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A rough honeymoon Tennessee game crucial as Zook tries to quiet criticsPosted: Wednesday September 18, 2002 8:17 PM
It was the morning after Florida's 41-16 drubbing at the hands of Miami on its home field, and while the caller to a Gainesville sports-talk show was willing to give Florida's new coach the benefit of the doubt on this one, if there were to be a repeat performance at Tennessee two weeks later ... "I won't be calling just for Zook's head. I'll be calling for [athletic director Jeremy] Foley's." Welcome to the world of Ron Zook, a man who's only trying to do what many would say can't be done. From the day he was introduced as Steve Spurrier's replacement last January -- after more-celebrated candidates Bob Stoops and Mike Shanahan declined Foley's overtures -- it was clear the once-demoted Spurrier assistant would have to go the extra mile to win over the skeptical Gator faithful. And he would have to do it playing a first-year schedule -- with games against the defending national champions and a consensus top-five team within the first four weeks -- with which Vince Lombardi himself might have struggled. "Honestly, ever since I've been in coaching, I wanted to be a head football coach, and obviously I knew when you become a head football coach, you get into situations like this," said Zook, 48. "Obviously, the expectations at a place like Florida are very, very high." Until about two weeks ago, Zook's honeymoon was going as smoothly as could be expected. He'd convinced Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman to stay in school. He'd lured two highly respected coordinators, Ed Zaunbrecher from Marshall and John Thompson from Arkansas. He'd said all the right things to the booster clubs, and he'd made some impressive inroads recruiting. His first game, a 51-3 rout of UAB in which Grossman threw for 337 yards, had fans leaving the Swamp feeling as though Spurrier had never left. Then came the Miami game. A lopsided loss to a hated in-state rival never sits well with the locals, no matter how loaded the 'Canes might be. And things didn't get any better the following week, when 41-point underdog Ohio hung with the Gators until halftime of an eventual 34-6 Florida win during which boos cascaded from the stands. Not the ideal setup for Tennessee week. "There's certainly not the swagger of previous years," said Heath Cline, a sports-talk host for AM-1230 in Gainesville. "There are still plenty of people who believe they can win this game, but not many who feel like they know, absolutely, they will win." That, right there, is a perfect measuring stick for how quickly the climate has changed in Gainesville. After more than a decade of Florida sticking it to the Vols and loving every minute of it, the balance of power in the series seemed to shift in the course of one game -- UT's dramatic 34-32 win at the Swamp last December -- and one coaching change. Without the brash Spurrier around to deliver his "Can't spell 'Citrus' without 'UT'" barb -- and with Grossman and the offense, at least thus far, lacking their usual ability to strike fear into opponents -- much of the smack is coming from the Vols' side for the first time. Saturday's game marks the return of the nation's self-proclaimed best receiver, Kelley Washington ("I'm ready to go out and show the world what Kelley Washington is all about," he said Wednesday), and the Vols' defensive backs are oozing with confidence ("Their receiving corps is not as good as the previous receiving corps," Vols safety Rashad Baker said). "I think a lot of people don't think we're as good as we have been in the past," said Grossman. "I'm sure their coaches are telling them the opposite to get them ready to play, but in back of their minds, I guarantee you they think we've slipped a little bit. That can only be to our advantage." The truth is, Florida has slipped a little bit. And Gator fans will be quick to crucify Zook if that becomes too evident Saturday. But what is also true -- and what they might not want to hear -- is that Tennessee caught up with Florida long before Zook made his reappearance in Gainesville. A series that Florida won five straight times from 1993-97 -- by scoring an average of 40.4 points per game -- has been a split the past four seasons, with the Vols holding the Gators to an average of 22.2 points and a total of nine offensive touchdowns. And the Gators' biggest perceived weaknesses through their first three games -- the offensive and defensive lines and depth at receiver -- can't be attributed to Zook as much as to UF's recruiting during Spurrier's final few seasons. You won't hear any of those excuses from Zook or from Grossman, though, neither of whom has swayed in his optimism. Despite the problems most spectators saw against Ohio, Zook insists the Gators "are getting better and better every day." And Grossman, who chalks that performance up to the heavy rain and a carryover from the Miami loss, insists he and his receivers, including disappearing star Taylor Jacobs, will be sharper against the Vols. "We knew we were going to take on some adversity this season, and we're going through that right now," said Grossman. "But we expect to bounce back from that and have a great game on Saturday." For Zook's sake, they'd better.
The most Golden BearHe was introduced on Tuesday's Pac-10 teleconference as "The Toast of the Coast," hardly an exaggeration when it comes to Cal's Jeff Tedford. Observers -- not just on the West Coast but across the country -- are marveling at how quickly the former Oregon offensive coordinator has transformed a program that went 1-10 last year into a team capable of stomping then-No. 15 Michigan State last Saturday to improve to 3-0. "It's a tremendous success story, and he's done it with a lot of pizzazz," said USC's Pete Carroll. "What's so remarkable and admirable is that he's been able to instill his offensive approach so quickly." The most obvious recipient of Tedford's influence has been fourth-year QB Kyle Boller, who, as many expected, has benefited from studying under the former mentor of Joey Harrington, Trent Dilfer and others. After three subpar seasons, the one-time blue-chip recruit has thrown for seven touchdowns and only one interception. But the Bears' improvement hardly stops with Boller. The whole team is getting into it, from the defense's 10 sacks to the club's plus-10 turnover margin to extraordinary averages from return men LaShaun Ward (36.8 yards per kick) and Jemeel Powell (18.1 per punt). "It's been all three phases of the game," said Tedford, who very nearly became San Diego State's head coach last winter before Cal came calling. "These kids have kind of bought into playing as a team, knowing one another has each other's back." The Golden Bears, who are presently ineligible for a bowl this season pending an NCAA appeal, have little time to enjoy their success. They host 2-0 Air Force this weekend before beginning Pac-10 play against No. 16 Washington State, followed by a trip to No. 13 Washington.
Worth notingIn his budding quest to become the first freshman to win the Heisman, Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett has the support of at least one person who's no stranger to trophy talk. "Maurice Clarett is the best player in the country right now," Texas QB Chris Simms said in a radio interview this week. "You'd have to vote for him." ... There isn't a more dominating defensive player in the country right now than Arizona State junior DE Terrell Suggs, who in four games has eight sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss. ... Junior tailback Derrick Knight, who's come off the bench to produce consecutive 100-yard rushing games for Boston College, has supplanted Penn State transfer Horace Dodd as the starter for Saturday's game at No. 1 Miami. The 5-foot-9 Knight filled in for the suspended William Green against the 'Canes last year, carrying 27 times for 78 yards in the near-upset. ... The nation's leading rusher so far is not a running back. Rather, it's Kent State sophomore QB Joshua Cribbs, who has 50 carries for 492 yards -- 9.8 per carry and 164 per game. As a freshman, Cribbs ran for 1,019 yards while passing for 1,516. ... While Arizona's passing game exploded Saturday against Utah, tailback Clarence Farmer, the Pac-10's rushing leader last season with 1,229 yards, has been held to just 79 yards on 33 carries in his first two games. ... The country's lingering "dot-com" backlash has apparently reached college football, where the six-year-old Insight.com Bowl announced it is now just the Insight Bowl. Stewart Mandel covers college football for CNNSI.com. Got a comment, question or scoop for Stewart? Click here.
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