Eyes on the Enemy: Florida State rival updates

So…..after starting off the season 0-2, this column should naturally be more humble, right?

*Supa Hot Fire voice* SIKE THAT’S THE WRONG NUMBER

We all know that the best way to make our hollow existences more whole, and whatever, is to needlessly get in petty remarks about the situations currently unfolding at rival schools.

So let’s fill this terrible, terrible void!

Clemson:

The Tigers actually looked vulnerable last Saturday, needing the fourth quarter to finally pull away from The Fighting Dudes of Boston College. After only scoring seven points the whole game, Clemson scored on every drive they had in the fourth, turning a close game into a blowout.

But were the touchdowns a sign of things evening out, or just the result of being gassed? The Eagles did a good job of shutting down Clemson’s offense, exposing some weaknesses. By the time that Clemson’s freshman running back Travis Etienne entered the game and started to dominate, the defense was pretty tired, especially considering that by the end of the game, Clemson would have a 34:56 to 25:04 advantage in time of possession.

Despite Clemson pulling away in what could be considered garbage time, Etienne’s impressive performance came first, reeling off a 50-yard run to effectively put the game away at 21-7 with 5:40 left. He’s going to be somebody to keep an eye on, as through four games, he’s amassed 292 yards and four touchdowns. When he entered the game last Saturday, Clemson’s offense started to look much more efficient and smooth.

Now, the real test for the Tigers comes this week, heading on the road to take on Virginia Tech. At No. 12, the Hokies look like the favorite for the ACC Coastal title, though outside of a season opening win against then-No. 22 West Virginia, haven’t really faced any tough opponents.

Vegas has Clemson as about a 7.5 favorite right now, and figuring in the unofficial rule that home field advantage gives a seven-point bump, the Tigers would be favored by around 10 on a neutral field. Take that information how you’d like.

Clemson vs. Virginia Tech kicks off at 8 p.m., and will be broadcast on ABC.

Miami:

Well, well, well, Miami’s last week was pretty interesting to say the least.

Football-wise, things went okay, as the Hurricanes pulled out a hard-fought win over the fearsome Toledo Rockets. Miami trailed heading into halftime, but scored four touchdowns in about 11 minutes of gametime to stack up a 38-16 lead.

The excitement didn’t stop there, though, as Toledo quickly scored a touchdown and then returned a Malik Rosier interception to the 8-yard line to make the game 38-30 with seven minutes left.

And then that’s where the excitement stopped, as two late Miami touchdowns made the game 52-30.

Rosier put up 333 yards and three touchdowns, along with one rushing, while running back Mark Walton averaged 18.5 yards per carry on the way to a career-best 204 yards.

Miami this week takes on Duke, and….wait….Duke reminds me of basketball….basketball reminds me of…

OH YEAH MIAMI BASKETBALL IS IMPLICATED IN A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION I COMPLETELY FORGOT.

This week, as the entirety of college basketball may be flipped upside down, it came out that out of several schools implicated in the FBI’s investigation, one may very well be Miami.

Now, it hasn’t be confirmed, but the passage mentions a “private research university located in Florida,” with “approximately 16,000 students and over 2,600 faculty members” and “approximately 15 varsity sports,” all of which match up with Miami. The report mentions that the school is one of the largest in Florida, and given the Hurricanes’ status as an Adidas school and only private basketball power in the state, it’s pretty fair to assume it’s them.

From State of the U:

In short, it is alleged that a “University-7” (Miami) coach “Coach-3” communicated with Gatto and Code from “Company-1” (adidas) to facilitate payment of $150,000 to a HS recruit “Player-12” in order to get him to commit to “University-7” (Miami). Dawkins spoke with Code regarding this arrangement. Augustine spoke with Code because “Player-12” is associated with the AAU team run by Augustine.

It’ll be, as the kids say, a super sick time watching this develop.

Back to football, Miami vs. Duke is especially important in the race for the ACC. Duke is currently undefeated, with a win over North Carolina placing them at the top of the Coastal. The Blue Devils have faced a few tests, with wins over Baylor and Northwestern to couple with their victory over the Tar Heels.

The game is being played at Duke, though Miami is favored by 6.5.

Miami vs. Duke will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Florida:

Did anybody actually think that Kentucky wasn’t going to pull a Kentucky?

I felt a slimmer of hope, I admit, when things were 27-14 in the fourth, because I thought that there was no way that Florida could squeeze out 14 more points. But then Luke of the River came in to replace Feleipe Franks, and continued the Gators’ status as the luckiest, dumbest team in college football, a title they’ve done their best to retain since 2012.

I don’t think I even get mad about it at this point, I actually cackled when Florida hit its last second touchdown against Tennessee because it’s just trapped in an infinite loop of pain, misery and temporary validation. Florida fans are being held hostage by a shark-humping BBQ sauce seller, and the opposite of Stockholm Syndrome is setting in.

Now, in the continuing saga of the Fantastic Florida Fraud Follies, we’ve finally got confirmation of what actually went down.

From our good friend Andy Hutchins:

Freshman defensive end Jordan Smith, reportedly at the center of multiple probes by law enforcement, could face five felony charges — four for fraudulently using a person’s identification without consent, and one for fraudulently obtaining property valued at under $20,000.

Freshman offensive lineman Kadeem Telfort, under the surname Josephtelfort, is the subject of complaints recommending a staggering 30 felony charges, divided between two separate cases. In one, he could face six counts of fraudulently using a person’s identification without consent, and one for fraudulently obtaining property valued at under $20,000; in the other, he could face seven counts of fraudulently using a person’s identification without consent, 12 counts of fraudulent use of credit cards, and four counts of “uttering a forged instrument” — loosely, presenting a forged document.

The other seven Gators likely to face charges — junior wide receiver Antonio Callaway, junior defensive end Keivonnis Davis, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones, freshman linebacker James Houston, freshman linebacker Ventrell Miller, junior running back Jordan Scarlett, and redshirt freshman wide receiver Rick Wells — are all the subjects of sworn complaints regarding one count of using identification without consent, and one count of fraudulently obtaining property valued at under $20,000.

All the crimes at hand are third-degree felonies, and could carry punishments of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000 under state law.

The most interesting part about the case is that the issue of where exactly the players got the stolen identity information. Though it isn’t confirmed, it’s unlikely that the two men (both from California) who had their information stolen were agents or middle-men funneling money to the players, and so the source of the numbers will likely be a focus in the criminal investigation moving forward.

This week, Florida plays Vanderbilt, who are coming off an absolute 59-0 dismantling courtesy of Alabama. The Commodores are 3-1 on the season, with a 14-7 upset of then-No. 18 Kansas State on their resume.

The spread is currently 9.5 in Florida’s favor, with the over/under set at 41.

Florida vs. Vanderbilt kicks off at 12 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Questions? Comments? Trash talk? Leave ‘em below, and I’ll see y’all at the same time next week.