In the 102nd year of football on a day when the sunshine alternated with the gale-force winds and a driving rain, the University of Florida played just about as sporadically as the weather. But as the song says, they stuck together in all kinds of weather.
They also played “all kinds” of football – some great, some good and some a little stinky. But the good news was that everything was at warp speed.
Mostly, however, it was big-play, big-boy football that ruled the day, thanks to pure athleticism and big plays, which translated it into a big opening day win.
Speed killed Hawaii.
Around the country when they saw “Florida 56, Hawaii 10,” they most likely assumed that Urban Meyer’s well-oiled machine made road kill out of the Warriors. Instead, there were potholes to be negotiated, a little wind to deal with and a few raindrops to slicken the shimmering green of Florida Field.
Impressive though the score may have been – hey, even the gamblers can’t argue with a 46-point victory by a 36-point favorite – there were still lingering concerns.
The truth is that no Gator running back cracked 100 yards on the ground, no wide receiver caught more than two passes and Tim Tebow’s 14-game streak rushing for a touchdown was halted. It was a scoreless first quarter. Florida was penalized 13 times. Ugh!
Even without their best defensive player, linebacker Brandon Spikes, and one of their two best players, wide receiver/running back Percy Harvin, these Gators were not lacking for talent.
Hopefully you have TiVo. You may have missed them, because they were flying by.
Meyer has a trio of flashes that look like Usain Bolt in pads.
Say hello to Jeff Demps, a true freshman with jets on his shoes, but hurry – because he’ll be gone before you get the words out. Demps ought to get the Excedrin Award as the biggest new headache for opposing defensive coordinators, as he demonstrated on his 62-yard streak for a third-quarter score.
“We kind of like fast people around here,” Meyer said. “And Demps is fast. I don’t know if you guys knew that. But Jeff Demps can really run. He’s not a track guy playing football. He’s a football player.”
So is Brandon James, who scored twice, including on a spectacular 74-yard punt return during which he slipped past at least five tacklers.
And so is Chris Rainey, who impressively scooted 33 yards for a touchdown with Riley Cooper as a convoy, which Meyer called a blocking “clinic.”
While the Gators won with relative ease, they left a lot of room for improvement. Their offense was somewhat out of sync, the defensive line was anxious and kept jumping offsides, and their kickoffs were semi-pitiful.
Having said that, the defense came to the rescue with six turnovers – four picks and a pair of fumble recoveries. And if anybody was worried about the play of the safeties, certainly they were relieved in what they saw: Ahmad Black’s two interceptions – one run back for an 80-yard touchdown– and by strong safety Major Wright.
“I’m very proud of our guys,” said Meyer, taking the high road and downplaying some of the deficits. And then he spun it with a high note of optimism. “The future is pretty bright.”
It’s rare to get a coach to talk about anything except what’s next and certainly Meyer wasn’t looking past what’s coming next, “a big week around here.”
And it’s a week Tim Tebow has never experienced because he has never played against old rival Miami.
What excites Tebow the most about next Saturday’s game?
“It’s playing ‘The U!” said Tebow.
There are some Hurricanes who are excited, too, because they’ve never played against “The U-F.”
And while they’re at it, boys from “The U” had better bring their tracks shoes.