College Confidential

Urban Meyer: Style Points Are Real

It's assumed that the only people who have to take "style points" into consideration are coaches such as Chris Petersen, Gary Patterson, Kyle Whittingham and the other non-AQers.
Style points affect those in the AQ Country Club as well. I know this because Florida coach Urban Meyer told me. When Meyer was the head coach at Utah, he had to deal with style points. He's had to deal with it at Florida, too.
Hate style points all you want, but to deny that they don't exist and aren't a necessary evil is unrealistic.
"I hate that because it's not what sportsmanship is all about. However, it's real," Meyer said today. "I experienced it here in Florida in 2006; that was brought up many, many times - we're not winning with style points. It's real. That question is extremely real and it's too bad. It does exist and it's a shame. The next question is - how do you fix it?"
Meyer has no idea. No one does. Because in this painfully stupid system there is no alternative than to roll teams by 50.
I asked Meyer if he felt for the Pattersons, Whittinghams and Petersons; coaches who are on the cusp of the BCS but have to drill teams to impress the voters who do nothing but look at a final score.
"I feel for the guys who aren't winning; they have good teams," Meyer said. "I can speak of Kyle and he's not worried about it. But does that mean he loves the (first team) in? Those things are real."

- Mac Engel

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@MacEngelProf

Here's hoping for some drama with OU-Florida

In my mind, I think it could be exciting.
It could come down to the final minute. One big play. One big stop.
But then in reality, I remind myself, "Don't bet on it."
I'll be watching the BCS National Championship with some friends on Thursday night, and I hope Oklahoma and Florida put on a show. I want a USC-Texas type game from a few years ago.
Will it happen? Possibly.
You have two tremendously talented teams, two great coaches, lots of speed, lots of athleticism. On paper, you could say this matchup is a push.
But then again, part of me says I'm in for a letdown. Watch Oklahoma, and you'll notice that often the defense can't tackle properly and the offense will go conservative for no reason. Watch them in bowl games, and it's even more disappointing.
With the exception of Vince Young's Superman performance against the Trojans, most of the BCS national title games have been boring. Sure, you can go back to Michael Vick's game against Florida State and the Miami-Ohio State game (which are really the only other two that have been entertaining), but have you really been left in amazement??
Maybe I'm asking for too much. But then again, I was there for the Carroll-Trinity playoff game, and I was in Austin when Kentucky and Michigan State went to double overtime in the Sweet 16.
You'd think this game could join that group.
Something tells me that won't happen. -Trae Thompson

Tebow wins inspirational award

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received the Disney Spirit Award for the most inspirational story.
Tebow, the defending Heisman Trophy winner, was recognized for his missionary work in the Philippines and his time spent speaking to prisoners.
"It means a lot. It means a lot more than the Heisman cause it's about what you do off the field and that's more important,'' Tebow said.

-Trae Thompson

Tebow back for an encore? Possibly

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Could Tim Tebow come back for his senior year and possibly try for another national championship?
The Florida quarterback didn't rule it out, and said he and linebacker Brandon Spikes have talked about the possibility of returning. Tebow admitted he admired what members of the Gator basketball team did when they returned to defend their national title.
"It was exciting, it was fun. It's definitely something I thought about,'' he said. "It's something they needed to do and wanted to do. I think it's something we'll look at. We'll look at our situations and see what arises in the next few months and what we feel is the best decision for us."
Tebow addressed a number of other topics yesterday, including offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, who was hired at Mississippi State. Tebow said "it's a concern, but not a big one" in terms of preparing for the BCS National Championship with Oklahoma, and was confident head coach Urban Meyer won't let it be a problem.
Being the defending Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow also get a vote for this year's winner. He said it was a decision he wrestled with early, but it's not caused any stress lately, adding that both Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy at Texas are deserving as well.
Entering his second national championship, Tebow said he's also faced with new challenges.
"For me I have a lot more pressure and a lot more to do and a lot more to get ready for," he said. "It's different in that way, but they're both huge games and I think I know more (about) what to expect of the week and preparation and everything that goes on in the national championship game. That gives me a little bit of a boost."

Beyond difficult
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford called it "an honor" to be mentioned with Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy for the Heisman. With Tebow having a vote, the question was posed to Bradford: If he had a vote, who would he vote for?
"It would be an hour long process to figure out who I'd vote for,'' he said. "...It's a good thing I'm not a voter, cause I don't know how I'd vote."

Job well done
Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher, considered a top prospect in next year's NFL Draft, praised Stephenville graduate Jevan Snead for the work he's done in his first year as the Rebels' starting quarterback.
"He's come a long ways,'' Oher said. "He started developing in the spring and hasn't looked back.'

-Trae Thompson 
 

LSU player revises, amends remarks

Here is how LSU defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois originally phrased his sentiments on playing Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in a story published Monday in the Orlando Sentinel:

“If we get a good shot on (Tebow), we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game,” Jean-Francois said. “With his size and his heart, it’s hard to get a clean shot.”

When asked how Tebow might deal with the pain of the perfect LSU hit, Jean-Francois said, “If he does get hurt, there’s a trained medical staff at Florida, so you can go to the training room on Sunday.”

Here is a statement by Jean-Francois through LSU on Tuesday evening:

"We never go into any football game trying to hurt a player from the other team. My comments in regard to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were misinterpreted and were intended to reflect the style of football that we play at LSU. We have great respect for Tim as a player and a competitor. By taking him out of the game, I meant as a defense we are going to try to make him ineffective. I'm sorry that my initial comments were interpreted another way."

Lions, Tigers and Gators...oh my

Just scanning the scoreboard from this afternoon. Some random thoughts:

*It's been fun East Carolina. The Pirates (3-1) go back to being just another team and not a prime BCS spoiler after losing to North Carolina State 30-24 in overtime. But there is hope...

*And that team is Boise State. The Broncos are putting it to Oregon 37-13 early in the fourth. Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore has already thrown for 350 yards. ...

*Mike Jones and I called it on Monday - Colorado would beat West Virginia.

*OK Penn State, fun's over. The Nittany Lions slaughtered Temple as expected, 45-3. The real football starts next week. ...

*Chase Daniel's final numbers: 36-of-43, 439 yards, 2 TDs. ...

*I have a feeling the fans aren't too happy up at Neyland Stadium. Florida's handing it to the Volunteers and there's still nine minutes to go in the game. ...

-Trae Thompson

Hurricanes coach has no reason to be upset

The Miami Herald reported how Miami coach Randy Shannon was upset with Florida's late field goal with 25 seconds left in Saturday's 26-3 victory. Shannon, who was quoted on a local radio station, said he was brought up to respect the opposing team and coach, and that you should run the ball if you're up big late.
"But some coaches feel they have to score points because of votes or things like that, or maybe the point spread, because that makes the team look good,'' Shannon told WQAM radio. "But I'm not that type of coach. I'm the type of coach that, if you're winning the game, you get out of there; you respect your opponents because you never know when it can happen to you.''
Shannon's frustration is confusing. Keep in mind, Miami held the Gators to nine points through three quarters. Shannon has also been on the other side as a player for Miami from 1985 to 1988, when the Hurricanes made a regular habit of thrashing opponents during their heyday (my memory may be fuzzy, but I don't seem to recall them being real sympathetic for how bad another team lost). What Florida did Saturday also is nowhere near as bad as the Fun-n-Gun days under Steve Spurrier.
It's not the same thing here, and Shannon knows it.
-Trae Thompson

Can Hurricanes slow down Florida duo?

The Miami Hurricanes will be dealing with some serious speed issues Saturday against Florida.
Gators sophomore running back Chris Rainey and true freshman Jeff Demps finished as the Gators' leading rushers in Saturday's 56-10 win over Hawaii, but it's their speed that's already created a mythical story involving the two.
Right before the start of fall two-a-days, Rainey beat Demps in a 40-yard dash footrace.
"I'd like to watch that,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said during SEC media days. "I wasn't there, but I would have liked to. Could have probably sold about 10,000 tickets for that. ESPN GameDay probably would have been there as well."
The matchup itself was impressive: Last year in high school, Demps ran the 100-meter dash in 10.37 seconds, then topped that at the AAU Junior Olympics with a time of 10.25. As a senior at Lakeland (Fla.) High School, Rainey scored 32 touchdowns, 15 on runs of 50 yards or more.
The story goes that Rainey heard about Demps, and how he was - as Meyer put it - "the fastest 18 year old to ever run track." Rainey kept hearing about it, Meyer said, and finally the two went back to the dorms to decide things.
"I guess Chris nudged him out,'' Meyer said. "So we got some speed."
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow wasn't there to witness the race, but heard plenty about Rainey's victory.
"That's pretty unbelievable 'cause Demps is one of the fastest men in the country or in the world probably,'' Tebow said. "So for Rainey to beat him in the 40 yard dash, that says a lot about how fast he is."
-Trae Thompson