The Washington Times’ national college football writer takes a look back at the week that was:
Close the book on Ron Zook.
Florida’s head man is sure to be college football’s topic of the week after the Gators took a program-defining digger in Starkville over the weekend. If you’re one of the SEC’s titan trio (Tennessee, Georgia and Florida over the last decade), you just can’t lose to the league’s dogpile programs (Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt). As they say in hushed tones down South, it simply isn’t done.
Entering the weekend, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida were a combined 49-1 against the SEC’s fodder trifecta since 1997, the lone loss by Florida to Mississippi State in 2000.
But that loss went on Steve Spurrier’s tab and came against a Bulldogs team just two seasons removed from a stunning SEC title game appearance. The visored one had built up plenty of hiccup chits in his decade of dominance in Gainesville.
The Zooker, who entered the game 20-12 and already on the hot seat in the midst of his third season at Florida, was out of free passes long before the Gators got Croomated in Starkville.
His Gators had already blown last-minute leads against Tennessee and LSU this season, falling to 5-10 vs. ranked teams in his tenure. Alligator alley angst was already rampant on Internet sites like FireRonZook.com. Then came last week’s FratGate revelations as the Orlando Sentinel uncovered a police report that described a threatening Zook breaking up a fracas between players and fraternity members at a Pi Kappa Phi party last month.
In a scene straight out of a D-movie, Zook (played by James Caan or perhaps Nick Nolte) apparently screamed at some belligerent, drunk frat boys that he wasn’t going to let them “take down the football program.” How dignified. How Hollywood. It’s sub-Springer.
In any case, Gator Nation already had pink slips on the brain. Now it has a red-flag moment, exhibit A, B and C in a watertight, can’t-lose case for dismissal. Losing to Mississippi State isn’t poor, it’s inexcusable. The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3 SEC) aren’t just the league’s worst team, they are by far the SEC’s most hapless squad (witness Vanderbilt 31, Mississippi State 13).
First-year coach Sylvester Croom confronted the Gators with a team that had lost 27 of 32 SEC games and five straight games since a season-opening win vs. Tulane. One of those losses came against Division I-AA Maine 9-7. That’s right, Maine, a state that hadn’t licked Mississippi in anything since Gettysburg.
So don’t think this is a case of some gutsy up-and-comers edging a flat Florida team thanks to a Starkville spark. Regardless of what the delusional Croom thinks (“This is just the beginning”), it was simply a case of wanton incompetence; the Bulldogs had barely scored 38 points all season.
“This is embarrassing for us,” said Zook, who could perhaps save his job by finishing the season with wins against Georgia, South Carolina, at Florida State and in a bowl game. More than likely, however, he’s headed for a third straight five-loss failure and the want-ads. Spurrier has no interest in returning to Gainesville, so expect Florida to offer Utah’s Urban Meyer and USC’s Norm Chow seven figures and the Swamp scepter.
Game balls
A pair of phenomenal career hurdles were achieved by the nation’s top tailbacks Saturday. Oklahoma’s Heisman Trophy favorite, Adrian Peterson, became just the third freshman to rush for 100 yards-plus in each of his first seven games, joining Emmitt Smith and Marshall Faulk. Peterson, who has 1,027 yards for the season, rushed for 126 yards on 22 carries in the Sooners’ pounding of Kansas.
Texas senior Cedric Benson, meanwhile, became just the sixth player in Division I-A to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons. Benson (4,862 yards) joins Ron Dayne, Tony Dorsett, Amos Lawrence, Denvis Manns and Avon Cobourne.
Specifically for Saturday’s play, however, our offensive game ball goes to Mississippi State tailback Jerrious Norwood, who torched the Gators for 174 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, including a 37-yarder with 38 seconds remaining that sealed the upset.
And the Back Judge’s defensive game ball goes to Tennessee’s Jesse Mahelona, who recorded two tackles for loss and a sack in the Vols’ 17-13 victory over Alabama. Mahelona, who leads the SEC in tackles for loss (10.5), spent the week on crutches with a severely sprained MCL and astounded team doctors, coaches and teammates with his decision to dress for the game.
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