A good show by the Gators and the Bulls

Posted Sep 11, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Sep 11, 2010 at 06:39 PM

The setting was perfect, except for the heat.

Engorged Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was overflowing in Gainesville Saturday with as many as in the neighborhood of 100,000 fans.

The Gators were supposed to win by a couple of touchdowns or more. But, not by the final margin these quicker-than-expected Florida Gators overpowered the South Florida visitors 38 to 14.  Florida fans, ecstatic as a result of the speed they saw from their Gators, got an extra boost by the margin of victory and by the nature of it when the speedster Jeffery Demps showed accelerations a little faster than anticipated, clearly establishing him as the fastest man on the field and perhaps in the Southeastern Conference. Demps made long runs, short bursts for a touchdown, bullish drives into the line to give the Gators a genuine star for this season ahead.

Florida fans expected to win by perhaps two to three or four touchdowns, but the 38-14 had to cause those Gators to leave Florida Field feeling they now have a shot at the Conference Championship, not felt by all before this display.

Demps can start quickly, change speeds, cut in all directions and put it in afterdrive and run away from the field. He was for the Gators, a pleasure to watch, and will cause them to expect a genuine run at the title again under Coach Urban Meyer. They will get a bit more of a test when they go to Tennessee this weekend and when they play the South Carolina team Steve Spurrier is readying for them in Gainesville. Spurrier beat Georgia soundly while Florida was handling South Florida and he seems to have his team improved now under a quarterback from Tampa, Stephen Garcia.

The Gators satisfied their boosters with a performance that showed an improved defensive attack that forced five turnovers, and displayed the very talents of Demps and quarterbacking by John Brantley, who demonstrated his resourcefulness and versatility against a tough South Florida team.

Against the Gators, Daniels had a genuinely fine day except for the turnovers, fumbles, and interceptions of his passes. South Florida will proceed behind Coach Skip Holtz and Daniels and that probably will be satisfactory to its boosters. The team is talented and has a genuine leader in Daniels and his teammates.

Those of the USF ties left Florida Field feeling their team could have, should have and perhaps may have done a bit better, but not by much. The fumble and several of the interceptions thrown by Daniels were ill-advised, likely he and the Bulls will say they want it back. However, this was as big a stage on which a Bull team has yet played and clearly the growing numbers of USF partisans expected a bit more, not much, but a bit more, fewer turnovers and a few different sideline decisions.

Beyond the USF’s growing supporters, there will be some disappointment but more head nodding agreeing the Bulls did well under such a spectacular circumstance. The crowd was huge, the noise loud, the circumstance worth a touchdown or two on behalf of the Gators. Add that to the couple of TDs in favor of the Gators because of their history of 140 football years, many of comparable importance, the Bulls asserted themselves well. It is never easy to play the Gators anywhere - least of all before a record crowd in such a crucial environment.

Like Bull Boosters most everywhere, the thought here is the Bulls did just fine and were paid $700,000 to go to Gainesville for this performance. They will be invited back, in part, because there was a sellout draw and because of the win - because of the spectacular win - and because it is good for the State of Florida to have these fine teams playing against each other regularly. Hope here is the Bulls will be scheduled in as soon as possible even if it has to be only at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

How can you top that?

The Bulls made a game of it, a wild game of it, likely assuring Gator Demps an All American rating.