UFO Sighting over Orlando, Florida as it punches a hole in cloud above 747 jet, June 10, 2011.

UFO Sighting over Orlando, Florida as it punches a hole in cloud above 747 jet, June 10, 2011.



Date of sighting: June 10, 2011
Location of sighting: Orlando, Florida, USA



Watch this amazing video that a young boy was taking of a 747 as it was coming in for a landing. In the back ground of the video however is an amazing UFO sighting. Watch as a dark oval UFO shoots from the right side to the left of the screen blowing a hole through a cloud as it does this. You may have to watch it several times to get the full effect. Amazing catch.








☯ Scott C. Waring wrote “UFO Sightings of 2006-2009” and “Dragons of Asgard” ☯

UFO sighting during lighting storm in Lake Worth, Flordia on May 15, 2011, video.

Date of sighting: May 15, 2011
Location of sighting: Lake Worth, Florida, USA







Lots of UFOs have been spotted this year in lighting storms, especially here in Taiwan where I live (SCW). Because of that I have been keeping an eye out on lighting videos that may contain UFOs hidden in them. UFOs would be immune to the lighting and would be curious about it since it lights up the sky and they can see it from miles away.







Check out this video but you must pause it at 0:36 second into it. That way you can see the UFO I spotted in it. Its a rare thing to catch a UFO in a lightning storm, so if you feel brave grab your cam and take some video of a storm. You may be surprised what you find.





☯ Scott C. Waring wrote “UFO Sightings of 2006-2009” and “Dragons of Asgard”
For More UFO Information Please Come Visit My Main UFO Site, Click Here.
☯

Will Muschamp: "I Certainly Can" Guarantee A Win Over Georgia

Well, well, well...those are what might qualify as fighting words if we were actually discussing a rivalry game (Georgia-Florida) that was not as lopsided as the one this match-up has become over the last two decades.

New Florida head coach, Will Muschamp, made certain to emphasize that any ties he had to the Georgia Bulldog nation as a former player and coach were no longer present in his mind in his new position as the head man at Florida. Said Muschamp, his loyalty is with whomever "signs my checks" and no one else.

You can't hate the guy for saying as much since he does have bills to pay, but the whole guaranteeing of a win thing has to stick in the craw of just about every Georgia fan who hates the color orange and has vivid memories of making those long, painful, trips back from Jacksonville after yet another Bulldog loss to the Gators.

The hope in 2011 is that the Dawgs can turn it around and start a new trend—a winning one.

After all, they will have one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the SEC—from a playbook knowledge aspect—and a defense that has nowhere to go but up in season two.

That said, there are also still plenty of questions at both running back and wide receiver, and now also the offensive line, where there is no certainty that a star will rise.

So, when a former Georgia player (who grew up attending Florida Gator games and, apparently, only came to Georgia because it was cost-efficient) starts making pronouncements that his team will be the better one on the field come October, you start to wonder just how scared the Bulldogs should be of their SEC East foe.

In the end, it's all just conjecture and grandstanding for the Florida Gator fanbase, but Muschamp has certainly given his alma mater even more reason to show up in Jacksonville—for all four quarters—in October.

Related articles

• Florida's Muschamp defends hiring Weis, spells out plan (cbssports.com)
• Dead to me. (blutarsky.wordpress.com)

Georgia Bulldogs: 2012 DE Prospect Leonard Floyd Chooses Dawgs

Leonard Floyd has given his verbal commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs for 2012. The defensive end from Dodge County made his announcement this morning and cited a desire to focus on school and football as his reason for getting it done this early in the game.

Floyd's announcement comes less than 24-hours after Markuss Eligwe—one of the state's top linebacking prospects—selected FSU over both Georgia and Florida.

Floyd has the reputation as one of the Georgia's best pass-rushing prospects in this season's class and will be a nice addition to the 3-4—whether he plays OLB or DE has yet to be determined. Coach Grantham has already expressed a desire to place him at outside linebacker, but there is admittedly some work to be done with Floyd, technique wise, before he will be ready to assume that role.

Floyd is Georgia's sixth commitment and he chose the Bulldogs over both Alabama and Florida.

Friday Links: Tim Tebow Talks Georgia, Lions Pleased With Matthew Stafford

Tim Tebow says that after the Bulldogs danced in Florida's endzone in 2008, the Gators spent 365 days plotting their revenge.

The Lions may not be able to talk to their franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford, but they did like what they heard about his performance at Georgia's spring game, where he threw for charity—completing a 50-yard bomb to a fan and looking crisp in the tire drill.

After Brad Biggs wrote the story regarding Mallett, NFL analyst, Todd McShay, stated that none of the NFL teams he's spoken to are worried about what Mallett did while at Arkansas because they feel pretty certain he isn't doing it now. 

Nick Saban clarifies his statements regarding Cam Newton and Auburn—come on Nick, stick to your guns, dude.

Speaking of Saban, doesn't he know two quarterback systems rarely work?

Arkansas fans thank Bobby Petrino for making the Hogs relevant in 2010.

Steve Spurrier is already leaving the door open to bring back embattled QB, Stephen Garcia—surprise, surprise.

Related articles

• Lions say Matthew Stafford's rehab is going well (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Detroit Lions: Reports on Matthew Stafford's recovery look good (sports.espn.go.com)

UFO Sighting of Orbs Gathering over the ocean near Florida beach, 2011 photos.

UFO Sighting of Orbs Gathering over the ocean near Florida beach, 2011 photos.



Sighting Location: Florida
Sighting Date: January 21, 2011
Source: MUFON.COM Reports



I live in a front ocean condo and I was walking my dog in an area on my building where I was able to see the ocean. This was around 3PM. Suddenly something caught my eye and when I looked I saw 3 small super bright round objects playing around in a fast pace, above the seashore.



Click photo to enlarge.


I knew I never saw something similar like this before and I decided to rush upstairs (I live in the 14th floor) and try to take a picture if they were still around( I don’t have a great camera with a big zoom). It took me about 30 seconds to spot one of them above the ocean and one of them going along the shore in opposite direction.

Notice that they were really small. From my terrace, they were no longer bright but yellow and orange shaped as a blimp and were now going very slow. I could not hear a sound. There was no one at the beach at that time that I could see. (I thought about remote control toys but no one was there controlling them and I also, later on, did a research about remote control toys that are similar to the ones I saw. I could not find any) Suddenly I lost one of them and the one I took a picture, was flying very close to the water horizontally. Suddenly it stopped and started to go up in the sky until I could not see it anymore. I saw no strings, no fire, no smoke, no sound.

PS: sorry my English. It’s my second language.
=====================================



Blogger Notes: I noticed that there are a string of these orbs also in the water. They are the same size as the one in the sky and perhaps these orbs came from below the ocean. I have seen photos like these before where the orbs are gathering in one location to be picked up by a larger UFO, usually a grey disc.
If they can fly in space,then water would be just an easy to travel and it covers 75% of earth.



☯ Scott C. Waring wrote novels “Dragons of Asgard” & “UFO Sightings of 2006-2009” at online bookstores, or visit my UFO Video channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/TaiwanSCW?feature=mhum ☯

VIDEO FLASHBACK: Vince Dooley's Bulldogs Knock Off No. 1 Florida (1985)

Galen Hall's Florida Gators entered the game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history. The Gator's were coming off a big victory over No. 6 Auburn who, led by the swift feet of running back Bo Jackson, were poised to make a run at the SEC Championship that season—if not for an unfortunate hiccup against Tennessee in week three.

Despite the play of Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell, who racked up better then 400 yards passing on the day, the Gators had no answer for the Georgia Bulldog's defense as they held the Gators to three-points on the day while Georgia's offense, led by the legs of Keith Henderson and Tim Worley, found their groove on the ground.

Although Hall's Gators were neither bowl nor SEC Championship eligible, they ended the season 9-1-1 with Georgia being their only blemish.

It was a good win for the Bulldogs who finished the 1985 season with a 7-3-2 record—tying Arizona in the Sun Bowl.


Georgia vs. Florida 1985 The Aftermath by lanekiffinshow

Two big runs by Keith Henderson and Tim Worley helped power the Bulldogs to victory.


Georgia vs. Florida - 1985 by lanekiffinshow

Duval County: The $7 Million Decision That Nobody Wanted To See

Duval County, located in Jacksonville, FL, has decided to cut all high school sports programs from their budget in order to cover a $97 million shortfall. The decision means, effective immediately, there will be no basketball, no baseball, no football, or any other sports programs in any school located in Duval County—indefinitely.

While Duval is not the only district dealing with the problem of a busted budget, they are the only ones that have decided to do so by cutting all extra-curricular activities—including band. According to Paul Pinkham of jacksonville.com, the Duval County School Board Chairman, W.C. Gentry, stated that Duval County is "...trying to be proactive, start process early, look at impact on district then going to community..." 


That said, how did it get to this point in the first place? 


Many blame the politics of the of Florida's Governor, Rick Scott. Some feel he has brought a questionable agenda to the table in regards to many of the state's most pressing issues—including that of education—and that has meant a shift in the way the state approaches the operations of the public school system. In a nutshell, Scott favors finding profit in everything and is a proponent of expanding Florida's small-school voucher program. And it is that desire that, some feel, fuels Scott's desire to run the state "like a business". This decision has resulted in more wealth for the wealthy, but little for everyone else. 

Whether that theory is true or not is unknown, but that is one of the overwhelming theories on the matter. 

No matter what your politics, it has to be disturbing to see a district come to such a decision—moreso for the opportunities and doors it closes for the athletes than anything else. Where will these prospects go now that they are no longer able to play within their own communities? What are they supposed to do if they either cannot afford or do not have the option of playing elsewhere?


Here's one coach's opinion on the consequences of such an act:

"You take away sports and watch how low the FCAT scores drop. I had a lot of guys who had marginal [grade point averages], but the threat of losing their eligibility got them into the classroom and got their GPA over a 2.0 because they wanted to play sports. You take sports away, and you’ll lose those kids. They won’t have the motivation to get the GPAs up. We’ll lose them to the streets."

For the sake of Duval County, let's hope this decision doesn't trigger a community apocalypse but, on a broader scale, let's hope Duval County's decision doesn't signal the beginning of a trend either. That would be quite a mess indeed.

What say you?

Georgia Bulldogs: 2012 DL Prospect Jordan Watkins

The Georgia coaching staff hasn't been resting on their laurels since landing one of the top recruiting classes in the country this season, they are fully focused on keeping that trend going for 2012, and Jordan Watkins is the latest defensive prospect to get a nod from Mark Richt and Co.

Watkins is 6'5", 260, and is an absolute beast off the line. He has a great nose for the ball and moves well for his size. He's likely not done developing yet, but he's certainly capable of playing at either  defensive end or defensive tackle at the next level.

Said Watkins about the offer from the Bulldogs, "An offer from Georgia gives me three things as far as my family is concerned. I can stay close to home, which my mom would probably be happiest about with all of this. It is a great place to play football, and it is a great place to go to school for four years" (Kipp Adams, Rivals.com). 

If Georgia can put together a winning record this year, and make it back to a respectable bowl, you have to like their chance to stay in the hunt for Watkins. 

You can find out more about Georgia's latest target here ($$$) if you are a subscriber, but one look at his video and it's clear the kid has the potential to be a monster:




Watkins touts 29 offers as of today, which includes several other SEC schools—Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama among them.

He totaled 61 tackles (13 tfl) and 6 sacks as a junior.

Georgia Bulldogs: Aaron Murray Is The Starting QB—No Question

Photo Credit: BRANT SANDERLIN/AJC

There will always be naysayers where Aaron Murray is concerned, but those people obviously didn't see how well Murray played in 2010. The redshirt freshman showed poise beyond his years and showcased a bevy of skills that even the coaching staff could not have expected.

So, when this article was published, questioning whether or not Georgia should "sit or start" Murray in 2011, I found myself intrigued as to what a non-Bulldog fan had to say on the subject. Below are the only two reasons this writer has for sitting the tough, young man from Tampa.

#1. Lack of Size

Murray measures in at 6'1" and 209 pounds. He needs to add a little weight to help endure some of the sacks he takes. Murray was sacked 24 times and suffered a number of hits during the 2010 season. Until the Georgia Bulldogs' offensive line improves, Murray should expect to have pass-rushers in his face at times.

His lack of height also occasionally leads to passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Okay, it's true that Murray is not the prototypical height and size of a pro-style quarterback, but that is not the only characteristic that goes into a quality starter.

There are plenty of 6'3", 225 lb, signal-callers that don't have the poise, pocket presence, or leadership ability that Murray displays on the football field and those are the intangibles that matter—every bit as much as the physical attributes.

Oh and, FYI, the nation's leading passer last season was shorter than Murray—Bryan Moniz. It also seems safe to assume that Boise State wouldn't trade their quarterback for  all the tea in China either. Kellen Moore clocks in at 6'0".

The point is, size doesn't always matter.

Furthermore, his lack of body weight is less important, where sacks are concerned, than Georgia's need to get their offensive line in order.

Murray didn't miss one game last season, despite being knocked on his backside better than 20 times. Even more, the anemic running game, the absence of playmakers in the receiving game (particularly in A.J. Green's absence), and the inability of the coaches to loosen the reigns as the season progressed, all played a hefty roll in Murray's inability to succeed in the win-loss column.

#2. Record

Murray was only able to produce a 6-7 record on the year and 3-5 record in Southeastern Conference play. While Murray's performances were decent, he wasn't able to lead the team to a winning record.

The fact that Murray was unable to "lead the team to a winning record" wasn't all on him. Poor playcalling, unfortunate turnovers, and defensive lapses in the secondary played key roles in losses at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, at Colorado, at Florida, and versus Arkansas—only one of those losses could, arguably, be attributed to Murray's play—he threw an ill-advised interception against Florida that led to the game-winning play in overtime.

If Georgia had taken care of business, on both sides of the ball in every one of those games, that 6-7 record might easily have been 10-3 or 11-2 (7-1 or 6-2 in the SEC).

Murray's lack of a winning record isn't all on him and there is no question that 2011 should be better for the Georgia Bulldogs—if Mark Richt and his staff can right the ship on both sides of the football field.

Georgia Bulldogs: John Jenkins Signs With Georgia, Fills Key Need (VIDEO)

The Georgia Bulldogs finally have the main piece to the 3-4 puzzle in nose guard John Jenkins, the 6'4" 353-pound JUCO prospect from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College chose Georgia over Florida because, in the end he "...felt they [Georgia] really needed me. Everybody else said they needed me, too, but at Georgia it just felt right. It felt like home."

And need him they did.

Todd Grantham has long looked for a player to fill-in the spot known only as the "nose"—a player who could both eat up space and create rushing lanes off the edge for the defensive ends to run through. If Jenkins is anything like advertised, he fits that bill and then some. 

Here's some video of Big John—the 26th and final commitment for 2011:

Jenkins is No. 95 in the video, but is expected to wear No. 6 (yes, that's not a typo) for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2011. 

Related articles

• JUCO defensive tackle Jenkins picks Georgia (sportingnews.com)

Isaiah Crowell's Signing Day Moment Was One For The Dawgs (VIDEO)

The little pup at the end was a nice move by Crowell. Let's hope he's got more tricks up his sleeve once he gets on the football field next season.



Not to be completely outdone, his Carver-Columbus teammate, Gabe Wright, caused a stir as well when he revealed Auburn as his school of choice by putting on a hat that said "Nick Who?"...he clarified that he meant Fairley, not Saban—nice save there, Gabe.

College Football: Louisville Making A Strong Statement For 2011

Make no mistake, Charlie Strong is looking to return the Cardinals to their championship winning ways sooner—not later. He's already made a lot of noise this season by leading his team back to bowl eligibility (just one year shy of them finishing 4-8) and fielding a defense that was, arguably, one of the best in the nation.

Now the eyes of most college football fans turns towards recruiting where, today, Strong was able to pull off another coup by hooking former Miami Hurricane commitment, Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater is rated the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals and was one of the more sought-after prospects in the country this year. He will bring his teammate, and close friend, Eli Rogers along with him for the ride—both are a major 'get'.

Charlie Strong has long been lauded as a phenomenal recruiter and it is clear that he still has his nails dug deep in South Florida as he continues to secure top talent out of the sunshine state's rich pool of high school talent.

Bridgewater is an exciting player to watch, but it is clear that he still relies more on his instincts than his intelligence when it comes to making plays. He's an above-average passer with excellent mobility that can make as many plays on the run as he can standing tall in the pocket.

His potential is endless and he could be the game-changer the Cardinals need on offense.

As for Eli Rogers, he brings great technique to the field. He's phenomenal at running clean routes and making plays with the ball in his hands. He's a bit light, physically, but if he can tack on about 10-15 pounds to his 5'10" frame, he could be devastating to the passing game due to his ability to play bigger than his size would suggest.

Both players are going to make an immediate impact on a Louisville team that is steadily becoming a fierce challenger in the Big East and Charlie Strong continues to impress.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Getting Back To Fourth-Quarter Dominance in 2011

There was a time when the Georgia Bulldogs knew how to 'Hunker Down' in the fourth-quarter. They knew how to G.A.T.A and make the other team play their game.

There was very little of that in 2010, and Georgia has got to get back to doing that if they expect to impose their will on the SEC in 2011.

The new strength regime at has expressed an understanding of this fact, and that bodes well for the future, but the end-result will come on the football field—we're left with questions until then.

That said, this post is less about continuing the conversation about the direction of the defense or the strength program,  than it is about recalling a time when that conversation wasn't necessary.

Below is another phenomenal video—courtesy of Patrick Garbin—(circa 1976) that shows the 'Junkyard Dawgs' (JYD) in action against the hated Florida Gators—back when Georgia owned the orange and blue—the game was a close affair through the first-half, but the JYD's showed up and shut Florida down in the second-half—yielding no points.

Their fourth-quarter dominance during that season—particularly in this game—was impressive and, given the lack of such dominance this past season, made this video all the more compelling to watch.

Enjoy:



(h/t apgarbin)

Urban Meyer Resigns—Can We Believe Him This Time?

There are multiple reports that Urban Meyer will step down following the Florida Gators bowl game—a press conference is scheduled for later on this evening.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Meyer is just having another attack? Honestly, why bother stepping down now? The best time to have done so was last season, after his star quarterback graduated.

Now, once again, he looks suspect in doing so just as recruits are being contacted and, possibly, shored up—leaving his team and the Gators' football program in a lurch.

This, of course, assumes that he will actually follow through with his decision this time—forgive the skepticism, but I'll believe it when I see it.

That said, it's amazing what a mediocre season will do to a guy.

Urban probably isn't used to being questioned, doubted, criticized, or placed under the media microscope in a negative manner. He's been college football's golden boy for so long that the only spotlight he's used to having exists in the positive sphere.

Now, suddenly, people are saying he's lost his winning edge and is guilty of showing too much loyalty to his assistant coach (i.e. Steve Adazzio). Couple that with multiple losses to teams he's dominated (Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Florida State) and you have to wonder if he feels he's done all he can do at Florida.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before Meyer's winning ways turned into rebuilding ones. You can't lose top-tier talent and assistant coaches each year and expect to maintain the same level of excellence. It's a ridiculous proposition to present to a guy—even Meyer.

On the flip side, another question does come to mind, is he simply tired of the college grind and ready to see what he can do at the next level. Could the NFL be calling? After all, there are plenty of teams that could use his talents and he won't have to look far to find one in particular—Denver.

Tim Tebow will likely be meeting a new quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator in the near future. Would Meyer be interested?

Whatever the case may be, Florida is once again looking for answers, and it will be very interesting to see who AD Jeremy Foley finds to fill this gigantic void.

That said, if this simply turns out to be another hoax, you can bet not many will find Meyer's indecision comical or professional—unless of course their name is Brett Favre. In which case, this is just the beginning of the rollercoaster ride.

Related articles

• Urban Meyer steps down as Florida Gators football coach (sportingnews.com)
• Urban Meyer stepping down at Florida Gators (sports.espn.go.com)
• Urban Meyer Resigns As Gators Head Coach (newyork.cbslocal.com)

Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Richt Should Rethink His "No Staff Changes" Stance

2011 will be coach Richt's last season if he has another even close to this one. A 6-6 team is not what Georgia fans like to see, especially in what was supposed to be a "down" year in the SEC East.

At worst, most fans were hoping to see 9-3, but losses to Mississippi State, Colorado, and Florida have not set well with the fanbase and many are calling for blood.

So, when one glances a news article where their much-maligned leader is saying that he's not planning any staff changes, it has to leave you scratching your head a little bit.

First, let's get this bit of discourse out of the way, no one at this site is claiming to be an expert. No coaching experience has been had, and there is no reason for you, the reader, to believe that the opinion espoused here is any better or worse than that of the common, rational, fan.

That said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that there are some gross issues lurking in the ranks of Georgia's football program. First, and most importantly, the strength and conditioning program is sub-par. The defensive line was sucking wind on Saturday night against Tech—by halftime.

If the team had to play in overtime, how many of you have faith the defense could have held? Even more, how many of you were actually worried when you saw Washaun Ealey go in for the score with time left on the clock?

Just saying.

Even more, everyone in the SEC knows Georgia's defensive and offensive lines are a joke. Just check this little bit of commentary offered by Florida's players following their overtime win in jacksonville. :

Florida's offensive players really enjoyed installing the no-huddle up-tempo offense during the bye week because they knew if they ran it correctly that the Georgia defense would be overwhelmed. 

And they really, really enjoyed watching the Bulldogs struggling in the fourth quarter.

"It's fun seeing 300-pound linemen wheezing for air and you're fine," offensive lineman Carl Johnson said. "The D-line, they're wheezing and you're like, 'He's tired. He's tired.'"

Johnson took particular pleasure in talking some trash during the game.

"When 31 [defensive end Demarcus Dobbs] got hurt, I was pointing [and saying], 'He's tired. He's not really hurt.' He was just tired and faked an injury to get out of there, stop the clock. If he didn't, we were on the ball, ready to go again, they were gassed."

It's one of the few times that an offensive lineman can get in some digs about being in better shape, and Johnson said he savored that feeling.

"You feel like you own them a little bit," Johnson said. "'You're blown, you're tired, you're gasping. I'm fine.' It's fun."

Freshman H-back Trey Burton said he could tell pretty quickly the defense was going to be gasping in the fourth quarter.

"The first quarter, they were done," Burton said. "They were about to tap out after a while."

Wow...talk about embarrassing.

Coach Dave Van Halanger might be a phenomenal man of character, and he might be one of coach Richt's closest friends, but he's done a poor job of making these players into athletes. They're soft, badly conditioned, and incapable of playing a full 60 minutes at game speed.
 
It's time for him to go and Richt needs to make that happen.

As for a second guy, look no further than Bryan McClendon.

Take a look at these stats posted by EC Dawg of The Leather Helmet Blog (another site all Bulldog fans should have bookmarked), Georgia's running game was worse this season (ranked 71st overall) than in 2009 (ranked 54th overall)—something ain't right, folks.

To be fair, 2009's lapse was understandable. Knowshon Moreno was gone and McClendon was walking into a group of backs who had 1) no SEC experience (Richard Samuel and Washaun Ealey), 2) trouble staying healthy (Caleb King), and 3) were incapable of taking the pounding (Carlton Thomas). Still, he managed to get decent production out of that bunch.

However, 2010 was supposed to be the year of the back at Georgia, with both King and Ealey returning to aide the young Aaron Murray in his acclimation to the starting quarterback role. Instead, both guys struggled to find the groove they showed at the tailend of 2009 and, even worse, both became inept at holding onto the football—that's just a gross lack of fundamentals.

McClendon might make a fine assistant one day, and there is no doubt that he is a darn good recruiter, but two-years as a grad assistant did not make him qualified to move into the position of full-time running backs coach. He's in over his head, and Richt should find someone with more experience to take over the job.

2011 will be coach Richt's last season if he can't get this ship turned around and, as nice a guy as he is, he needs to realize that being a good man only takes you so far. Unfortunately for him and his throng of supporters, the "what have you done for me lately" culture of college football is working against him.

It's time that he start finishing the drill as a head coach, and that means making the tough decisions about who's presence is most hurting his staff and letting them go—Finish The Drill, Coach.

Finish.The.Drill.

Florida State Whups Up On Florida As N.C. State Coughs Up The Atlantic

Just one year removed from the changing of the guard in Tallahassee, the Jimbo Fisher era has begun with a trip to the ACC Championship game in December—after a little help from Maryland.

The Seminoles would have been plenty satisfied with a win over the Florida Gators. Urban Meyer has gotten the better of this series over the last six years—winning six-straight. So, there was plenty of motivation entering this game, even without knowing what was happening in College Park.

The game itself got off to an inauspicious start as Florida took the lead early on a 20-yard toss by John Brantley to Robert Clark—7-3 Gators. For at least a half-minute it seemed the Florida dominance would continue. However, what wasn't known was that this would be the last time Florida would sniff the end zone.

Florida State regrouped and started to remember that they were, at least today, the better team on the football field. They had no need to feel intimidated by this Tim Tebow-less team, with it's Charlie Strong-less defense, and it's total lack of consistency at quarterback—three guys, Urban, really?

The Seminoles went on to score 21-points in the second quarter and never looked back, winning the game 31-7, and reclaiming the state of Florida's swagger—at least for this year.

Even better, the epic collapse of the, Russell Wilson led, North Carolina State Wolfpack in their game against Maryland, assured the Noles' a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

It was a good night for Jimbo Fisher and his young football team. Somewhere you have to wonder if Bobby Bowden is smiling—just a thought.

Georgia Football: It's Not A "Head-Scratcher", Mr. Bradley, Aaron Murray Can't Do Everything

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's pot-stirrer resident sports columnist/blogging fool, Mark Bradley wondered why Georgia is 5-6 this season when Aaron Murray has been so good?

More to the point, shouldn't Georgia be more than a below .500 team that's, currently, struggling for bowl eligibility?

In his words:

The Bulldogs were 9-3 in both Zeier’s and Carter’s freshman seasons, 8-4 in Greene’s, 9-4 in Stafford’s. How is it possible that a team returning every offensive starter save the quarterback could see that new quarterback perform so ably — and still be 5-6? (And of those six losses, only the Florida game,  in which Murray threw half of his total of six interceptions, could be debited to the quarterback — and it must be noted that even on his worst day Murray led the rally that forced overtime.)

Not much about this Georgia season has made sense, but this part makes the least. The one offensive variable has come up trumps, and still the team enters its final scheduled game needing to win to become bowl-eligible.

While it's easy to understand Bradley's question—if it weren't such a thinly veiled attempt at, yet again, pointing out the ineptitude of the current staff—the answers aren't hard to find.

For one, Aaron Murray doesn't play defense. He wasn't on the field when Ryan Mallett dissected and dismantled the Georgia secondary in four plays to lose their game against Arkansas. He's also not a part of the secondary that suddenly failed to remember their assignments in the second-half against Auburn—leading to a 42-13 run by the Tigers.

Secondly, he doesn't play running back.  On multiple occasions, a lost fumble either changed the complexity of the game (South Carolina and Mississippi State) or lost it altogether (Colorado).

Third, he's not on the defensive line that, at many points this season, couldn't stop a flea from scoring. Obviously, the 3-4 needs some personnel changes if it's going to be effective in season two because what's in the cupboard now is not a proper fit.

Lastly, as spectacular as Murray has been, he's not capable of catching his own passes.

A.J. Green was missing for the first four games of the season and, as a result, the offense struggled to find anything that resembled productivity—another clear indication of how in over his head Mike Bobo truly has been this year.

It's painfully obvious to many that Bobo planned 85 percent of his playbook around the presence of A.J. Green. Take away A.J., take away points—the stats don't lie.

Does that about clear it up for you, Mr. Bradley? Hope so but, for some reason, it feels a lot like you were never really that confused in the first place.

Cam-Gate: It's All One Big Conspiracy Courtesy of...Urban Meyer?

This has turned into quite the soap opera.

Today, Urban Meyer, the head coach of the Florida Gators was forced to make an outright denial of claims that he is the man behind the leaked academic cheating information that has been alleged against Cam Newton.

Said Meyer, "For anyone to think that I or anyone on our staff may have leaked information about private student records to the media doesn't know us very well. It's a ridiculous claim and simply not true."

(forgive us, Urban, but when you play miscreants like Chris Rainey, people are bound to question your ethics at some point—just putting that out there).

The reason for the big hub bub, a FoxSports.com article written by the, oft-wrong, Thayer Evans who states that an unnamed source relayed a story that makes Cam Newton look like a less than honorable character. Making matters worse Newton's own father won't even vouch for him on the claim, saying only "I wasn’t there...I cannot confirm or deny. At a time like this, I’m taking a defensive posture."


Well, isn't that just peachy?


Then came this tweet from Bill "Bubba" Bussey of the, Alabama-based,  Rick and Bubba Show, tweet:

He later would recant the tweet saying that it "did not come from the source I thought it did" and asking that people just dismiss it as "rumor". Well, that's all fine and good, but, why bother stating something like that if you don't have it properly sourced?

Just saying.


In other news, Gregg Doyel is no longer welcome at any Gator tailgate parties after writing this inflammatory piece that all but outright accuses the University of Florida for being the catalyst behind all of Cam Newton's recent problems.

Says Doyel,

"...this smear job now has escalated to the point where Florida isn't even pretending to stay out of it. It's no coincidence that Bond's "information"—which he shared almost 10 months ago with Mississippi State—is coming out now that Florida has fallen by the wayside while Auburn has surged to No. 2 in the BCS. Even before the latest academic allegations came out, Meyer was said to be in the middle of the Bond-Newton saga."

Ouch...guess Doyel isn't worried about what Meyer can do to him—he should have a chat with Jeremy Fowler. 

Either way, this whole thing gets funnier by the minute—at least for those who could give a flip about Florida or Urban Meyer. It's like watching a train wreck...in slow motion...and HD.

Wonder if any one will come through the wreckage with their reputations intact?

As for Meyer, well, aside from denying culpability, he's getting his team ready to play the Gamecocks this Saturday. A team that, should they beat them, will grant them an easy trip to play Cam Newton and Auburn in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Hey, wait a minute...ya think...nah, never mind. 

Beware Auburn Fans! The Cam Newton Smear Campaign Is In Full Effect

Boy, that Cam Newton sure has a lot of "haters" all of a sudden.

If it's not FoxSports.com's, Thayer Evans, urging voters to leave Newton off their Heisman ballots, then it's the Orlando Sentinel grabbing onto whatever negative stories they can find to discredit Newton's season.

There's so much mud-slinging going going on with this kid right now, you'd think he was running for a political office.

To be fair to the vitriol-spewing media, we have to admit that some trepidation in voting for Newton will be present. Based on the pay-for-play allegations and the newest dagger that accuses Newton of academic cheating while he was at Florida (although given the fact that Thayer Evans wrote the article, you have to wonder how much truth there is to the account), some voters are bound to be getting a little gun-shy.

That said, it doesn't seem fair to penalize the kid for unproven actions—we have seen proof of nothing, yet, so why risk your credibility grasping at the whispers?


If Newton ends up being blameworthy of either, or both, of the allegations then, by all means, re-evaluate his worthiness for receiving any post-season accolades.


Until then, let the NCAA do their job, let Newton continue his season, and refrain from damaging the reputation of a, to this point, innocent young man.