Sunshine Seven Week 9: Movers and Shakers

Weekly Run Down

Gators Swamp Georgia in Rivalry Game, All But Clinch SEC Eastern Division

Coach McElwain and his Gators keep the dream season alive and start to create a nightmare for Georgia Coach Mark Richt and his Bulldogs. This was a sound victory across the board. The Gators defense created five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble) as well as limited the Bulldog offense to only 223 total yards. On the other side of the field, the Gators offense ran a crisp game plan that saw them rack up a decent 155 yards through the air and a ground attack that went for 258 yards. The one thing Coach McElwain will look to improve on the offensive side will have to be Treon Harris' completion percentage which was only 42% (8 for 19).

Golson sits with a Concussion for FSU as Maguire Lights up Syracuse in his Place

There have always been the pieces for success at FSU when it came to the offense, they just needed to jell together and synch into a successful unit. Yes, it was a beleaguered Syracuse squad but the Noles took the steps forward last weekend to where they want to be; it's just interesting to note they made progress with backups at both the quarterback and running back positions. Now, no one is taking Dalvin Cooks starting position away as the number one running back, he's one of the best in the country. However, former starting quarterback Everett Golson maybe a different story. Golson has had a nice season for the Noles but hasn't really lit up the stat books to say "yes, he's our leader and number one starter." In stepped Maguire for the contest against the Orangemen and you could argue he did just that. Throwing for 348 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Now Coach Fisher has a slight quarterback controversy on his hands. If Golson has to sit this week we should get a great barometer to see how skilled Maguire is as the Noles take on a dominant Clemson Tigers team at Death Valley.

Miami Wins in Dramatic Fashion over Duke after Tumultuous Week

We've all heard about this game and "the return" over and over again so I won't discuss it here. What I will say is that Malik Rosier stepping in for injured Brad Kaaya and played admirably in his stead. You can say the whole team played with heart in this game. Yes, the defense gave up way too many yards in the fourth quarter and the offense again went into a shell at the end of the contest but in the end the Canes pulled out the victory. It'll be interesting to see how this team progresses each week after the firing of former Head Coach Al Golden. One example that was noted during this game was the fact that the defense played a bit more aggressive than usual as they blitzed off the edges and played more man to man on the outside. With Interim Coach Larry Scott in place we'll have to see what type of mark he leaves on this team with half the season to go.

FAU Beats FIU Thanks to Turnovers and a Mauling Owl Ground Game

If you were to compare these two teams heading into this matchup it'd be pretty easy to see why FIU would have the edge. They had won two of their last three contests by a combined margin of 127 to 58 and were rolling on the ground and through the air on offense. FAU on the otherhand had won one game this season and that was against the newly former Charlotte 49ers. Well, I guess that's why they play the game.

Fueled by a ground game that was led by both Jaquez Johnson and Trey Rodriguez, the Owls out gained the Panthers 229 yards to just 66. What also helped in sealing the victory was that FAU played turnover free football whereas FIU had one interception and one fumble. The interception in the fourth quarter iced the game as it put FAU up 31-10 and they never looked back.

Midshipmen Salt Away Game in Fourth Quarter and Beat USF

This game had the potential to be over in a few hours if both teams were able to execute their game plans. Navy runs their patented option that plays exclusively to the running back dives and quarterback keepers. USF had seemed to perfect their offensive philosophy over the last three weeks with the installation of their scrambling quarterback and upstart running game by going 3-0 over FBS programs. However, Navy was able to scuttle whatever plans the Bulls had during the game and towards the end of the contest the Bulls had to throw to get back into the game and it would prove to be too late. The deciding factor was that USF just couldn't get onto the field for much of the game as Navy held the ball for nearly 40 of the 60 total minutes of the game running their offense to perfection. Three yards and a cloud of dust couldn't have work more perfectly than in this contest.

UCF Losses Are Starting to Resonate As One of the Worst Seasons in College Football

Historically the bottom one or two positions are held for FAU and FIU but at this point UCF is so far in last place they're untouchable. It's hard to say that this team has not given up on the season because if you look at the box scores the end results are proving otherwise. If there's any talent on this team they seemed to have checked out mentally at this point. I'll leave you with this one eye opening stat from the last game: Cincinnati's starting QB Gunner Kiel left the game early because he was so effective at 15-15, 319 yards and 5 touchdowns.  That's like a video game.. like.. that's even better than a video game! It's a shame that this program has fallen to these depths. It used to be the model of consistency for college football.

Power Rankings Tracker