Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

Stirring the College Football Pot Again
Sunday, October 12, 2003
TAMPA—College football shook out in some surprising fashions on Separation Saturday, the weekend of Oct. 11 dubbed by hucksters as just that—Shakeout and Let the Chips Fall as they did. Some games shookout surprisingly in some arenas, but surely not all. It happened nationally and it happened in the State of Football, or, the State of Florida, home to the Miami Hurricanes, Florida State Hurricanes, Florida Gators and new kid on the major college block—South Florida in Tampa. The one-two clubs in the nation won solidly—No. 2 Miami upset (in some minds) Florida State (No. 14) 22-14 and will surely stay in those top two positions unless knocked off. Each has a schedule making that not impossible. Ah, but Wisconsin was helping by knocking off national champion Ohio State Saturday night 17-10. The undefeated Buckeyes were lurking third in the national polls behind Oklahoma and Miami. Florida State was No. 5 and playing Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FSU’s home, but in a game-long rain. The ‘Canes, who have FSU’s number anywhere they play, rain or no rain, odds or no odds, had it again, beating up on the Noles and harnessing FSU’s feisty quarterback Chris Rix in the 22-win that wasn’t that close. In Tampa, new major league college team, Jim Leavitt’s University of South Florida team playing in the Tampa Bucs swank home stadium before 36,000 played, almost beat the nationally ranked and undefeated Texas Christian. But, the second most watched sectional game sent the troubled Florida Gators of new Head Coach Ron Zook who already have been beaten by Miami, Tennessee and Mississippi—all games which the Gators led—to Baton Rouge to play the LSU Tigers, sixth ranked and thinking national championship. True freshman Chris Leake remained the starter for Zook and Florida, a plus. But a whole segment of Florida alumns were torn. They didn’t want their Gators to lose but they didn’t want their coach to win. Some. No, not all. But there are plenty would disagree with the selection of Zook as the head coach, say they do not understand his explanations, but believe he is right to go with the young QB, Leak, the freshman from Charlotte Zook recruited and now pits his future on. Leak passed	for two touchdowns and Matt Leach hit two field goals, one a personal long 50 yards. Leach had predicted he would hit a 50-yarder. Leak had the pledge from his Gator mates they would make effort to protect his young body. Well, he was sacked, harassed, hurried, but never, ever shaken. He rose from each sack to recover with aplomb. He drew praises from the media for calm under fire, heady play and fearless valor in the face of a tough enemy. LSU was undefeated, at home with 92,000 in the stands a heavily favored. Most left early. Zook, still under fire at home, declined a ride off the field on anyone’s shoulders. Save it, he said. The Gators are at Arkansas next Saturday and will be underdogs again. Zook maintains his team remains still in the Southeastern championship game race, east division. But, to have a shot, they’d need to beat Arkansas, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina in the league. Florida State is there, too, of course, in Gainesville, a Morale Bowl. The thing is, some hard-line Gator Boosters, and rabid members of the Gator Nation say the victory by the Gators over LSU demonstrated the Florida talent and abilities and further established the complaints that this team should not have lost to at least two of the three who beat them this year, after the Gators led—Miami, Tennessee and least of all, Ole Mississippi, The knock was Mississippi had one of the worst pass defenses in the country, but, the Gators chose to use the run against Ole Miss, over the pass. Zook, the choice of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley on a quick decision in finding the successor to Steve Spurrier. It was not an overwhelmingly popular decision. But, may chose to give Zook, a man of good personality and said to be a top-recruiter—as with QB Leak. He has a three-year contract. But, the Gators are in a slump of dispiriting proportions overall. Their loyalists say this can’t happen. The university is so big, so prominent, such an attraction, with so much money available from boosters for the association funds the first class program, including the expanded state of the art Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. There is no room below, only at the top, is one Gator’s axiom. ##
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