#mark mcleod

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Hopetoun Falls by Mark McLeod Via Flickr: Hopetoun Falls in winter never fails to impress. Such a great little spot.

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A bucket list...

A to do list..

A, I must surf there, before I go there list...

We all have them, and we all love to day dreamily indulge in those moments where you are potentially slipping into that ,wave of your life..

So when Troy made mention of a trip to a friends camp in the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, to say I was curious and excited, would be an understatement.

Dates were set ,flights booked, boards selection puzzled over and we rondevue at Sydney airport. 

The vibe amoungst the crew was buzzing, as we had reports of a nice swell arriving on the 3rd day of the trip..cool a couple of days to settle in..

Dave and his partner Nat , have between them over a decade experience in the area, and boy does it show. 

From a seamless transfer to their amazing camp, to getting us straight of the boat and into empty right hand perfection, Dave nailed it, every time..

That first session set the tone for the rest of the trip and each day we scored epic waves.

The third day comes and with it a rising swell, a little hidden gem of a reefs starts to fire. 

This seldom ridden peak provides us days of laughs , pits, snapped boards and all round good times.

Motoring home one particular evening we cruise past a right hand setup bending off in the distance. What we see sends the boat into a frenzy.. 

Is it too low?? to fast.??..a little more tide??  Corey, or resident guinea pig bodyboarder, is jumping out of his skin and Chayno offers to test the waters with him..

Corey first wave...Pit...Chayno first wave..Pit..Right , out there!!

In turns out to be a very memorable evening. Glassy conditions, sunset lit pits and just 6 of ya mates,. That moment of realization that bucket lists, should've, could've, would've lists, they are crucial and deserve our consideration and acknowledgement. 

 As a set wave bends down the reef in the dying evening light, Chayno looks at me like...you going?..I turn and paddle my arse off, indicating..Ah Hell yeah!!  As I pass him and the wave stands up on the reef I hear him yell, Go Maka!! Wave of ya life Mate!!, and you know what, he may have just been right..

As we sip cold beers and motor home under an Indian Ocean sunset, I realize how important that bucket list is, and how I won't neglect it anymore..

 As surfers we share a passion for experience, to ride those waves we have mind surfed for a lifetime. And guess what?....We can.. A tennis player cant walk out at 

Wimbledon and have a swing..But we can..We can go and surf those waves and have our own experiences..

So do yourself a favor and think about that list as the boss is yelling at you and think, your not on my list.....

Mark Mcleod -legless.tv

Pics : Alaia Mentawai  www.alaiamentawai.com

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South Iceland by Mark McLeod Via Flickr: Digging through the archives and finding plenty of unedited photos. This one is from a popular little waterfall in South Iceland. It is a wet walk in a very short slot canyon. The spray made for tricky shooting.

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The Forbidden Pool by Mark McLeod

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Who Do These Gators Want?

Mark McLeod

I spoke with seven former Florida players this week and got their take on the head coaching vacancy at the University of Florida.

 Scot Brantley- Linebacker 1976-1979

One of the most physical linebackers in SEC history. After winning a pair of state championships at Ocala Forest High School, Brantley was honored as a two-time honorable mention All-American and All-SEC selection at Florida.

A rare two-sport star, he was drafted by the New York Mets (5th round) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3rd round), despite telling the Mets that he was not going to play baseball.  

Brantley played nine years with the Bucs before beginning a long career as a color analyst for Tampa Bay and the University of Florida radio networks. He also enjoyed a long career as a sports talk radio host.

And his Mama makes some of the best sandwiches in the south!

 Who do like to possibly get the Gators job?

"I like Jon Gruden. You've got to make a big splash with this hire," Brantley said. "I think that all of that energy that has been built up for these years doing Monday Night Football, he is excited. He has been on top of every little thing about running a football team. He never recruited anybody, but there is a lot of similarity in what you do in the NFL."

"If Gruden says that he is not interested then Scott Frost would be my guy. I afraid that Scott Frost will be like Steve Spurrier, who did a nice job at Duke and went back home. He seems to be in the same situation. So, if Nebraska doesn't take him, they're idiots."

"I just don't see Willie Taggart leaving Oregon after just one year. I would think they have him locked down. It seems they (the Oregon administration) would have had that conversation before he took the job because if a job opens up in Florida, you would think that there will be some interest."

"Still, I'm not so sure that he would be the guy," Brantley quickly added. "I'd rather have Charlie Strong. Of course, people are going to say, well, you lost to Houston. It's all about what have you done for my lately. He won seven games in a row, yet now he's not good enough? So, he's not going to be talked to about the job?"

"I don't know," Brantley said. "Frost and Charlie, if it's not Gruden. They need to talk to Gruden and see. No doubt. When he won the Super Bowl people said that he did it with Tony Dungy's players, but I was working in the booth for the Buccaneers and I had looked it up and there were less than 20 of the players he brought to Tampa and I have a lot of respect for what Tony did there. I just think that people need to look at what Jon did there."

Brantley is right. Gruden has said that he recalls having 25 new players in his first year in Tampa Bay. Many of those terrific defensive players were brought in by the well-respected Dungy, but Gruden added key pieces on the offensive side to bring the trophy to Tampa Bay. 

 Could you imagine the response from recruits when Jon Gruden walks into their home or school?

"How about the response from the donors to help get the program back too? But, you're right, Gruden walking into their house in Orlando, Miami, or Tampa, anywhere would be amazing. I hope that works out, but we'll see if they contact him. Scott Stricklin just needs to reach out to him and talk to him. It makes sense to talk to all of these guys. Get him in here and I guarantee you that he'll get this thing going in the right direction now. " 

"Now, Dan Mullen makes all the sense in the world for (Scott) Stricklin. I think Mullen needs to stay right there and if he wins seven, eight, or nine games a year there, he's golden." 

  Johnie Church- Defensive End 1992-1995

Church wasted little time getting on the field. He started eight games for the Gators and was named to the Freshman All-American Teams by both the Associated Press and USA Today. Church helped the Gators to their first-ever National Championship Game appearance and won four SEC Championships.  

 Johnie, I know that you are following this closely. You are always studying the program. So, who are you looking at and why?

"It waivers with me on who we could possibly get. I'm partial to Charlie Strong. I think that he's been b the most loyal coach in the history of the University of Florida with all of the times that he came back to coach there. But, I don't think that's an option. I just can't see it with him just getting to USF. He just got out of that pressure situation where there just wasn't enough time to clean up a program and get rid of a bunch of really good players. It's just my personal opinion that he isn't going to want to leave after just one year."

"I'm really partial to Coach (Bob) Stoops too. Really thought that something was building when he left Oklahoma with a Heisman-caliber quarterback and a national championship caliber team. He just left it to a guy he brought under his wing. He left it easy. There was no scandal or anything, but I just thought that was kind of weird. That was a weird situation and then to see Coach Spurrier coming back, I wondered because he and Coach Stoops have been close. But, I don't know if that's an option. Those are my top two, but is it plausible?"

"My third guy would be Scott Frost. What I see when I look at Scott Frost. He's a guy that knows championship culture because he was at Nebraska when they were very dominant. He did it as a player and as a coach. This guy knows the training that it takes to become a national caliber team. He knows the work ethic it takes. He was starting quarterback on a national championship team. So, he was the brains of the operation. Then, he had to transition himself into a pro at the safety position. Now, some people will tell you that linebacker is the brains of the defense, but the safety position is the brains of the defense. They have to know all of the inner-workings of the defense and he did it for seven years in the pros. He has to have a very high football IQ to be able to do that."

"This team went 0-12 and he had to change the mindset. He's still playing with someone else's recruits, so that shows me that he is creative and can develop those players while having to change the mindset. That's very impressive."

 Does Frost remind you of a younger Steve Spurrier, when he took over the Florida program? 

"I believe so even with an added element of touch there. We need a guy who is going to be in Gainesville for 10 to 15 years to get some consistency. We haven't had that in awhile and it's hurting our brand. We need that guy that has enough youth and that has enough energy to recruit the state of Florida. Recruiting is hard and it's much harder these days. Social media, you can reach a recruit so much easier. Back in our day, you'd have to catch a kid home because there were no cell phones.  And the price of plane tickets being so much cheaper makes it easier to go away."

 What about that guy with SEC experience. Your first two have SEC experience. Is that by design because of the conference experience and is that a concern with Frost?

"No, it isn't. And I'll tell you why it isn't with him. I see the SEC dropping off because of antiquated coaches. On every SEC team, the big programs, the national championship talent is pretty much there with the nucleus. I see old-style coaches in the league refusing to adjust their programs to the personnel. If you watch Alabama they adjust their offense to the players they have in their offense. The greatest thing about Nick Saban is that he adjusts their offense to the personnel every year. The best coaches are those who adjust on the fly. Just like Urban did when he arrived at Florida. They crafted an offense that could take advantage of the talent they had at Florida."    

  Chris Doering- Wide Receiver 1991-1995

Why has SEC Storied ignored Doering? What does he have to do catch yet another touchdown pass? One of the most acclaimed walk-on’s in NCAA history. Gainesville native Chris Doering redshirted in 1991 and made a splash with a touchdown catch in 1993.

And he didn’t stop there.

He went on to establish himself in Southeastern Conference history with a record 31 career touchdowns. He has three SEC Championship rings and played nine years in the NFL. And just for kicks, he enjoys a tremendous career on ESPN/SEC Network.

 Chris what is your take on the vacancy?

"It's interesting. What is the criteria that Scott (Stricklin) is looking for? Is it a situation where they want somebody who has head coaching experience? Is a guy like Stoops really a legitimate candidate both from a Florida standpoint or interest in his part coaching again in general?

"I assume they want a guy who can coach here for the next ten plus years. So is there an age limit that they're looking at and on the flip side you want to get a young up and comer, bur how many times has that worked out? We've seen it work out for other sports, but football hasn't worked out the past couple of hires. You know how I feel about Will (Muschamp) and I think if Will had been able to have a little more staying power here, he'd have been able to experience a little more success. I think Foley made the right hire there, but there was too much negativity. I think that I have him as my fourth best coach in the conference."

"There are just a lot of questions for us to know exactly what it is they are looking for with this hire” 

"I'm high on Scott Frost, like everybody else. You know another name that I have heard that makes a lot of sense to me is Willie Taggart, I had a chance to work with him a couple of times when he’s at Western Kentucky during his first season and I really like him as a person. I love the fact that he is from Bradenton and knows the state well and the southeast well.”

"Chad Morris is another guy that I mentioned last week that I thought would be a good fit. Although now with (Kevin) Sumlin looking more and more that he is on his way out Texas A&M may be a better fit with his ties to the state and recruiting in the state."

"I think (Mike) Norvell is an interesting candidate too and what he has done at Memphis” 

"Really, I think that one of the interesting things about is that there is no slam dunk hire. There is nobody that you look at and say, that's the guy. Even if you think that Jon Gruden or Chip Kelly are legitimate candidates, which I'm not even sure. I don't know that either of them are great fits here. Jon Gruden hasn't coached since, what, '92? And he hasn't coached at all in the last decade almost. And Chip Kelly, does he have the right personality to coach at Florida or in the SEC in general?"

"I just think there are so many questions. It's a hard hire with a lot of pressure knowing that there is a lot of pressure and you've got to get the right guy. At the same time, feeling like there isn't somebody who necessarily stands out as the guy that you have to go get."

 What about Charlie Strong? Where does he fit or doesn't he?

"I love him. I have known him since I was young, going to Florida football camps and had a chance to play on teams where he was on the staff. I don't even know what his interest is. I'm sure there is a part of him that wants to do it. Does he want to jump right back into the frying pan that's very similar to Texas? That's a tough job and one of the reasons that you're compensated so well is because you have to put up with all of the stuff that comes along with having a job at a place like Texas or Florida."

"I do have some questions about is it the right fit. I know that he can recruit. I know that he is familiar with the area and the culture of the University of Florida and I think there are some positives about that. But, does he feel like he wants to out himself into that situation after what he put himself through at Texas."  

   Bob Hewko- Quarterback 1979-1982

Somebody has missed the boat on making a reality series with Bob Hewko.

Hewko played for Dallas and Tampa Bay in the NFL before becoming an assistant tour manager for Motley Crue and Aerosmith. He has also served as a color commentator for the Legends Football League.

The southpaw was born and raised in Hatboro, a suburb of Philadelphia. We all know about the superb high school talent that resides east of the Mississippi in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Pennsylvania has produced an amazing portfolio of quarterbacks like Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, and Jim Kelly just to name a few. And Hewko? Well, he was recruited to the University of Florida by Steve Spurrier- a guy who knows a little about great quarterback play.

Hewko is very busy, but always makes time to keep up with his beloved Gators.

Who do you like for the Florida vacancy?    

“Scott Frost is number one and the more that I study him, the more that I like him,” Hewko said. “He was a wishbone quarterback and then he was the OC under Chip (Kelly) out at Oregon and I love that offense. That was like the number one offense in the country. So, you have that combination and you up it once more with what he is doing at UCF and it’s just a fun system. The players love him and he’s out there running the option with the players in practice. He’s young. He’s aggressive. And he’s scoring over 50 points per game.”

 What about Charlie?

“I love Charlie Strong,” Hewko said. “He and Frost would be the top two, I think. He (Charlie) should have had it before. You know that he was a GA there when we were still playing and is just a great person. I think that he walked into a tough situation in Texas, but players love him and he’s a great coach. You tie him up with an offensive coordinator and I think that it would be an awesome combination.”

“If it’s Charlie Strong, he should let me be the offensive coordinator. I’ll put a combination of (Mike) Shanahan’s offense and Spurrier’s offense and we would do just okay,” he joked. “We would do just alright. The scary part is that it’s true. I know that I don’t have a lot of experience, but you don’t forget. They ran two of the top offenses that I have ever seen.”

“Stoops, he is on my list if you can possibly get him. You know that I am an offensive guy and he’s always had great offenses through the years and he’s a good coach. He would fit right in here.”

“(Jon) Gruden. I would love that. I don’t see that one happening.”

 Todd Johnson- Safety 1998-2002

Tremendous hitter. Leader. One of the most beloved teammates by his peers. Johnson was a SuperPrep All-American coming out of Sarasota Riverview, but was listed by a recruiting analyst as a guy who might finally see playing time as a redshirt junior.

He forgot to tell him that.

Johnson redshirted his freshman year, but saw plenty of playing time as a redshirt freshman. He made it to the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears and played seven years in the National Football League before returning home to take the head coaching job at Riverview High School.    

 What are your thoughts on the vacancy?

"I'm definitely following it and trying to keep track and see what's going on. I'm anxious just like everybody else to see what happens. I think (Tim) Tebow hit it on the head when he said that it's got to be somebody who handles the pressure because it's a hot seat and kind of thrives on that and embraces it."

"You know I would be thrilled if it were Bob Stoops, Chip Kelly, or Scott Frost. Those are my top three in no particular order. If they get somebody else, I'm sure they'd be good, but I would be thrilled if it were one of those three."

 Most of the candidates that seem to be in the running for this have no SEC coaching experience. Does that matter to you?

"No, as long as the guy hasn't taken an easy path and I don't think any of those three have. I think they have all been in very competitive situations whether it's playing or coaching and not scared to compete against the best as you well know."

 Charlie Strong is right in your backyard down there. Does he fit in among your top candidates?

"Yeah, he'd be in my top five," Johnson said. "I think Florida and the Gator Nation is probably looking for some more offense. Even though they're more defensive. Stoops produced some really good offenses there at Oklahoma. 

 Willie Taggart is in your area too, right there in Bradenton. Is he someone you'd like to see considered? 

 "Yeah, I think that he would be an interesting pick. He's a young guy with Florida ties and coached right there at USF and he can recruit the heck out of this state, so he'd be in my top five." 

And yet another one from that area is Jon Gruden. Is he someone that you'd like to see considered?

"I would think that Gruden would be far-fetched because he's got such a good gig now. That would definitely be a splash hire and someone who could definitely out some points on the board. He'd get the Gator Nation and recruits excited and hopefully go on a long run."

 Larry Kennedy- Cornerback 1991-1994

Back-to-back Sarasota Riverview graduates and members of the Air Patrol, a specially designated group that took pride in the tremendous secondary that suited up for the Rams year-after-year-after-year.

Former Florida star Larry Kennedy watched as the SEC East fell through the floor and knew the program was in trouble when Jim McElwain, the offensive guru struggled to develop a quarterback and put the team on his back. 

 Who are the guys that you like?

"Let me tell you what has to happen and I don't care what anybody says this has to happen. First of all, you have to go out and get a veteran coach. It's somebody who has been there and done that, who understands recruiting, relationships with the alumni, and has a chip on his shoulders and in the big one. Most importantly, he has to be somebody who can come in here and do it the right way and guide the program into the right direction. I have five names, but the two that jump out at me right away are Charlie Strong and Bob Stoops. And you can take either one, I don't care, but understand that those guys are going to find offensive gurus. They will find young, energetic offensive coordinators. When you've got guys like that, they make coordinators. People may not understand that, but they do make them"

"Strong had the hiccup at Texas, but we understand that it was like when Muschamp took over for Meyer. It wasn't like what (Ron) Zook left Urban Meyer. e walked into a situation that was fully loaded. I mean those guns were ready to blast. He was solid at the QB position and could call any number to score. Nobody walks into a position and is solid at QB. If you're strong at the QB position, you're 50% there. Zook already did the work on the recruiting class, so the work was already done. All that he had to do was close the deal on those recruits. When Muschamp took over it wasn't built."

"I don't think that we have been as strong and physical as we have been in past years, so I think that we have to go back and get that right. It starts with your strength and conditioning coach and you've got Strong, who is already tied into Pat Moorer. He built South Carolina. He built Louisville. He was at Texas. Now, bring him back to Florida. So, you put that piece back into play. You have to build this from the inside out. Forget about what everybody's saying, we have to have an offensive guy. No, we have to have a guy that rebuild the program."

"Scott Frost is a great young coach with probably has as good an offensive mind. He can build you a team that can get you some victories in year one and year two and probably a few in year three and make you competitive, but I'm talking about making a program. A well-respected program across the country where when you walk into an airport in Ogden, Utah wearing the Florida colors they don't think that you're Boise State. They know that you're Florida."

"So, I want that coach that brings back the respect of the program. I want a coach that can walk into any house and can capture any parent and bring back true diversity of the program. I want a coach that brings character back to the program, so when a Mom or Dad sends their child to that coach, they know the next four or five years  there is a father figure there that will stay with those kids for life. The thing about Coach (Steve) Spurrier, Coach (Ron) Zook, Coach (Jim) Collins, Coach (Dwayne) Dixon, Coach () Franks is that I still have a direct relationship with those coaches to this day. A lot of guys can't say that about their coaches."

"So Strong and Stoops, but if you think outside of the box, you look at Coach (Dave) Clawson at Wake Forest. He doesn't have any ties to Florida, but he's so professional the way he builds a program and the way that he deals with his players. The slow grind of watching Wake Forest be competitive year in and year out against some of the top teams in the country. And he's been able to get seven and eight wins every year, which we all know is hard to do there. And he does it consistently. He's an offensive guy and he does real well in recruiting. You nevr hear about problems or players getting into trouble at Wake Forest. And he's one hell of a coach that goes under the radar. Wake Forest has them something special. I can see Tennessee trying to pick him off."

"And the other is Coach (Dave) Doeren at N.C. State. Those two coaches are diamonds in the rough that nobody talks about.  They do it their own way, but those programs give them what they need and they do it their own way. You never hear anything about their players. He's very hands-on and has a good staff and people try to pick people of their staff and Coach Clawson's staff too."

"The dark horse in this and he would have been in my top three if it weren't for this bad year is Larry Fedora. The problem is that he lost his trigger man and his whole team left early. You can't be mad at him. He's not at a school where he can get top players every year. If he had 7-9 wins this year, he might have been mentioned for the Florida job."

  Kirk Kirkpatrick- Tight End 1987-1990

For many years the burning question in Gainesville was who will be our Kirk Kirkpatrick? He kicked off the Spurrier Era by taking the SEC by storm and spoiling Gators fans for more than a decade.

Kirkpatrick had 55 receptions during his senior year, which led the Southeastern Conference. He took seven of those into the end zone for touchdowns.  

"I think Tebow said that you do need a big name, a big personality for that role and I do agree with him on that. It's a big job and you need somebody who can fill it. Obviously, he (Jim McElwain) wasn't able to do that and I was surprised at some of his comments. He was definitely not the right fit and yet I think Florida wants to win with offense. He had the right pedigree, but it didn't work. I don't know how a guy with a spotty record got a guaranteed contract for that much money."

 Is there a guy or a couple of guys that you think might be the right fit for Florida?

"I am definitely not in the know about this, but I love Charlie Strong. I was there when he was there and I think that he is fantastic. He is one of my favorite people of all-time. I thought that he was a fantastic coach and that he relates to the players. I am very biased, but I love him as a person, as a coach, and as a leader, because I know him personally."

"Obviously, I would love to see the Head Ball Coach get it, but I just think it's too much work at this time. Scott Frost sounds very interesting. It sounds like he has been there and he knows what he is doing. He has a nice offense. I'm happy that I don't have to make the decision, I can tell you that."

 Does Scott Frost remind a little bit of Steve Spurrier when he was hired by the University of Florida?

"Yeah. Oh yeah, he absolutely does. He seems to have that bravado and he has had success everywhere that he has gone. I like that he has coached defense too. He was a quarterback and he understands how defenses work. So, that's pretty interesting. He has a nice pedigree. I'm not sure why Nebraska has not come calling. Why wouldn't he not go there? He's a Nebraska guy, so why not go back there? Think about it, there are no professional teams in Nebraska. So, they are the big fish in that state. Kids grow up there, they want to be Nebraska Cornhuskers. They don't want to be Buccaneers or Miami Dolphins. You are the major league sport in Nebraska, so I would think that if he is called home that he would want to go home."

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Florida must move on from McElwain

Mark McLeod

I know there are those who do not want to see Jim McElwain fired. I have heard from a few of them via direct message on social media. They are passionate as to why he needs to stay at Florida, but, I completely disagree.

Jim McElwain’s dismissal is something that has to be done. And it has to be done, now.

And the hard truth is that Georgia’s 42-7 blowout win over Florida has very little to do with it.

McElwain created this mess that resembled a game. It’s one of those bewildering games that he has played with the Florida media since he arrived in Gainesville.

You know them….He can teach Clarabelle to play quarterback. The Nick Saban-esque anger after the 31-24 win over East Carolina in 2015. He’s just a classic rock lovin’, corn-spun fella from Montana who knows a little somethin’ about football. The laughter accompanied by a shake of his head as he said, “man, you guys” after so many questions were hurled his way. And throughout he found a way to playfully target 24/7 writer Thomas Goldkamp with the injury report, because Goldkamp dared to ask about it at the opening of the press conferences.  

The media is just looking for the story and too often we walk out with more questions than answers.

On Saturday night, McElwain was open, honest, and contrite in the post-game press conference at Everbank Field.

“Well I mean at the end of the day, we all were brought here to win, and we haven’t done it. My concern isn’t about my job,” McElwain said. “My concern is about these players and our staff. We’ve got a fantastic staff, coaches, support staff and their families. That’s the concern, you know it isn’t about me.”  

McElwain spoke like a dead-man walking.

This was a game that he has now lost and I am not just talking about the humiliating loss to the Bulldogs.

McElwain blindsided everybody last Monday when he chose to go public at a media press conference with the acknowledgment that there have been death threats rather than following proper protocol with a call to Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and law enforcement.

He tried to paint Stricklin in a corner when they met about McElwain’s claim and the coach purposely failed to provide any further details as to the how, when, and where when he was specifically asked by his boss.

What if you did that at your place of employment?

It’s at the very least borderline insubordination. I am not sure what he thought might happen…sympathy? A dialing down of the heat?

He embarrassed the Gator Nation and what evidence do we have that was a Florida fan who issued a death threat(s)? Furthermore, the statement that should something else come of it, McElwain will address it at that time is absurd.

What is that next step, an attempt?

These poor decisions did nothing but paint McElwain into a corner.  

If the reports are true that the University Athletic Association is looking for a buyout McElwain has seemingly gifted the UAA with an excellent negotiating tool.  

And then there was the Georgia game.

I didn’t really know what to expect, but what I saw from a struggling Florida offense was the same old stubbornness that should cost McElwain his job.

Nothing had changed. When he said in the Monday press conference that Feleipe Franks is still the Florida quarterback and that they will go forward, didn’t we all know what was coming?

A few weeks ago, Franks said that the game was moving fast for him. He was honest and he was correct. It was a red flag for media and fans alike. Dial up something different for goodness sakes.

The failure to utilize graduate transfer quarterback Malik Zaire in the Vanderbilt, LSU, and Texas A&M games by McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier is proof that both need to be employed elsewhere. The failure to get Zaire in the Georgia game until Georgia led 42-0 makes 4th-and-dumb look reasonably intelligent.

Reports flew around all afternoon about a Florida buyout of McElwain.

“I thought our guys prepared well all week,” McElwain said. “Obviously, I was made aware of the stuff right before we walked into pregame meal and that was the first time I had heard anything of that nature. I talked to them immediately right there, and we’ll see, that’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

What would I like to see Scott Stricklin do?

Fire McElwain     immediately and turn the interim over to Randy Shannon.

Shannon’s first     move should be to dismiss offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and hand     the keys to running backs coach JaJuan Seider.  

And for goodness     sakes, will somebody please go down the hall and knock on the HBC’s door,     hand him his visor, and have him work with the quarterbacks and the     offensive plan for the remainder of the season.  

Assign somebody as     a co-special teams’ coordinator to work alongside Greg Nord.

If Florida parts ways with McElwain, it’s the right thing to do. There is no question that McElwain would land on his feet. I keep going back to the days before the Michigan game where this roller-coaster started. In the days before the suspension of nine Florida players were announced and unlike his anger after the East Carolina game, McElwain was merely embarrassed and disappointed.

He was (in my opinion) overly-confident about a win over Michigan before ever boarded the plane for Dallas. In the post-game I recall thinking that his ego got the best of him and the Gators picked up and played like that too. He lost me when he said that they prepared well for the Michigan game.

His stubbornness to make necessary changes has gotten the best of him throughout the 2017 season in Gainesville. It’s time for the University of Florida to turn the page and move on too.

 Mark McLeod is the host at “The Blitz with Mark McLeod” . Listen at Blitz Sports Radio.com or using the Tune-In app. Mark also co-hosts two podcasts- “The Gator Blitz” on the VSporto Network at Gator Sports Radio and “Mark & The Cranky Fan” on Sound Cloud and i-Tunes. Follow him @McLeodlive

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Special Teams struggle in Aggies 19-17 rally past Gators

Mark McLeod

 The 80,000 plus Florida fans who spent their Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium did their part.

One week after a troubling 17-16 loss to arch-rival LSU, the Orange & Blue faithful put aside their frustration and lent their voices for the cause.    

“The Swamp” was electric, inspiring the Gators to bounce back into the win column.

And the Gators, wearing their Nike alligator-themed uniforms responded by playing with emotion and a sense of urgency. A win looked reasonably promising, as Florida led or was tied throughout the first 59:02, until junior placekicker Daniel LaCamera silenced the Florida crowd with a 32-yard field goal, his 4th kick of the game, which gave the Aggies a 19-17 lead.

“I have not kicked a game-winner before, this was my first,” LaCamera, a Tarpon Springs native said. “It felt great to do it back in my home state, I had 16 tickets for the game.”

The kick was aided in large part to one of several special teams breakdowns by the Gators. Texas A&M playmaker extraordinaire Christian Kirk with a devastating 43-yard punt return to the Florida 39-yard line with 4:20 remaining in the game.

“He struggled a little bit tonight, but he still comes back and makes a big play to get us a field goal to start the second half,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin SUmlin said. “Obviously, that punt return was a great play at the end of the game. All of that was set up by our defense. I don’t know what the statistics were in the fourth quarter but field position changed we were able to flip the field and that helped our team.”

Kirk returned two punts earlier in the game that went for a combined 15 yards. Florida punter Johnny Townsend was supposed to keep the ball away from Kirk, one of the most dangerous return men in college football.

"Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen, and it didn't and it came back and bit us," McElwain said in his post-game press conference.

Townsend averaged 45 yards per punt, but early in the 3rd quarter, the senior had a punt blocked by junior linebacker Cullen Gillapia that went for 25 yards, setting the Aggies offense up at their own 45. Texas A&M went on to march 55 yards on six plays for a touchdown.

The Aggies had no kickoff returns. Florida kicker Eddy Pineiro did a good job except for when he aided Texas A&M with ten yards early in the 4th quarter with a kickoff that bounced out of bounds.

“We should have kept it in one time for sure,” McElwain said. “Obviously Eddy kicking it out of bounds, I try to teach him not to kick it out of bounds. He just mishit it and kicked it out of bounds. We alluded to it earlier, but the plan was to pin in on the boundary or kick it out of bounds on the punt and not let that guy return it. The plan didn’t work. We didn’t execute and we didn't get the guy to the ground.”

Florida had their own issues on kickoff returns. McElwain and special teams coordinator Greg Nord sent freshman Adarius Lemons back as the return man for the first time this season. He finished with 82 yards in returns, but he brought two kicks out of the endzone that should have been downed.

Lemons brought a 3rd quarter return to the 17 where he was tackled and a 4th quarter return just 15 yards. Those returns didn’t help an offense that is struggling to put points on the scoreboard.

It sure seemed as though punt returner Brandon Powell was playing too deep on one or two of those punts and allowed Texas A&M punter Shane Tripucka bounce them past him for additional yardage.

Finally, I thought the Gators coaching staff made a bad decision at the close of the first half. We all know about Pineiro’s strong leg. Head coach Jim McElwain has alluded to it on numerous occasions as have many players.

Running back Malik Davis runs for 32 yards to the Aggies 46 with less than 10 seconds remaining and they ran two plays, opting to keep Pineiro on the sidelines. I agree with running one play, but John Chavis is a veteran defensive coordinator who saw the film on Tyrie Cleveland’s heroic catch. He wasn’t going to allow those safeties to get caught chasing the seedy Florida wide receiver. I thought the possibility of Pineiro adding three points as time expired made more sense for an offense that ranks 92nd nationally was the better move.

  Follow Mark McLeod @McLeodLive. Listen to “The Blitz with Mark McLeod” weekdays afternoons at Blitz Sports Radio.com or St. Augustine Radio.com. Be sure to listen to “The Gator Blitz” at Gator Sports Radio.com

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The Gatekeepers Mark McLeod