Behind enemy lines: Q&A with Cane Insider

On the eve of the 55th and potentially final regular season matchup between your Florida Gators and their rivals from down south, we sat down with Brandon Odoi of Cane Insider to hear what he had to say about the Canes and the matchup this Saturday. We asked Brandon questions that you guys posted on the message board and he was able to go through quite a few of them.

Everyone here at Gator Country wants to thank Brandon and everyone at Cane Insider for giving us some great content this week and we hope our paths cross again.

Now on to your questions.

Gator Country: How do the Canes feel about the matchup? Are they confident?

Cane Insider: “No bulletin board material, they were all pretty consistent, sort of ‘yeah, this is a big week but it’s just another game. Florida is just another opponent that we’re trying to beat.’ The media was probably more jacked about it than the players. A couple of the players did say that this was the biggest game that they’ve ever played in. Denzel Perryman said that himself. The magnitude of this game is not lost on them at all.”

GC: How do Miami fans feel about Al Golden? How is he perceived in Miami?

CI: “Golden is popularly received. He’s a people’s coach. You see a lot of mimicking him with the tie in the stand. As a matter of a fact, the students will have shirts with ties on them this Saturday. He’s well liked down here. I think he extended his time a little bit with this whole NCAA mess that by all accounts he handled exceptionally well, especially when it was laid in his lap. I think one thing that’s underrated about him is how well he’s done the non-traditional recruiting. Going and getting three or four junior college transfers and getting guys who have fifth year eligibility. I remember the first year they got a guy, Mike Williams, who played his first four years at Wake Forest. They brought him in and he started at corner. They went through a lot. He’s well liked down here and he’s a likeable guy. He hasn’t won a big game yet, they lost to Florida Stat twice, and they lost to Notre Dame and Kansas State.

GC: Is there a sense that his seat will get hot if Miami loses to both Florida and Florida State and don’t play for an ACC Championship this season?

CI: No. I think he’s going to have to get rid of a coordinator [if Miami has a bad season] and then next year he’ll be on the hot seat. He might catch another break because the NCAA still hasn’t punished Miami, which could give him even more leeway. You have to understand, he’s being negatively recruited against, he can’t really do everything he wants to recruiting wise, he’s in kind of a tight spot so he’s catching a lot of breaks. And to be honest, he’s improved his record every year he’s been here. I think he’s going to be here for a while, I really do. If he has success here he’ll be a cult hero.

GC: What is the status of Deon Bush and Malcolm Lewis?

CI: Deon Bush, it’s still undecided if he’s going to play. Basically, Golden has a rule that if you’re not there for install, you don’t play on Saturday. Golden said a couple of weeks ago that it would be a while before he was 100-percent. Malcolm has played but he’s physically hobbled. He will play, he played last week. He wasn’t targeted very much but he’s going to be dangerous when and if he returns to 100%.

GC: One of our members wanted to know, and I quote them here, “Will the Seminole War Canoe be returned to its’ rightful owner when the Gators win?”

CI: I’ve got to ask about that actually, if they plan on putting that up for grabs. I’ll be on the field and if I spot it watch my twitter feed (@CaneInsider) and I’ll say ‘hey, the trophy is here’.”

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC