Sports

College football

Scouting reports

By Times Staff
Published October 1, 2005

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NO. 5 FLORIDA AT NO. 15 ALABAMA, 3:30

There was a time when you couldn't have an SEC title game without Alabama and Florida. Five times (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999) the Gators and Crimson Tide met for the championship. Since then, each has had its share of struggles. Alabama has had three coaches in the past four years; Florida is on its second in four seasons. Both had fallen from the perennial national championship contender scene. Which brings us to today. Florida has won seven of the past 10 meetings, but this one is setting up to be like the days of old. Both are 4-0, undefeated in conference play, ranked in the Top 15 and trying to find their way back into national title contention. "There's a little pep in everybody's step this week," Tide senior defensive end Mark Anderson said. "Everybody is excited to play in a big, national game." Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle is healthy after multiple injuries the past few seasons. Fifth in the SEC in passing efficiency (135.2), Croyle faces a Florida defense that is ranked No. 1 in the nation in pass efficiency and is playing an all-out aggressive style. Florida is ranked second in the SEC in scoring offense, while the Tide is No. 4 in scoring defense. The Gators hope to pick up where they left off last weekend - gaining 537 yards of total offense, including a successful running game. Expect Alabama to do its best to pound the running game right at the Gators. The ultimate battle may come down to who plays best - Croyle or Florida quarterback Chris Leak.

--ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times staff writer

SYRACUSE AT NO. 6 FSU, 3:30

The Orange (1-2), like FSU (3-0), is coming off a bye week and the extra time will help. Not merely to prepare for the Seminoles, but to continue the transition from an option offense to the West Coast passing attack favored by new coach Greg Robinson. The longtime NFL assistant (New York Jets, Denver and Kansas City) and most recently the co-defensive coordinator at Texas, Robinson said that scheme, in theory, can offset the speedy pass rush of FSU. "That's the intent of that thing, to get the ball out of there," he said. If quarterback Perry Patterson can't make some plays throwing the ball, then senior tailback Damien Rhodes (10th in the NCAA with an average of 120.3 yards rushing) won't have much of a chance. Patterson is coming off a strong performance against Virginia, completing 17 of 26 for 172 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 last-second loss. Syracuse is sixth nationally in pass defense (128.3 yards) and leads in turnover margin (plus-2.67); it's one of 11 teams in Division I-A that has not lost a fumble. It also rarely beats itself with mental miscues, averaging six penalties. This will be the Orange's first road game. Receiver Landel Bembo and cornerback Marcus Clayton went to Tallahassee Godby High. FSU leads the series 4-1, including a hard-fought 17-13 win at the Carrier Dome last year.

--BRIAN LANDMAN, Times staff writer

USF AT NO. 9 MIAMI, 8

Expect a good crowd at the Orange Bowl, though the Hurricanes (2-1) haven't sold out the Orange Bowl (72,319) in more than two years, since playing Florida in September 2003. Last weekend's game against Colorado drew 51,228, and the Bulls (3-1) have only played before crowds of 50,000 or more six times in their history, and never in this state. Because of the crowd, a solid start is crucial for the Bulls. Miami is 179-16 when scoring first since 1983, and 23-5 at night under coach Larry Coker. The Bulls need a strong game from senior running back Andre Hall, who leads the Big East with 468 rushing yards. Tyrone Moss has rushed for 280 yards in three games for the Hurricanes. With both schools recruiting greater Miami heavily, this game features 38 players who went to high school with an opposing player. USF coach Jim Leavitt has worked hard not to lose his team's underdog status. Two days after his team's 45-14 upset of then-No. 9 Louisville, he told reporters of a late-night scouting session: "I just turned the film off, looked down at the floor and thought, "My gosh, they're so good."' To clarify, that's Miami he was talking about, and moments earlier, he said of the challenge the Hurricanes present: "Sometimes you wonder if it's insurmountable." Miami has only two players from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, in freshman lineman A.J. Trump (Clearwater Central Catholic) and junior kicker Jon Peattie (Countryside), who is tied for seventh nationally with six field goals in three games. He also has missed on four attempts.

--GREG AUMAN, Times staff writer

FAU AT NO. 24 LOUISVILLE, NOON

This game, which will be televised locally on Ch. 28, is a homecoming for Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger, but that is about the extent of its significance. Louisville (2-1) needs a team to beat up after last weekend's shockingly lopsided loss to USF, and FAU (0-4) likely will oblige. The Owls have been outscored an average of 31.8-12.5 and have given up 12 sacks while making only one. They had a chance to earn their first victory of the season over Louisiana-Monroe last weekend, but the Cowboys scored in the final 1:23 to win 28-21 in Sun Belt Conference play.

MORGAN STATE AT B-CC, 4

B-CC (3-1) is coming off the longest and highest-scoring game in school history, a wild 63-61 four-overtime victory at Norfolk State. Only a missed field goal with four seconds left in regulation kept the Wildcats from losing to a team that is 0-3. They have been outgained an average of 400 to 339 yards this season, ranking eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in total defense. B-CC's offense is going to need more help from quarterback Jimmie Russell, who rushed for three touchdowns, passed for another and threw the winning two-point conversion pass against Norfolk State.

FAMU AT FIU, 6

The FAMU team that will play in the Orange Blossom Classic is different from the Rattlers (2-2) of a month ago. Coach Rubin Carter, hired in July, is settling in. FAMU seemingly has found a quarterback, freshman Chris Owens, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 226 yards and a TD in last weekend's 12-7 victory over Tennessee State. And the Rattlers are riding a two-game winning streak. Meantime, the FIU defense is giving up an average of 519.3 yards and 52.3 points. If FAMU can avoid the mistakes it made in last year's 40-23 loss to FIU (0-3), it might just find itself with a winning record.

UCF AT LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE, 8

Things are looking up for UCF (1-2). Last weekend the Golden Knights snapped a 17-game losing streak; tonight they get to play a 1-2 team they have always dominated. Granted, these teams have only met twice, the last time in 2001, but if UCF plays like it did in last weekend's 23-13 victory over Marshall, it has an excellent chance of moving to 2-0 in Conference USA play. The Golden Knights held the Thundering Herd to 11 rushing yards, the third-best total in school history. That performance came three weeks after limiting South Carolina to 32 rushing yards in the opener.

--SHARON GINN, Times correspondent

[Last modified October 1, 2005, 01:46:16]

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