I've decided every game has enough story lines I could present them, and include some thoughts about the team coming out of the previous game. The problem is, the only storyline about this week's game is that FAUs coach used to coach Miami (Howard Schnellenberger), back when we were &rivals&, and he ran up the score with a last-second field goal (he needed to call a timeout to kick it before running into the locker room). Maybe the &Blue& side of the stands will care about that this Saturday, but I don't think too much of the &Orange& side will. After all, almost none of them were born then, the man hasn't exactly taken a step up in the world, and his last trip to the Swamp turned into &Gators 28, National Champions 3&. One thing I found in pursuing this story line had nothing to do with the specific game, just that Florida apparently used to have a guy dressed up in a Banana suit at every game, and he'd dance while the students chanted 'Go! Bananas! Go,Go! Bananas!'. I haven't figured out yet if this is cool.

Other than the history lesson, the other storyline is the FAU player that said their plan will be to 'take Tebow out of the game'. Great, maybe Schnellenberger is building another Miami down there. Sounds like a thug to me. Maybe Mark Richt will take notice, his program is also losing plenty of discipline.

Basically, with our general health, I think Harvin should be on bedrest during the game, and Tebow should be done, playing minimally if at all in the 3rd quarter. This team is better than Western Carolina last year, but Cam Newton is still one stupid play from being the starter, so he deserves more time (and all indications are that he's healthy again, in case you're wondering where he's been all season), even if it's a series or two early while we 'only' have a 20 point lead. I also think Pouncey, while a freshman that could always use experience, ought to take it easy. We've already burned Justin Williams' redshirt on special teams, we should also get guys like that in the game. I think Bubba, Murphy, and Cooper need enough reps to keep/regain rhythm, but lets see what some of these kids can do.

For what it's worth, I was very impressed with last week's game. Yeah, I realize that's not a shocker- but bear with me here: College football is extremely turbulent and emotional. Teams get hot and become world beaters, but can go into the tank just as easily. Look at last year :Arkansas has an incredible midseason run, after the horrible game v. Southern Cal (is that an understatement?) and then finished up with a 3 (or was it 4?) game losing streak. We had lost 3 out of 4, we were (and still are) basically out of any sort of championship race, and if you had to pick a 'best win', it'd be that early season game v. UT that got everyones hopes up (UT was also blown out by Bama, and beaten by Cal by a significant margin). Everyone was pretty much just excited for next year. I sort of called the 'rage mode' game on a whim, hoping we had what it took to strike back as we were down, and that the homecoming crowd would give some of the inspiration for such an occurance. But I don't think a daytime game against Vandy on homecoming can ever be pointed to as a turning point of a season, and we all know the general feeling heading into the USC game. I was thrilled with the way our team responded. It seems as if we've awoken and are ready to throttle anyone and everyone in our path. I know the Gamecock fans weren't into it, and left in the 3rd quarter, and that team is on it's own 4 game losing streak. But this was a big-time game and we really responded to the challenge. We could have easily let the team hang around (like say, Ole Miss) but we kept up our intensity and were very,very impressive to any observer.

The last point I'd like to make is concerning Ron Zook. I said it when he was here, and I've said it about Lloyd Carr, Les Miles (maybe even true this year), Larry Coker, and even Pete Carroll (sorry, I remember his Pats teams). In College Football, it's entirely possible to 'out talent' teams. This is especially true if you look at Zook, Carr, and Coker- the others we'll see how their career ends up. Zook will be a successful coach in the Big Ten (though I didnt think the big jump was this year). He can recruit, somehow, and he's going to get some big time players. But he'll also blow some big decisions and some big games. He's fantastic if you want to win 8-9 games per year, and never get over the hump. He can ride his players that far. Like the game against Iowa, he blew a decision in not accepting a penalty (and allowing them to kick a FG) and gave them the down over, they immediately throw a TD (ends up being the winner in a 10-7 game). He'll go for 2 for no reason. He called that stupid reverse pass play twice in a row (when we were driving against Michigan in the Outback Bowl, and to start the next year). He has a terrible bowl record. His player discipline will lead to problems. But for a school like Illinois, he's a savior, because they'll win games simply because they have the players. Oh yeah, he'll also water ski and stuff, which players will think is cool. Congrats Zook on the big win. I think you got a raw deal when chased out from UF, but a National Title would have been very hard to come by with you. Thanks again for making 2 of the 3 Jacksonville experiences quite enjoyable, that's got to be the highlight of your tenure. That, and Ron Zook Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. We're undefeated there.