|
GatorBytes'
Original
|
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, September 12, 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FSU 41, Georgia Tech 35 Even though the Ramblin' Wrecks came into this game ranked No. 10, no one ever doubted the outcome. The Seminoles haven't lost at home since a 17-16 defeat to Miami in 1991. Still, a dismayed Bowden said afterwards, "I never thought I would see the day that an offense would score that many points on us". Pluses: FSU will remain No.1...at least until Nov. 20th Minuses: Georgia Tech, which rolled up 501 yards of total offense to 444 for the Seminoles. Next week No. 1 (cough, hack) FSU hosts No. 20 NC State Prediction: Never mind that the Wolfpack beat the Noles last year and are off to a 3-0 start this year, for Bowden, like Spurrier, losing twice to the same opponent is a millennial event. Hmmm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida 58, Central Florida 27 Pluses: The Gators improved their home winning streak to 29 games, the longest active streak in the nation. Fun and gun is back! Pluses/Minuses: The Gators finished with 501 yards of total offense. Central Florida finished with 447 yards of total offense, as the Gators gave up more than 400 yards against an unranked opponent for the second consecutive week. The Gators' young, inexperienced secondary did a lot of running around. Often in the wrong direction. Next week No. 4 FL hosts No. 2 TN. Said Head Coach Steve Spurrier, "The mighty Gators and mighty Vols, should be quite a game." Yes it should be, and it will be on national TV for the greater glory of the victor and the unspeakable humiliation of the loser. Prediction. Hope it's plenty hot and humid in the Swamp. The Gators by 3. The last time the Vols won in the Swamp (even before it was the Swamp), Phil Fulmer was, what, 21 years old?... Spurrier was sitting on a bench on the 49's sideline, and Florida had still been a Spanish territory longer than a US state. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami had the week off. The congas and bongos were silent yesterday in the Orange Bowl. No. 8 Miami did not play. Next week the Canes have the daunting task of mixing it up with No. 2 Penn State, a task that may not be all that formidable, considering the Nittany Lions unimpressive win over unranked Pitt yesterday in Beaver Stadium, as they squeaked by the Panthers to escape with a 20-17 victory against a team that was a five-touchdown underdog. Next week No. 8 Miami hosts No. 2 (??) Penn State Prediction: Pass the salsa. GatorBytes isn't going to bite on this one. One suggestion: Miami ought to offer to put the Nittany Lions up for free...at a motel on Biscayne Blvd., an area of the city well known for its hospitality. Just tell JoePa this is Miami's version of Happy Valley. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSeptember 19, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 23, Tennessee 21 GatorBytes predicted that the Gators would win by 3. Quite a bit better than Prediction Boy (the Sun's Pat Dooley), who picked the Gators to lose by 8. Pat, next time you pick the Gators to lose at home, don't forget to factor in the swamp thing! The Big story last night was the return of the Defense to the Swamp, after being absent since last November. Next week in Lexington, KY, look for the Gators' Offense AND Defense to both show up for the first time this year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 42, NC State 11 No one really doubted what the outcome of this one would be, although NC State came to Tallahassee with a 3-0 record, intent on beating FSU two years in a row, a fleeting thought that had some wishful thinkers recalling President Kennedy's Land-a-Man-on-the-Moon speech ("Why does Rice play Texas?"). Bowden, however, simply doesn't lose two games in a row to the same opponent, unless it's someone who also does Osmose lumber commercials and prefers Golden Fake potato chips to Whoppers. Look for another back-to-back pasting Nov. 20th when the Noles come to the Swamp. Next week the Noles return to their exhibition schedule, playing UNC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 23, PSU 27 Miami choked with 1:41 left to blow a 3 point lead and prevent a Sunshine State trifecta. On the other hand, former UM National Championship coach Howard Schnellenberger (now head coach at FAU) likes to distinguish between what he calls "the State of Miami" and the rest of Florida. If you look at it that way, it was another perfect week of Sunshine State football. The Canes will try to regroup next week against East Carolina. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, October 3, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 39, Alabama 40 GatorBytes predicted that Alabama's fans would be singing all the way back home, and they were! But not for the reasons he mentioned. The only person who might have been happier that day was Bobby Bowden. Suddenly, the Swamp didn't look like the menacing morass that engulfs other teams, the way the Gator defense mucked around. After the game, Spurrier said, "Maybe we're not as good as every body said we were". That was evident when the half ended with Alabama leading the hitherto mighty Gators 13-7. Never mind that the Gators once again made a determined effort to give away the game, and this time succeeded. The no. 3 team in the country is supposed to be able to play defense, cover punt returns, and kick extra points. It couldn't do any of those things yesterday, and lost. The home winning streak wasn't really that big a deal. How many consecutive games has FSU won at home? Besides, the Gators will never catch up to Bear Bryant's 57 in a row in Tuscaloosa. That's 19 seasons at home without a loss. The Gators only previous losses in the Swamp in the Spurrier era were to two coaches named Bowden. Now that list includes a new name, DuBose, but unlike Bobby and Baby Bowden, Spurrier will probably not get a chance to settle the score, unless it's in the SEC championship game in Atlanta later this year, because next year, the Tide will probably have a new head coach. Next week: the Gators (8), 4-1, continue their SEC schedule in Baton Rouge, taking on unranked LSU, 2-2. The Gators are still in the driver's seat in the Eastern Division, and have a chance to finish first in the SEC for the 7th time this decade. Expect the Gators to win in the Bayou. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU, A Zillion, Duke, Zilch (Actually, the score was 57-23, but that's only because Bowden was compassionate and merciful, despite the fact that his opponent, first year coach Carl Franks, was a former Spurrier assistant. That's why they call him St. Bobby). FSU is beginning to steamroll its opponents, and Peter Warrick reportedly has already bought a can of brasso or whatever it is you use to polish the Heisman trophy. No doubt he'll like what he sees when he watches the tape of the FL-AL game, where Tide running back Shaun Alexander (who might have something to say about that trophy) improved his chances in the Heisman race, with his 20 yard touchdown run in overtime, setting up Alabama's win. Warrick's Heisman chances will probably be decided on the same field November 20th where he will meet another Heisman candidate, Doug Johnson, and the only coach in the state who has one, Steve Spurrier. Next week: FSU (1) 5-0 v. Miami (19) 2-2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami did not play Next week: If Bobby Bowden was heartened by the Tide's win over the Gators in the Swamp, coming in ranked no. 21 and leaving no. 12, Butch Davis must be feeling giddy about his 19th ranked Canes' chances in Doak-Campbell stadium against no. 1 FSU. He might also be thinking that Alabama might not be a bad place to coach, either. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, October 10, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 31, LSU 10 This edition of GSSS is late because GatorBytes couldn't think of too much to write about that was printable after the Gators' ugly defeat of the Bayou Bengal Tigers Saturday in Baton Rouge. After the game, GatorBytes had to be lead away from the TV by Mrs. GatorBytes, mumbling to himself, "stupid, stupid, stupid". Coach Spurrier said right after the game all that GatorBytes had or wanted to say, "This may be the most undisciplined team I've had at Florida". The only thing GatorBytes could think of asking, is what are the coaches doing about it? Isn't that one of the things coaches do, instill discipline? Next week: Florida (7) 5-1 at Auburn 3-3. Expect Florida to avoid losing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 31, Miami 21 Even without two of their star criminoles, FSU had too much talent for Miami. Peter "It's not like I killed the President" Warrick and Laveranues "It's not like we ran into the store with bags or something, and just grabbed the clothes and ran out" Coles were hardly missed. FSU probably has too much talent for everyone else they will play, until November 20th, when it wouldn't surprise GatorBytes if we saw a judicial version of a fumble-ruskie, as Warrick's felony charge is dropped to a misdemeanor, so that he can play against the Gators. Miami is much better than its 2-3 record indicates. As a matter of fact, the Canes are still unbeaten in their conference, and may be good enough to win it. The Cane's conference schedule begins next week with a hoot, as they host the Owls of Temple. Next week: FSU (1)6-0 hosts the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 3-2. FSU is expected to just dress out their scout team for this one, while the starters confer with their attorneys. Miama (24) 2-3 hosts the Temple Owls 1-5 Miama, that's how the old-timers and natives say Miami. The Canes need to get back to old-time football. In the SEC, they call that smash-mouth football. But what do you call that in the Big Easy Conference? In Miama, I guess they could call it smasha yo boca football, or something like that. Gatorbytes was never that good at Spanish, even if he did live in Mexico, once. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, October 17, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 32, Auburn 14 The score could have been 49-0, that's how many times the Gators had to settle for field goals instead of TDs, as the Offense repeatedly sputtered inside the opponents' red zone. The Gator Defense, which had held Auburn scoreless for the first half, and to one yard rushing for the whole game, gave up two touchdowns in the second half, and once again, with help from the Offense, gave an otherwise thoroughly defeated opponent a chance to make a game of it. Perhaps, the Gators should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the mercy they have habitually shown to the vanquished. Still, the Gators were like too many foxes in the hen house for the Auburn War Chickens (you may recall that first year coach Tommy Tuberville, who reneged on his contract with Ole Miss to come to Auburn, which had dumped Terry Bowden, insisted that the War Eagles, as they were hitherto known, drop FSU from the schedule, fearing that an angry Papa Bowden might blast Auburn back to the Stone Age). Next week: the Gators (6) 5-1 are off, and then take on dem Dawgs (14) 5-1 in Jax at the World's largest outdoor cocktail party. A Gator win will, in all likelihood, assure Florida another Eastern Division championship and a chance to play in the SEC championship game in Atlanta. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 33, Wake Forest 10 Bobby Bowden must have thought the repeated references to "Weak" Forest meant he could spend the first half reviewing legal briefs for suspended alleged-felon and ex-Heisman candidate Peter "I Am Sorry But Innocent" Warrick, instead of his game plan. Instead, the haplessly outmatched Demon Deacons trailed the Noles by only 6 points at the half, and echoes of "dad gum!" rang out of the Noles locker room as the realization set in that their no. 1 ranking could be in jeopardy if they didn't score more than 9 points to the Deacons' 3. The Noles' sluggish first-half performance may reflect how things are in Tallahassee these days when the term "practice" means lawyers and prosecutors, not football, offense involves plea bargaining, and the Big D is Dillards, not defense. Next week: FSU (1) 7-0 at Clemson 3-3 for a father and son showdown, as first year coach, Tommy Bowden, tries to finish what little brother Terry was prevented from doing at Auburn, knock off the old man. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami v. Temple, postponed The Canes just can't get any breaks this season. And it's causing machismo anxiety down in Little Havana. Last week they were doused by their instate rivals from what used to be Florida Women's College. This week they were washed out by a broad named Irene, just when they needed to blow out someone like Temple, which is 1-5. Maybe it was best. The Canes have been skidding all over the place, and their young team still has a lot of growing up to do. How about another week? That will also give Butch Davis time to meet with Alabama boosters about an unannounced job vacancy in Tuscaloosa next year. Next week: the Canes (23) 2-3 go to Bean Town to take on the Boston College Eagles, 5-1, who are unranked despite having a better record than seven Top 25 teams. But really, how good is a team whose only loss was the others' only win so far (Temple 1-5)? Maybe the Canes should thank Irene it isn't 2-5. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, October 24, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida was off this week Next week: the Gators (5) 6-1 and the Georgia Bulldogs (10) 6-1 meet in Jacksonville, which is supposedly a neutral site, where the natives of both states fondly call each other crackers, but where for many years, it was a town that belonged to Georgia for one day of the year. In the old days when Florida football was BS (Before Spurrier), the Dawgs repeatedly ruined the Gators' chances of winning its first-ever SEC title. For Gators with long memories (and that includes the head coach), winning this one has always meant a lot, and winning the SEC championship has always meant more than winning anything else, maybe even more than the National Championship. For a lot of Gators who remember when Florida was on the periphery of Southern Football, finishing first in the SEC, first among peers in the toughest football conference in the country, is what really mattered, deep down. Winning a national title without the other would be disappointing, and the winner of the conference title, not the national title-holder, would be the one who would have braggin' rights around here. Winning a national title is fine, certainly it isn't something to be disdained, but winning the SEC title is why football is played in this region of the country, and everything else, besides NASCAR for those who don't follow college sports, is tiddlywinks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 17, Clemson 14 There has been no lack of entertainment lately in the state capitol, and not because the legislature is in session. The most popular show this month has been "All My Children", starring Peter Warrick, Laveranues Coles and Bobby Bowden. Coles was kicked off the show, but will remain at FSU to complete his pre-med studies, so that he can go to medical school and become a doctor. Maybe he will become an HMO physician. His values seem to be in the right place for that. Warrick was re-instated on the football team in time for the Clemson game, but showed more talent for grabbing clothes than footballs. Perhaps the Noles' war chant, the one that goes "whoa, whoa, whoa...whoa, whoa, whoa" should be replaced by the theme song from "Cops"--"Bad, boys! Bad boys! Whatcha gonna do when they come for you, bad boys!" Also last Saturday was the premier of the football adaptation of "Father Knows Best" which looked like anything but that for the first half, as son, Tommy, taught daddy a few things about game preparation. But in the end, it was father who did know best, as the Noles remained unbeaten and ranked no. 1, despite losing some votes in the polls after their anemic performance. Next week: FSU (1) 8-0 travels to Virginia to play the unranked Cavaliers 4-3. Should be interesting, a school known for Southern gentility and the other for its well-attired athletes. Bad boys! Bad boys! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 31, Boston College 28 Someone found the voodoo doll and the pins just in time as the Canes miraculously rose from the grave to beat Boston College which lead 28-7 at the end of the third quarter. This was the Canes first conference game of the season, and now that their non-conference schedule is behind them, including some of their toughest opponents (OSU, PSU and FSU), they have a chance of finishing first in the Big Easy Conference, which should be good for a bowl bid of some kind and a Top 25 finish, somewhere above 25. Of course, before that happens, there is that little get-together with Virginia Tech later in November. Better keep that doll handy. Next week: the Canes (23) 3-3 host the West Virginia Mountaineers 3-4. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, October 31, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 30, Georgia 14 The game was closer than the score indicated, but the Gators were finally able to muzzle the Dawgs, and move ahead by two TDs late in the 4th quarter, after leading by only 2 points for most of the second half. Spurrier won his 100th game, the fastest ascent to that plateau by any coach in history, moving ahead of Barry "Six Shooter" Switzer ("honest, I forgot I'd packed a piece in my bag when I went to the airport"), who, with John "Have-A-Tampa" Robinson and Dennis "Hiccup" Erickson, must regret that they ever left college coaching to "move up" to the "next level". It remains to be seen whether Miami's Jimmy Johnson will end up the same way. Speaking of the "next level", somehow one can't imagine what that might be when you think about college football legends like Knute Rockne, Bear Bryant, or even legends-in-the-making like PSU's JoePa or (hack, cough) FSU's Bobby Bowden. Getting back to the game, beating dem Dawgs is the one game every year that many long-time Gators want to win more than any other. To understand this, you need to know the history of this rivalry, Florida's longest, but instead consider this fact: if Florida beats Georgia every year next decade, the Gators will still need another half decade just to catch up to the Dawgs who lead the series 45-30-2 (give or take a game which is disputed). Maybe this is why beating Florida is a bigger deal for FSU than beating the Noles is for the Gators who lead the series 26-14-2 Next week: the Gators (5) 7-1 host Vandy 5-3 for Homecoming. The Commodores, better known for their brains than brawn, can expect to get taught some rude lessons by Florida's scholar-athletes when they come to the Swamp next Saturday. A win this week and the week after against hapless South Carolina, will send the Gators to Atlanta to play in the SEC championship game, and a chance to finish on top of the SEC for the 8th time this decade. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 35, Virginia 10 Trailing the Cavaliers, who were leading 10-7 at the half, the Noles (those who weren't meeting with their lawyers or probation officers), were once again saved by the Defense (on and off the field) which shut down Virginia when play resumed. Just when the docket was cleared, another Nole, starting cornerback, Tay Cody, ran afoul of the law and was arrested last Tuesday for possession of marijuana and suspended from the team. Hmmm. I wonder why the Noles have been so sluggish lately? Perhaps, when UF moved from Lake City to Gainesville, on the hub of Florida's prison belt, that might have been a better location for FSU. Besides the Cops TV show theme song "Bad Boys, Bad Boys", the Marching Chiefs band also does a pretty good rendition of the panhandle version of Lee Dorsey's "Working in a Coal Mine (going down, down, down)", which goes "Working on a Chain Gang (boss gotta a shotgun and a hound, hound, hound)". Next week: FSU (1) 9-0 travels to Maryland 5-3 where the Terrapins will perform their version of the Blair Witch Project, which was filmed in MD (no action, just trash talk). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 28, West Virginia 20 The Canes continue to make games against inferior opponents interesting and suspenseful, once again coming from behind to edge out the Mountaineers who were clearly out of their element down in South Florida, amidst the coconut palms, banyans and palmetto bugs. The Canes seem to be much too courteous to their opponents, always giving them points to make a game out of it, to show they are not just a bunch of inner-city thugs with do-rags on their heads looking to whack someone. Still, sometimes while watching the new rehabilitated Sugarcanes of the '90s (when not watching real athletic contests like World Championship Wrestling or heavy weight boxing), one misses (briefly) the old Bad Boy image of the '80s. Next week: the Canes (22) 4-3 travel to Steel Town to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers 4-4, a team, like Miami, that used to know glory, and even won a couple of AP national titles, but is now known simply as the school where Dan Marino used to play. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, November 7, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6 The Gators eked out a win over unranked Vandy last night, but looked about as flat as a stack of plywood in doing it. Unbelievably, Vandy outran and outpassed the Mighty Gators by 100 yards and had a chance to tie or win the game with 17 seconds left, trailing by just 7 points. Gator radio analyst, James Jones said afterwards, "Halloween was last week, but this was really scary." Maybe this letdown will motivate the Gators to redouble their efforts when they most need to do so with no. 1 FSU coming to the Swamp in two weeks. One thing to consider: great teams have great luck, and the Gators had plenty last night. And in '96 when the Gators won the National Championship, they beat Vandy by only 7 points then, too. Spurrier's Gators have now beaten Vandy 8 times in a row, but give the Commodores their due. Commodore coach Woody Widenhofer reportedly once said, "Some day, some way, I'm going to beat Steve Spurrier." Well, he did it last night, even if the Gators still got the win. Next week: the Gators (4) 8-1 travel to Columbia to play Lou Holtz's sad sack South Carolina Gamecocks 0-9. And then it's FSU, and after that the SEC championship game...and perhaps a good deal more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU had the week off Next week: FSU (1) 9-0 travels to Maryland 5-4 where the Terrapins will perform their version of the Blair Witch Project, which was filmed in MD (no action, just trash talk). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 33, Pittsburgh 3 After three quarters, it was looking like the Canes, who were leading by only 10-3, exploded for 23 unanswered points in the 4th to beat the Panthers for the 10th time in the last 11 contests. Next week: the Canes (19) 5-3 take on no. 2 Virginia Tech 8-0, which hardly looked like the no. 2 team in the country last night, barely beating lowly West Virginia, 22-20. This was the first time this season that the Hokies looked like, well, hokey. The Canes have got to like that, but they still better not forget the voodoo doll when they go to Blacksburg. Better pack an extra set of pins, too. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, November 14, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 20, South Carolina 3 First of all, congratulations to the Gators for winning the SEC Eastern Division championship for the 6th time in eight years since divisional play started. This was no small accomplishment, either. Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer said that winning the Eastern Division might be harder than winning the National Championship. For the Vols, who were ranked 3rd in the BCS, one rung ahead of the Gators before losing to Arkansas yesterday, that's a moot point now. Once again the Gators struggled on offense. One TV commentator speculated that Spurrier may have been deliberately holding back the last two weeks to lull the Noles, who come to the Swamp next week, into false confidence and complacency. Is this some diabolical plan by the Gator head ball coach, whom one rival called the Evil Genius? Or is it an imponderable problem that the game's greatest offensive genius can't figure out? Next week: the Gators 9-1, who moved up to no. 3 in the polls, host cross-state rival Florida State University, which is 10-0 and no. 1. This is a huge game because the National Championship is at stake, although, for Florida, it may not equal the intensity of the rivalry that now exists with Tennessee for the SEC Eastern Division championship or the ancient rivalry with the Gators' oldest nemesis, Georgia. For the Noles, who trail the series 26-14-2, every year is payback time for all the years when FSU was viewed as the state's poor stepchild and those early years when Bobby Bowden's tenure at FSU was in jeopardy because he couldn't beat the Gators, not to mention the constant reminders of FSU's origin as Florida Women's College (not that there is anything wrong with that!! Don't get me wrong, I believe in gender parity. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see Lennox Lewis' next opponent be Don King's mother-in-law, which would be a lot more exciting in my opinion than his zombie-like win over Evander "the Real Deal" Holyfield last night). Is it possible that Spurrier's Gators will lose in the Swamp twice in the same year, where they have lost only three times in the past 10 years? Read on... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSU 49, Maryland 10 There were never any doubts about the outcome of this one as Nole QB Chris Weinke unloaded for 6 TD passes to tie an ACC record (nice going Chris, but flinging the ball around for TDs doesn't impress anyone here in Gatorland anymore. In fact, it had become so routine, the Gators have stopped doing it). The Noles win extends their home winning streak to 29 games, the longest in the nation after Florida's 30 game reign in the Swamp was washed out by the Crimson Tide earlier last month. Next week: FSU's warpath leads to the Swamp, where the Noles (1) 10-0 hope to gig the Gators, who are 9-1 and no. 3 but who seem to be slowing down as the weather turns cooler. The Noles have some intangibles working in their favor. Bobby Bowden is one of only three coaches to beat Spurrier's Gators in the Swamp, two of whom were both named Bowden, and all three of whom were from Alabama (that's right, Bowden isn't a native Seminole, just like Spurrier isn't a native Vol, despite a common misconception to the contrary). Working against the Noles is, of course, the fact that the game is in the Swamp where Florida will have the help of the best 12th man in the nation. Also, it is a well-known fact, from studies done in the Everglades by UM herpetologists from the new Butch Davis Football Research Lab for Indigenous Studies, who have analyzed Gator droppings, that the State Reptile's diet is rich in Seminoles. This was confirmed by the many chewed up bingo cards that were found in Gator dens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 10, Virginia Tech 43 The no. 2 Hokies 9-0 looked anything but that last night, throttling Miami, and virtually assuring themselves of a spot in the National Championship game. For Miami, it was a rebuilding year, as they say (for their North Florida cousins, Florida and FSU, they don't rebuild, they reload), and a reminder of how far the Canes have to go to get back to the glory years of the '80s when they won four national championships. Writer Thomas Wolfe (not to be confused with the pop author of the same name) wrote that you can never go home again, and the same may be true for Miami, considering that their future schedules have them playing cross-state powerhouses Florida and Florida State in the same year. Fortunately, for the Canes there is always baseball. Next week: the Canes 5-4, who fell out of the Top 25, host Rutgers 1-9. The Canes ought to able to handle this, that is, if they still aren't too deflated by being blown out by Virginia Tech. Now when does college baseball start? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, November 21, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Florida 96, FSU 61 Oops, I forgot, this is about football, not basketball! Just the same, the Gator Men's Basketball team began its season Friday night by obliterating the Noles before a record crowd in the O-Dome, living up to preseason expectations of another great year as they left no doubts that they'll be in the hunt for the national title. In other developments, FSU's football team fared better the following afternoon in a come-from-behind victory over the Gators before a record crowd in the Swamp that kept their national championship chances alive. It also brought them one step closer to achieving parity with the Gators, who have dominated the series since it began and still maintain a commanding 26-15-2 lead. For the Gators, the loss was their second this year in the Swamp, a fact that was more disconcerting than actually losing to FSU, demonstrating once again that the mighty Gators are not invincible at home. Fortunately, for the Noles, they will not have to play the Gators again this year, as the Gators outgained them by nearly 100 yards but lost on penalties, thanks, in part, to a Seminole-partisan officiating crew. For the Gators, yesterday's loss was a stumble, but not a fall, as their no. 1 goal of the season is still before them, which is to win the SEC championship. For the Noles, who play in the ACC (Athletically Can't Compete conference), they obviously can't take as much satisfaction as the Gators can in winning their conference, and will have to win the national Championship to have a great season. All the Gators will have to do is beat Alabama in Atlanta in two weeks. Next week: the Gators 9-2, have an open date to prepare for the SEC championship game. The Noles 11-0 completed their regular season and will go to the Sugar Bowl January 4th. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miami 55, Rutgers 3 Even GatorBytes can't think of anything interesting to say about beating a 1-9 team at home. Next week: the Canes 6-4 host Syracuse 6-4 for runner-up standing in the Big Easy, I mean Big East, conference, as the rest of Miami participates in other South Florida diversions like bonefishing in the Keys, raft-paddling off Haulover Beach, racing Cigarettes to Bimini (and eluding customs agents) or watching re-runs of Miami Vice on TV, while waiting for the start of the college baseball season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editor's Note: Last week an erroneous score was reported for the Miami-Virginia Tech game. This happened because GatorBytes does not have the proofreaders and support staff that the big media organizations have. GatorBytes completely missed this, and, judging from the responses he received, so did everybody else. It's reassuring to know that big-time media boys like Pat Dooley of the Sun, Mike Bianchi of the Times-Union, and Edwin Pope of the Herald can miss things like this, too. Postscript Intrastate rivalries like Florida-FSU can turn rabid fans into mad dogs for 3-4 hours, but fortunately the basic human goodness of people is such that the effect soon passes, like lycanthropy with the setting of the full moon, as the following exchange demonstrates. From the following Usenet Newsgroup: alt.sports.football.college.fla-gators "Gurdjieff", a Nole fan, on Sat, 20 Nov 1999 18:46:27, wrote: damn I love this game every year...who cares about the National Good luck Gators in The SEC Championship game...I may be a nole fan first "Gatorville", a Gator fan, on Sat, 20 Nov 1999 20:01:03, wrote back: And, congrats to FSU....now, lets bring the National Title back to ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © W. E. Benet. All rights Reserved.
GatorBytes' Sunshine State ScoreboardSunday, December 5, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Florida 7, Alabama 34 AN ABJECT FAILURE, shouted the two inch headlines on the sports page of the Gainesville Sun about Florida's embarrassing loss to Alabama Saturday night in the Georgia Dome as the Crimson Tide further separated itself from the rest of the pack by winning its 21st SEC title. The mighty Gators could only gain 114 yards in total offense, and their loss is their worst since Nebraska bludgeoned them 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl. For the first time in 10 years, since the dawn of the Spurrier era, the Gators looked like the Gators of old, only this time it wasn't Georgia but Alabama that kicked their butts. Many of you remember the Gators of ages past (which we thought were just that, past!): a bunch of highly talented underachievers playing in the largest, richest state in the South, with more regional talent and resources than anybody else, but too #%!*&?! lazy and unmotivated to reap the benefits of what would become known perennially as Next Year, futilely chasing the elusive SEC championship, like Jason seeking the Golden Fleece, only Jason's task was easier. Make no mistake about how frustrating those years were. Every team in the original SEC had won the conference title except the Gators. To say I am sputtering mad about how the Gators sputtered away this season would be an understatement. Now, having gotten that off my chest and vented a little primordial rage, let's not forget that the Gators rose from decades of mediocrity to dominate the SEC for most of the 90s, culminating in a national championship. In the SEC, only the achievements of Alabama's legendary Bear Bryant exceed Spurrier's among SEC coaches. And remember, too, that the Bear didn't win the SEC title every year. In fact, Spurrier and Bryant have both won it on an average of every other year, and Spurrier has won a much higher percentage of games against SEC opponents than the Bear (88% versus 76%). If Spurrier can get the Fun 'n Gun loaded and cocked again, the US Postal Service might put him on a stamp some day, too. The Gators (5) 9-3 completed their regular season and go to Orlando next to play Michigan State (10) 9-2 in the Citrus Bowl. ---------------------------------------------------------------- FSU (1) 11-0 completed its regular season with a victory over the Gators in the Swamp two weeks ago and will go to the Sugar Bowl to play Virginia Tech (2) 11-0 for the national championship. Expect the Noles to win their second title handily, but before you bet the farm on it remember that Bobby Bowden has NEVER finished a season undefeated and has an intermittent habit of losing to teams he's favored to beat. Although the Noles have one of the winningest programs in college football history, like the Gators, they too are something of underachievers and have won only one national championship despite having had the talent to win it several times over (unlike the Canes, the State's other team, which has won it four times under three different coaches with less talent than either of their cross-state rivals). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Miami 55, Temple 0 The Canes second convincing win in a row brings to a close an otherwise mediocre season. Like the Gators, it's been a disappointing year characterized by a reversal of fortunes and the evaporation of great expectations. One positive development, though, courtesy of the Gators, is that it looks like Mike DuBose will keep his job at Alabama, which means that Miami head coach Butch Davis won't be going anywhere. Not that he would have anyway. Why would anyone want to coach at a school where there's a photo of Bear Bryant in every office, and every important public building in Tuscaloosa bears his name, no pun intended? I don't know, ask Mike DuBose. The Canes may never recapture the glory they reveled in the '80s (the photos of Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson were taken off the walls a long time ago), but they seem to be on their way to re-establishing a certain level of respectability, which will continue to keep the State of Florida in the forefront of college football. Now if only they could get their act together as well as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. The Canes (23) 8-4 go to the Gator Bowl next to take on Georgia Tech (17) 8-3. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
Copyright © 1999-2002 W. E. Benet. All Rights Reserved. |
