Chompin' at the Bit - Vol. 6

Week 4 Recap

Crying Albert
(Me last weekend.. I'm sure some of you can relate)

I understand that all things must come to an end at some point, but not like that. Words taken from a great philosopher, Markus Jiggetts of DeFuniak Springs, FL, had I been buried on Saturday, it would have been life coming full circle for me because the Florida Gators would have "let me down" one last time. That was one of the most mind blowing and frustrating games I can recall watching. UT beat UF 38-28... As Florida fans, we know frustration from essentially the entire Muschamp era, but this loss was different.

I have never seen Florida play the 'Tale of Two Halves' role and come out on the bad end of things like THAT. How do you blow a 21-0 lead (21-3 at half) with that defense on the field??? Poor, conservative play-calling by our coaches and a lack of execution and intensity by our players. We played with a "not lose" mindset, instead of playing to win. Maybe I'm harsh and you can call me a poor sport... But in a rivalry game on the road, you're up TWENTY-ONE points and you let up!? You don't put your foot on their throats while you have the chance!? I'm lost... WHY?? Why not keep your foot on the gas!? Instead of walking out of Neyland with 12 straight Ws, now you have opened the door for the rivalry to really return. Now they know they can beat us. That win was huge for their program psychologically going forward. Hats off to Tennessee for sticking in there and coming back, but I am beyond disappointed in how we literally gave that game away. The biggest takeaway from that loss is now UF has to win out in SEC play to have a shot at going to ATL, plus they need Tennessee to lose 2 SEC games (which I think they will vs. Texas A&M and Bama, but you can't count on that).

Week 5 Preview 

WR Brandon Powell vs Vandy in last years matchup

This week the Gators travel up to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. UF leads the all-time series 37-10-2. I'm going to take the optimistic approach and say Vandy should be worried this weekend because UF will come in looking to kill. They know they messed up last week and what's at stake going forward. I think they were humbled on Saturday and I am hoping that leads to a run reminiscent of that '08 team after the Ole Miss loss. Coach Mac said he saw a locker room that was truly hurt from that loss. GOOD! Get mad, go out and win... big.

After last week, it's not even worth breaking down both sides of the ball after they each collapsed in the second half. Both sides better come out with a renewed energy and focus. I thought QB Austin Appleby played pretty good last week when given the chance to throw, especially with the deep ball. I would say Del Rio is better with the short/intermediate game and overall, but Appleby definitely stretched the field in that first half against Tennessee and showed he can be a serviceable backup. Keep an eye out for WR Tyrie Cleveland this weekend, as he should be involved in the offense more now that he is healthy; He caught his first pass off of a 36 yard dot from Appleby. I would look for more deep shots this week with Cleveland and Callaway, plus a heavy dose of the run game. Our defense shouldn't struggle against Vandy's offense, so they should be able to get off the field and give us more opportunities to score.

Prediction: Florida 41, Vandy 10 

Enjoy the weekend. Go Gators! 

Chompin' at the Bit - Vol.5

Week 3 Recap

LB Jarrad Davis and team - Photo Cred: gatorcountry.com

I have to start off this week's post with saluting our defense. Those boys held North Texas to 53 yards in the ENTIRE game. I don't care who you're playing... you hold a team to 53 total yards in a game, that is pretty impressive. That unit played with their hair on fire and ended up with 7 sacks in the 32-0 win. Number 1 defense in the country? It certainly appears that way, but there is a lot of ball left to play and we need to stay healthy to make that a reality at the end of the season. LBs Alex Anzalone and Jarrad Davis were all over the field making tackles. We often talk about having the best CB tandem in the country, but we could be overlooking the LBs. Anzalone and Davis are first round talents making a decisive impact on games and it's fun to watch.

The offense played decent, but nothing spectacular, with most of the shine coming from the talented running back group. Each of our big 4 scored TDs and played very well. I still favor Jordan Scarlett as my go-to guy and my second back would be Lamichal Perine. All are very capable of getting the job done, but for my preference of runner, the two aforementioned would match more of what I am looking for consistently on offense.

Of course the downer of the game came when our starting QB Luke Del Rio went down on what looked to be a season ending injury. I just knew his season was over when I saw that hit, but thankfully he didn't tear anything or require surgery so he should be back for the LSU game in a couple of weeks. The OL still is not where I think they should be. They showed flashes of greatness, but also blew tons of assignments and did not keep a clean pocket for the QBs a good portion of the game. I'll reemphasize as always... without them, this team won't win. They have to continue to get better.

Week 4 Preview

WR Antonio Callaway headed for the game winning TD in last
year's matchup - Photo Cred: miamiherald.com

The week most of us had circled is finally here. It's Tennessee week so I am extra hyped about this one... I once thought of them to be a "rival", but after losing 11 straight, I think it's kind of hard to use that term. "Divisional foe" would seem more appropriate to me, but that's neither here nor there. Florida leads the all-time series 26-19. At this point I am just tired of the Tennessee hype. Predicted SEC East Champion, possible CFB Playoff Contender, blah, blah, blah... I have said from day 1 that they are overrated and I would say they have proved me to be correct with how they have played the first few weeks of the season. We own them and have won the last few years with sub-par, backup quarterbacks. As a fan on either side of the "rivalry", what would make you think anything different is going to happen this year? After what happened last week to Luke and how coach Mac defended his players, this Gators team is ready to go "run through a wall" as LB Jarrad Davis said earlier in the week. CBs Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson have not held back either, by basically guaranteeing a win this weekend in candid comments they have had in interviews this week. Normally I would not agree with trash talking the opponent before the game and guaranteeing wins, but I think this week, this team, and this Tennessee is different. Exceptions can be made and I fully expect UF to come out and bust UT's head this weekend in Knoxville.

It's pretty obvious that all of the attention will be on backup QB Austin Appleby as he replaces the injured Luke Del Rio. Hopefully he gets good protection up front and makes some solid decisions to go along with accurate throws. He brings a running threat that Luke didn't have, so that should bode well for us if he needs to get out of the pocket. Expect a heavy dose of the run game with our four headed monster as well. WR Antonio Callaway is questionable for the game with that quad injury, but something tells me he will be on the field Saturday.

The defense, as I mentioned earlier, is ready to go. It will be fun to see them try and shutdown this Tennessee offense after they let them run all over them last year. That, plus the trash talk among the fans and players, reminds me of that year UGA stomped the field on us in 2007. I feel that type of disrespect and I'm sure you remember what happened to UGA the following year as well... 49-10 UF :) The key here will be staying disciplined against their run-option game. If we shutdown UT's run game and force them to throw, you might as well go ahead and get the celebratory shots ready because that's the ballgame. Pass rush situations equals our D-line eating all day long and I'm here for it.

Prediction: Florida over Tennessee (4-0).... Again... Make that 12 in a row. I just talked a lot of trash so I hope the Gators don't let me down lol 

Enjoy the weekend. Go Gators! 

Chompin' at the Bit - Vol. 4

By: Blair McLendon

WR Freddie Swain celebates his TD with his OL - Photo Cred: gatorcountry.com

Week 2 Recap

Wow! What a good game, right!? The way the Gators played on Saturday versus Kentucky exemplified what Florida Football should look like. I thought this was the most complete game on both sides of the ball that we have seen since the Urban-era. I went into the game expecting to win, but not like that. Florida dominated from the jump and came out with their first victory in conference play, beating UK 45-7.

Offensively, the game ball had to go to QB Luke Del Rio who was 19/32 for 320 yards 4TDs and 1 INT. He spread the ball around nicely and showed off a cannon that I doubt anyone knew he had when he connected on a 78 yard dime to WR Antonio Callaway, who finished with 129 yards on 5 catches. That lethal backfield I've been raving about made me proud as well. The star of the running game was freshman RB Lamical Perine, who finished with 1 TD and 133 total yards. The Gators backfield finished the game with 244 yards on the ground, pushing the total yardage to 564. Wait, wait, wait.... I know. You're probably thinking I made a typo with 564 yards, right? Nah, you read it right. That offensive line I've been praying for finally stepped up to keep the pocket clean and created some nice running lanes. Good job, guys!

It was almost laughable at how much our defense dominated Kentucky. DBU lived up to their moniker and held Kentucky's starting QB to 2/10 for 10 yards with 3 INTs. The return of CB Teez Tabor was very much welcomed, as he recorded his first pick of the season on an incredible read to jump an attempted screen pass. CB Quincy Wilson had the nastiest pick of the weekend in my opinion. Of course he got no love on ESPN, but take a look below at this absolute filth so you can see what I'm talking about. The front seven played amazing as well, recording 5 sacks and 1 forced fumble while holding UK to 149 total yards.

 

Week 3 Preview - North Texas vs. Florida

 

This week the Gators take on the North Texas Mean Green. This will be the second meeting between the schools, with North Texas winning the only matchup 20-12 in 1947.

Offense 
I think I speak for everyone when I say that I want to see an encore of last week's performance. I would hope that the team comes out with the same aggressive, kill-all mentality they had last week and have another blowout. This should be another confidence booster as they gear up for the much anticipated matchup with "rival" Tennessee next week. With everything I have seen behind the scenes, as well as what they have shown on the field, I feel like this is really just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come with Mac's offense. But what is that old saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I've been fooled enough, so I'm praying for another solid outing so we can finally shed this lifeless offensive shadow we have lived in, for what seems like, forever. The key is the same as last week's; if the offensive line keeps Del Rio clean, expect points! The running game should be solid again. WR Antonio Callaway is doubtful for the game and starting RG Tyler Jordan is out.

Defense
This defense is too hungry and too stingy to come out and lay an egg. As a unit, they have bailed this team out more times than we can count so don't expect anything less this week. They come into this game as the #2 defense in the country and want to prove that they are the best. They will come to play as always. Hopefully we can get a big lead and give our vets some rest while we also give the younger guys some time to develop.

Final Prediction: Florida over North Texas (3-0) (If I see another competent offense this weekend, I will pick a score next week. Just trying to save face here...)

Enjoy the weekend. Go Gators!

Chompin' at the Bit - Vol. 3

By: Blair McLendon 

Week 1 Recap

Coming off of a subpar and underwhelming performance in our season opener, the newly unranked Gators did get the win over UMass 24-7. Clearly I was off in my prediction in how much we would score. I kept thinking the entire game that a joke was being played on us. The offense let us all down... Again. I expected points! It was a tough day for the offensive line, as they struggled holding the line of scrimmage many times causing havoc in our backfield. I wish I could blame the rain on how we played on offense overall, but I can't.

RB Jordan Scarlett - Photo Cred: gatorcountry.com

I thought we saw pretty decent play by QB Luke Del Rio in his first start, making some solid decisions and being efficient when he had time to throw. I would like to see him go through his reads a little longer before making the check down throw. RB Jordan Scarlett played a really good game for us. I am hoping he continues to get the bulk of the carries, as I think he is the back most likely to take it to the crib at any time. We also saw flashes of how good our receiving core could be. Losing WR Dre Massey to a season-ending knee injury does hurt, however we do get electric freshmen WRs Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells back this week. The bottom line is if the O-line doesn't get better, none of this matters because we will not be able to run, nor throw against better teams.

Defense played stingy as always, although they did give up three big plays. Overall, great game as they held UMass to 1/11 on 3rd downs and 187 yards total. Our front seven was everything that I expected. The D-line is ridiculous and have some beasts out there for sure! Then you have two of the best LBs in the country, in Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone. A+ in that department, guys! Now the secondary on the other hand... Kinda shaky at times. Definitely looking forward to CB Teez Tabor coming back this week and shoring up the side opposite Quincy Wilson. Pretty solid play on special teams as well. It feels so good to know we have a kicker again! Thank you, Eddy and thank you, Lord!

 

Week 2 Preview - Kentucky vs. Florida 

This week the Gators take on the University of Kentucky Wildcats, who are coming off of a loss to Southern Miss last week in their opener. The Gators come in looking to extend their current 29 game win streak over the Cats (longest streak in the nation against an annual opponent). Florida leads the all-time series between the schools 49-17.

Offense
Expect an expanded playbook this week. Last week we clearly saw a limited selection in the plays we ran, but with this being an SEC game, you will see a lot more of what we are capable of looking like going forward. Again.. If the O-line doesn't play better, all expectations should be thrown out of the window because we won't win many games. After last week's showing, RB Jordan Scarlett should get the bulk of the carries, but it will be interesting to see how much the other backs will play with this being a conference game where you could benefit from the continuity of featuring one guy, spelling him when needed. It will be nice to see what the receiving core, including TEs, bring this week. Hopefully they step up and make some plays.

Defense
Kentucky likes to pass the ball so this will be a good opportunity to test out how good DBU really is. Again, with Teez back in the lineup we should look a lot better as a defensive unit so I am not concerned. Hopefully we actually force a few turnovers this week. Our front seven will have plenty of opportunities to impose their will on inexperienced Soph. UK QB Drew Barker and he should be under duress a lot. The LB core will be another position group to pay attention to. With LB Daniel McMillian out a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, you will see a couple new faces in Soph. Kylan Johnson and Fr. David Reese and Jeremiah Moon.

Defenders Nick Washington, Teez Tabor, Jarrad Davis -  Photo Cred: gatorcountry.com

Final Prediction: Florida over Kentucky (2-0) (until I see consistency from the offense, I can't even embarrass myself by predicting any more scores)


Enjoy the weekend. Go Gators!

Chompin' at the Bit - Vol. 2

Week 1 Preview - UMass vs. UF

By: Blair McLendon

Finally, the moment we have been waiting for the past 8 months is here... Football is back!!! This weekend our beloved Gators take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. This will be a 7:30p kickoff in The Swamp and will be the first match-up between the two programs. Florida comes into the season with a nation-high 26 game win streak in season openers. Look for that to be 27 after Saturday.

Offense 

Coach Mac has picked our starter to be QB Luke Del Rio as expected. I believe the offense will get into a groove early on in the game with Del Rio leading some solid drives down the field with a much improved passing game to go along with an explosive running game. It looks like my sleeper, Jordan Scarlett, will get the nod at starting RB. I am excited to see what kind of game he has; I've been hyping him up, so I hope he makes me look good.

Keep in mind that once we cross the 50 yard line we have the possibility of getting 3 with K Eddy Pineiro. Nice weapon to have, right? Word out of fall camp has been that our young offensive line has made major strides, so I am hoping that translates to the majority of our drives ending with TDs instead. WR Antonio Callaway is back in the fold fresh off of his suspension, so that will be a nice addition to a healthy WR Brandon Powell and explosive newcomer WR Dre Massey. Notable freshmen WRs Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells will be suspended for this game due to their offseason misconduct.

I am expecting to see a bunch of points this weekend and will be very disappointed if we see anything less.

Credit: floridagators.com

Defense 

The front seven should cause tons of chaos this game. I'm sure everyone involved in the rotation is licking their chops to get after the QB this weekend. We should see plenty of players rotate and get playing time throughout the game. You can expect LB Jarrad Davis to have a big game, as he will be all over the field making plays. It will be nice to see he and LB Alex Anzalone operating as a duo again, now that Anzalone is healthy again. I guarantee you that no offense we face is looking forward to seeing those two this year.

With the absence of All-American CB Jalen Tabor (suspended along with TE C'yontai Lewis for fighting), this will be an opportunity for our young corners to gain some game time experience, which will pay dividends down the road for us to help with depth. I am expecting the defense to cause at least 3 turnovers for the game.

Final Prediction: Florida 55, UMass 7 (1-0) 

Tidbits: 

- Our new Ambassador and Consultant for the UAA, the GOAT, Steve Spurrier will serve as the honorary Mr. Two Bits for the game this weekend. This will also be the introduction of the newly
dubbed "Steve Spurrier - Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium".

- Recruiting for the 2017 class has really taken off heading into the fall with key verbal commitments from 4 star - RB Adarius Lemons (No. 1 RB in the state), 4 star - DT Fred Hansard, and 4 star - CB Marco Wilson (brother of UF Jr. CB Quincy Wilson) just to name a few. All three will be key recruits to a stellar class that Mac and staff are putting together. The class is currently ranked No. 12 on ESPN and 247Sports.


Enjoy the long weekend and Go Gators!

Still Wade County?

          Yes, I did wait a few weeks before writing this just in case Dwyane Wade decided to have a DeAndre Jordan-like change of heart and come back to Miami. But snapchats from Chicago & photoshoots in his new Bulls uniform, it appears the dust has settled on this matter. Then reality sets in that the best player in Miami Heat history just left, not retire with Miami like we all expected, but actually left for another team. Knowing how humans are, we have to put the blame on somebody. Whether it be Pat Riley for pretty much ignoring Wade this summer, putting all his focus on getting Kevin Durant to Miami (unsuccessfully) and not giving Wade the contract he wanted; or Wade for doing the unthinkable and actually leaving with all that talk about loyalty and being a Heatlifer. In reality, Wade has been loyal to Riley and Miami for his whole career but they didn’t take care of him when the time came. As the saying goes, “don’t let loyalty make a fool out of you.” It’s rarely talked about but Wade took many sacrifices (mainly financial) to bring Miami its first three NBA championships. Wade took pay cuts to bring superstars to Miami and was never the highest paid player on this team in his career. So this time around in free agency, it could be best said that all he wanted was a reimbursement on the money he lost out on, which was estimated to be over $20 million. Riley didn’t budge so Wade left.

            Personally, as my head cleared from the bias, Wade was right to leave. From him being treated like a second-rate player the last couple of years and not getting his wishes fulfilled, it was only a matter of time. And deep down, I honestly feel like Pat Riley wanted to move on from an aging 34-year-old Wade. Whether it’s true or not the Don couldn’t give Wade no more than $40 million over two years, he is scrapping bits of the past and looking toward the future. The only question now is what’s going to happen to Bosh. Blood clots & conversations that it would be in his best interest to retire, that puts the Heat in a tough situation regarding his contract. But that is an article for another day, best wishes to Bosh on whatever he decides to do.

            Back to Wade…the Miami Heat career leader in points, assists, steals, field goals, games & minutes played, free throws, second in blocks and fourth in rebounds. Best season was arguably the 2008-2009 season where he posted career highs in points (30.2), assists (7.5), steals (2.2) and blocks (1.3), while averaging 5 rebounds a game and shooting 49% from the field. 3 NBA championships with a Finals MVP in 2006, 12-time NBA All-Star with 1 MVP in 2010, 2-time All-NBA First Team, 2009 scoring champion and a Gold Medal with Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Wade is a surefire 1^st ballot Hall of Famer. 

Now that he’s gone, Pat Riley and the Heat have to rebuild (or reload?) around the only one doing it with blocks, Hassan Whiteside. We also have young promising talent in Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson & Justise Winslow. Dion Waiters (4^th overall pick in 2012) will look to revive his career with the Heat after a slump in OKC & Briante Weber (a 3-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year) will be starting his career off in Miami after making the jump from the D-League. With the Flash out of the picture, many Heat fans are now looking past this upcoming season to the 2017 free agency race.

There were rumors that Miami could be a potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook but at the time of this writing, he just signed a 3 year $85.7 million extension with the Thunder so that dream scenario is dead. In the meantime, with superstars LeBron James & Dwyane Wade long gone, it looks like Miami Heat basketball will fall off the relevancy map. And for those that don’t think so, this will be the first season since 2008 that the Heat will not play a Christmas game.

Some say Wade transformed Miami into a basketball town (we will always be a football town). Some say the Heat are doomed for the foreseeable future. Others, including me, say with Micky Arison & Pat Riley in the driver’s seat, we will bounce back like we always do. But a Miami Heat team without Dwyane Wade is still a crazy picture to wrap my head around. But like MJ & the Bulls, Kobe & the Lakers, Wade will always be a Miami Heat and Dade County is still Wade County.  

Real Talk : Miami Hurricanes 2016 Fall Camp Top Position Battles

By: Thierry Louis

This is a candid, uncensored-take about your Miami Hurricanes. No predisposed agendas or editor changing the tune of the article. Your sit down with your boys kind of piece where we keep it real and talk about the Canes and the start of Fall camp and what we are looking out for. So without further ado

5. Right Tackle : Sunny Odogwu vs Tyree St. Louis

The entire fan base loves Sunny doesn't it? He's charismatic, outgoing and has that personality and background that makes you want to root for him. When you  consider his physique..... we are all waiting for that "Blindside" moment where he taps into his African heritage and picks up a defensive lineman and blocks him through the goalpost right. His play at times however has been too inconsistent for the likes of some Cane fans. Whether it be whiffing on a block or a false start, he has made fans create the most unbelievable combination of curse words and throw their TVs out the window. Well I speak for myself in that matter. So enter Tyree St. Louis. Had a great spring and took full advantage of Sunny's absence. Although not as physically gifted he took full advantage of the weight room and is more natural and fluid at the position. Look for this battle to last the duration of camp.


4. Running Back: Joe Yearby vs Mark Walton

So if your a Canes fan it seems like your either a Yearby guy or a Walton guy right ? One of the morehighly debated positions on the team. Who is the better RB? I'm not going to lie....... I have my favorite and I would like to see Yearby take full control of the position as I believe he has more natural running back instincts and I just enjoy watching him cut and embarrass defensive backs. With that being said however how can anyone ignore what Mark Walton did this spring? Numero Uno wasn't messing around! He was on a mission and it appeared as if he took full control of the position and really impressed the coaching staff. The consensus scouting report in regards to Walton coming out of high school was that he was the most well-rounded, balanced running back in his class and although not elite at one specific thing he did everything really really good. That was on full display in the spring. Richt has indicated it will be running back by committee and Yearby had the majority of carries last year and ran for 1,000 yards so he is the projected starter. After the spring Mark had however I don't think anybody will be surprised if he was named the starter week 1.

3. Defensive Tackle: R.J Mcintosh Vs Gerald Willis

This day and age of recruiting is all about star rankings and even if your not a "star whore" as the message boards so eloquently call it, everybody gets excited at the arrival of a 5 star player. Cane fans have been patiently waiting to watch Gerald Willis play and are expecting big things out of him.  When I  first learned that R.J McIntosh lined up with the first team I like most fans thought nothing of it and expected as time passed for Gerald Willis to surpass him. So wasn't it a big surprise to see that by the end of spring R.J was yet to relinquish his starting spot? It only made me for example take more notice of him. He is a former defensive end so the athleticism is already there. Then add the fact that he gained considerable weight and strength and looks the part and you get it. This will be a fun battle to watch as Willis will certainly come on strong which will only make the group better.

2. #2 Cornerback: Sheldrick Redwine vs Adrian Colbert

If we did a poll on which position group most fans were worried about I would be willing to bet the majority would pick the cornerback position and It's a shame really. At a prestigious school like TheU in no way shape or form should there be a void of talent at the Cornerback position ( Thank You Al Golden). After Corn Elder the group is a bunch of unknowns and we won't really know what we have until the first couple of games.  Sheldrick Redwine had a solid spring and is the favorite to start. Graduate transfer Adrian Colbert will have something to say about that though. What We have heard about him so far is that physically he has the tools to be a very good CB. Tall at 6"1 with good speed and hips. He is certainly looking to throw his hat in the ring and expects to be the starter by the end of camp.

1. Wide receiver : Dayall Harris vs Ahmmon Richards vs Malcolm Lewis vs Darrel Langham

Losing Lawrence Cager is a big blow to this team and that opens up a spot at the #2WR position and there are a lot of candidates to fill that spot but there's only one name Cane fans want to hear..........Ahmmon Richards! So Yep that is all. The end.

Seriously though that's all most Cane fans want right lol? We all want to see the next Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley and we believe Ahmmon Richards is that guy. So far it's been rumored that he has already ran a 4.3 in pre camp testing and that he has been impressing in offseason workouts and 7on7s. We believe he will be the next great WR at TheU and only time will tell. Sam Bruce and Braxton Berrios will almost certainly occupy the slot in 3 WR sets so that leaves upperclassmen Dayall Harris, Malcom Lewis, and Darrell Langham who he must beat out.  Transfer WR Harris and Langham fit the bill of what you expect a Mark Richt WR to look like. Big, strong, lanky WRs who can go up and fight for the ball. They both have experience and will not be looking to give that open WR to anybody. What once seemed like a promising start for Malcolm Lewis was derailed by a serious injury. This is his last opportunity and he will be looking to make an impression.