Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

The State of The Gator—Maybe, at the Start, Anyway
Sunday, January 2, 2005
TAMPA—Some years ago I wrote here that this was not the State of Florida hereabouts, but the State of Football. It was an easy conclusion. Three of the major college football teams—Florida, Florida State and Miami--were regulars in the Top Five, regular national champions, and a fourth, the University of South Florida in Tampa was cranking it up under new coach Jim Leggett and sure to be another biggie. The state was rich recruiting grounds for these four schools and the entire college football searches by recruiters. High school teams were terrific. Big Bowl games were all over the place. There seemed to be no end to it. Others followed with similar stories and commentaries on the subject of the State of Football. Moreover, Steve Spurrier at Florida began full use of the spread and wide-open offense that became regular fare in the college ranks and moved quickly on the NFL. Pass first, run second, that was it. So the Sunshine State was Happy State for football players, coaches and fans. Not only that, it was growing like wildfire. Should have been no end to it, it seemed. Then, Athletic Director Jeremy Foley picked the wrong man—friend Ron Zook, without college head coaching experience—to follow the impossible to follow—Spurrier as the Gator head coach. The Florida slide began as a slide and became an avalanche of bad mistakes and decisions. Meanwhile, up state at Tallahassee, Bobby Bowden found himself not as deep as in the past in top-drawer quarterbacks, losing top assistants, to head jobs at Georgia and North Carolina State, and FSU was not as feared or effective. Miami, always a national champion candidate, under Larry Coker, was doing fine, but not great, with the QB roster thin. But, Miami clearly whipped the Gators 27-10. shoving Florida to No. 3 in the old State of Football behind Miami and FSU in that order. Yes, the Gators clearly have slipped the farthest. Miami and FSU, well, they have lost coaches and some players and are a tad off. Now, here in 2004, it was a bad time for all three. By their	standards—Florida an embarrassing 7-5, Miami and FSU 9-3 each, after the Hurricanes beat FSU early. FSU and Miami do not play now for a while. FSU and Miami play each other forever, as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. John Romano, a fine young columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, this weekend at the Miami-Florida game picked up on the slip from favor of the State of Football and wonders if it is likely to keep up this going south direction. Not likely, he concludes. And so do I. Florida, the most vulnerable, but also the biggest, and perhaps most powerful in alumni, money-raising, and potential, got rid of Zook at mid-season, and went on a wild out of control ride with Charley Strong doing what he could as the interim head coach with a team of fine talent and a sophomore quarterback, Chris Leak, capable of the good, the great, the bad, the ugly, the awful. In that final 27-10 loss to Miami in the Peach Bowl, he was intercepted—again—trying to throw the ball away. He fled the pocket too much. He needed sideline help he did not get. But, Leak returns and the Gators have a new head coach, Urban Meyer of Utah, of 12-0 Utah, which clobbered Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl, the newest pick of Florida AD Foley to lead the Gators. It was a popular choice for Florida fans, perfect for the situation, and an absolutely great opportunity for the charismatic disciplinarian, Meyer. He comes to a great school, with 16 starters likely to return, and Leak a fine QB prospect ready to learn and lead. He follows Zook, not Spurrier. He chose Florida over Notre Dame. He can hire his own staff. He will make a lot of money. He is not coming to Florida, in coaching, he’s coming to a football Heaven, for the moment. And, know this, neither Florida State nor Miami return a quarterback with extended experience. So, well, while it may not be the State of Football anymore, that surely is temporary, and for at least a year, as it begins, pundits will call it the possible State of the Gator, or of Meyer, or of Urban. ##
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