Pound for Pound: Fixin’

Published 10:30 am Tuesday, September 10, 2024

I am, admittedly, among the least handy people walking this Earth today. I don’t fix things. I YouTube how-to videos and oftentimes wind up in the same position as someone who looks up the definition of a word to make sense of another definition. I believe they call that a rabbit hole.

But, having been a watcher of major college football for many years, I feel like I can Monday morning quarterback some solutions for teams in areas where they are struggling. Here are some observations and fixes I have for teams who need them two weeks into the 2024 season.

Florida

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” One of the most famous lines in cinema history from the original “Star Wars” applies to the Elongated Swamp Dinosaurs. In this scenario, Princess Leia is being played by Florida head coach Billy Napier, who’s desperate for a lifeline. His tenure is circling the drain in Gainesville, and the only way to reverse that is to give the fan base a new hope. Five-star freshman QB DJ Lagway needs to play. He stepped in for an injured Graham Mertz last week and had a big game, albeit against Samford. Still, Napier’s hope lies in giving boosters/supporters something to actually look forward to. If Lagway struggles, the head coach is gone. If Mertz keeps playing, the team will continue to struggle and Napier will be fired anyway. Play the freshman.

Kentucky

Block someone. Simple as that. It’s fitting that the Wildcats play on Kroger Field, because South Carolina came in Saturday and left with a shopping cart full of sacks. It was one of those games where the box score doesn’t tell the whole story. Former Georgia backup QB now Kentucky’s starter Brock Vandagriff was 3-of-10 passing, but he spent a ton of time running for his life whenever he dropped back to throw. Hard to improve so drastically in just a week, so UK will want to scheme better with the No. 1 team in the country UGA visiting this Saturday. If not, the ‘Cats may witness another opponent’s shopping spree.

Michigan

Maybe go back to cheating? Yes, the Wolverines won the national championship last year after Connor Stalions left, but they never had to play Georgia, the true best team in the country. Now the defending champs are getting run off their home field by SEC newcomer Texas. Anyone still questioning just how much Michigan benefited from the cheating scandal, well, I’d have questions for that person too.

Colorado

Coach Prime is taking shots from every direction these days. He’s being criticized for his lack of ability to recruit at the high school level and along the offensive line. The result is his quarterback son Shedeur is right next to Vandagriff as they both try to outrun the 300-pound monsters attempting to maul them.

Prime’s path shows that the portal is not always the way. It has proven to be a hole-filler, but finding and developing players is still the main calling card for successful college football programs.

Side bit of advice for Baldwin High product turned Colorado Buffalo RB Micah Welch – maybe consider doing what many former Buffs players have done before you under Sanders and find another home. A team isn’t going to hand the football off all that often when it is constantly trailing or in a shootout.