into fourth down. Middle of the third quarter they started going, they were a four down team. And, you know, so that is, you know you have double, you have to make two plays to get off the field instead of one. So I think that's part of it, of, of how the game came on and I think you know one thing I’d love to see is to start faster. If you look at the last two games, we've kind of started slow, completely shut them down in the middle, and then didn't finish at the end. You know, and then this week you throw into that the offense not finishing at the end. You know, I mean 38-14, when you look at that stat line and 38-14—from that point forward we had nine plays for 11 yards on offense. Had a turnover and a three and out. You know I don’t count the take a knee at the end of the game, but you know I mean, nine plays, 11 yards, three-and-out and a turnover. Defensively had 40 plays for 160 yards, more than a third of their yards came after we were up 38-14. Gave up 10 points and then stopped them on a goal line play at the end. So you know our ability right then as a full complete team, at that point to put the game away. You know you're, you're a stop, or a score away really from the game being completely out of reach and a lot of backups even playing, you know? And that was disappointing that we didn't do that to kind of like, you know, we kind of started a little bit slow defensively, got into a rhythm and jumped out big, and then kind of, instead of ‘let's finish the game,' we just kind of cruised the finish line. And we got to, you know, we got to get that that changed." How do you coach or teach killer instinct? “I just think it comes from playing, you know what I mean? It’s getting back into that whole game mindset. It’s like at practice, ‘Hey, we get it taught. I’ve got it figured out. I know we got this period. I got it, coach. I’m kind of going through the motions.’ And guys looking at the scoreboard and saying, ‘OK, 38-14, we got this one kind of in the bag. I know we’ve got to keep playing, but let’s go through the motions.’ You can’t do that. I just think it’s maybe a side effect of everything going on right now. Just part of the whole deal. It’s something that we talked about this morning as a team. It comes from practice. It’s got to be addressed at practice. It’s got to be addressed on how we practice. It’s got to be addressed with every aspect and every member of the team, start to finish the effort we give and the looks we give, whether I’m on the scout team, whether I’m a backup or I’m a starter. It’s got to start at practice with just that mindset of complete while we’re playing, everything we do, maximum effort to finish.” Frustrating to get just a handful of plays in a quarter? “Yeah, I think teams have their plan of who they are, you know? We played Ole Miss two weeks ago and they were just going to go as fast as possible. South Carolina plan obviously was to ball control, slow the game way down, limit the number of plays you can get offensively. I think that goes from game to game, but it shows the efficiency you need offensively. You’ve got to be efficient on offense. That’s a big thing we always harp on. You don’t know how many plays and opportunities you’ll get. Obviously, our last couple possessions offensively were very disappointing, really the whole second half very disappointing offensively of the game. But that’s the key to being efficient throughout the course of the game.” How well do you know Jimbo Fisher? “Yeah, I don’t think we’ve played against him. He got to A&M when I got here, right? So I don’t think I’ve ever played against him that way. I know him. I know him. I’ve talked to him a little bit. I know him from the SEC meetings, know him as a head coach, talking that way. Never spent significant amount of time with him. Always thought he does a great job, obviously a great offensive coach, puts his guys in good position to make plays, innovative, understands how to utilize the personnel he has to build the offense around the personnel, not just, ‘Hey, this is our system and everyone has to fit this exact system.’ Has the ability to kind of play to the strengths of his players.” What's jumped out to you on film for Texas A&M? "I mean, everything. They're very, very talented players, got a veteran quarterback, they got a bunch of really good skill players offensively that can make plays in the pass-game and in the run game. You know, defensively, hands down the best defensive front we've seen. They've been more banged up in the secondary, but they got really athletic guys and veteran linebackers. Certainly a team, I know that preseason a lot of people expect them to go compete for the SEC West championship, and you can see why on film that they are a legit football team. Even in last week's game, you saw them, I saw them play right with Alabama with the exception of explosive plays. You look at some of the big-number plays, it wasn't like Alabama was just driving up and down the field on them, they hit some explosives to kinda pull the game away." Offensive balance elusive, is that just the nature of the team? What are the causes? "You always play to the strength of your guys, so you go with what's working. Like our goal, coming in this week our goal is to be 50-50, right? I mean, if we can knock them off the ball, run the ball, we'll do that. If they're struggling covering us we're gonna keep throwing. I don't know, that's my best answer for you. When we write up the gameplan, our goal going into every game is to be 50-50. You know, the first two games, we go and do our evaluations we're run-efficient. So, our run game's been very efficient, been a positive for us this year as we evaluate from play-to-play, the run efficiency. So, our run game's been actually really good this year, we've had a lot of success throwing it so we probably called more pass plays. But, our goal is to be 50-50." Just curious on thoughts, averaging 45 points. "But statistically, I don't know, as you're just calling plays you kind of get into the flow of things and you're looking at matchups, and how people are playing you. Where we're getting the ball, who we wanna get it to, kind of the flow of the game and how it goes sometimes too, you know?" How do you feel about the all SEC schedule? “Nothing against South Alabama but Texas A&M is probably a little bit better. I think it’s going to be a challenge. I think obviously when you look at playing the all-SEC schedule it’s a lot of fun. It makes every game critical. When you’re playing in the best conference in college football — not even really close — and you gotta play 10 conference games and everybody is playing seven or eight, it certainly is going to lead for a challenging year but if you’re a competitor, I’m a competitor and our guys are competitions. I think our guys are really excited about it, having the opportunity to play an all-SEC schedule and every week being a big-time game.” Playing young players at the same time show how much you trust them? “Absolutely. You look at them and they make plays. One of the things we try to do is roll our guys through. Kind of going back to the other one, you’re going to play a 10-game SEC schedule, with COVID, with everything else happening you better have guys be ready for the next man up mentality more than ever before. Part of our job is making sure guys are ready to go do that. You don’t get better always sitting on the bench the entire time. We’re not afraid to roll guys through and get them out there on the field. Those guys, I mean Trent came out and had a pretty good game. Shorter came out and had a pretty good game, Xzavier Henderson’s played pretty well so far. What happens is when you get in on Sunday afterward and look at the total number of reps, very much to what we did last year, it’s allowed and going to keep guys healthier throughout the course of the season, hopefully. It keeps guys fresher during the course of the game. Receivers can be major contributors on special teams and the running backs, skill players are major contributors on special teams. That’s one of the reasons we do it. Those guys work at it in practice. They’ve earned the right to get some snaps. We keep them in and I think it helps the program as a whole.” A school down two scores, you want to give them the clock a little bit. From an offensive perspective what could you do to counteract that? “I think this, I look at things this way. I’ve always believed this as an offensive coach. When you’re down two scores, you have to get the first before you can get the second. Sometimes you get into such a rush to get the first that you never give yourself an opportunity to get the second. You’ve got to manage the clock, you’ve got to look at your timeout situation, the score of the game, how much time do you need for the second score. And make sure you put yourself in a position to get the second score. But not in a panic to not get the first, if that makes sense. After you get the first, now you’re in, depending on the clock, you’re going to kind of instead of going hurry-up, two-minute offense, you’re going to run your offense to get the first score. When it gets to the point where you need to pick up the tempo and go, but you want to run your offense to get that first score, and then it’s a one-score game. Do you onside kick? What’s your timeout situation? Do you kick deep and pin them deep and try to get the ball back how much time do we need to get it back down the field?  Do we try the onside kick with the amount of time left, or how is that going to affect field position when we get it back another time? So, I think all of these things come into consideration. How you’re trying to manage the game in the fourth quarter. It does defensively. You look at the last two games, trust me, I know Todd, all of us, we want to get off the field. Get the defense off the field, get the offense back on the field. Multiple scores in the fourth quarter. But not to the point where we want to give up an explosive play and give them an easy score. We want to make them earn it. It’s that fine line back and forth in each of the the last two weeks, basically, the defense has kind of finished the game on the field. Basically, the defense eating up the clock for us instead of the offense have to go out there and grind out first downs. The defense forced them to go on a long drive, keep it all in front of them, don’t give them anything easy, and basically end the game.” To fans can be frustrating to watch, why are they letting them pick up six yards for a first down. How much has analytics helped change your mindset to do something like that? “It is. That term, it was like annoying. We want to get a stop and get the offense on the field. It got kind of annoying. In the end, our goal is to win football games however we need to do it. Now, trust me, I’d rather us get off the field, get the offense the ball back, go score again. Finish the game out that way and not even have the opportunity for it to get close at the end after being up by 24 in the third quarter, to not even let it get close. But you’re also going to play, everything you’re doing is to win the game, not to make mistakes. It’d be a terrible thing to sit there and say, hey, our, our … I don’t know what it would be, just our decisions cost us the game. I never want to sit there and say our decisions to play maybe for fun or excitement or whatever the word might be cost us the game instead of doing what we needed to do to win.” Grading process, and Trent Whittemore among highest? “Yeah, he graded out a Champion. So our grading process is this, basically the position coaches grade it and the coordinators will meet with them afterwards and we’ll watch kind of together as a group to go through the grades. So on ours’, you get an ‘S’ (satisfactory per Goldy), ‘S’ you did the right thing, minus  you did the wrong thing. You get a plus, you did the right thing and something special beyond that. A double-minus you made a turnover or made a critical error. A zero, you really had no effect on the play, you weren’t involved in the play in any way, shape or form. Then mathematically we have the formula to kind of grade all that out - I”m not going to get into all the math on it right now. But essentially if you grade 80 percent, you grade a Champion for us. We had a bunch of guys who graded out Champions for us this week, Whittemore was one of the guys that graded a Champion - had a great game. It helped, a touchdown, so you get a plus for a touchdown, a plus for a spectacular catch over the middle, as well as being consistent on your other plays - so you get extra credit for those things. But that’s how the system works. We look at guys, we figure if you grade 80 percent or above that’s a championship effort, or a Champion effort, a championship effort, so you grade a Champion. You’re on the board downstairs, you get recognized in front of the team, a Champion tag and all that stuff.” Talk about the offense and defense coming together, team buses? "Uhh, no. I ride the defensive bus, but now we don't, now everybody's assigned specific bus seats. Normally, defense is on bus one and I'm on, I ride with the defense. But it isn't, no, I think we come together. Me as a head coach, my job, I know I'm a little more offensive-oriented, but I spend, on the practice field I spend as much time with the defense as I do the offense. You know, in the meetings times, I spend more with the offensive staff than the defensive staff, just because that's kinda where my specialty is and where I've always been. But I do think as a coaching staff, we come together every week to know what the plan is and make sure everybody's on the same page, right? Our goal is to win the game, and if we win three to nothing, that's a celebration. And if we win 42-41, that's a celebration. And chances are, you know, both could frustrate fans but, usually, it's you know what the plan was going into it, right? We're collaborating, which is, hey, you know offensively, we want to, this team's a super high-tempo team. We might need to play a little bit more ball control to give the defensive guys some rest between series, and that'll affect how we do things offensively, okay? Hey, this team is a big-time defense, so defense we need this. Hey, we have got to create three-and-outs to flip field position for the offense. Same with, these guys got great players, it's going to be tough for us to drive the length of the field. Everything kind of works and is coordinated together within the staff, so that we go into the game, we kind of know the offensive and defensive plan as coaches. You know the players, they know and we put on them to a point of what we do, but you know, not as much the entire, before the game we talk a little bit about the big picture and after the game we talk about the big picture of it all. But you know, they have so many responsibilities from one play to next, I'm worried about 'Are you going as hard as you can, doing your job on this play?' And, we'll take care of the big picture part of managing the whole course of the game for you." Taking what defense gives you, even with Kyle Pitts, what makes Trask able to take what the defense gives him? “Well I mean, he’s been in the system for a while. Brian does a great job coaching the quarterbacks and we talk about this. As we design it, you come out, you look at the coverage, you look at the matchup, you have to anticipate. You don’t assume but you anticipate where you think the ball s going to go and you deliver the ball where it’s supposed to be. That’s why he’s playing quarterback for us. If he isn’t doing that we’d go with somebody else. That’s just kind of what we’ve always expected of our quarterbacks. We have get-it-tos and on those ones he’s getting the ball to that guy. If not, I’m just going through my progression. I’m just going through my reads and taking what the defense gives me. That’s the sign of what we expect out of our quarterbacks and that’s the sign of good quarterback play to be honest with you. Our job is to kind of create the matchups or the get-it-tos, or create advantageous matchups for a guy like Tre Grimes, or Kyle Pitts, or Kadarius Toney or whoever’s in the game, to create those advantageous matchups. For the receivers, or motion the running backs, how we’re creating matchups is on us as we create the game plan. His job is to take the game plan and manage it throughout the course of the game.” Play calling is a collaborative, has it changed with Brian being the OC this year? “No, it’s really the same deal. We are all collaborative in creating the game plan and putting it all together. Between series, we kind of get opinions on what everybody wants to run and what they like. While we’re on the field, Brian or I call the plays. So that’s kind of how the collaboration works. Right now everybody inputs probably equal in between series. Everybody’s input is kind of equal in what we want to do and then on that specific play, someone has to spit it out so sometimes it’s me and sometimes it’s Brian. Sometimes it’s both of us, we both want to yell it out. And I usually get the final say when that happens. It doesn’t mean we’re going to run that play, but if Brian and I both yell a play out, I’ll be like ‘run yours, call it’. Then he runs the play. I stop talking so that it’s not like multiple people talking at the same time.” Zachary Carter Defensive Lineman of the Week, what did he do this offseason adding weight to make that transition? “I think when you look at a guy that you play inside and outside, there’s a little bit of a mix there… really you look at your self evaluation and that’s a guy that has bought into our program more than or at least as much as any of the d-linemen that we’ve had since we’ve been here in what we expect from him, with the effort from him we expect to play, and how we expect him to do it. He’s done an amazing job of buying into all of that. Part of that is you look at a self-evaluation… I’m not this twitchy, edge rusher, even though I have the athletic ability to play defensive end. I’m not this big, bulky interior guy. So how do I become this guy that’s a really athletic interior guy that can be a bigger outside guy? And really buy into that. You’ve seen him look at what his strengths are and then play to his strengths and buy into his strengths, and you see the success he’s having now. He’s not going to be a big 340 inside guy, but he’s really quick. He’s big enough to be quick inside, and he’s not this twitch edge guy, but he’s a big edge guy that has athletic ability. So that helps him create those different matchups where we can move him around on the field.” His transition – how much has that helped with Kyree out? “I think really the first two games, different guys that we’ve had missing on defense has made it a challenge. Guys missed for multiple reasons. It’s been a challenge. It’s forced him to have to step up a lot more. But sometimes when that stuff happens, when you have guys out, it might be a struggle on that given week, but it creates depth in the long term of a season. And hopefully we’re going to see that as we move forward. We’re going to start to have a lot more depth on the defensive front.” Kyle still not thrown a pick? “Kyle Trask? He threw a pick.” It didn’t look like it on the replay… “Call those guys, then. They evaluate all the turnovers. It’s one thing, you know, I think when you’re a coach when you get into a challenge situation in the course of a game on a bang-bang play, you’re going to think you want to challenge it. On anything like a scoring play, on any scoring plays or change of possession plays, there is a gap between one play and the next. It’s not – you don’t see the offense…If it’s a questionable play in our favor, then you want to snap the ball as fast as you possibly can the next play. If it’s a questionable play in our favor, we probably hard count, take our time, snap it with one second left on the play clock, right? Or if we’re not on offense, challenge one way or the other. But on those type of plays, they review every play. And so the ones that were going to have – you look after turnovers, when there’s a break in the action or a scoring play before a PAT field goal’s going to be kicked, you just kind of assume they got the call right. Because if it wasn’t confirmed, they would stop the game play.” Discuss Justin Shorter’s effectiveness on the goal-line rub or pick play that freed up Whittemore’s TD: “He just ran a hitch. The benefit he has is he’s a big guy, so he goes and runs a hitch. And he’s a physical guy, so sometimes it’s hard to press physical guys. He did a great job of shoring up the hitch and being there. When you’re whatever he is — 6-4 and 220 or 225 —you can push and get leverage, and then he itches on the goal. They ended up with both guys covering him and Trent wheeled around and came free. The benefit of having big guys is if both guys passed off to Trent, you’ve got this big, giant guy standing there with a big target right in the middle of end zone. I thought he did a great job. Assess your tackles through two games: I think these guys have done pretty good. I mean, I’m always extremely critical so there’s things we can get better. At a consistent basis though, I think these guys have played pretty solidly so far this year. When you’re gonna throw the ball, and we’ve thrown it more than we’ve run it, those guys get put on a little bit more of an island and those expectations go up, or there chance of exposure goes up, and they’ve handled that well. It’s nice to have guys that are veteran guys there and have played some football so they can handle all of that stuff” Do you see the Gators having a cutthroat mentality: “I think it’s growing, and I don’t want to downplay that we don’t have it. I think the uniqueness of the season has led to that. If you would’ve asked me in March, ‘Do you think you are going to have that?’ I would’ve said yes. But with everything that’s gone on I think we’re still developing and figuring a lot of things out.” Biggest pandemic impact? “I think our experience at certain positions — obviously continuity of the program and continuity of the staff — certainly helps with all of this that’s going on. On the flip side of it, there’s probably too much to go over. For men, there’s certain things we like within our development and son much has been missed and so much is different. Our routine’s different and how we meet and how we do things. Everybody is very much out of their comfort zone. And I’m a very routine, discipline, structural, development-type person, and so that’s probably the hardest thing. Just everything that’s going on with the whole pandemic.”

Florida Gators Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham met with local media on Tuesday. He spoke on the defenses identity through two games, new positions for certain players and what it will take to shut down Texas A&M. As a valued GatorBait subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. On if he feels he's been able to play to his identity this year as a DC "You know, I think that every game is kind of unique in a sense, you play the game relative to the way the score's going. The object of the game is to win the game. You know, whether you call a blitz, or whether you call maybe a coverage, at the end of the day if you execute the call, you should be able to get off the field, or you should be able to finish a drive off or something like that. So, I would say that you're always cognizant of the situation relative to what the score is, and the number one thing is to win the game. Then you're also looking at ways you can improve, and trying to put guys in position to do that. I think that's where we're at right now is working to make sure that we get guys to finish off whatever the task at hand is." On if he's being as aggressive and if something is holding him back - depth, experience, as a play-caller "Nah, we're just playing and working to finish the game or finish the series and get off the field. So, no there's nothing that's really holding us back, we just gotta execute the call and do a better job." On how much Kyree Campbell has been missed "I think anytime you take a guy that, you know, has played - really, he was the core of our program in a sense, when you look at when we first came in. At that time we were actually gonna redshirt him, but because of his passion, his energy, his toughness and kind of what he brought to that room, we felt like we needed to play him. I think anytime you can get that kind of attitude upfront, I think it can kind of bleed into the group, in general, which can be contagious to the entire defense. So, I think that that's something  that we've got to work to finish off, you know, plays, series, games and that's been a point of emphasis." Last week you talked about playing the clock, is that kind of what happened on the 7 1/2 minute drive at the end of the game? “Absolutely. I mean, you obviously want to get off the field. If you look on third down in the second half I think we were eight of 10 on third down. The issue was they went for it on fourth downs, so that’s where I tell my guys, you gotta have a mindset kind of like we’re in the NBA season right now and it’s game 7, you’ve gotta finish people off. We’ve gotta develop that attitude to understand the situation at hand and we need to be able to finish. I thought we did a better job of finishing plays last week, so now we’ve gotta work on finishing drives and finishing the game the way we want to.” Marco at STAR “Marco’s played STAR for us the last two games. He’s been there full-time. We did that because the confidence we have in Jaydon, and Chester, and Kaiir outside to be able to go make plays and as a defensive player or a defensive coach, you’re always looking to say, ‘how can I get our best 11 guys on the field relative to the situation?’ That move allowed us to do that. We’ll always have that in the back of our mind as we move forward with the gameplan. The good thing is Marco is a guy that has the ability to do both, so that gives us some flexibility.” Do you think South Carolina running 83 plays impacts perception of how you guys played? “Yeah, I mean, you know I think they had like 136, 140 (yards) at halftime, something like that. I felt like that, when you go back looking at it, I really didn’t really like the way we started the game from that standpoint. But really, from then on, we ended up playing better. I think they had like 140-some yards. We had it, I think it was 38-14, the guys did do a good job of kind of understanding what was happening to them in situations. I think we were 8 of 10 on third down in the second half, but the issue was, it’s fourth down and you’ve got to get off the field because, you know, like I said, it’s like a Game 7 mentality. If you go back and look, they averaged four yards a play. If we could go the rest of the year averaging four yards a play in a game, I’d be pretty happy.” What about the younger corners and specifically Jaydon Hill? “I mean, I’ll be honest with you, I thought he was going to end the game with an interception against South Carolina there at the very end. I was kind of hoping for that for him because he has worked really hard to become a good player for us. I thought those guys did a good job of one, taking their tackling from game one to game two and tackling better. I thought they did a better job of understanding and respecting the deep part of the field because in the last game, I think they had a 20-yard play and a 22-yard play. Out of 83 plays, if you only have two plays over 20 yards, that gives you a chance to hold somebody to a low number. Those guys have done a good job of taking coaching, making corrections and then preparing themselves to play.” Teams are having a lot of success in the middle of the field. What do you attribute that to?  “You talking about the first game?” Ole Miss and South Carolina  “Yeah, well, in the first game we had, like I said two weeks ago, out of the eight explosive plays, seven were in the middle of the field. So, we’ve got to protect the middle of the field. In the last game, we had only two plays over 20 yards, so I thought we did a better job of protecting the middle of the field. You’re always going to get attacked in the middle of the field relevant to the quarterback in the sense it’s a much easier throw. In other words, it’s harder to throw the ball outside and deep. So, philosophically, you do always work to protect the middle of the field. You’ve got to understand your leverages. The biggest thing is just understanding your leverages and making sure you’ve got good eye control.” Only pick so far a tip to Dexter. What’s it going to take to get DBs in better position to cause some interceptions?  “I think as long as. .. interceptions, fumbles, things like that, can be streaky. I think the biggest thing is keep doing your job, keep doing what the call of the technique asks you to do. Prepare each week relative to the situation, understand the routes and formations. Alignments. It allows you to understand what’s getting ready to happen. You can make a break on a ball, go get a play.” WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM JIMBO FISHER'S OFFENSES, ESPECIALLY NOW COMPARED TO WHEN HE WAS AT FSU? "Well I think first of all it starts with the quarterback, I mean, because we played this quarterback two years ago when I was at Mississippi State. Just looking at the development of the quarterback and the way Jimbo has developed quarterbacks over the course of his career, you can see that they've really improved him from that standpoint. They're always going to have concepts to try to attack you in the middle of the field, they're always going to attack you underneath with some of the drive routes and things like that. And quite honestly they're going to try to find ways to run the ball and be physical that way. Those are really the biggest things that I see with Jimbo, is utilizing the personnel, meaning, you know, he does a good job of taking the players he has and specializing in. Meaning when he's got a guy that's an elite back he's going to have plays that will go to him, if he's got a receiver he's going to go to him, if he's got a tight end... So he does have the ability to specialize the talented players and get those guys the ball. You know, make plays that way. But really the development of the quarterback is the No. 1 thing that I see that he kind of does a good job with." AFTER FIRST DRIVE WHAT DID YOUR GUYS DO BETTER AND HOW DO YOU SUSTAIN FOR ENTIRE GAME? "Honestly we just executed and played with our intensity, played what we were supposed to play, did our job. I mean there's no magic dust from that standpoint. It wasn't like it was an adjustment or a call, we just played the plays, understood what was happening and did what you're supposed to do. It really wasn't anything magical.” You and Mullen talked about that killer instinct. Is that something you can teach or no? “Everything’s teachable, meaning do you play hard? When a guy probably comes into a program, he’s probably not playing as hard as he should, you know what I mean? He may think he’s playing hard, but it’s not where it needs to be to compete at this level. I think everything you do is about education, about teaching, about development. So what you have to do is, you’ve got to take situations that come up and go through the experiences and kind of go through, like —look, it’s 38-14. We’re one stop away from being able to get some scout team guys in the game, some guys that are backups, and do that kind of thing. But if you don’t finish, all of a sudden you’ve got come around, and then you’re up to playing another 35 plays or something. So I think everything you do is a teachable moment, and I think that’s part of developing a team, where we’ve got a lot of young payers in our two-deep and we’ve just go to continue to develop those guys, educate those guys so we can be the kind of defense we want to be.” A&M has a good tight end. How do you scheme to stop that, with a linebacker? Maybe Marco? “Yeah, when you look in the last game against Alabama, he had a really good game. Kinda came up to showcase his talents. I mean, what it does is, it gives them another playmaker on the field so now, you know, you’ve got three wides out there plus a tight end, in essence it’s four wides. This guy has the ability to block, so he can create issues that way. You’ve just got to understand that and understand the matchups and try to get the best matchups possible to be successful in that situation.” Amari Burney said yesterday he had to improve…also,  you talked about his improvement with leverage and reading faster. Still see that from him and feel like he can make that transition? "Yeah, absolutely. I think he can, he'll be a fine linebacker there. I think that part of being a really good player and working into being a great player is having that kind of attitude. Because whether you win or lose it's really about watching the tape and making a critical assessment of 'what I have to do to be a better player.' Because if we all take ownership in that and continue to work and become better players from watching the tape, then our team is better. And that's the ultimate goal is we want to develop players, and we want to make our team better. So the character of Burney doesn't surprise me, him being able to do that because he's a guy that is very critical of himself and wants to be a good player. So we're going to continue to coach him and teach him and he's going to get there.”  What does Zach Carter’s athleticism do for you inside vs outside and how is he developing with double teams and a different game on the interior?  “Yea, I mean, because he's been in our program, you know, for three years his strength has really picked up; his ability to hold the point and be stout. And that's really given us the flexibility to play him in there. He probably couldn’t have done that two years ago. So his, his development in the offseason has allowed him to have that option. The thing it does from a matchup standpoint is, you know, in the passing game or the one-on-ones, his ability to make a guard move his feet in space can create the matchup problems that way so you're always going to work to try to take advantage of that. And at the end of the day that, that’s, that's really where it comes down to is, is his ability to invest in the program from a strength and conditioning standpoint to make himself a bigger, stronger player and get the stoutness you need to play inside, physically, and, you know, continue to still have his athletic ability, has kind of allowed him to you know be Defensive Player of the Week last week and make plays and give us some—you know defense is about one-on-one matchups. And, you know, not— everybody's seen the one-on-one matchups outside but you know there's one-on-one matchups in the front too, and being able to put a guy like him with his athletic ability in one-on-one, it gives us a chance to win the down.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: In Florida’s 51-35 win over Ole Miss, the Gators held a 35-14 lead two plays into the third quarter. The Gators were ahead 44-21 with 12:54 left in the game. A week later in the Gators’ 38-24 win over South Carolina, UF held a 38-14 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter. In both games, the Florida defense was anything but consistent through three quarters but what happened in those two fourth quarters is warning shot that something bad will happen if the Gators can’t figure out a way to finish what they started. Against Ole Miss, the Gators missed tackles and blew far too many assignments late in the game. In the South Carolina game, the Gators didn’t give up big plays like they did against Ole Miss, but they couldn’t get off the field. Was it a lack of focus? Did the Gators think they had the game in the bag so they put it in cruise control? The answers to those and many other defensive questions need to be found before Saturday when UF faces a desperate Texas A&M (1-1) team in College Station (12 noon EDT, ESPN). A Florida win will make certain the Gators are no worse than tied for the lead in the SEC East. If the Aggies win they stay within striking distance of Alabama while a loss all but eliminates them from the SEC West race. The Aggies, who put up 24 points and gained 450 yards on Alabama last week, aren’t as explosive as Ole Miss, but they are significantly better than the South Carolina team that squeezed off 83 plays and dominated the fourth quarter. "Defensively [we] had 40 plays for 160 yards, more than a third of their yards came after we were up 38-14," Florida head ball coach Dan Mullen said at his Monday press conference. South Carolina ran 29 plays in the fourth quarter while holding the ball for more than 11 minutes. There weren’t any explosive plays but the Gamecocks kept gaining three, four and five yards to keep the chains moving and the Gators on the field. South Carolina’s final drive covered 74 yards and took up 18 plays before the Gators got a fourth down stop near the goal line. The Gators have the offensive firepower to do something similar to the Aggie defense that Alabama did this past Saturday. Offense isn’t Florida’s problem. Defense is, at least at this point. Going brain dead late in the game like they did against South Carolina isn’t an option. “We kind of started a little bit slow defensively, got into a rhythm and jumped out big, and then kind of, instead of ‘let's finish the game,' we just kind of cruised to the finish line,” Mullen said. “And we've got to get that that changed." JORDAN POUNCEY GETS NCAA WAIVER: Texas transfer wide receiver Jordan Pouncey got word that he’s been granted a waiver by the NCAA Monday. Pouncey (6-2, 205), who has two years eligibility remaining, is immediately eligible. Younger brother Ethan Pouncey is a Florida freshman who will miss the season due to an injury. RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING IN THE SEC #2 ALABAMA (2-0): For all the talk about how Alabama’s defense is improved, the Crimson Tide is allowing 294 passing yards per game. A year ago the talk was how bad Bama’s pass defense was but the Tide allowed only 187.2 yards per game. One reason perhaps for the increase is the lack of pass rush, which was supposed to be better this year. Through two games, Alabama has only recorded three sacks. Saturday: at Ole Miss (1-1) ARKANSAS (1-1): A year ago, Arkansas was regularly pounded between the tackles but through two games, opponents have found it tough sledding against Barry Odom’s front seven. Arkansas gave up 221 yards per game in 2019 but Georgia managed only 121 yards on 42 attempts (2.21 per carry) and Mississippi State 87 on 24 attempts (3.63). The Hogs rank 20th nationally allowing only 104 yards per game rushing. Saturday: vs. #13 Auburn (1-1) #13 AUBURN (1-1): The Georgia game was a complete and utter disaster for the Tigers. Offensively, they were well into the second quarter before they got their initial first down of the game. Play calling was borderline bizarre and blocking was non-existent. Defensively, they couldn’t get Georgia off the field. Georgia converted 9-14 on third down and 1-2 on fourth down, pounding out 202 rushing yards and complementing it with 240 through the air. Saturday: vs. Arkansas (1-1) #3 GEORGIA (2-0): All Jake Fromm did in three years was win one SEC title and take the Poodles to two other SEC championship games as well as the national championship game as a true freshman. He was 36-7 as a starter and threw for 78 touchdown passes in his career. Stetson Bennett has come off the bench to beat a bad Arkansas team and then win his only start against a mediocre Auburn team. So why is it Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollak are hyping Bennett as if he’s Moses and he’s just parted the Red Sea. I wonder what they will be saying if Tennessee beats the Poodles Saturday? Saturday: vs. #14 Tennessee (2-0) KENTUCKY (0-2): The SEC doesn’t hand out a Dummy of the Week award but if they did it would go to Kentucky running back Asim Rose. On Kentucky’s first play from scrimmage against Ole Miss, Rose broke what should have been a 75-yard touchdown run except he started celebrating his TD at the 23 and got caught from behind at the three. Two plays later Rose fumbled at the one, Ole Miss took over and eventually won the game 42-41 in overtime. Saturday: vs. Mississippi State (1-1) #17 LSU (1-1): Dropped passes, which were such an issue for LSU back in 2018, are a problem once again. Through two games the Tigers have dropped eight passes – five against Mississippi State in the season opener and two more against Vanderbilt – which puts them on track to drop as many in 10 games as they did in a 15-game schedule last year. Saturday’s game: vs. Missouri (0-2) MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-1): Against LSU, Mississippi State had 15 plays of 20 or more yards. Against an Arkansas defense that dropped eight into coverage on almost every play, the Bulldogs had only one play for 20 or more yards. They averaged 10.4 yards per play against LSU, but only 5.3 against Arkansas. Throw in two interceptions thrown and a lost fumble and it’s not too difficult to understand how the Bulldogs went from the penthouse of beating LSU to the outhouse of losing to Arkansas. Saturday: at Kentucky (0-2) MISSOURI (0-2): Redshirt freshman Connor Bazelac will be the starting quarterback at LSU Saturday. Now if he can find reliable receivers who can catch the football. The Tigers shot themselves in the foot time and time again against Tennessee with five dropped passes. Saturday’s game: at #17 LSU (1-1) OLE MISS (1-1): Nick Saban has never lost to one of his former assistants, a fact that isn’t lost on former Alabama OC and Ole Miss HBC Lane Kiffin. At his Monday press conference, Kiffin said, “Everyone thinks it’s an advantage that I’ve worked with him, but if it’s an advantage, why is he 20-0 against his former assistants? If you think it’s an advantage, you’re not a very good gambler.” Saturday’s game: vs. #2 Alabama (2-0) SOUTH CAROLINA (0-2): Will Muschamp on the final South Carolina drive that took 18 plays to cover 74 yards against the Gators and resulted in zero points and turning the ball over on downs: “Could we have played with a crisper tempo? Yeah.” Saturday’s game: at Vanderbilt (0-2) #14 TENNESSEE (2-0): For the Vols to have a chance to upend Georgia in Athens Saturday, they’re going to have to run the football. They’re coming off a 232-yard game against Missouri in which Eric Gray ran for 105 yards and Ty Chandler ran for 90. With Jahmir Johnson coming back from injury, Tennessee’s monstrous offensive line will be at full strength for the first time all season. Saturday: at #3 Georgia (2-0) #21 TEXAS A&M (1-1): Jimbo Fisher on the Aggie defense, which gave up 52 points and 544 yards to Alabama last Saturday: “I think we’re making tons of progress.” Really Jimbo? Saturday: vs. #4 FLORIDA (2-0) VANDERBILT (0-2): The more things change the more they stay the same. Vanderbilt had the worst offense in the SEC last season but nearly all the people who made it bad are gone. The new people aren’t any better. Through two games the Commodores are averaging a whopping 9.5 points and 260.5 yards per game. Saturday: vs. South Carolina (0-2) THE SEC ISN’T THE ONLY PLACE WHERE COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS PLAYED Former FSU coach Bobby Bowden has tested positive for Covid-19. Bowden was just released from the hospital in Tallahassee where he was being treated for an infection in his leg. Bowden is 90. Sure he coached St. Bob’s Home for Wayward Boys and Convicted Felons but keep him in your prayers. After losing to TCU, Texas coach Tom Herman is feeling the heat from boosters and fans who will be ready to nail his hide to a barn door if the Longhorns end Oklahoma’s two-game losing streak Saturday in Dallas. A win over Oklahoma will get Herman back in the fans good graces. If he loses the cries to hire Urban Meyer will be long and loud. Texas played Alabama for the national championship in 2009. Since then the Longhorns are 71-57. Herman is 26-17 and is paid $6 million a year. Only God has more money than the Longhorns, but even well-heeled Texas boosters must be thinking Herman is a teensy bit overpaid. It’s three weeks before Iowa plays a game but the Hawkeyes will be without starting linebacker Dhimon Colbert and D-lineman Taajhir McCall, who have opted out. Both say they will remain on scholarship and won’t lose a year of eligibility. If you’re into betting on such things, put your money on both of them putting their names in the transfer portal rather than hanging around Iowa City and watching their teammates play. Notre Dame has been established as 21-point favorites over Florida State Saturday night. Clemson is a 14-point favorite to beat Miami. UCF, which saw its “national championship” hopes crash and burn with a loss to Tulsa, has committed 45 penalties for 314 yards in three games. FEELING PITHY ABOUT PRESEASON HEISMAN HYPE ON A TUESDAY LINDY’S PRESEASON TOP 12 HEISMAN CANDIDATES: (1) Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State; (2) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson; (3) Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia; (4) D’Eriq King, QB, Miami; (5) Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma; (6) Myles Brennan, QB, LSU; (7) Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas; (8) Bo Nix, QB, Auburn; (9) Mac Jones, QB, Alabama; (10) Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame; (11) Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina; (12) Kedon Slovis, QB, Southern California ATHLON PRESEASON TOP 10 HEISMAN CANDIDATES: (1) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson; (2) Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State; (3) Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma; (4) Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson; (5) Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State; (6) Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas; (7) Najee Harris, RB, Alabama; (8) Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina; (9) Kedon Slovis, QB, Southern California; (10) Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame STREET AND SMITH PRESEASON TOP 5 HEISMAN CANDIDATES: (1) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson; (2) Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State; (3) Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma; (4) Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas; (5) Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PRESEASON HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS (TOP 10): (1) Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State 7/2; (2) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson 4/1; (3) Jamie Newman 10/1; (4) Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma 12/1; (5) Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas 18/1; (6) D’Eriq King, QB, Miami 20/1; (7, TIE) Mac Jones, QB, Alabama; Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State; and Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson 22/1; (10, TIE) Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame; and Myles Brennan, QB, LSU 28/1 Forgive me for laughing but … : Jamie Newman? The joke around Athens is he couldn’t beat out Stetson Bennett IV so he opted out. Spencer Rattler? How can you look bad throwing against Big 12 defenses? Sam Ehlinger? He’s got talent, but let’s face it, Big 12 defenses make Ole Miss look like a lock down unit. Myles Brennan? Joe Burrow he ain’t! Chuba Hubbard? What I said about Big 12 defenses applies here also.

“We used to play a great catch game in the front yard. I would purposely throw it just a little high, short or long and he and his brother would have to come down with it!!! Called it 1,2,3. 1)first down catch 2) TD 3) great catch.” --Coach Mark Whittemore By those standards, which is the way Mark Whittemore ranked the catches of his two young sons, Trent probably got a 3 and a 2 Saturday in his first game on Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. To him, no doubt, the second one felt like a 10 because it was his first touchdown grab as a Gator. Lying there on the turf on his back with the ball slightly bobbling on his chest before he secured it, the 6-4 redshirt freshman was savoring a long-time dream growing up in the shadow of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. “Caught for a touchdown by Trent Whittemore on the backline of the end zone!” barked Mick Hubert. Later, he played a little Luke Skywalker, high-pointing a catch from Kyle Trask good for 26 yards which was reminiscent of some of his basketball dunks which have earned him the nickname “White Chocolate” from some of his teammates. (The ESPN analyst kept calling him WHITE-MORE.) Ever since last season the media has been hearing whispers about some scintillating plays by the rangy 6-4 receiver from Buchholz in Gainesville, where he played two sports at a high level – including football for his father. Last season the four Gator senior wideouts often hinted at some of his acrobatics in practice and talked about the upcoming receiving talent. Saturday we saw it. “Oh yeah, just a play that we’ve been repping in practice all week and I got man coverage and Kyle (Trask) just put it in a great spot. I praise the Lord I was able to come down with it,” Whittemore said. “I just credit Kyle for a great throw, putting it in a spot where it was going to me or nobody. So, credit to him and praise the Lord I was able to come down with it.” If you didn’t already know it, clearly Whittemore is steeped in faith. He and his brothers grew up that way. (There are four sons now. Luke plays wide receiver at Troy). They grew up in, and around, all kinds of sports --- their mom Missy being a grade A volleyball player for the Gators and dad Mark a wide receiver at Buchholz and UCF who sometimes trained in the off-season with All-American Chris Doering. ‘I find it difficult not to root for the Whittemores. From the very first time I met Trent I could tell he was special.’ The critics who said in pre-season that Florida was a bit shy in the receiver department due to the graduation of four NFL players clearly haven’t see what’s left in the cupboard – including Whittemore, Trevon Grimes, Xzavier Henderson, Jacob Copeland, Justin Shorter, etc. Trent has been no secret to his quarterback. Trask knows he can put the ball where nobody else can catch it, as he did on the 26-yard high point. "I know Trent has great ball skills,” said Trask. “So you know with the defender's back turned I was trying to rip it at him as long as the defender couldn’t see. And he went up and made a huge play." I find it difficult not to root for the Whittemores and a player following in dad’s footsteps, likely even surpassing him. Trent played quarterback, safety, corner and wide receiver for the Bobcats. In basketball he was All-Area. He plays the game with such joy. And he loves being in Billy Gonzalez’s wide receiver room. "It's so much fun,” Trent told the media. “I think it's crazy to go out there on every passing play and think, 'Hey, I got a shot on this play to catch the ball and take it.’ Just because you have so many weapons around you that, 'Hey, you might get the one-on-one matchup this play,' so I think that really keeps us going and it opens up so much for us just to have guys that game-breaking ability all around you." From the very first time I met Trent I could tell he was special. That was in late 2018 when he was a finalist for the Ocala Quarterback Club’s first Scot Brantley Trophy. Then as the winner on the stage of the Reilly Arts Center in Ocala with Terry Bradshaw at the Brantley winner, where he graciously and humbly accept the trophy. It’s more than a football award. Players are judged for their academics, leadership, character, loyalty and faith. He scored high on all of the above. On Saturday he scored somewhere else big – on Steve Spurrier-Florida Field scoreboard. Why am I pretty sure it was the first of many to come?

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: On paper, Saturday’s Florida-Texas A&M game has the look of a shootout that will be determined by who plays best: Kyle Trask or Kellen Mond. Most of the preseason magazines that didn’t foolishly pick Jamie Newman as one of their top two SEC quarterbacks for 2020, had Trask and Mond 1-2 in their rankings. While Trask is off to a rather impressive start through 3rd-ranked Florida’s first two games, it’s been a mixed bag for Mond, although he did throw three touchdown passes against Alabama. Even for a school that has produced three Heisman Trophy quarterbacks and numerous record-setters at the position, what Trask has done in two games against Southeastern Conference opponents is impressive – 51-71 passing (71.4%) for 684 yards (9.6 per attempt) with 10 touchdown passes (only one interception). With his four touchdown passes against South Carolina on Saturday, Trask tied Steve Spurrier for 10th place on Florida’s career TDP list with 36. Not bad for a QB who has only started 12 games in his Florida career. If he can throw for three against the Aggies Saturday Trask will move into a tie for ninth place with Terry Dean. Even though there are only 10 regular season games, Danny Wuerffel’s season record 39 (set in 1996) seems within reach. Mond looked average at best in the Aggies’ season opening win over Vanderbilt, but he improved substantially against Alabama. He was 17-28 against Vandy for 189 yards and a TD. Against Alabama, Mond was 25-44 for 318 yards and three TDs but he did throw a pick six which was the turning point in the game. His season totals are 42-72 (58.3%) for 507 yards (6.8 per attempt) and four TDs (one interception). This is Mond’s fourth year as the Aggies starting QB but his numbers haven’t improved substantially. He’s a 57.8% career passer who has averaged 7.0 per attempt. He has 56 career TDPs but has thrown 25 interceptions. As a runner he has 1,379 career yards (just 37 this year) and 18 touchdowns. The question heading into Saturday will be which defense can contain the opposing quarterback. While Florida gave up 443 yards (13.4 per attempt) against Ole Miss in the opener, South Carolina managed only 212 yards (4.5 per attempt). The Aggies gave up 150 yards (5.2 per attempt) to a true freshman QB in his first collegiate game for a bad Vanderbilt team. The Aggies were torched for 435 yards (16.1 per attempt) by Alabama in only 27 pass attempts and that included touchdown passes of 78, 87 and 63 yards. ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL (1) Clemson 3-0; (2) Alabama (2-0); (3) Georgia (2-0; (4) FLORIDA 2-0; (5) Notre Dame 2-0; (6) Ohio State 0-0; (7) Miami 3-0; (8) North Carolina 2-0; (9) Penn State 0-0; (10) Oklahoma State 3-0; (11) Cincinnati 3-0; (12) Oregon 0-0; (13) Auburn 1-1; (14) Tennessee 2-0; (15) BYU 3-0; (16) Wisconsin 0-0; (17) LSU 1-1; (18) SMU 4-0; (19) Virginia Tech 2-0; (20) Michigan 0-0; (21) Texas A&M 1-1; (22) Texas 2-1; (23) Louisiana 3-0; (24) Iowa State 2-1; (25) Minnesota 0-0 COACHES TOP 25 POLL (1) Clemson 3-0; (2) Alabama 2-0; (3, TIE) FLORIDA 2-0; Georgia 2-0; (5) Notre Dame 2-0; (6) Ohio State 0-0; (7) Miami 3-0; (8) Penn State 0-0; (9) North Carolina 2-0; (10) Oklahoma State 3-0; (11) Cincinnati 3-0; (12) Tennessee 2-0; (13) Auburn 1-1; (14) Wisconsin 0-0; (15) BYU 3-0; (16) LSU 1-1; (17) Oregon 0-0; (18) Virginia Tech 2-0; (19) Michigan 0-0; (20) Texas A&M 1-1; (21) SMU 4-0; (22) Texas 2-1; (23) Louisiana 3-0; (24) Iowa State 2-1; (25) UCF 2-1 RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING IN THE SEC #2 ALABAMA (2-0): Alabama wasn’t exactly challenged by the Aggies, but they did give Nick Saban his talking points for the week by throwing for 335 yards, running for 115 and scoring 24 points on his defense. Pity the Tide defenders this week in practice as they get ready to face yet another former Saban assistant. Next week: at Ole Miss (1-1) ARKANSAS (1-1): Feleipe Franks is feeling the love in Fayette Nam where he could run for mayor after quarterbacking the Hogs to their first Southeastern Conference win since October of 2017. He could run for lieutenant governor of the state of Arkansas if he can help engineer a win over Auburn on the road this week. Next week: at #13 Auburn (1-1) #13 AUBURN (1-1): Consider what Auburn did against Georgia a huge step backward and it had everything to do with what happened in the trenches. To put it mildly, Auburn got manhandled on both sides of the line and it was ugly. Complicating matters, the secondary couldn’t cover and quarterback Bo Nix kept missing open receivers and making bad decisions. Next week: vs. Arkansas (1-1) #3 GEORGIA (2-0): Stetson Bennett IV rescued the Poodles in game one against Arkansas and he won his first ever start against Auburn in spite of throwing some passes that the Georgia receivers could have called for a fair catch while waiting for the ball to descend from the stratosphere. Is Bennett the answer at quarterback or just playing over his head against subpar opponents? The first real test of the year comes Saturday against Tennessee. Next week: vs. #14 Tennessee (2-0) KENTUCKY (0-2): How can you run for 408 yards and have three runners go for more than 100 yards and still lose? Mark Stoops is probably asking that question tonight. The Wildcats might give up 500 passing yards to Mississippi State this week. If they can run for 400 again, they might just win this one. Next week: vs. Mississippi State (1-1) #17 LSU (1-1): Lost in the Mississippi State debacle was the fact the Tigers still have plenty of athletes. The athletes took over against Vanderbilt and LSU looked like a real football team and not one ready to go in the tank for 2020. Myles Brennan threw four TDPs, two to Terrance Marshall Jr., and John Emery Jr. finally began to look like he’s ready for prime time. The defense held the Commodores to 256 yards and one TD. Beware. Reports of LSU’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Next week: vs. Missouri (0-2) MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-1): Arkansas dropped eight into coverage on nearly every play which was a smart thing to do but it wouldn’t have worked all that well if K.J. Costello had remembered to throw the football to the people wearing maroon jerseys instead of the guys wearing white. Three picks on bad throws and a fumble are what did the Bulldogs in more than Barry Odom’s Arkansas defense. Next week: at Kentucky (0-2) MISSOURI (0-2): The Shawn Robinson experiment didn’t last long. Eli Drinkwitz made the move to Connor Bazelac at QB and the offense was improved. The Tigers will have a chance to win a game if they can ever get Larry Rountree III untracked in the ground game. Next week: at #17 LSU (1-1) OLE MISS (1-1): The Aggies put up 24 points and threw for 335 yards on Alabama with Kellen Mond at QB. Will Lane Kiffin be able to put the fear of God in Nick Saban when he unleashes Matt Corral? There is no way the Ole Miss defense can stop Alabama but can the Alabama defense derail the Lane Train offense? Next week: vs. #2 Alabama (2-0) SOUTH CAROLINA (0-2): It’s hard to put Vanderbilt in the must win category, but when you’re 0-2 to start the season and you still have remaining games on the schedule with Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M and Georgia, then the heat is on. The Gamecocks should have beaten Tennessee in game one and they’re fortunate Florida didn’t blow their doors off. Next week: at Vanderbilt (0-2) #14 TENNESSEE (2-0): This is the week when the Vols find out if they are for real or it’s just Butch Jones Part Deux. Butch Jones was great about beating up all the bad teams on the schedule but he was a bust against the good ones. The Vols have won eight in a row against teams that are anywhere from bad to the low end of average. If they can beat Georgia, then it’s time to Jeremy Pruitt’s team seriously. Next week: at #3 Georgia (2-0) #21 TEXAS A&M (1-1): The Aggie safeties were playing 20-25 yards off the line of scrimmage and yet the Alabama wide receivers still got behind them. Alabama was good for 544 total yards (435 on 20 completions) and 52 points despite putting the offense on cruise control in the second half. Next week: vs. #4 FLORIDA (2-0) VANDERBILT (0-2): Just when the Commodores were starting to feel good about themselves along came an LSU team with a Mount Everest size chip on its shoulder. The chip on South Carolina’s shoulder won’t be nearly as large, but it will be big enough. Vanderbilt is really bad. Next week: vs. South Carolina (0-2) SO MUCH FOR “BEST TEAM IN THE STATE” UCF: Eighteen penalties including 10 false starts – six by center Matthew Lee – helped to end UCF’s 21-game Bounce House winning streak as well as Dillon Gabriel’s boastful claim that the Knights are the best team in the state of Florida. They would have had trouble beating Florida State Saturday night. FSU FANS SHOULD SAVOR THE WIN: For awhile there it looked as if the Seminoles were going to go down in flames to D1AA Jacksonville State, but they rallied in the second half to turn a 21-7 deficit into a 41-21 win. The Seminoles did it without the assistance of James Blackman, who was benched in favor of true freshman Tate Rodemaker. When Rodemaker proved less effective than Blackman Jordan Travis came off the bench to save the day. The Seminoles are 1-2 and might not be favored to win another game until the season finale with Duke. Next week they play Notre Dame in South Bend. If Mike Norvell can go 3-8 with this bunch he might be ACC Coach of the Year. WE FIND OUT IF MIAMI IS FOR REAL THIS WEEK: The 7th-ranked Himmicanes (3-0) travel to top-ranked Climpson (3-0) Saturday evening, a game that will tell us if Miami is for real or just beating up on inferior opponents. Climpson has the 12th-ranked defense in the country and the 17th-ranked offense. If The U somehow scores a win over the Tigers, their fans will be even more insufferable than normal. THE (NOT SO) BIG 12: Could we demote the Big 12 out of the Power Five conferences this year and elevate the Sun Belt? That same Iowa State team that was hosed by Louisiana just knocked off Oklahoma, which has now lost two in a row for the first time since 1999. Kansas State, which last week beat Oklahoma, lost its season opener to Arkansas State, which trails Louisiana by two games in the Sun Belt West. Arkansas State got ripped by 30 to Coastal Carolina, which whomped up on everybody’s favorite Big 12 homecoming opponent, Kansas. Texas, which lost to TCU, almost lost to Texas Tech, which barely beat D1AA Houston Baptist. The only unbeaten team is Okie State, which struggled to beat Tulsa in its season opener. Now that the Big Ten and Pac-12 have decided to play football, a Big 12 team will have to run the table to make it to the College Football Playoff. IT’S MONDAY AND I FEEL PITHY: My greatest fear now that the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and MAC have decided to play football is that ESPN will broadcast so many games that it will assign Beth Mowins to do the play-by-play on a Florida game. The ultimate nightmare for a football fan would be Beth Mowins on play-by-play, Rod Gilmore on color and Todd McShay on sideline. I’d rather listen to fingernails on a chalk board than Beth Mowins. Rod Gilmore sounds as if he’s doing the color commentary at a funeral attended only by deaf-mutes. Todd McShay is not always the smartest guy in the room although he thinks he is … Dak Prescott threw for 502 yards and the Dallas Cowboys still lost by 11 points to the Cleveland Browns. I wonder who Jerry Jones has on speed dial to be his next coach? … Bob Gibson died. What he did in 1968 might be the greatest year a pitcher ever had in the modern era of baseball. He went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA while throwing 13 shutouts and 28 complete games. There were 15 complete games pitched in all of Major League Baseball in 2019. I saw Gibson pitch in person. There isn’t a pitcher in this era who could sniff his jock. One other interesting note about Bob Gibson: He was a great basketball player at Creighton (averaged 20.2 points per game) who spent a year playing for the Harlem Globetrotters before concentrating solely on baseball.

Okay, the Gators are 2-0. That’s what they should be. There is no way Ole Miss or South Carolina could have or should have beaten them. And, 2-0 looks really good right now, particularly when we’re seeing Oklahoma with two straight losses for the first time since 1999 and Texas losing to TCU and Auburn looking like a lost ball in the tall grass against Georgia. What Florida’s 2-0 start has taught us is that when the Gators are fully focused, they are capable of blowing up scoreboards with their high tech offense that sports weapons at every skill position and a QB in Kyle Trask who sees the field with such clarity that if you’re open, the ball will come your way. What the defense has taught us in these two wins is that talent alone isn’t enough to get the job done. All the talent in the world can’t help you if you consistently miss tackles or blow assignments. Dan Mullen has so many weapons at his disposal that the Gators are capable of hanging big numbers on any team on their schedule. Trask (10 touchdown passes, 684 yards, 9.63 per attempt) might set school records even in a season shortened by two games. Tight end Kyle Pitts (12-227, 6 TD catches) is playing himself into a top ten pick in the next NFL Draft. Kadarius Toney is scary good (11-145 receiving for 2 TDs, 4-57 rushing for 1 TD, 21.0 average per punt return) and a threat to do something electric every time he touches the ball. Dameon Pierce (18-106, 1 TD) looks like a beast although he needs to get the ball more often in the run game. Eleven different Gators have caught a pass. Through two games, the Gators are averaging 495 yards and 7.8 yards per play. That bodes well for shootouts but there is no reason the Gators should have to win games in shootout fashion. At some point the defense has to live up to its talent and billing. There is no reason or excuse for what has happened so far. Against Ole Miss (51-35 Florida win), the Gators held a 35-14 lead after their first possession of the third quarter. There was no way the Ole Miss could stop the Florida offense that game – six touchdowns and three field goals in 11 possessions – but the defense spent what seemed a lifetime on the field. Ole Miss racked up 613 yards and averaged 7.9 yards per play. The Rebels converted 9-14 on third down and had seven drives of at least 50 yards, four that were 75 yards or more. Now Ole Miss has a brilliant play caller in Lane Kiffin and some outstanding offensive weapons, but the Gators could have gotten the Rebels off the field time and time again except for more than 20 missed tackles and probably as many or more missed assignments. Far too many times, an Ole Miss receiver was wide open in space because a Florida DB made the wrong read or Matt Corral was scrambling for big yardage because the contain was AWOL. The South Carolina game (38-24 win) wasn’t exactly a shootout the Ole Miss game was but it was far closer than it should have been. The Gators held a 38-14 lead with 4:44 remaining in the third quarter at which point the offense seemed to punch the cruise control button. That put the defense back on the field and while they didn’t give up huge, explosive plays, they allowed the Gamecocks to dink and dunk while keeping the chains moving. The Gators simply couldn’t get the Gamecocks off the field. The Gators managed just 53 offensive snaps which were good for 342 yards (a respectable 6.6 yards per play), but only 12 of those snaps came in the fourth quarter when the Gators netted just 11 yards. Three of those snaps were in victory formation. South Carolina, meanwhile, got off 83 snaps and held the ball for 36:23. As bad as that sounds, the Gamecocks snapped the ball 29 times in the fourth quarter alone while holding the ball for 11:12. South Carolina scored a touchdown on an 11-play possession and drove the ball 74 yards in 18 plays to the Florida four before the UF defense rose to the occasion and got four consecutive stops to prevent the game going into white knuckles territory. Although South Carolina managed only 329 yards (just 4.0 per play) for the game, the Gamecocks ground out 25 first downs (Florida only had 18) and converted 5-6 on fourth down. Those are troubling numbers. Some of the blame – not all of it for sure – can be placed on the offense. Mullen alluded to that in his post-game remarks. “Offense going three-and-out concerns me,” Mullen said. “That’s really bad defense. Our offense is extremely responsible for playing defense. Twice we give them the ball at midfield and in the fourth quarter we come out with two three-and-outs offensively, so that’s really bad defense played by the offense.” Missed tackles and blown assignments are usually a sign of inexperience but the Gators have too many veterans on that side of the ball for the inexperience excuse to work. Lack of focus and immaturity seems to be a more likely reason for the lack of defensive productivity. It’s alarming enough that Mullen indicated there will be a wholesale evaluation of everything that’s going on defensively this week. “We have to evaluate our assignments,” Mullen said. “Have to evaluate if we’re making the right call. Have to evaluate if we’re making tackles the right way. If we’re executing the right way.” Maybe the best way to describe what we have seen so far with the defense is the old one step forward, two steps backward adage. It seems that every time the Gators make a good play on defense it is followed up by a combination of missed tackles or blown assignments. That can’t continue if this team is to move forward and play to its potential. There is championship potential in this Florida team. There is championship personnel. There is depth like Dan Mullen has never had before. It’s an SEC roster from top to bottom. The offensive line isn’t functioning at the highest level yet, but they are markedly improved over 2019 and it’s not difficult to see the growth even through two games. There is explosiveness with the offense and the kind of speed that can turn a routine pass into a 57-yard touchdown (see Trask to Toney with 4:44 left in the third quarter to make the score 38-14 against South Carolina). Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland, Justin Shorter and Trent Whittemore are all capable of breakout games. There is no shortage of talented defenders, either. This is what is so befuddling about the first two games. We see the possibilities of an elite pass rusher in Brenton Cox Jr. and in Ventrell Miller we see a middle linebacker who can go sideline to sideline. There have been occasions when Tedarrell Slaton will clog up the middle or Kaiir Elam shows that burst of speed it takes to break cleanly on the football, but the exceptional plays are sandwiched between the kind of plays that must make defensive coordinator Todd Grantham want to pull his hair out. Mullen is rightly concerned with the fact the Gators are giving up 143.5 yards per game on the ground, 327.5 yards per game through the air (8.19 per pass attempt) and 5.9 yards per play. He has to be even more concerned with the fact that the Gators have forced only two turnovers. Those numbers have to improve and improve quickly. The next two weeks are going to go a long way toward telling us how good the Gators are as well as how good they can be. Texas A&M looked horrendous both offensively and defensively against Vanderbilt in game one. The Aggies had spurts against Alabama that tell you they are capable of turning things around. Next week’s game is in College Station and while Kyle Field won’t be filled to the rafters with the usual 102,000 fans, it’s still a road game for the Gators. You know the Aggies will be far more comfortable at home than they were in Tuscaloosa. Against Mississippi State, LSU’s defense played as if it was observing social distancing protocols but the Tigers looked like a different team in game two. They held Vanderbilt to 256 yards and a single touchdown while the offense put up 41 points and 498 yards. Against Vanderbilt, LSU looked more like a team that is capable of running the table for the remaining games on the schedule. If the Gators can score a win on the road at Texas A&M and then whack LSU in The Swamp on October 10, then they will have generated the kind of momentum that makes them a legitimate threat to unseat Georgia at the top of the SEC East. Lose one and there is time to recover. Lose two and you can forget championship aspirations. The potential is there to go 10-0 even though we haven’t seen it in weeks one and two except on the offensive side of the ball. The Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside my childish ways.” To go 2-0 in the next two weeks will require a team that can look itself in the mirror and decide it’s time to set aside the childish ways and play like grown men. It’s time for the Gators to grow up.

Kadarius Toney didn’t always wear the Gators’ coveted No. 1. When the Alabama native made his way to Gainesville in 2017, he sported the number 17 on his jersey. He was also recruited as a quarterback, but listed as a utility player on Jim McElwain’s final Gators roster. He’s come a long way. From taking snaps out of the wildcat in effort to spark a dying Florida offense, to adding explosiveness to a thriving Mullen-led showing, Toney’s roles have continued to evolve. Just two games into his senior season, Toney is looking better than we’ve ever seen him. In Saturday’s home opener, Toney eclipsed his career-high of 72 receiving yards (11/3/2018 vs Missouri) with 86 receiving yards against the Gamecocks. Toney added an insurance score for the Gators late in the third quarter on a play that torched the Gamecocks’ defense. After putting South Carolina safety RJ Roderick on skates, Toney bounced free of a total of five Gamecock defenders en route to his second score of the season. One Twitter user drew comparisons between Toney and former Gator Percy Harvin on the play: McElwain used to call him the “human joystick”, a name that has since stuck around. Former Gators linebacker David Reese described him as “slippery” in 2017. Florida’s human pinball has continued to frustrate opposing defenses and punting units since taking over return duties this season. On Saturday, Toney bolstered the Gators into prime field position with an electric 26-yard punt return in the second quarter. He returned another against South Carolina for 16 yards. Much improved, Toney is just yet another weapon that Dan Mullen and the Gators get to punish opposing defenses with. But still, arguably the two biggest names in college football continue to garner national attention. Kyle Trask is on a short list of FBS quarterbacks. He, Texas’ Sam Ehlinger and Louisiana Tech’s Luke Anthony are the only three FBS QBs to have 10 passing touchdowns this season. Trask’s 684 yards through two games are the most by a UF quarterback since Rex Grossman’s Heisman-runner up campaign in 2001. All three of Trask’s 4+ passing touchdown games have come against SEC teams, a feat no quarterback has achieved since Grossman in 2001. Trask has posted 10 consecutive games with 200-plus passing yards, tying John Reaves (1969-70) for the third longest streak in program history. Two games in, Kyle Pitts has matched his receiving touchdowns total from last season (5). With Florida’s win on Saturday, the Gators extended their nation-leading winning streak in home openers to 31 games.