A Matter Of Perspective

Pop quiz: which one of these quotes came from a winning coach on Saturday, and which one came from a coach that lost?

"We've got a lot of issues right now...We've got to get this thing right. We've got a lot of work to do."

or...

"We have very few seniors on this team, so our future is looking good."

Wrong.

The first line is from Urban Meyer, as quoted by the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi after Florida extended its dominance over Georgia to 15 wins in the last 17 years. The second is from Bobby Bowden, quoted in the Tallahassee Democrat after a 3-point road loss to Maryland that put FSU at 4-4, its worst start since 1976 - Bowden's first year in Tallahassee.

Let's answer the second question first.

Xavier Lee, the former Florida Mr. Football from Daytona Beach who has been embroiled in a (relatively quiet) quarterback battle with Drew Weatherford for the last two seasons, played about as well as he could possibly play. Lee got the start in place of the (cough) injured Weatherford - funny how Drew's foot started to hurt about 48 hours after he called out his coaching staff in the press for failing to establish an offensive identity - and the X-man cameth. Lee's 286 yards in the air represented the best debut effort for a Florida State QB since (gasp) Danny Kanell threw for 341 in his first start back in '93 - also against Maryland, also on the road. In fact, since Florida State joined the ACC in 1992, only Kanell and Lee managed to crack 285 yards passing in their first starts.

Aside from Lee "answering the bell," as Bowden put it, the coach was pleased to see that his players refused to cave, despite the adverse conditions in College Park and the absence of an ACC Championship Game carrot to dangle. Florida State outpassed the Terps, outrushed them, recorded more first downs, converted more third downs, and generally "played their hearts out" (Bowden again) - but lost. That's the reality of FSU football in 2006. They're just an average college football team, a fact that drives longtime Seminole boosters nuts.

Those who wish for Bobby Bowden's retirement would do well to peruse some newspaper articles from 2003 and 2004, a two-season stretch wherein Penn State went 7-16. Bowden always has one eye on Joe Paterno, and you have to believe that Bobby is well aware of what happened in 2005: the sun rose, the kids got a little older and a little better, and the Nittany Lions went 11-1, capped by a victory over FSU in the Orange Bowl.

Perspective is an amazing thing. Bobby Bowden has it. He knows that the fortunes of a college football program can turn on a dime. Right now, he's depending on it. For his sake, I hope it happens quickly.

Will Lee be the starting quarterback next week against Virginia? At this point, why not?

As for Florida: Urban Meyer's displeasure with his offense reinforces a prevailing sentiment among Gator Nation, one that, I think, is rooted in the Spurrier era. When the Old Ball Coach was entrenched in Gainesville, the Gators didn't just beat their opponents - they routed them. Florida doesn't do that anymore.

By any measure - rush defense, pass efficiency defense, scoring defense, total defense - the Gators are among the ten best defensive units in the country, ranked first or second in the SEC in all four categories above. Offensively? 35th in the country in passing, 43rd in scoring. That's what has Meyer's knickers in a wad, and Gator fans who were raised on the Fun & Gun are feeding from the same trough.

Yet, Florida is 7-1, having just won three out of four in their mid-season gauntlet of Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia. Beat Vandy and South Carolina, and the Gators punch their ticket to the SEC Championship Game for the first time in six years.

Excuse me, but isn't that exactly what Meyer was hired to do?

This is the team you have. They're unbelievably good on defense, front to back. Anybody watch the Georgia wideouts flinch every time Reggie Nelson came within ten yards? Another thing - for all of Meyer's lamentations about offensive production, it's worth noting that Florida has outrushed every single opponent this season, and 18 of 20 opponents since he arrived in Gainesville.

No, it doesn't look like a Spurrier offense. Sometimes, it's downright ugly. But this is the team you have, and it's winning. Which is the whole point.

One coach bummed after a win, another optimistic after a loss. Meanwhile, as Florida International remains winless and UCF watches its season spiral down the tubes, Howard Schnellenberger leads Florida Atlantic to a 29-0 pasting of Arkansas State. The loss was the first in the Sun Belt this year for the Indians, while the Owls of Boca Raton have now bounced back from an 0-4 start - during which they were outscored 192-20 - to win three of their last four and remain in the hunt for a Sun Belt title.

And one more thing - next week, Jacksonville University hosts the University of San Diego, the top-ranked team in I-AA football, in a showdown that could decide the Pioneer Football League title.

It's all about the winning. No matter what it looks like.