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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 20, 2022 20:46:08 GMT -5
Four of the first eight mentioned, with no other team close (in this list)! I'm glad Corch Napier is filling those holes because frankly, he needed to. It's my impression that our depth this year is sketchy enough that a couple key injuries will mean a couple (or more) Ws turn into Ls. I expect to lose a few games in the 4th quarter as the coaches walk the tightrope between keeping top players on the field, and exhausting them too early. RG Roughly three quarters of the roster will have been recruited by different coaches for different systems, and the ones who weren't will have little to no experience in the college game. There will be a shakedown period, and some players will adapt well while others won't. The Utah game could get out of hand pretty quickly. It's a beast of an opener for a team putting in new systems under different leadership. The Utes had Ohio State beaten in the Rose Bowl last year until their defense decided to take the rest of the game off. At least Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham are gone.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 19, 2022 17:57:45 GMT -5
They are end zone seats, but at that price I will gladly take in my first live Gator action since the 1974 Sugar Bowl (that's right - I was 19 and wearing a band uniform).
BTW - the hot dog and drink goes with both tickets. I'm in Section 55 but pretty high up (row 79).
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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 18, 2022 18:49:06 GMT -5
I am planning a visit to Jacksonville this fall to visit my sister. Considering the last time that I saw the Gators play live I was wearing a band uniform at the 1974 Sugar Bowl, I decided that it would be a good idea to go to a home game while I am there. My brother-in-law said that there are flyers throughout Florida at Costco offering two tickets plus a drink and a hot dog for $60 for select games.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 15, 2022 14:06:51 GMT -5
When I saw the headline, I said Notre is ranked Top Ten, probably Top Five. Bingo. Why can't the country come to grips with the fact that their last national championship was under Lou Frickin Holtz? Or that they get their asses kicked every time that they schedule their way into a New Year's Six bowl? They blew a 21-point lead against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl - a team supposedly without a reliable quarterback - and they were held to 42 yards rushing.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 14, 2022 14:21:00 GMT -5
Florida Gators cap big recruiting weekend with LB Myles GrahamThe past 24 hours have been quite fruitful for Billy Napier and Florida on the recruiting trail.
Three ESPN 300 defensive players -- including a pair on the defensive line in the 2023 class -- have pledged to the Gators this weekend.
Linebacker Myles Graham, No. 58 in the Junior 300, from Woodward Academy in Atlanta, became the latest to commit to Florida on Sunday.
Graham is the son of former Florida and NFL running back Earnest Graham, who played for Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook from 1998-2002.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Graham is Florida's first member of its 2024 class.
Defensive tackles Kelby Collins (No. 63) and Will Norman (No. 118) both committed on Saturday to bolster the Gators' 2023 class that recently jumped six spots to 12th in ESPN's rankings.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Aug 8, 2022 18:55:13 GMT -5
Coming off a season near .500 with a new coaching staff and roster questions, I get it. Prove it on the field.
USC and Miami are ranked. Neither was anything last year. A coaching change is not likely to make that big of a difference in one season. And Notre Dame #5? The same Notre Dame who lost to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl? They also have a first year head coach who has never been a head coach before.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jul 4, 2022 22:39:05 GMT -5
I can't see conferences getting involved in it either. If one conference institutes more restrictive rules than another, it could inadvertently have an adverse effect on recruiting for member institutions.
Perhaps one good thing that may come out of it is the demise of the NCAA. Their rules enforcement has been a joke (some schools have been hammered for less severe violations than what others have gotten insignificant sanctions for), and some schools seem to be under continual scrutiny while others are left alone. The academic cheating scandal at North Carolina, for example, should have resulted in significant penalties. From the NCAA? Crickets, mainly because (IMO) Tarheel basketball is a cash cow for the NCAA. You can't read the book Under the Tarnished Dome without thinking about multiple significant violations at Notre Dame, yet as far as I know they have never been investigated.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jun 30, 2022 23:13:37 GMT -5
Exactly why former Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that the NCAA would be better off in litigation (which they apparently wanted to avoid at all cost, even if it meant total chaos) than to have no rules about NIL.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jun 29, 2022 21:49:14 GMT -5
What a sad joke this all has become. Recently retired Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that he mentioned to the NCAA getting ahead of the NIL game and putting regulations in place. The NCAA blew it off, not wanting to be sued. Bowlsby said that the NCAA would be far better off in litigation than the way that it is now, with no real rules in place.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jun 27, 2022 20:32:34 GMT -5
Recruiting this year will be a mess at best. Not sure how you go recruit when as a staff of coaches you have not played a single game yet. As of yet none of these kids have seen the product Napier and staff are going to put on the field wearing Orange and Blue. Never more than now is the old saying "talk is cheap" been more relevant. We live in a show me world, thus the BAMA recruiting dynasty, which is only recently been challenged by the GA (BAMA 2.0) staff. But now we have the NIL (play for pay) and the introduction of Texas oil money at both A&M and Texas to deal with as well. I think before this staff is going to do well on the recruiting trail we need to get some really good football on film and some W's in the win column. This staff has already opened a few doors (IMG) and hopefully some good play on the field this year will help as we move on. We can not be in this boat next season at this time. Could not agree more. What Napier did for the program at Louisiana is irrelevant to kids who are considering signing with him now. It's just like us entering the season unranked. Until we show something on the field, nobody is a real believer.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jun 18, 2022 12:22:34 GMT -5
Back in my 30's I had a guy I played baseball with all thru high school and then many more years of beer league softball do something similar. Married with 2 kids, teaching at our old high school. Got caught "dating" his student assistant. The young lady showed up at his house one evening when he was out of town to talk to his wife about how they were going to resolve their situation (of which his wife knew nothing). His wife called the young ladies parents and told them to call the police, situation resolved! My favorite science teacher in junior high (before they started calling it middle school) was caught having a relationship with one of my female classmates. We were either 14 or 15 at the time. I just knew that after a certain point, he wasn't there anymore. I found out what happened from my father, who was in the Air National Guard with him.
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Post by Mojave Gator on May 30, 2022 14:07:12 GMT -5
Those of you in or near the Jacksonville area may have heard about a former Duval County schoolteacher who was caught in an FBI sting operation regarding child pornography. He was a good friend of mine in high school. We hung out together, bandmates. Went to Jacksonville Suns games together. I just reconnected with him by telephone about a year ago after a classmate found him, friended him on Facebook, and we brought him into a Facebook group of former members of my high school band. Now he faces 20 years in federal prison for a crime that I cannot comprehend. The only saving grace, if there is one, is that he is not alleged to have had sexual contact with children or had anything to do with the videos being produced. ‘I know I shouldn’t do it’: Former Jacksonville teacher arrested for child pornography, FBI says
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Post by Mojave Gator on Mar 22, 2022 0:30:14 GMT -5
I am already beginning preliminary plans for the trip to the Great Mormon North. Thinking about flying up on Friday and flying back sometime Sunday. It's an hour flight with loads of choices, and almost a full day on the highway (about 450 miles). Each way. I contacted a buddy who reestablished the Salt Lake Gator Club (former president of the club in San Francisco), waiting to hear back about what they might be planning (ticket block, etc.).
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 21, 2022 15:42:21 GMT -5
This board is a descendant of FireRonZook.com, which was established in 2002 by a user known only as Baghead. Several of the users here were users there. FRZ was unique, giving fans a place to speak freely about the state of the program and the man who led it. The regular fan boards banned users who dared to say anything negative, no matter how true that it was. There have been many imitators since, but FRZ was the original.
When a hacker destroyed what remained of the FRZ message board, we migrated here. Originally the board was known as Zook Free Zone. As time passed and Ron Zook became less relevant to us, we changed the name to Fighting Gator Forum.
We temporarily departed from the current name during the regime of Will Muschamp. When Athletic Director Jeremy Foley dug in to defend and retain Muschamp despite a losing record and a home loss to a 6-4 FCS school, we adopted the name Fire Will Muschamp, until Foley finally did.
We were not seeking a reason to return as an entity supporting the dismissal of a football coach. It was our hope that we would never need to do this again. However, when the desire to be proven right about his chosen hire became more important to the AD than the potential destruction of the football program, we made our voices heard. We mistakenly believed that Jeremy Foley had learned from the Ron Zook disaster to cut his losses when it was apparent that the program was going down in flames.
After a hacker (presumed to be the same one who crashed FRZ and the first iteration of this board) destroyed the SEC Rivals message board, we hosted that board, with discussion forums for every SEC team.
During the Ron Zook disaster at Illinois (which we tried to warn them about), we hosted Illini Reservation, a forum for Illinois fans who needed a place to vent about their awful coach. Like the Florida fan boards, the Illinois fan boards did not allow any dissent.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 16, 2022 15:24:33 GMT -5
After some double checking, the Utah game is in Gainesville. They play in Salt Lake next year.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 11, 2022 3:07:12 GMT -5
Mohamoud Diabate is a terrific player. Great instincts, nose for the ball, some would say the heart of the Oklahoma defense in 2021. He would be a huge get. You lost me here. Diabate (Gator) went to Utah. RG So we will see him again in September.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 11, 2022 3:04:56 GMT -5
Sorry, I was thinking about a guy at Oklahoma. My bad.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 11, 2022 2:56:44 GMT -5
I don't know how the Utah fans treat visitors, but I haven't heard anything terrible. I think they're like Canadians. Real polite eh, you know? As long as we're not wearing BYU shirts, we should be OK.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 9, 2022 22:53:00 GMT -5
Mohamoud Diabate is a terrific player. Great instincts, nose for the ball, some would say the heart of the Oklahoma defense in 2021. He would be a huge get.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 4, 2022 1:51:10 GMT -5
I don't know how the Utah fans treat visitors, but I haven't heard anything terrible.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 2, 2022 23:34:39 GMT -5
There may be a road trip in my future. The last time that I saw the Gators play in person, I was wearing a band uniform at the 1974 Sugar Bowl. It is 420 miles from here to Salt Lake City.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 2, 2022 23:08:45 GMT -5
SEP 03 - Utah SEP 10 - Kentucky SEP 17 - South Florida SEP 24 - at Tennessee OCT 01 - Eastern Washington OCT 08 - Missouri OCT 15 - LSU OCT 29 - Georgia (Jacksonville) NOV 05 - at Texas A&M NOV 12 - South Carolina NOV 19 - at Vanderbilt NOV 26 - at Florida State
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jul 19, 2020 14:27:23 GMT -5
That's funny, most older folks i ask about Milligans say they don't remember the joint. I do! This isn't the greatest quality photo, but it shows the basic architecture of Milligan's restaurants. The distinctive steel M that passed through the roof still exists in some of the former restaurants that have long since been converted to other uses. This is the former Milligan's at 9303 Lem Turner Road, its most distinctive feature still in place although it has been a sandwich shop for more than 20 years.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jul 19, 2020 14:15:31 GMT -5
I didn't know this for years, but Burger King began in Jacksonville. It started in 1953 as Insta-Burger. Two franchisees in Miami purchased the company in 1954 and gave it the name that it still carries.
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Post by Mojave Gator on May 23, 2020 11:31:25 GMT -5
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Post by Mojave Gator on Feb 1, 2020 14:07:27 GMT -5
That's funny, most older folks i ask about Milligans say they don't remember the joint. I do! Had one on Edgewood Ave. If i recall they were round and not square like Krystals though. BTW Mo, i went to Paxon. The one closest to me was in the Brentwood area. A Paxon Eagle. We used to play Paxon in football.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 27, 2020 15:27:43 GMT -5
I have White Castle here locally, and while they are similar, Krystal beats them, period.
Years ago, in Jacksonville we had a local chain called Milligan's that made similar burgers, and they cost even less than Krystal. When the owner died in the mid-1970s, there was nobody left to run the chain and they shut down.
Caiman, were there any Krystals near you during their short-lived Texas expansion? I never figured out why they shut down there, because they always seemed to be doing good business. A high school buddy from JAX now lives in the Fort Worth area, and there was one just a few minutes from his house. He said that one day he went by there and they were gone.
Gatorgibson, I had a lot of friends from the Oceanway area. I lived in the North Shore area of town, within walking distance of the original Joseph's Pizza (which is still there). I went to Andrew Jackson High, and at the time the kids from Oceanway went there. I understand that they go to First Coast High now.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Jan 26, 2020 22:38:29 GMT -5
Those of you still living in the south may know more about this than I do, but yesterday I heard about the Krystal hamburger chain filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. I grew up on Krystal, and whenever I return to Florida, my first stop after landing at Jacksonville International is the Krystal on Dunn Avenue, the closest one to the airport. After not being back for about ten years, I took a side trip to Bristol, TN (four hours round trip in the rain) from Blacksburg, VA when I accompanied my stepdaughter to a campus visit at the veterinary school at Virginia Tech in 2016.
It certainly won't be a determining factor, but the loss of Krystal would be one less reason to return to Florida after retirement.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Nov 30, 2014 21:06:21 GMT -5
Muschamp tacked on in his final game, November 29, 2014: Only team in FBS to get four interceptions in a game and lose.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Nov 17, 2014 22:25:07 GMT -5
People liked Muschamp. They loved his fire. He was quirky.
That's nice and all, but at some point, people will look back at this as one of the worst, most destructive big hires in modern college football history. Charlie Weis might be off the hook. Twice.
What did Muschamp accomplish at Florida? Put it this way: Four years ago, Florida had all the momentum anyone could have had in college football. Tim Tebow. Urban Meyer. National championships. In that time, a dynasty is gone because of the Big Mistake, hiring Muschamp because he had been called the "head coach in waiting'' at Texas.
Still waiting.
It was an impulse hire, and Florida is now lost in the SEC. Its big budget isn't going to be enough to stop the momentum of Alabama, Auburn and now the Mississippis.
- Greg Couch, Bleacher Report
Will Muschamp is getting off easy.
Muschamp did terrible things to the Florida program. He’s destroyed Jeff Driskel — for the time being — and the Florida Gators will take years to rebuild. Some poor soul will have his hands full (of money and problems). And Muschamp will walk away with a library of photos depicting his sad face (pictured above).
But again, he’s the one that gets to walk away. He’ll take a shower — lather, rinse repeat. And it will be new chapter of his career. Florida’s got to live with what he’s done. They’ve got to clean up his mess.
- Henry McKenna, Sportsgrid
On November 16th the Gators in essence signed the equivalent of 10 five-stars when Jeremy Foley, albeit a year too late, dismissed Muschamp as the head football coach at the University of Florida.
No one in modern Florida football history has done as much damage to the Gators football brand as did Muschamp.
Not Charlie Pell's 0-10-1 record in 1979. Not Ron Zook's threatening of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity in 2004. Not even the 30-plus arrests during the Urban Meyer era.
Nothing has crippled the Gators quite like four years of Muschamp.
From diminished crowds in the Swamp, to reduced national exposure, to an apathetic fan base, to rivals and even lesser foes no longer respecting what the Orange & Blue was capable of doing, Florida was standing on the edge of a cliff, and verging on irrelevance for a prolonged period of time if Muschamp were to be retained for even one more season.
From the first losing season in 30 years, to losing for the first time ever to an FCS program to … well you know the drill. You name the low and the chances are Florida reached it over the last four years.
- Mark Wheeler, InsideTheGators.com
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