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Sporting News, The, Dec 28, 1998

Syracuse vs. Florida

8 p.m. ET, January 2, Miami, ABC

Why you should watch: The great Donovan McNabb. He plays his last college game, and it comes against one of the nation's best defenses. The smart money says this should be a Florida win, but who knows when McNabb is on the field. He is capable of beating you through the air or on the ground. But Florida can stop both. The Gators have a little different look this season. Yes, the passing attack is still potent. Steve Spurrier still coaches this team, after all. But it's the defense that propelled Florida. It is fast and disruptive. The linebacking trio of Jevon Kearse, Johnny Rutledge and Mike Peterson is awesome.

FLORIDA: On any Steve Spurrier team, the passing game is the focal point. QB Doug Johnson shared the job with Jesse Palmer to start the season, then lost it, then took over for good when Palmer was lost for the year because of an injury. Johnson threw 19 touchdowns and passed for 2,346 yards. His favorite target is mighty-mite WR Travis McGriff, a 5-8 water bug who caught 70 balls for 1,357 yards and 10 touchdowns. He isn't your prototype receiver, but that doesn't mean he's easy to cover. Travis Taylor complements McGriff. Taylor is a big-play threat who has a knack for finding the end zone. Florida's running game ranks 95th in the nation. Terry Jackson averages 5.6 yards per carry, but he has had only 105 attempts this season. Spurrier would prefer to take care of business through the air. The Gators feature a deep, experienced offensive line. The best of the lot is massive tackle Zach Pitier. Defense is where Florida excels. The Gators' linebackers are outstanding. Jevon Kearse is a sure-fire top- 10 pick in the NFL draft, and he excels at pressuring the quarterback. But some say Mike Peterson, who was in on 127 tackles, had an even better season than Kearse. The defensive line has survived the loss of standout T Ed Chester. T Reggie McGrew has helped hold things together. The secondary was a question mark before the season, but the pass defense ranked seventh in the nation, so you can change that to an exclamation point. CB Tony George and S Teako Brown are the stars of the secondary. Some questioned whether the Gators belonged in a BCS game when Kansas State was snubbed after losing in the Big 12 championship game. But remember this: The Gators' two losses came on the road against Tennessee and Florida State, the teams playing for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl.

SYRACUSE: 33, 38, 70, 17, 63, 42, 45, 28, 28, 38, 66. That's not the winning ticket of the New York lottery but the astronomical point totals Syracuse put up this season. Three games of more than 60 points? Unbelievable. QB Donovan McNabb is the primary weapon but not the only one. WR/KR Kevin Johnson is one of the most dangerous players in the country. He scored 14 touchdowns. Nine came on receptions, three on runs and two on returns. Syracuse will try a number of ways to get the ball in his hands. TE Stephen Brominski is a huge target at 6-5, one that McNabb likes to look to in the red zone. McNabb is as efficient as he is flashy. He threw 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also ran for eight more scores. That's a tough guy to defend. McNabb is a tremendous leader to boot. RB Kyle McIntosh is a solid feature back. He is aided by the presence of warhorse FB Rob Konrad, who is a bruising blocker and a capable ballcarrier. The Orangemen like to use Konrad in short-yardage situations, The strength of the Syracuse defense is its secondary, which should make for an intriguing matchup against pass-happy Florida. Syracuse could soon be known as Safety U. After losing Tebucky Jones and Donovin Darius, two first-round NFL picks last spring, the Orangemen placed safeties Phil Nash and Jason Poles on the all-conference first and second team, respectively. Syracuse could pull off an upset here thanks to its special teams. K Nate Trout and P Doug Dunkin excel, and Johnson is as dangerous as any return man in the nation, Don't discount this fact: Syracuse is battle-tested and won't be flustered by any situation. This is a team that took Tennessee to overtime (as did Florida), was involved in several shootouts and won a game on the last play. The Orangemen have seen it all.

STARTING LINEUPS

SYRACUSE OFFENSE

Pos.     Name                               Ht./Wt.           Cl.
WR      Jeff Lowe                           5-11/188           Jr.
LT      Mark Baniewicz                       6-6/275           Jr.
LG      Scott Kiernan                        6-3/304           Sr.
C       Cory Bowen                           6-4/275           Jr.
RG      Joe Burton                           6-5/252           Fr.
RT      Jeff Pilon                           6-6/288           Jr.
TE      Stephen Brominski                    6-5/258           Jr.
QB      Donovan McNabb                       6-3/220           Sr.
TB      Kyle McIntosh                        5-8/180           Sr.
FB      Rob Konrad                           6-3/250           Sr.
WR      Kevin Johnson                       5-11/185           Sr.

SYRACUSE SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos. Name                                    Ht./Wt.           Cl.
K       Nate Trout                          5-10/184           Jr.
P       Doug Dunkin                         5-10/161           Sr.
KB      Kevin Johnson                       5-11/185           Sr.
PR      Kevin Johnson                       5-11/185           Sr.

SYRACUSE DEFENSE

Pos.    Name                                 Ht./Wt.           Cl.
LE      Marc Pilon                           6-5/262           Sr.
LT      Rickie Simpkins                      6-3/269           So.
RT      Brian Coleman                        6-2/305           Sr.
RE      Duke Pettijohn                       6-2/236           So.
OLB     Morion Greenwood                     6-0/225           So.
MLB     Keith Bulluck                        6-4/220           Jr.
OLB     Stan Gibbs                           6-0/221           Sr.
CB      Ian McIntosh                        5-10/158           Jr.
FS      Quentin Harris                       6-0/192           Fr.
SS      Jason Poles                          6-3/207           Sr.
RCB     Phil Nash                            6-0/196           Sr.

FLORIDA OFFENSE

Pos.     Name                                Ht./Wt.           Cl.
WR      Nafis Karim                          6-0/190           Sr.
LT      Zach Piller                          6-6/324           Sr
LG      Ryan Kalich                          6-3/302           Jr.
C       Corey Yarbrough                      6-2/294           Jr.
RG      Cheston Blackshear                   6-3/284           Jr.
RT      Kenyatta Walker                      6-5/307           Fr.
TE      Erron Kinney                         6-6/266           Jr.
QB      Doug Johnson                         6-2/215           Jr.
TB      Eugene McCaslin                      6-2/219           Jr.
FB      Rob Roberts                          6-2/243            Fr
WR      Travis McGriff                       5-8/189           Sr.

FLORIDA SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.     Name                                Ht./Wt.           Cl.
K       Jeff Chandler                        6-2/208           So.
P       David Wasielewski                   5-10/222           Fr.
KR      John Capel                          5-11/163           Fr.
PR      Travis McGriff                       5-8/189           Sr.

FLORIDA DEFENSE

Pos.    Name                                 Ht./Wt.           Cl.
LE      Tim Beauchamp                        6-2/260           Sr.
LT      Derrick Chambers                     6-4/280           So.
RT      Reggie McGrew                        6-2/295           Jr.
RE      Willie Cohens                        6-3/257           Sr.
OLB     Jevon Kearse                         6-5/250           Jr.
MLB     Johnny Rutledge                      6-2/239           Sr.
OLB     Mike Peterson                        6-2/225           Sr.
LCB     Tony George                          6-0/189           Sr.
FS      Teako Brown                         5-11/197           Sr.
SS      Rod Graddy                           6-1/203           So.
RCB     Bennie Alexander                     5-9/175           Fr.
ADVANTAGE:      QB   RB   WR   OL   DL   LB   DB   ST

Syracuse         X    X    X                        X
Florida                         X    X    X    X