Jaguars are for real

With a big win on MNF over the Steelers, the Jaguars finally arrived. Well, for the rest of the world they did.

Going 12-4 last season, you would think the Jaguars would have garnered some attention from the media - but playing in a small (I mean, minature) market doesn't help them get exposure. The team America forgot reminded everyone why they are a force to be reckoned with, not that the Steelers needed to be reminded but they most certainly learned for good.

This was once a big rivalry, when both teams were in the same division four years ago. Both teams seem to battle for the lead of their division but then the league decided to change things around. Tonight, maybe that rivalry was somewhat re-kindled.

Billed as a hard-hitting defensive oriented game, it was going to come down to which team made the first mistake. Yet the team that did, the Jaguars with a Leftwich interception, did not pay for their crimes. Nor did, arguably, the Steelers as Rothlisberger in his first game of the new season (after undergoing like 20 offseason surgeries and miracles) threw 2 INTs which only resulted in a FG and a game ending kneel by the Jags offense.

9-0. It isn't how many points were put on the board, but the win that mattered. In fact, the Jaguars did generate a healthy offensive output but just were not able to punch it in the endzone. They initiated several opportunities but couldn't close the deal.

But make no mistake, the offensive talent is there and as this team plays together and gets more acquainted with Mike Tice's offensive play calling, they will start making up for it.

The defense was battle-tested again and demonstrated to be championship caliber. Mathis made strides to become one of the top CBs in the league with 2 INTs on the national stage - after having to defend Terrel Owens last week. Mike Peterson made play after play; the behemouth defensive line continued to stifle and suffocate one of the best offensive lines in the NFL all night.

The fans stayed to the last second. Leftwich, under much scrutiny, was last seen waving to the fans in the stands at the end of the game - with them showering him back with applause and praise.

See, all you have to do is earn respect. It isn't given lightly, you must work for it. And like Leftwich, the Jaguars may have done just that tonight for the rest of the football world.

Dade County football suffers bad weekend

Well, both the Canes lost and the Dolphins lost this weekend in what was shaping up to be a good weekend for football. The mood has dampered a lot with Cane fans talking more openly about not making a bowl game and also about their desire to be rid of headcoach Larry Coker.

The Dolphins, coming off their hard fought effort against Pittsburgh on NBC's debut of Thursday night football in which they lost, followed up with a possible patsy opponent in the Bills with yet another loss.

But it wasn't so much the losses that did the teams in and the fans, but the way both teams lost. Both teams just seemed to lose their swagger in the process.

The Dolphins couldn't mount a respectable attack against the Buffalo suddenly-juggernaut defense. Only 6 points, and a missed FG to boot for Mare, in their loss. Culpepper looked sloppy, confused, and not at all at full capacity. He kept slipping, tripping and even losing the football in his usually stable hands. His passes were off, and he was staring at his recievers like a fratboy at a kegger. Little went right, except for Ronnie Brown who managed to stay alive under a constant sea of Buffalo defenders.

As for the Canes? Well, the U went to the Useless as their offensive line just couldn't offer the protection they needed to get the offense going. And Louisville, a dark horse pick by some media members, was without their all-world QB Micheal Bush who is out for the season.

Maybe there is a beacon of light on the horizon. For the Dolphins, that should come as they gradually get Culpepper healthy and in rythmn with the new cast. But for the Canes, who knows - they have been falling for a long time now.

Florida State emerges with spotlight

The big game - UM and FSU are the definition of it. Not only do these two schools have a long and rivaled history against one another, with implications of national championships upon each meeting still, but they are also an institution of sorts.

ESPN kicked off its coverage of the college season with the fireworks that are ESPN Full Circle coverage. Spread over several channels, the coverage of this game was extensive going from the main telecast on ESPN to its mosaic-styled coverage on ESPN2 to online specials and even special coverage offered on its expanded stations like ESPNU.

And the game didn't disappoint. Several jarring hits popped helmets off. Speedy defenses recovered to suck up powerful, but frantic, offenses. Only 3 rushing yards allowed for the whole game by both defenses. It became a one dimensional grudge match where both teams scrapped through the air.

The rust was apparent: from the running games, the play calling, to the officiating which had to border on idiotic.

Yet, with the 13-10 win over their rivals, it is the Seminoles that emerge with the spoils and the spotlight. They are now on course for an ACC title match and possibly a national championship. While the Hurricanes are cast down back into the depths of the rankings from which they will have to fight to get out of.

Perhaps they will meet again in the ACC championship game.

But this is what happens when UM and FSU get together. They kick off the college season, they kick off the ACC season, and they restart a rivalry that not only serves as motivation for training camp and spring practice, but that could also shape the offseason recruiting process as well as possible national title hopes.

This is what college football is all about, and Florida State now embodies precisely that.