October 25th, 2009 06:19pm
by Pat Dooley
Gold star: Terrence Cody. Mt. Cody got it done in a big way against Tennessee, blocking a pair of field goals to allow Alabama to escape with a 12-10 win. OK, Daniel Lincoln’s kicks were so low they were in danger of being blocked by gophers but you have to give the big guy credit.
Silver star: Johnthan Banks. So his mother was saving A’s for the rainy season when she gave him his name but what a game for Banks. …
Read More »
View All Comments (2)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 24th, 2009 10:26am
by Pat Dooley
Had an unbelievable steak dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse. Not that anyone cares. On to more pressing issues.
Visited with the Meyers this morning at the Holiday Inn next door. Urban is typically tight. I told him to go out and have some fun tonight. He said, “Only one way to have fun.” And then he raised his arms to signal a touchdown.
Looks like Brandon Spikes will play but will be limited. There is a concern about playing him too …
Read More »
View All Comments (8)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 19th, 2009 12:46pm
by Pat Dooley
The Back Nine likes the cool weather even though Gator fans found a way to sweat on Saturday at The Swamp.
1. Florida fans are concerned about their offense, but what about a defense that gave up 188 yards on three Arkansas drives after Florida took a 13-10 lead? Don’t look now but the Gators just missed another tackle. The Back Nine talked to Charlie Strong on Sunday, and he said it was simply a “lack of focus” by his defenders. …
Read More »
View All Comments (59)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 18th, 2009 12:24pm
by Pat Dooley
Gold star: Mark Ingram. South Carolina’s rugged defense knew exactly what was coming on the clinching 68-yard drive and they couldn’t stop Ingram. He accounted for all of the yards on the drive and finished with a Bryant-Denny Stadium record of 246 yards. Ingram is now officially a darkhorse Heisman candidate, whatever that means.
Silver star: Anthony Dixon. Gators, you’d better be lifting weights this week. This guy is a load. He became Mississippi State’s leading rusher of all time …
Read More »
View All Comments (1)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 18th, 2009 12:22pm
by Pat Dooley
Gold star: Rich Brooks. Aye you kidding me? Three straight losses and the starting quarterback out and you beat Auburn on the plains? Give Brooks credit for getting his team ready to play when so many of us figured this would be a seal-clubbing. Brooks used two quarterbacks to get it done and Randall Cobb ran for 109 yards and the game-winning score. Amazing. Maybe I was right about Gene Chizik after all.
Silver star: Timmy Tebow. A bad day was …
Read More »
View All Comments (5)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 12th, 2009 03:10pm
by Pat Dooley
I highly recommend you reading the AJC’s tribute to Furman Bisher, who retired after 60 years of writing columns. If you are a columnist like me it will make you sad because Bisher is the end of an era when columnists were movers and shakers.
Today, we’re just trying to get our tweets and blogs done.
I’ve known Furman for some time, mostly from covering The Masters and Fla-Ga. He’s as nice a guy as you ever want to be around and …
Read More »
View All Comments (2)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 12th, 2009 02:58pm
by Pat Dooley
The Back Nine returns after a wild weekend with a look at the trip to Baton Rouge, the Sox-less baseball playoffs and even a little golf thrown in for flavoring.
1. The Back Nine has to tell you that the atmosphere for Florida-LSU was what everyone expected. It was electric from the start. The police used a helicopter to survey the campus and estimated 180,000 people where there before the game. And all of them were in front of our car. …
Read More »
View All Comments (23)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 10th, 2009 11:28am
by Pat Dooley
It is rainy here in Baton Rouge. Slight drizzle. Just enough to be annoying. Fans are still heading over to the yard nine hours before kickoff. This isn’t a game as much as it’s a party.
A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) talked to a defensive player (who shall remain nameless) at the team hotel (which shall remain nameless) last night and he said Tim Tebow is 100 percent playing. How’s that for sourcing? If I worked for ESPN …
Read More »
View All Comments (8)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 7th, 2009 01:53pm
by Pat Dooley
Here is what everyone has to understand about Tim Tebow’s situation. There is a plan that Florida is following, a plan designed by smart people who work with head injuries.
Tebow has to be cleared, then cleared, then cleared again. If he wakes up on game day with a headache, he’s out. Every day will be a process for Tebow because Florida is not going to take a chance with him or ANY OTHER FLORIDA PLAYER!
I texted Urban at 12:30 and …
Read More »
View All Comments (12)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 7th, 2009 01:47pm
by Pat Dooley
The Sporting News came out with its annual list of best sports cities and Gainesville checked in at No. 41. That’s pretty good when you consider we have no pro sports.
We finished ahead of Kansas City, Jacksonville, San Francisco and Seattle, all cities with NFL franchises. Kind of.
Finishing last among the 399 cities that were ranked was Auburn, N.Y. I’ll take the magazine’s word for it.
Pittsburgh was ranked No. 1 with Philly, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles filling out the …
Read More »
View All Comments (4)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
