But Steve had no trouble crossing them. He was one of the first — if not the first — to write this year that Bobby Bowden’s time was up. Unfortunately, it turned out it was Steve’s time that was up.

He passed away this week after suffering a massive heart attack. Before he would let his wife call 911, he made sure she e-mailed his story to the newspaper. That’s a hack to the end.

The last time I talked to Steve we were sitting in the press box at Dick Howser Stadium and he was telling me that his goal was to visit every national park in America. He had two remaining. I don’t know if he made it, but I hope wherever he is there are trees and mountains and cool lakes.

Steve was one of the best. He was only 54 and since I turned 55 on Friday it certainly brings a sense of my own mortality. Steve Ellis was a pro. That’s the way he’d want to be remembered.

Tiger beat

The Back Nine takes a look at another wild weekend of sports while wondering if all female freshmen at UF are issued black cocktail dresses when they enroll.

1. Here in the Season of the Weird, Mike Slive can’t catch a break. Of course there was another officiating controversy. Of course it happened in the biggest game of the weekend. Of course the conspiracy theorists are going to be out in force. Heck, the Back Nine is starting to believe there is something to it. On the day Alabama RSVP’s to Florida’s invitation to meet in Atlanta, all anyone wants to talk about is another blown call. SI.com’s Andy Staples put it best here in his weekly column. This league has so much going for it that it is a shame its reputation is being smeared by all of this controversy. Look, LSU probably wouldn’t have scored anyway with Jarrett Lee at quarterback, but this is getting ridiculous.

2. A late game for Florida usually means there is nothing to watch when I get home. As Robbie Andreu said after the game, “Every game is the same for this team, and the first thing I do when I get home is delete the recording of the game on my DVR.” I agree. Not much fun to watch. But as Saturday turned into Sunday, what a wonderful treat. Live, I said live, golf from China with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in the final pairing and Ernie Els charging with a 63. Are you kidding? It was a late night.

Best practices?

3. A reader wanted to know something about the concussion suffered by Cal’s Jahvid Best. Where, he asked, is the outrage? After all, Best had a concussion last week as well. Why weren’t the geniuses demanding that Best sit out a month? Why weren’t they stalking California’s practices to see if he suited up? Because, my friend, that’s Cal. And this is Florida. The Gators play by different rules. Still, it’s weak when UF cancels Urban Meyer’s usual Sunday teleconference at the last minute as it did Sunday. It’s been a tough season for the coach, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to answer questions about his fine or the possibility of the Notre Dame job being open. Still, there are certain obligations that come with being the Florida coach.

4. The Heisman Trophy is now a five-man race if you ask the Back Nine, and our man Tim Tebow is sliding down the list. Sorry. My top five right now looks like this: Mark Ingram, Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, C.J. Spiller. The difference between one and five is not that great. If you were to ask me who WILL win the Heisman, I’d bet on McCoy. When it comes time to vote, a lot of people are going to say, “Well, nobody stands out so let’s let McCoy have one.”

Creamsicles rise to the top

5. Watching the Bucs in those throwback uniforms made me think back to my days covering the Creamsicles when I worked in Jax. Was that Richard “Batman” Wood making the tackle? Good times. Maybe the Bucs should wear them for the rest of the year. But this does not mean it’s OK for Florida to go throwback and wear the orange jerseys. There were actually suggestions they do it for the Georgia game. Why would you want to remind your fans of the years where the Bulldogs dominated? Why?

6. And how many running backs in the history of this league have scored 14 touchdowns in their careers? That’s how many Bucs defensive back Ronde Barber has scored in his career. That’s amazing.

7. As usual, Good Morning America was about 100 hours late on a story. They did something on the New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert and her thuggery.

8. You know what’s coming. Florida State in The Swamp needing a win to be bowl eligible. It’s coming. Brace for it.

9. I went over 1,000 songs on my iPod, but does it count when a couple of dozen are Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift downloaded for my 8-year-old? Check out “Born Again” by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, the new Weezer CD and “Time Flie” by Porcupine Tree. Now off with you.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com and follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

Silver star: Jevan Snead. The Ole Miss quarterback has had a spotty season but bounced back into form with a four-touchdown day, two rushing and two passing. The Rebels handled Northern Arizona, as Snead threw for 235 yards.

Bronze star: Darvin Adams. Quietly, the Auburn wide receiver is having the kind of year that should garner all-star consideration. On Saturday, he caught six passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns against Furman.

No star: The league. The SEC can’t get out of its own way. Here is the ginormous game between LSU and Alabama and again we have a huge officiating issue, as the replay guy missed a call on a big LSU pick.

Quote: “My view from the sideline, it looked like an interception. Certainly, they have a better view than I. I believe the officials work hard and make as good a quality a call as they can.” — Les Miles, gingerly trying to avoid a fine from Mike Slive

Silver star: Morgan Newton. OK, it was only Eastern Kentucky. But give the freshman credit for managing the game for Kentucky. He completed 20-of-29 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Bronze star: Alshon Jeffrey. The freshman has become the go-to guy for Stephen Garcia at South Carolina. Against Arkansas, the former Southern Cal commit caught five passes for 116 yards including an 80-yard touchdown.

No star: South Carolina’s pass defense. The Gamecocks were supposed to be salty on that side of the ball but allowed Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett to complete 23-of-27 passes in the Razorbacks’ win.

Quote: “We’re just not real good right now. I don’t know how else to say it. Coaches are coaching their butts off, just not getting much results right now. Maybe all the good fortune we had earlier is catching up with us a bit. We’re not quite good enough to beat a good team like Arkansas.” — Steve Spurrier

Another hit on Georgia

The Back Nine comes right at you with thoughts on another big weekend of college football and the NFL.

1. Can it get much worse for Georgia? The Bulldogs just lost for the 17th time in 20 seasons to Florida, have to be wondering if they can make it to a bowl game and Georgia Tech is a top 10 BCS team. Yuck. On top of that, there are calls for Joe Cox to be benched and for Willie Martinez to be shipped out. And they wore those ugly helmets for motivation and went out and got hammered. Not a good time to be a Bulldog fan. Oh yeah, they did their dance on the sideline after they cut the UF lead to 14-10 and had a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. Double yuck. I actually liked the helmets. Much better than Tennessee’s black jerseys. At least the Vols won.

Tennessee Jack-o-lanterns?

2. It really was a perfect weekend for the Dooley family. Kelsey got a private moment with Tim Tebow and we saw so many good friends at the Sawgrass Marriott last Friday night, including former Gator hoopster Ric Clarson. Perfect tailgating spot secured by my brother Tim. Good times.

3. So on Tuesday I asked Billy Donovan if he had talked to Urban Meyer about the similarities between the ‘07 basketball team and this year’s football team. On Wednesday I asked Meyer about it. And on Thursday Meyer had Billy come and talk to the team. Coincidence? I think not. The bad thing is I wrote on Saturday that Billy had not spoken to Meyer about the similarities, because when I talked to him he had not. The art of the job! Or does the Back Nine take credit for the meeting?

4. Uh, didn’t you used to be Southern Cal’s defense? What the heck happened there? At least we don’t have to hear how USC is the best team in the country anymore. But that wasn’t the most surprising result Saturday. It would be Georgia Tech scoring 56 on Vandy’s defense. And giving up 31. Really?

5. Really? Texas jumps Alabama because the Tide had the week off? Again, I have no problem with anybody voting Texas No. 1 or No. 2, but the voters are still too reactionary. And people need to talk me out of picking LSU to beat Alabama this week. I’m tempted. Really.

Viking rocket

6. Quick question — why did Percy Harvin not return kickoffs for Florida? The guy is a monster in the NFL. I’m sure the Andre Caldwell broken leg in 2005 had something to do with it and there was the Brandon James factor. But in hindsight, it would have been interesting. I mean, Florida might have won a couple of national titles if Harvin had been back there. Oh, never mind.

7. Watching the Jaguars on Sunday, and they punted with more than a minute to play down 30-13. Why? It’s different in the NFL, I guess, but Tennessee took knees after the punt and would have if the Jags had been stopped on fourth down. It had no bearing on which team would have won the game, but why?

8. Shout out to the Florida women’s soccer team. That’s 10 SEC titles in 15 years of existence. We tend to take those things for granted, but I know Jeremy Foley does not. You should have seen him glued to his cell phone Friday night as he was being texted with every development. Kudos to Becky Burleigh.

9. I don’t get Mark Richt pulling his starting quarterback down 17 points, except that Cox seemed like he was trying to break John Reaves’ record of nine interceptions in a game.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com and follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

Silver star: Montario Hardesty. The Tennessee tailback was the difference (along with South Carolina’s fumbles), scoring a pair of touchdowns in the Vols’ win over South Carolina.

Bronze star: Vandy’s offense. The Commodores finally showed some life on that side of the ball. Unfortunately, the defense failed to show up in a loss to Georgia Tech.

No star: Those Tennessee jerseys. If they had gone all black, The Rewind could have lived with it. But that was hard to watch. Ugly with no alibi.

Quote: “We didn’t plan on that. We didn’t plan on a lot of things that happened, but it did.” — Steve Spurrier

Silver star: Anthony Dixon. The Mississippi State running back has been a frequent subject of The Rewind. Against Kentucky, he ran for 252 yards breaking the MSU single-game record and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Bronze star: Brandon LaFell. The LSU receiver is now No. 2 on the all-time list of Tiger receiving scores after catching a pair against Tulane.

No star: Ole Miss. If The Rewind had a dollar for every time someone ripped Houston Nutt in the Jacksonville press box for not getting the most out of his team, well, there would be no need for The Rewind.

Quote: “Each opponent is different and possesses a very specific challenge. Next week’s opponent is certainly different than the team we just played.” — LSU’s Les Miles on playing Alabama Saturday

Complainin' Lane

1. Man, the SEC office just can’t catch a break. Last week, Mike Slive made a very smart public relations move by suspending the officiating crew that blew calls in two games. (An SEC official confirmed to me that it was done because the league was getting killed nationally in the media.) And just when things start to calm down there are two more controversial calls. On top of that, the coaches who felt they were wronged can’t keep their mouths shut. Dan Mullen was upset about the replay official not overturning Dustin Doe’s touchdown and hopes he’ll be made to sit in a corner. Lane Kiffin was steaming about the discrepancy in penalties between the Vols and Tide and explained that was why he didn’t try to move the ball closer for Daniel Lincoln’s last-second kick. Which is hogwash, of course. And he was upset Terrence Cody wasn’t flagged for removing his helmet as he ran off the field while the ball was still alive. “I’m sure we’ll get one of those letters that really means nothing as Bobby (Petrino) got last week, but Florida and Alabama live on,” Kiffin said. Conspiracy theory, anyone? We used to joke that if one of the SEC elite teams was in trouble, Roy Kramer would give a nose-brushing finger move (like in The Sting) and suddenly a phantom flag would appear. But we were joking. I think.

Less cowbell?

2. Still, isn’t it time for the commish to step in and really punish one or all of these coaches who are violating SEC policy? I understand their frustration, but there is a way to handle this. Instead, coaches like Petrino, Mullen and Kiffin are appealing to their fan bases. “Yeah, I’m just as mad as you are. Let’s get torches and head to Birmingham!” Kiffin’s comments are right in Slive’s face. Let’s see how he reacts. Of course, don’t forget that the league also has a policy banning artificial noisemakers from league stadiums. I can still hear the cowbells.

3. This awful, disgusting football team in Gainesville (according to some of your e-mails) has a decent chance of clinching the SEC East on Saturday. If the Gators handle Georgia, and Tennessee beats South Carolina it would be over. And, yes, this would be the earliest that a team has clinched the SEC East and a berth in Atlanta. Usually, I’m upset I have to miss Tennessee-South Carolina because I’m covering Florida-Georgia. Not this year. We might have another 3-2 game.

4. The Back Nine usually defends the Fourth Estate but I have to wonder what is going on in the minds of The Associated Press voters. Look, you vote Florida or Alabama No. 1, I don’t care. But to flip-flop them in consecutive weeks makes no sense at all. Alabama won a tough, emotional game and Florida looked sloppy in beating a bad team. And that was enough reason to elevate the Gators back to the top? Maybe I shouldn’t get all hot and bothered because the poll is irrelevant anyway.

Bronco BCS busters?

5. Which brings us to the BCS and the possibility we’re going to have another controversy and more hearings on the Hill. The senator from Idaho has the floor. Boise State got jumped by TCU and there is a real possibility Oregon, which was handled by the Broncos in the first week of the season, could slip past Boise with a win this week over Southern Cal. I think you are going to see some real manipulation of ballots down the stretch, which is why there has to be transparency.

6. The Back Nine has never been a friend of Starkville, but I have to give credit where it is due. The people at the stadium were incredibly friendly and there were event staffers who actually knew where we were supposed to park! Amazing. Baton Rouge could learn a lesson. We stayed in Columbus, Miss., and I highly recommend Old Hickory Steakhouse. Best steak I’ve ever had, and it’s just a little shack. Why is it the best restaurants in small towns have the least amount of neon?

Resilient Hawkeyes

7. It’s all about perception in college football. Florida won in Starkville for the first time in 24 years, won all of its games against the West for the first time since 1998, won its ninth straight SEC game away from home and 17th game overall … and the Gators are underachieving. Iowa barely beat Northern Iowa and Arkansas State and needed a last-second score to beat a .500 Michigan State team and the Hawkeyes are “resilient” according to ESPN’s Mark May.

8. More proof that every game is its own game. Texas Tech beat Kansas State 66-14. Kansas State beat Texas A&M 62-14. Texas A&M beat Texas Tech 52-30 on Saturday. Go figure. Or maybe it’s just proof that the Big 12 is wacky this year.

9. Because the most stunning score of the day that came across the crawl was Iowa State 9, Nebraska 7. The Cornhuskers committed eight turnovers in the loss. Apparently, the Big 12 North title will go to the seventh caller.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com.

Silver star: Chris Rainey. The speedster has become kind of a forgotten man in the Florida backfield, but on Saturday night he rushed for 90 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown.

Bronze star: Jonathan Crompton. It’s one thing to light up Georgia’s secondary, but Crompton threw for 265 yards against Alabama’s stingy defense and had his team in position to win the game.

No star: Vandy’s passing game. It’s bad. Really bad. Against South Carolina, the ‘Dores had only four first downs passing and a measly 132 yards in the air.

Quote: “Everybody assumes because a guy is a highly touted recruit when he comes in, that he can automatically step into college football and be an instant star or an instant savior. Well, it’s really hard. It is really, really hard.” — Kentucky coach Rich Brooks on freshman Morgan Newton