Thoughts

1. U-G-L-Y

Yeah, so it wasn't what all Gator fans wanted, but a win is a win. People are going to complain about the offense and the lackluster passing game, but look at these two passing lines:

8/15 for 96 yards, 2 TDs 0 INTs
14/19 for 115 yards, 0 TDs 1 INT

The first line is Tebow's 2008 game against Tennessee, and the second line is from his 2009 game. Our 2008 offense turned out to be pretty decent, and I think the 2009 edition will get there as well. Florida only managed to score 23 points in Knoxville last season on offense (Brandon James added 7 on a punt return), so in reality they matched last year's output here as well.

A couple things to keep in mind:

• This was Florida's first real game.
• Tebow's 24 carries were very 2007-esque, but that 2007 team probably wins a national title if it had the 2009 defense.
  
• The Kiffins have tons of tape on Meyer's Gators; the Gators have very little game film on the Kiffins' Vols.
• Rainey, Moody, and Demps still all averaged above 7 yards per carry.
• Deonte Thompson sat the game out with a hamstring injury and Jeff Demps, Aaron Hernandez, and David Nelson played with the flu.
• Eric Berry is the best safety in the nation and will probably bolt for the NFL after this season.

2. Lane Kiffin = Ron Zook?

Vol fans everywhere are no doubt feeling very good about their team tonight. They expected to lose by 50 but managed to escape with a 10 point defeat. They're sure Lane Kiffin has them headed in the right direction.

I was at the OB in 2003 when Ron Zook took an unranked Florida team and nearly knocked off #3 Miami. I left the stadium that night disappointed with the loss, but I felt the future was bright.

The Vols can claim a moral victory, but the fact of the matter is they are 1-2 and will probably have a losing season this year. Next year, they're going to have to start either a true freshman or someone who couldn't beat out Johnathon Crompton at QB. Eric Berry will also be gone.

If Lane Kiffin ultimately can't win more than 7 or 8 games a year, is that going to be enough for the Vols? Probably not.

3. Year of Resurgence

Miami, FSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Notre Dame all appear to be Top 25 worthy again after an off couple of seasons.

Miami, FSU, and Notre Dame are finally getting solid play from their quarterbacks and offensive lines. Tate Forcier has RichRod's offense humming in Ann Arbor and Bo Pelini has returned Nebraska's defense (aside from being burned by Coale, lol get it?) to blackshirt level.

4. Washington

The story here isn't USC, everybody knows they're going to lose to one team they shouldn't each year.

Is Washington going to be the team that finally steps up and challenges USC in the Pac 10? Steve Sarkisian is a Pete Carrol disciple and after playing LSU close and defeating USC he has Washington on a roll just one year removed from a winless season.

Quick Picks

1. Alabama vs. Virginia Tech

It will be business as usual when the SEC heavyweights step out of conference to take on the little guys. Alabama will control both lines of scrimmage and Nick Saban's defense will eat Tyrod Taylor up. The Alabama offense will do just enough for the tide to roll.

'Bama 24
Hokies 10

2. Georgia vs. Oklahoma State

We saw during last year's bowl season what happens when high octane Big 12 offenses face SEC defenses. AJ Green will outshine Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter will be held in check. Mark Richt's teams are usually well prepared for openers and Georgia has been an excellent road team during Richt's tenure.

Dawgs 34
Cowboys 28

3. Oklahoma vs. BYU

Oklahoma will struggle on offense with Jermaine Gresham out of the lineup and four new offensive linemen being broken in. Still, their defense will get it done and Sam Bradford will make enough to plays to pull out a win.

OU 35
BYU 24

4. Miami vs. Florida State

Florida State makes the big jump this year from average to slightly above average, can't say the same for the 'Canes. They have a new QB and limited offensive playmakers.

FSU 27
UM 13

5. Illinois vs. Missouri

The Zooker fields what could be his best offense yet with Juice entering his senior season at QB and future top 10 draft pick Arrelious Benn at WR. Florida transfer WR Jarred Fayson will also make his first start for Illinois. Missouri loses Jeremy Maclin and Chase Daniel. Not good considering this game has been a shootout the past two years.

Illinois 38
Missouri 28

6. Florida vs. Charleston Southern

We will see John Brantley probably midway through the third quarter. Interesting things to watch for:

1. Secondary rotation - Will Hill has proven himself to be a top 5 player on defense during spring and fall practice. Unfortunately in front of him are Ahmad Black (tied for most INTs in the country last year) and Major Wright (Preseason second team All-SEC). Hill played mostly nickel last year as a freshman, but starting CB Janoris Jenkins will be in that role this year, allowing seniors Wondy Pierre-Louis and Markihe Anderson to get on the field. So what are they gonna do with all these DBs?
   
2. Starting offensive line - The right side of the line is solidified with the Pounceys and Marcus Gilbert, but starters on the left side are still TBD. It's come down to Matt Patchan, Carl Johnson, and James Wilson.
3. DT rotation - The one thing lacking from last year's defense was consistent pressure from the defensive tackles. They were able to stop the run, but didn't do much in the passing game. Jaye Howard and Omar Hunter join the DT rotation this season and if the tackles can finally start collapsing the pocket the Gators could break the season record for INTs.
   
4. WRs/Percy position - Who is going to get all those touches that went to Percy Harvin? Deonte Thompson should be the go-to guy this year in the passing game. Jeff Demps and Brandon James seem to be the guys who will be moving in and out of the backfield like Percy used to. If Andre Dubose ever gets over his hamstring injury he could see the field as well, and is likely the future at the Percy position.
   
5. Can someone please for the love of god start kicking the ball out of the endzone on every kickoff? I'm looking at you Sturgis. Thanks.
   

Blount suspended for season?

Albert Haynesworth stomps on someone's unsuspecting face a couple years ago and gets a five game suspension, and poor Lagarrette Blount is done for the season for punching a guy who was clearly taunting him?

Maybe the suspension would have been less severe if he managed to put up more than -5 yards on the ground.

SEC West Division Predictions

1. LSU - Poor QB play cost LSU at least two games last year. Jordan Jefferson appears ready to run the LSU offense now and new defensive coordinator John Chavis will return the defense to Bo Pelini levels.
2. Alabama - OT Andre Smith is a much bigger loss than QB John Parker Wilson. If Alabama can still run the ball Julio Jones will make plays down field no matter who is throwing them the ball. The defense will be as good, if not better, than last years'.
3. Mississippi - Ole Miss isn't going to sneak up on anyone this year like they did in 2008. Like Alabama, they lose a monster OT in Michael Oher. The defensive line will still be one of the best in the league, despite losing first round rick Peria Jerry.
4. Arkansas - QB Ryan Mallet and RB Michael Turner are ready to unleash Bobby Petrino's offense on the rest of the SEC. If this team were in the Big East or ACC they'd be competing for a conference championship.
5. Auburn - It's Auburn so the defense will still be solid, led by future pro DL Antonio Coleman. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will take an offense that averaged 11 points per game in SEC play last year and make it respectable.
6. Mississippi State - It is just not going to happen this year for ex-Gator offensive coordinator and first year head coach Dan Mullen. The defensive back seven should be good but the line got no push last year and the talent on offense will need to be upgraded in a big way.

SEC East Division Predictions

1. Florida - Pretty much just slot them in for Atlanta in early December.
2. Georgia - Losing Stafford won't hurt Georgia that much. They will probably be going with RB by committee to replace Moreno, but I wouldn't expect the rushing numbers to dip too much. DTs Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens, who returns after missing last season with a knee injury, are two of the best in the league.
3. Vanderbilt - This should be Bobby Johnson's best team as Vandy returns just about everyone from last year's bowl team except for CB D.J. Moore, who is now with the Chicago Bears.
4. Tennessee - Defense hasn't been an issue for Tennessee the past few years. Anemic offenses led to losing seasons in 2005 and 2008. Safety Eric Berry will lead a once again stout Vol defense, and I think the offense will improve just enough to secure a winning season and bowl berth.
5. South Carolina - Like Tennessee, defense hasn't been the problem (except when playing Florida) but the offense has been close to non-existent and certainly not up to Spurrier's standards. Stephen Garcia will have the QB job all to himself, but he is going to need a running game that averaged just 2.9 yards a carry last season to improve for the South Carolina offense to get any better.
6. Kentucky - The definition of average. Quarterback play put Kentucky in the division cellar last year and it is not going to get much better this season.

Late

So there were supposed to be four practices open to the public, two for vets and two for freshman, but they cut it down to three and just had the freshman play with the upperclassmen on Friday. Here's some tidbits:

• Moody, Black, and Moore didn't practice due to injury but they are expected back soon. I get the feeling that we'll only be seeing Moody in the fourth quarter of blowouts again this season.
• Dustin Doe is still suspended from the team for driving with a suspended license. Doe was a starter in 2007 and the first part of 2008 but lost his job when he had to sit out a few weeks due to injury. The depth at linebacker and in the secondary is just ridiculous. Speaking of secondary depth...
  
• Will Hill stepped in for Black and was impressive. Meyer called Hill "one of the top 5 guys" right now. Black was tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions last year so I doubt Hill is going to replace him, but I am sure Meyer and Strong will find a way to get him on the field. Hill was the nickel cornerback and lead the team in special teams tackles last year with 22.
• Tim Tebow still has the big windup delivery when throwing the football, but supposedly it has been sped up to allow him to get rid of the ball faster. Every year I read about changes in Tebow's mechanics and every year they still look the same to me... I guess we'll see.
  
• Deonte Thompson is emerging as the the go-to receiver.
  
• Riley Cooper was practicing (sorry Phil).
• Andre Debose has mostly looked lost.
• I couldn't find anything on who is playing with the first team offensive line. I am not overly concerned about replacing last year's tackles; offensive line coach Steve Addazio has plenty of talent to plug in there.
• Starting CB Joe Haden has lined up some in the Wildcat formation. Haden was a quarterback in high school and was originally slotted to play wide receiver at Florida before moving to the defensive side of the ball and becoming the first freshman corner in Gator history to start on opening day. I doubt the Wildcat formation makes an appearance during the regular season.
  

That's it for now. I am going to release some SEC predictions sometime today or tomorrow and I'll have my preseason Top 25 out by next week.

WOOT WOOT

Camp started this morning for the veterans. Freshman are up later this evening. Time to start updating again.