College Insider: It’s too early for Gators to panic.
We’re two weeks into the college football season and there’s no need to panic. Or is there?
Here is a look at which fan bases should chill and who should panic: ■ TIME TO RELAX:
Florida (1-1): Florida saw its 31-game win streak against Kentucky snapped after the Wildcats manhandled the Gators for 454 yards during a 27-16 victory.
After an impressive start against Charleston Southern during which UF put up 56 points and 446 yards, the Gators struggled to get much of anything going Saturday. Feleipe Franks threw two touchdown passes but also threw an interception and fumbled a ball that was picked up and returned for a late Kentucky touchdown.
The loss was tough, but not devastating by any stretch of the imagination. Dan Mullen is in his first year as coach and the Gators will need some time to grow.
Washington (1-1): It’s hard to imagine why so many people were down on the Huskies following the team’s 21-16 opening loss to Auburn in Atlanta. Washington was penciled in to win the Pac-12 this season while making itself a contender for the College Football Playoff semifinals, but the loss appears to have derailed the team’s chances or at least made them more difficult.
Chris Petersen’s team has a challenge ahead of it, especially if the Huskies continue to struggle in the red zone ( just five touchdowns in 12 appearances), but the defense is solid so far. ■ TIME TO PUT PANIC BUTTON ON STANDBY: Michigan (1-1): Never has an opening loss sent a fan base rushing towards a panic button faster than after the Wolverines dropped their opener to Notre Dame, 24-17.
Perhaps it was because most people believed the offense would drastically improve with Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson at quarterback. But instead, the team reverted back to how it played in 2017.
Michigan bounced back for a blowout win over Western Michigan last week as the offense tallied more than 451 yards of total offense — the most since beating Rutgers on Oct. 28, 2017. Things should calm down a bit this week with the Wolverines taking on rebuilding SMU. Texas (1-1): Texas coach Tom Herman need only point to history to squelch the wave of criticism directed at the program. Yes, the Longhorns dropped the opener to Maryland and then went on to beat an inferior Tulsa team before heading into this week’s matchup with USC as a slight favorite, but Herman’s team did virtually the same thing last season.
Texas started 1-2 before winning five of its remaining nine games to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2014. But this is Texas football and 6-6 seasons aren’t the norm, especially if you’re being paid $5.5 million a year. ■ TIME TO PANIC:
Arizona (0-2): The last time an Arizona team opened a season 0-2, Raiders of the Lost Ark was in movie theaters. Things haven’t gone as planned for first-year head coach Kevin
Sumlin after the Wildcats dropped their first two games to BYU and Houston. The team is averaging slightly more than 20 points per game but is giving up more than 37 per contest. The defense hasn’t registered a takeaway or a sack so far this season. North Carolina (0-2):
North Carolina is familiar with playing from behind after opening 0-2 last season as well. The Tar Heels were forced to suspend 13 players after self-reporting a secondary NCAA violation at the start of the season including quarterback Chazz
Surratt, who will miss four games.
North Carolina dropped its opener to Cal before suffering a brutal upset by East Carolina, a doubledigit underdog. This week’s game against No. 18 UCF was canceled due to Hurricane Florence, which gives the Tar Heels extra time to prepare for Pitt, Miami and Virginia Tech in the coming weeks.
Purdue (0-2): What can you say about the Boilermakers? Purdue is coming off its first winning season since 2011, with coach Jeff
Brohm injecting enthusiasm into the program and fan base. But a miserable start has dampened that zeal a bit.
The team dropped the opener to Northwestern and lost to Eastern Michigan, a double-digit underdog, on a last-second field goal.
Brohm called the loss embarrassing and vowed to eliminate the unnecessary penalties as the Boilers have been averaging nearly 100 yards per game of penalties. Things don’t get easier this week as Purdue faces Missouri in a nonconference showdown.
Temple (0-2): Temple was picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference’s East Division this season by the media in the preseason poll, but this team has looked nothing like a division contender during losses to Villanova and Buffalo.
The ground game has been stagnant, ranked near the bottom of the country in rushing yards per game (80.5), while the defense has struggled to contain anybody. Temple is allowing more than 36 points and 420 yards per game so far this season.
The Owls also have turned the ball over five times, including a leaguehigh four interceptions. Coach Geoff Collins’ team is pushing for a breakthrough this week against red-hot Maryland.