The Sunday Blog comes at you in a world where I just sent my AP ballot in and ranked four teams from the state of Florida and not one of them was named Florida State.
* Do I want to get into this now? Oh, why not? There has been plenty of debate about whether Malik Davis should have scored or knelt to the ground Saturday. Jim McElwain said it was a “teachable moment” and he needs to start with the media. Because most of us agree that you take the touchdown and make it a two-score game. I don’t think Vanderbilt was scoring two touchdowns in 1:42, but it wouldn’t be like it never has happened before and Florida’s secondary had more holes than the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail on Saturday. If Davis slides down at the 20 or so, Florida can take three knees and the game is over. So I get that. But I would still have scored. The joke in the press box was that McElwain wanted to add a notch in his impressive record of one-possession wins and that’s why he wanted Davis to go down.
* So which coach had a worse month — Butch Jones or Ed Orgeron? LSU was mocked on Twitter by Troy University (the school thanked LSU for having the Trojans on for a wonderful Homecoming) which is all you need to know. A little buyer’s remorse there, Joe Alleva? Jones went after the media’s negativity this week and then gave all the hacks plenty of bad things to write about. Tennessee managed 142 yards, was 1-for-12 on third downs and turned it over four times.
* Georgia appears to be the real deal and really shouldn’t be challenged until the Bulldogs play Florida in Jacksonville. Georgia has outscored its last two SEC opponents 72-3. To which Alabama said, “Hold my beer.” The Tide’s combined score in their last two games against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss has been 124-3. I really thought the SEC would be better this season but it is still Alabama, then Georgia a distant second and then three or four teams trying to fight their way out of a paper bag, then a bunch of real mediocrity.
* There was a point Saturday night while I was sitting in my office sipping on a cold one and taking notes that I really was ready to move Clemson to No. 1. At some point, it feels like body of work should supersede which team you think is the best. But as Alabama began to emasculate Ole Miss in the second half, I changed my mind. The thing most impressive about Nick Saban is that every game the Tide plays in the other team’s Super Bowl and Alabama always has laser focus and attention to detail. There is never a letdown.
* Games to make sure you watch this week:
Louisville at N.C. State, Thursday, 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Miami at FSU, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Washington State at Oregon, Saturday, 8 p.m. on Fox.
I’ve been a Coach Mac supporter this entire time but if this is really his attitude with 1:41 left then perhaps he’s not a good fit here. As Spurrier always said, it’s the job of the defense to stop you. A player should always try to score unless it’s the obvious victory formation play.
No doubt score you are up 2 TDs hardly likely VU gets 2 TDs in a minute and a half. You could have a bad snap on a knee and Vandy is on the way plus if you give up 2 scores after you rip their heart out on 4th down you deserve to lose and them to win.
If this is his attitude? You mean if his attitude is to win the game?
Deserve to lose? Why? Shit happens. Even NC teams give up a FG return for a TD or on-side kick. There’s no deserve to lose if it happens from freak scenarios.
Kickoff return for a TD. 1:30 left on the clock. Onside kick and recovery. 1:15 left on the clock (btw — their kicker executed a spectacular on-side). Anyways, 1:15 left on the clock, 60 yards to go, and the Gator secondary has been torched all day long.
And if Vandy does pull off this low chance scenario? All the talking heads and “fans” that are railing against Mac’s displeasure would be saying he deserved to be fired because he apparently doesn’t know the game of football. Just watch that last Atlanta series from the Super Bowl or the entire freaking 4th quarter. Anything is possible if you let the other guys have an opportunity.
Most ridiculous comment yet from a coach who seems further and further away from his billing as an offensive genius. Let the players play, let the fans cheer about something OTHER than the eventuality of a coaching change. Scott Stricklin, are you hearing this?
Factually, Mac is correct about clock management at the end of the game clock management wise. I like the fact Malik took it to the house for a variety of reasons. 1) The offense has strugled to get in the end zone all year. 2) Boost the confidence oof your offensive players. 3) Show fans, players and recruits an aggressive disposition that has been sorely lacking.
I’m proud of coach Mac and the players they need to continue t improve and get better. Good wishes for Luke and i hope you have a healthy recovery. Go Gators
I’m happy that Mac drove for a FG at the end of the 1st half. There have been so many times that he had a full minute or more on the clock and just didn’t — it’s been really annoying.
I am also glad that this offense starved and running game starved team got the TD. I am glad the true freshman got another confidence building TD on his way to what I am hoping will be a well over 1000 yard season with a smackton of TDs.
With that said, I would slightly rather that Davis had ran to the goal line and knelt. It’s the right thing to do with as much time as was left in the game and how badly the secondary had been playing. There are pros and cons to both scenarios and I like the pros of ending the game better. With that said, it is ridiculous how people have been railing against Mac for this. Heck, I’m pretty sure that MattUF jackwagon is another FSU troll.
I too wanted to score, not that logic was on the side of sliding. If you can’t stop a team from scoring at all with that short of time you don’t deserve to win. And I saw a lot of holes in Clemson that I have not seen with Bama, so they are not number one.
I understand the reason to take a knee, but I doubt the Head Ball Coach would have said take a knee and not score.
The sporting thing was to score. The strategic thing would have been to go down and let the clock run out.
Sometimes I wonder how Saban grows players that look exactly like the ones pumped up on steroids in the old days at Nebraska without doing anything illegal? Even the backs have thighs thick as timber. He has an army of giants with enough in the ranks to keep them fresh long after opponents have been beaten silly. His teams remind me of Tom Osborne’s super studs that whomped up on the Gators in the national championship game in the desert long ago. Only Saban seems to be doing it without feeding his players illegal growth enhancers. Right?
Hmmm??
Well, recruiting. And it’s nice when prosecutors do not press charges against his players for things like possessing a stolen weapon while arrested for drugs — because they don’t want to ruin these young men’s lives.
”The thing most impressive about Nick Saban is… that every game the Tide plays, Alabama always has laser focus and attention to detail. There is never a letdown.” -Pat Dooley.
Which reminds me, yesterday in U.G.A.’s post game comments on C.B.S., Coach Smart said, ”…humility is only 1 week away.” Meaning of course, ”…on any given Saturday”, you could lose. I’d like to think -IF ONLY- Florida could play with ”laser focus”, not getting stupid off-sides calls, and/or illegal shifts and movements and ”focus to detail”, then just perhaps Coach Smart was wrong, ”humility is only ‘4’ weeks away” …in J’ville. Go Gators!
Sometimes I wonder how Saban grows players that look exactly like the ones pumped up on steroids in the old days at Nebraska without doing anything illegal? You have to give teams credit for standing up against his army of giants.
There’s something unnatural about Saban’s success. Maybe the Goliath size of his linemen and rbs have more to do with it than focus.
I’m suspicious too, but growth enhancers enhance physical strength and speed, not decision making and discipline. Even “unnatural giants” can make mistakes if not thoroughly trained/coached. Saban surely does what the ole “Head Ball Coach” was famous for saying: he “coach[es] ’em up” (only better).
I think SEC coaches should have those little wrist bands that say “What would Saban do?”
And then they would lose. Because every Saban disciple that has simply gone somewhere else and attempted to recreate Saban has been unsuccessful. Kirby Smart looks like he is actually doing it but the jury is way out on that.
C’mon, Mac. Do you really think you can tell a freshman RB to take a knee if he breaks free on 4th down with nothing but green grass in front of him? It goes completely against his instincts, not to mention that the fans would hate it. Especially with the lack of offense around here lately.
Sorry about the redundant comments on here. I thought I had lost the longer posts on the same topic when they didn’t pop up right away.
Has anyone considered that if Davis slides, it affects the wagering on the game? The last line I saw was Vandy +8.5, so the Vandy bettors are winning if the game ends 31-24. But the bettors who have UF win when Davis crosses the goal line. So deliberately refusing to score could be considered “throwing” the game.
Saban is running an NFL calibre program in every respect. It starts with recruiting 4 and 5 star athletes
who are hungry to win and to get to the NFL. They are highly motivated.
They have great depth, and their D and O schemes are excellent and unpredictable. They teach teamwork and have solid coaches- look at what they have done with a second year Q-B who now is checking on every play and calling most of his own plays.
And yet they can be beaten on occasion-Clemson and Ole Miss as a case in point. The difference between The Tide and everyone else is the focus on the little things on every play, as Saban says. Players who can’t focus and with no discipline don’t cut the mustard there. There is a lot to learn from Tuscaloosa.
Well I’m glad to hear it’s all on the up and up in Tuscaloosa , and ain’t nothin’ amiss with all them giants. You may be right that it’s just excellent recruiting, but it still reminds me of Osborne’s Cornhuskers. There’s one thing predictable about Bama’s offense and defense. They will overpower opponents with brute force just like the Cornhuskers used to do.
mac is wrong…you never let off the throttle…he has no killer instinct