FL Cane
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Week 2 of the CFB season is in the books, and what appeared to be a boring slate going into yesterday turned out to be anything but. Here are some observations and thoughts on the teams that played this week:
- Penn State - The best way you can describe this program, and the way that Penn State fans have even described it to me, is a frustratingly consistent team. Penn State's MO under James Franklin has been to beat who they're expected to beat, and lose to anyone even a step above their level. While they did make the CFP Semi last year, it was a bit of a mirage. PSU had the easiest path, beating SMU and Boise State. Here, against a new look FIU team, Penn State struggled. Don't let the box score fool you, Penn State did not look like the #2 team in the country. Drew Allar is a Game Manager+ QB, and their offense lacks explosiveness across the board, despite having one of the best RB duos in the country. Ultimately, I think Allar's ceiling is this team's ceiling.
- SMU - There's no other way to say it, SMU **** the bed yesterday. This is a team that's quick but lacks physicality. Yes, they have playmakers on offense, but their defense looks small, and this team will struggle against physical opponents (like us). Ultimately, I think this SMU team will have a good year. If they do, Rhett Lashlee may even get a call from Gainesville. TBD, but hopefully they bounce back and are ranked when we play.
- NCST - Not a bad team. CJ Bailey can make some big plays, and he'll keep them competitive in conference play. Looking like a team that'll finish 8-4/9-3 on the year.
- Duke - It's remarkable to see Manny Diaz make the same mistakes he made as a first-time HC back in 2019. This Duke team has some talent, but it just got dominated yesterday. Is Illinois a solid team? Yes. Should Duke have lost by as much as they did? No. Luckily for Manny, expectations in Durham are already rock bottom. As long as he's winning 7-8 games a year for the Blue Devils, he will be set.
- FSU - It's hard to have any major takeaways from a game, especially when the competition is so bad. Nevertheless, FSU took care of business in a matchup with a bad FCS program. At a minimum, this is an FSU team that is significantly improved from last year (which doesn't say a lot when you think about it since - ya know - 2-10). Either way, this offense can move the ball, and FSU seems to have a good pair of WRs in White and Robinson. However, this is still an FSU team that lacks depth across the board. Their scheme and QB makes that OL look better than it is (much like Jordan Travis did). Also, the focal point of their offense is Tommy Castellanos. Their RBs haven't stood out, and Castellanos hasn't been put into any tough passing situations. Gus Malzahn runs an offense that's great when you're playing good defense and are up a score. The opposite is true for his offenses when they're playing behind or are at a talent deficit. It's also an offense that leads to higher levels of wear and tear. There's a reason why, statistically, Malzahn offenses tend to get worse as the year goes on. Play disciplined football and don't fall for the eye candy, and this offense looks a whole lot more average. Also, to me, that win against Alabama reminds me a lot of Miami's win against Texas A&M in 2023. Great initially, but worse as the year went on. FSU fans are saying this team is elite and will make a CFP run. I Still think this team is fool's gold, and will get a reality check when we play them (a reverse 2013 game)
- Florida - Like many on this board, I said going into this season that Florida's matchup with USF would be tougher for the gators than anticipated. By tougher, I meant a game that was close for three quarters, but ended with a 38-21 UF victory. However, yesterday ended with a stunning result, an 18-16 USF win. Unlike many in the CFB media, and like many on this board, I believed Florida was extremely overrated coming into this season. DJ Lagway showed flashes last year, but nothing to warrant the hype he was getting. Ultimately, Florida looked slow, lacked physicality, lacked mental toughness, awareness, and couldn't get out of its own way. DJ Lagway was below average, missing open receivers, showing poor pocket awareness, and doing nothing to give Florida the spark is desparately needed. Baugh is a very good RB, but Billy Napier went away from the run for some reason. Ultimately, this isn't a good Florida team. With the schedule they have ahead of them, they may be lucky to get 5 wins. LSU and Miami back-to-back weeks is as bad as it gets. Overall, Billy Napier is probably done after a few more games.
- USF - What can you say, the last two weeks have been some of the best in USF history. Two upsets against ranked opponents, meaning that USF will be ranked for the first time in forever. Alex Golesh has done a great job with this team, and will likely be a candidate for a good amount of P4 jobs when all is said and done. USF's mantra for this game was simple, bend don't brake. Florida moved the ball, but just couldn't punch it in. USF missed some big opportunities on O, but did just enough to pull out the win. For a G5 school, USF is physical and can hang around. Byrum Brown can make some big plays. However, USF's offense is mostly one-dimensional. Byrum Brown is an extremely inconsistent passer, and the key to beating this team is getting them behind schedule on first and second down. Their Defense, while physical, was also subpar in coverage yesterday. Lagway missed throws that Carson Beck will not. All in all, this is a gritty team, but I don't think they match up well with us at all. It'll be good to play a predominantly running QB, though, as it'll give us a taste of what's in store for our trip to FSU.
- UVA - Tony Elliott's UVA squads always seem to lose by 1-5 points. Yesterday was no different. Even so, this is a UVA team that has some life and playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. They'll be competitive in most of their games this year, and I do think they have a decent shot of upsetting FSU in two weeks. Especially if FSU gets caught looking ahead to us. All in all, it'll be a good game to get film. especially since FSU plays another cupcake next week.
- Oregon - A massive problem. That's how I'd describe this Oregon team. Beating a P4 team 69-3 is impressive, regardless of who it is. Even more impressive is that Oregon had 69 points by the end of the 3rd Quarter. They could've put up 100 if they felt like it. All in all, Dan Lanning has an impressive squad, and they will make a deep run in the CFP this week.
- OKST - It's time for Mike Guny to hang it up. They've been terrible the past two years, and he's not the man to turn that program around anymore.
- Clemson - Another overhyped team coming into the season. Clemson has been a darling of the media since a bounce back 2024 campaign. However, looks can be deceiving. This was a Clemson team that, in 2024, only beat two above .500 teams (7-5 Pitt and SMU). For all the hype they've got, they've been underwhelming two weeks in. Being down to TROY at half is inexcusable. Only putting 27 points on Troy is inexcusable. All in all, this figures to be a decent Clemson team, but Cade Klubnick is who we thought he is, and Clemson's 2024 issues (particularly on run offense and defense) look unchanged.
- Miami - Methodical and taking care of business. That's how I'd describe this game. Miami could've put up 70, but wasn't going to (especially when Mario is friends with Bethune's HC). Not a ton to take away from this game, other than the fact that this team looks like it's on a mission.
