Although the Emmy-nominated “Scandal” doesn't return to ABC until Oct. 3, college football can fill the void of twists and turns.
In the summer of Manziel, controversy reached all the way to Archer and University with an alleged murder and dog barker.
College is a safe haven, but now with constant media attention, campuses more closely resemble a pool of piranhas. Yet, one sanctuary still exists — the football field.
With each turnstile turn, each ticket scan, each touchdown catch, arrest reports become passé.
When the whistle blows Aug. 31, it will be more about the orange and blue instead of the green and white.
Florida faces Toledo in 17 days without its middle linebacker Antonio Morrison. What it will have is 15 starters returning from an 11-win season.
More importantly, it boasts an experienced quarterback, an athletic defensive line and the deepest secondary in the country.
Morrison’s arrest on July 21 shows he should've been more careful (what college student would ever stay around Williston Road at 3 a.m.?). I found out about the dog-barking incident late that next day in New York City. By the time I woke up Tuesday morning, Morrison became a punch line — ironic for a linebacker who packs a serious punch.
National and local media irresponsibly billed him as a problem child. A player Will Muschamp should kick to the curb. A player the third-year coach should send on a one-way ticket to Bolingbrook, Ill. A player wasting away the golden ticket. Damage done.
It’s clear for now that Morrison will be known more for his barking off the field than for on it. It will be at least three weeks before he plays. Snap judgments are a part of college football (hence this prediction column).
Take Johnny Manziel.
A dark cloud seems to follow the Heisman Trophy winner like black smoke suffocating smokers in PSAs or “The Monster” that tortured characters in “Lost.” The media and school are gigging Manziel to death. College, a time of development, has become a job for him (allegedly).
Every step, every decision is scrutinized. It’s miserable.
His own school newspaper, The Battalion, ran a column that told him to leave in response to an angry late-night tweet from Manziel ripping College Station. Where can college football’s Justin Bieber find a safe place if he can’t feel safe in his own backyard?
These players are developing on and off the field.
What were you doing at 20?
Football players make mistakes. Some change programs, while all of them change lives. One bad tweet here and a misconceived idea there turn into a viral feeding frenzy at the click of a button. Maybe this is all naïve, but it’s time we concentrate on the football.
While Charlie Strong’s yellow Gatorade bath stings and stains an otherwise historic season, I remember Matt Elam punching Florida into the top-five with a game-saving forced fumble. I remember Jeff Driskel making the Commodores defense sing the blues in Nashville and Morrison knocking out EJ Manuel as a stunned Doak Campbell crowd fell silent.
Expect more of the same from a Gators team dependent on controlling the football and the line of scrimmage. Florida should contend with Georgia and South Carolina for a spot to Atlanta.
Yet it’s too early to tell.
Players like Manziel could come out of nowhere (Matt Jones anybody?). If this confusing offseason has taught us anything, it’s that I’m not judging yet and neither should you.
It’ll be a different kind of noise echoing in The Swamp in 17 days.
As August turns to September, it’ll be time to turn the page on a summer we would all like to forget.
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Ed. note: The story originally misstated the football season will start in 10 days, not 17.
Freshman linebacker Antonio Morrison (12) chases down Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (5) during UF's 20-17 victory against Texas A&M at Kyle Field.
