- Florida's offense looked predictable early in the Orange & Blue Game but showed potential with increased downfield passing later in the game.
- Florida's gymnastics team will compete in the NCAA Championships semifinals Thursday aiming to advance to the finals on Saturday.
The Front 9 kicks off a return to print for this guy and all of the people who have said they miss me even though I haven’t gone anywhere.
1. About a quarter of the way through the Orange & Blue Game on Saturday, I was wondering if Billy Napier had left his playbook lying around and new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner found it. The offense looked pedestrian and predictable with a little dash of Ed Zaunbrecher’s love for bubble screens. It wasn’t encouraging. But then, Florida started throwing the ball downfield and we got to see what this offense can be. Of course, the Gators weren’t leaning on Jadan Baugh the way they did the last time we saw them play (against FSU, when Baugh ran for 266 yards); they threw the ball 77 times Saturday in a game where the result wasn’t important.
2. If nothing else, first-year coach Jon Sumrall said what we were all thinking. “I would love to go out and have a free-agency period and fix a couple more spots than we have fixed right now,” he said. “And it’s not really available to me. We just have to continue to develop the guys that we got.” The difference between Florida getting back into the playoff hunt or continuing to be less-than-mediocre is going to come down to how much work the offensive linemen are willing to do in the next couple of weeks and then the summer.
3. FOMO game of the week
Well, it’s not really a game, but a competition. And it’s a big one. Florida will be in Fort Worth, Texas, at the NCAA Championships for gymnastics with the semifinals against three other teams Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2. If the third-ranked Gators advance, they will go for the national title Saturday at 4 p.m. on ABC.
4. Four questions with Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin:
- With the renovations to the stadium coming up, what will the seat comfort be for the fans who have complained about the seats being too narrow?
Stricklin: Other than becoming code compliant (wider aisles, handrails, additional ADA seating, etc.) the bowl seating will be much like it currently is. However, there will be more variety in seating options in new and renovated areas throughout the stadium. - There is now a nine-game SEC schedule. How will this affect future scheduling?
Stricklin: For the most part UF’s future scheduling will include nine SEC games, the FSU game, one Group of Six game and an FCS game. - What do you think the chances are that we will have an expanded football playoff by 2028?
Stricklin: I am hopeful. (In a previous interview with me, Stricklin said college football has a “math problem” and needs more access to the playoffs, which would mean the SEC title game weekend would be unavailable for anything but playoff games). - Is there any way we can have the PA play Molly Hatchet’s “Gator Country” during the pre-games at the Swamp?
Stricklin: “Had to look this one up … and I’m all for playing it. But is there a shorter version than the six-minute album cut?”
5. The List
Here we go with the best Florida hoopsters we have seen:
- Neal Walk. You had to see him to appreciate him.
- Walter Clayton Jr. Just took over March every time the Gators needed him most.
- Udonis Haslem. Four years of UD were pretty special.
- Al Horford. Two titles, three great seasons and still going.
- Mike Miller. Tough to leave out the all-time leading scorer in Vernon Maxwell. I have my reasons.
6. This will happen this week
Florida’s lacrosse team, which doesn’t get a lot of love during a busy sports calendar, will win at Cincinnati on Saturday to keep its unblemished conference record in the Big 12 alive with just one game left before the Gators host the conference tournament.
7. Hot take of the week
The SEC has had the most first-round picks for 18 straight years of the NFL Draft. That streak will end this year. I can’t find one mock draft that has the SEC getting more first-round picks than the Big 10. Hey, that conference owns college football right now with three straight nattys.
8. Tweet of the week
You can call it X, but to me it will always be Twitter. This is from my buddy Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 Podcast: “One high major coach to me: ‘This has become a joke. We got guys who averaged 3 points a game asking for a million dollars. It’s completely out of control.’” When more than half of the scholarship players in Division I are in the portal in basketball, it is definitely out of control.
9. Movie you need to see
In the Back 9, which you can read at Patreon.com/DooleyNoted, I have a music playlist every week. For the Front 9, we are going to give you a movie recommendation. This week it is one of my favorites, “Local Hero.” It will make you want to listen to more Mark Knopfler, have a brandy and think about Scotland. And any movie with the great Burt Lancaster is worth seeing.