Oh where do I start? I knew that yesterday’s game was going to play out that way, but still it was disappointing. There was no way after the emotional game against the Clown College and then the coaching merry-go-round that they’ve been on, that the team and the coaches would be able to win the Peach Bowl. Maybe if we’d faced a Syracuse or New Mexico we could’ve won a bowl game, but against Miami? No freakin’ way. A couple of random thoughts: -Chris Leak is a good quarterback, but at this point in his college career he’s a cab ride away from being a great QB. I’m thinking that maybe he’s too much a student of the game. He knows when to throw the ball away and (at times) when to tuck it and run, but he’s so worried about the nuts and bolts of the game that he seems to lack the intuition that’s needed to be a great QB. For example, he doesn’t seem to know where the first down marker is. Many times this year on 3rd down he’s either slid a yard before reaching the marker or stepped out of bounds shy of the 1st down. He’s also developed a terrible habit of not following through on his passes and either tossing the ball and then quickly ducking or throwing from his heels and not stepping into the pass. Granted, the Miami pass rush had something to do with that last night, but it’s something that’s plagued him the entire season and didn’t just begin in the Peach Bowl. I’m hoping that Coach Meyer can add some polish to Chris’s game. -I wish that Fason would reconsider the move to the NFL. I understand his family issues and if he does leave, I’ll wish him nothing but the best, but one more year could help his draft status. With a plethora of running backs available in the draft this year, he might find himself a much hotter commodity by April of 2006. Then again, if he’s going to get drafted in the first round this year; is the risk of injury worth moving up a dozen spots in next year’s draft? Who knows? I do know this, when a hotshot coach named Spurrier took over the reigns of the program in 1990, a Gator RB named Smith bolted from Gainesville, and it didn’t seem to hurt the new regime. If C4 does go pro, let’s hope history repeats itself when a new hotshot coach takes over in 2005. -From the things could be worse department Part 1: We’re not Notre Dame. The Irish will eventually compete for a national title some day, but no time soon. Their recruiting is in shambles, they’ve taken a huge PR punch in the face, and their new coach is still weeks away from moving into his South Bend office. -Skyler Thorton is a decent back, but one that doesn’t appear to be the kind of guy who can carry the load on his own. -Ron Franklin is losing it. This entire season he has made numerous mistakes when telling the audience where the ball is spotted and how many yards were gained. Twice on the same drive, he said that Fason had run for 4 yards when in fact he had an eight yard gain. He’s had a truckload of these kinds of calls this season. I love Ron Franklin and believe he’s the current “Voice of College Football”, but the man either needs new glasses or stop drinking during the games. -We blocked a punt last night!!! In fact we more or less just took it off the punter’s foot before he could even kick it. The “block” was possible do to a poor snap. Thankfully, for one of the few times this year we had pressure coming on the kick. -There’s a 7-11 commercial that’s aired about 4,892 times this bowl season. In it a pretty lady chewing on a sandwich is informed that the sandwich is from 7-11. She then puts the sandwich down and gets a big look of surprise on her face. I’ve had food at 7-11 before and I know that if there was any truth in advertising, the lady would put the sandwich down and do more than look surprised, she’d throw up! -From the things could be worse department Part 2: Mike Shula has been the coach of Alabama for two years, now and I don’t believe he has a win over a team that ended their season with a winning record. I could be wrong, maybe one team in the past two seasons went 6-5, but even so, I know that Bama hasn’t had a win over a decent squad since Young Shula took over in T-town. I always find this time of the year depressing. It’s 2005 and we’re over 8 months away from the next Gator football game. Let’s hope the time passes (no pun intended) quickly. Happy New Year everyone and as always, Go Gators. Stats