Shannon enjoying challenge
For at least this month, they are Randy Shannon’s Florida Gators.
Shannon was Florida’s defensive coordinator this time last week under Jim McElwain, who was out of a job Sunday, days after claiming his family and players had received death threats and failing to support those claims. A 42-7 loss to Georgia on Saturday didn’t help McElwain’s cause as it saddled the Gators with their first 3-4 start since 1986.
Until McElwain’s full-time successor is hired, Shannon has the task of duct-taping the program, including naming redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks or graduate transfer Malik Zaire the starting quarterback.
“The approach is to go out there and represent the University of Florida and go out there and compete at a high level and have the mindset that the only thing that matters is playing Missouri this week,” Shannon said Wednesday. “The guys so far have been doing a tremendous job. They’ve been very upbeat and positive.
“There has been a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of running around in practice.”
Shannon said the starting quarterback could be named this morning.
Alabama’s Nick Saban is the Southeastern Conference’s premier coach from a winning standpoint, but the league’s most successful coach given his background is currently Shannon, and it’s not even close.
When the 51-year-old Shannon was a toddler, his father was murdered. He had twin older brothers who became addicted to crack cocaine and died of AIDS, and he also lost a sister to AIDS.
Shannon starred as an outside linebacker at the University of Miami, played two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and became head coach at his alma mater in 2007. He went 28-22 in four seasons before getting fired and replaced by Al Golden, who went 28-22 in his first four years and was canned after a 4-3 start in 2015.
Shannon’s venture into the SEC occurred in 2014, when he was named linebackers coach at Arkansas, and now he is temporarily heading a program that just parted ways with the league’s 2015 coach of the year.
“It was sad to see that happen with Coach Mac,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “I always liked him personally,
and they certainly had the best of us. It’s a difficult situation, but we all know what we’re in for at any Power Five school and especially in the SEC.
“Things are very volatile, and you just have to control the things that you can control.”
Pasquali’s Pix
Auburn at Texas A&M: The home team has never won in this brief series.
Tigers 31, Aggies 22.
Florida at Missouri: Welcome to the We Gave Up 1,089 Yards To Georgia Bowl.
Tigers 24, Gators 23.
UTC at Wofford: Early October viewpoint: “This Mocs season needs to end.” Current viewpoint: “This Mocs season needs more games.” Terriers 28, Mocs 21.
Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt:
Things were going so well in Nashville until that pesky Alabama team arrived.
Commodores 27, Hilltoppers 24.
Georgia Tech at Virginia: The triple option has been more effective the past couple of seasons against teams not named Clemson. Yellow Jackets 24, Cavaliers 19.
South Carolina at Georgia: Only four programs have ever reached No. 1 in the playoff rankings — Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Mississippi State. Bulldogs 27,
Gamecocks 10.
Southern Miss at Tennessee: Butch Jones easily has one of the best 3-5 teams in the state. Volunteers 20, Golden Eagles 16.
LSU at Alabama: The Crimson Tide have trailed for just two minutes and 26 seconds in 480 minutes of play this season, with that deficit occurring in the opener against Florida State. Crimson Tide 33, Tigers 7.
Last week:
Winners ………………… ..17 Death Threats …………… 8
Pasquali is now 179-46 overall (79.6 percent) this season.