AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 22
Monday, October 22, 2007
There is no one else like Tim Tebow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned over the weekend:
1. There is nobody else like Tim Tebow: I keep thinking this guy is going to get tired and start playing like a mere mortal, but every week he just puts Florida on his back and carries them. Last spring somebody suggested to coach Urban Meyer that the sophomore could win the Heisman Trophy. Meyer smiled as if to say “You’ve got to be kidding. He’s never started a game.” I thought the notion to be silly. I don’t think it’s silly any more.
2. Les Miles should buy a lottery ticket: Trailing Auburn 24-23 and with time running out, Miles let his team throw a pass from the Auburn 22-yard line. Demetrius Byrd caught the ball with one second left and LSU won 30-24. It worked and so Miles is a genius. But if Byrd bobbles the ball one time and doesn’t catch it the clock runs out and Miles would be having a very difficult week. LSU did not manage the clock properly at the end of that game but got away with it. If LSU runs the table and gets to the BCS title game, we will look back on that play as the pivotal moment of the season.
3. The Florida State situation is getting serious: Here are the facts. Florida State joined the ACC in 1992 and won 71 of its first 73 ACC games. After Saturday’s loss to Miami, the Seminoles have now dropped 10 of their last 14 ACC games. The offense is just a mess. New offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher was hired to clean up the problem but it is much worse than even he anticipated. Somehow Florida State, which produced two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks in the 1990s, does not have a quarterback.
4. Tennessee’s defense can’t be fixed: Coach Phillip Fulmer says what coaches have to say. He believes that by coaching harder and teaching more, this defense will get better. But there is only so much that coaching can do. The fact is that there has been a significant drop off in talent on the defensive side of the ball at Tennessee. There are no John Hendersons on the defensive line. I don’t see an Al Wilson at linebacker. Tennessee has good players but no difference makers on that side of the ball. Jonathon Hefney is not playing like an All-SEC defensive back because he’s surrounded by so much inexperience.
5. I can’t wait for LSU-Alabama: The boys at CBS couldn’t have drawn this one up better. LSU, after a narrow escape, goes to Alabama on Nov. 3 with first place in the SEC West on the line. LSU fans are mad because Nick Saban’s at Alabama. Saban got his first signature win against Tennessee and is looking for another one against a team that could be No. 2 or even No. 1 when the game is played. Both teams have this week off and so the hype in those two states has begun. Should be fun.
