Ego takes a look at Tennessee and Florida

[Ego74]

What we know, what we don?t know (Tennessee and Florida)


Tennessee: What we know
RB Gerald Riggs is obviously the workhorse on offense, but the O-Line and sophomore Chavis? defensive line is one of the best in the country, with 3 of 4 starters returning from a unit that came on strong in the second half of last season. DE Haralson is one of the best at his position in college football, and they boast a talented pair of defensive tackles in Mahelona and Harrell.

What we don?t? know:
QB Eric Ainge is talented but will be tested by two physical defenses early when the Vols travel to Florida and LSU in back-to-back weeks in September. If they get by those two huge obstacles, Fulmer?s boys could be well on their way to the Rose Bowl. Center David Ligon suffered a high ankle sprain and coach Phil Fulmer is hoping he?ll be ready for the regular season. The secondary must improve on their 86th ranked pass defense.


Florida:
What we know:
Chris Leak may be the best QB in the SEC and he?s got all of his top targets back to throw to in 2005. Coach Urban Meyer is one of the best coaches in the NCAA and is a huge upgrade from Ron Zook.
Florida will have to fill a couple of holes at linebacker, but return a strong D-Line and secondary that will only get better with another year together as a unit.
Meyer will put more emphasis on the special teams game than Zook did. Even though Kicker Matt Leach graduated, they recruited one the top high school PK's in Jonathan Phillips.

What we don?t know:
Despite the fact they have some talented running backs on the depth chart, but it remains to be seen if Wynn or Thornton can replace the departed Fason. Neither has been tested in big game situations.
The Gators have an inexperienced offensive line and some positions are still questions marks. Leak does have a quick release and can scramble, but he?ll need at least decent protection for this offense to be successful.
How well the rebuilt line backing corps comes together in time for the Tennessee game remains to be seen.

 

[Slight Favorite]

Right in my wheelhouse...

Right in my wheelhouse...

TENNESSEE

Center position has been an open audition for the Vols the last few scrimmages. Richie Gandy (dislocated kneecap) and David Ligon (high ankle sprain) will likely both miss the opener against UAB. Rob Smith, Michael Frogg, or Josh McNeil (freshman) are battling it out for the starting spot.

Ainge and Clausen continue to battle it out for the starting QB spot. Damn you Fulmer. Ainge has 1st round talent, Clausen has undrafted free agent talent. It would be a no brainer for me.

The secondary continues to make huge strides compared to last year's unit. Good depth has created solid competition at every position on both offense and defense.

FLORIDA

Meyer loves his first team but is concerned with a lack of quality depth especially on the offensive line. The backups on the O-Line got manhandled by the defense during one of the scrimmages.

Meyer's spread attack is coming along slowly. Chris Leak was jekyll and hyde in the first scrimmage throwing a couple of picks in the first half and a couple of TD's in the second.

The defense is way ahead of the offense right now however, Meyer remains confident that the bugs will be worked out by the time the season gets here.

 

[admin1]

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TENNESSEE

Center position has been an open audition for the Vols the last few scrimmages. Richie Gandy (dislocated kneecap) and David Ligon (high ankle sprain) will likely both miss the opener against UAB. Rob Smith, Michael Frogg, or Josh McNeil (freshman) are battling it out for the starting spot.

Ainge and Clausen continue to battle it out for the starting QB spot. Damn you Fulmer. Ainge has 1st round talent, Clausen has undrafted free agent talent. It would be a no brainer for me.

The secondary continues to make huge strides compared to last year's unit. Good depth has created solid competition at every position on both offense and defense.

FLORIDA

Meyer loves his first team but is concerned with a lack of quality depth especially on the offensive line. The backups on the O-Line got manhandled by the defense during one of the scrimmages.

Meyer's spread attack is coming along slowly. Chris Leak was jekyll and hyde in the first scrimmage throwing a couple of picks in the first half and a couple of TD's in the second.

The defense is way ahead of the offense right now however, Meyer remains confident that the bugs will be worked out by the time the season gets here.

 

[Slight Favorite]

I'm not trying to crap on what you said ego. Just trying to add to your thoughts. I have been following these teams very closely throughout the summer. Tennessee is 2-deep with good players (w/game experience) in almost every position whereas Florida, as of right now, is not. Very solid 1st team with a fall off in the 2-deep. I know Florida is the trendy pick. WHY? Gotta give the edge to the deeper team in the Florida heat come game time.

 

[Ego74]

didn't take it that way at all, slight favorite. I do write ups and right articles, not only because it is my field of work, but also so others will pitch in with their opinions.

We're all working together here, imo.

 

[Glaken]

Great Stuff Guys .... Keep it up !!

Glaken

 

[Ego74]

didn't take it that way at all, slight favorite. I do write ups and right articles, not only because it is my field of work, but also so others will pitch in with their opinions.

We're all working together here, imo.

since i'm a writer, i'll learn how to spell "write" very soon bounce

 

[Ego74]

Ego's college football observations (Miami vs FSU)

Ego's college football observations (Miami vs FSU)

Miami's offense

The Miami Hurricanes have some minor health issues on the offensive line right now, with Alex Pou having just returned to practice and Tony Tella and linebacker Roger McIntosh scheduled to be back for the FSU game. Left guard Tyler McMeans suffered a right-arm injury during Friday's practice and sat on the sideline in a thick bandage up to his elbow.

Even though these guys will be back soon, it may take some time to get these guys into the flow, which is bad news when facing a stout FSU D-line and athletic linebackers. Add to the equation wide receivers Sinorice Moss and Darnell Jenkins have been held out of practice and haven't had much chance to get their timing down with QB sophomore Kyle Wright, life could get real difficult in a hurry for the new signal caller shortly after kickoff on Monday night September 5th.

FSU's QB Situation

According to Florida St head coach Bobby Bowden, he is waiting til the very end of camp to decide on a #1 QB, but those in the know were led to believe Xavier Lee will ge the nod over fellow redshirt freshman Drew Weatherford. But Lee struggled in the most recent scrimmage, while Weatherford has looked impressive working with the first team.

Don't expect Bowden to tip his hand until right before gametime on Sept 5th.

The Seminole defense

Another area of concern for the Noles remains the secondary. A host of underclassmen are vying to replace the team's only returning corner Antonio Croamartie, who torn his ACL last month. The other starter will be senior Gerard Ross, who has played sparingly in his FSU career.

As stated earlier, the FSU front seven is solid even though the D-Line is young. Their defense will once again be one of the best in the NCAA's. Florida State allowed only 14.1 points per game last year The linebackers with Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson on the outside and Buster Davis in the middle could be the best in the country.