ESPNU crew has memorable visit to UF
Saturday, October 16, 2010 | Football, Softball, Scott Carter
Tonight's game between Florida and Mississippi State is on ESPNU, with Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Herm Edwards (analyst), Chris Spielman (analyst) and Jessica Mendoza (sideline) calling the action.
Following their production meeting with Gators coach Urban Meyer and other members of UF's coaching staff on Friday, the ESPN crew stopped by the Gators' softball complex.
UF softball coach Tim Walton coached Mendoza, a past gold and silver medalist for the U.S. Olympic Team, last summer with the National Professional Fastpitch's USSSA Florida Pride. The Pride won the league title on Aug. 29, defeating U.S. softball icon Jennie Finch and her Chicago team.
“Jennie Finch has meant, and always will mean, a lot to the game of softball,'' Walton said. “She has taken the sport of softball and the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) to a whole new level. Beating Chicago in the championship series was a difficult task. Our team really bonded, they played well and they played for each other. We raised our game to another level.''
On Friday, with Mendoza and Walton watching, former NFL players Edwards and Spielman tested their softball skills by taking swings against Gators senior pitcher Stephanie Brombacher.
“Never stood a chance,'' Mendoza later Tweeted.
While Edwards didn't have much luck in the batter's box against Brombacher, he once played in the Swamp when his Cal team visited Florida in 1974, losing 21-17 to the Gators. Cal featured QB Steve Bartkowski that season, who later starred for the Atlanta Falcons.
The Florida team that season featured current UF Gator Radio network analyst Lee McGriff, who was a senior receiver that season.
As if those notes from the ESPNU crew aren't enough, how about Spielman's connection to Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin?
Spielman and Austin played against each other in 1982 when Spielman's Massillon Tigers (Ohio) and Austin's Sharon (Pa.) Tigers squared off before almost 10,000 fans.
Thanks to UF sports information director Steve McClain, here is the game story from that meeting nearly 30 years ago:
Tigers roll to 7th straight win 28-7
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Assistant Sports Editor
MASSILLON -- Let's get the vital statistics out of the way, because The Play is going to take some explaining.
Washington High's Tigers handed Sharon, Pa. its first high school football defeat of 1982 Friday, 28-7, before 9,847 in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers outgained Sharon 371-137 in total yards and ran their record to 7-0 in a tune-up for next Friday's showdown against GlenOak (6-1).
There. Now, The Play.
Second quarter, Sharon's ball on its own 44, Massillon leading 7-0.
Sharon punter Dan Wallace boots a screwball that bounces in front of Massillon return man Chris Spielman.
Spielman positions himself to where he thinks the ball will bounce to him, but it takes a high hop, glances off his right hand, and squibs toward the Tiger goal line.
Sharon's Robert Dawson tears past Spielman, short hops the ball at the 5, plants his left foot at the 3, his right foot at the 1, and zips into the end zone.
The arms of the back judge shoot skyward. Touchdown!
Spielman dropped to all fours in agony.
But wait. Another official, realizing the punting team can't advance a fumble by the receiving team, points to the 1, as if to say Sharon should get the hall there.
Then confusion hits. All six officials huddle.
Then, to the astonishment of the Sharon bench, the ball is marched to the 20, where it is Massillon's ball.
The ruling: the Sharon player did not have control until he was in the end zone. Spielman's miscue is ruled a muff.
It was a correct call as interpreted by the officials.
But a slow-motion videotape played in the Massillon coaches' room afterward clearly showed Dawson had possession before he entered the end zone.
Sharon should have had the ball on the 1, from where it could have scored and tied the game.
It was a bang-bang play, a tough call for the officials to make.
It was a tough call for Sharon to swallow.
"I had a good grip on the ball at the 3," Dawson said. "I couldn't believe what happened after that."
What turned into a boring second half might have had punch. But Sharon coach Jim Wildman refused to use The Play as an alibi.
"Let's not make that the major issue," he said. "They were a better football team. They're a powerhouse. I hear Mike Currence (Massillon's coach) has taken some abuse here the last couple of years. Maybe the people here should be thankful for what they have."
Massillon struck quickly after The Play, driving 80 yards for a touchdown, forcing Sharon to punt, then driving 49 yards for another TD.
The home-town Tigers (Sharon's nickname also is Tigers) led 21-0 at the intermission and never were threatened in the second half.
"We wore them down," Currence said, "I thought we played pretty well."
The Tigers are Gerry Cooney with a right hand. They can knock you out with the run. The can turn out your lights with the pass.
At halftime, the Tigers had 105 yards on the ground (58 by Spielman) and 104 in the air (by quarterback Brian DeWitz).
Sharon was befuddled by the rushing of Spielman, and halfback Jim Bushe and fullback Tim Sampsel. It was bewildered by the receiving contingent of Jim Geiser, Gary Conley and John Pierce.
Spielman bulled seven yards up the middle for Massillon's first touchdown, at 1:00 of the first quarter, to cap a 44-yard drive.
The Tigers tallied again at 6:28 of the second period, with Spielman bulling in from three yards out.
DeWitz hit Geiser with a 10-yard bullet in the end zone 45 seconds before the band show.
The Tigers scored on a 44-yard drive midway through the third period, with Sampsel bulldozing two yards for the score.
Sharon, 6-0, scored a meaningless touchdown with a minute left in the game. Sharon, which revolves around shifty quarterback Teryl Clifford, rushed for 114 yards.
And now, what of GlenOak?
"A computer playoff spot is on the line," Currence said "It'll be for all the marbles.”
