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Chomping at Bits (still) comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find, and maybe some other stuff. It will (hopefully) run from Tuesdays to Thursdays in the 9 a.m. Eastern hour this fall.
Kyle Trask to return to field he was named after: A family full of Aggies sounds ... challenging to me, but very cool for Trask to get a chance to play against his family’s team, even if he wasn’t personally a diehard fan. (Scott Carter, Florida Gators)
Zachary Carter named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week: He’s been disruptive and done so from multiple positions up front. Maybe Florida’s best lineman so far? (Tommy Scott, Florida Gators)
Texas transfer Jordan Pouncey gets NCAA waiver, now eligible: Hard to see exactly where he factors into a deep receiving corps, but depth is certainly useful this year. (Zach Abolverdi, Gators Territory)
Florida-LSU set for 3:30 kickoff on ESPN: We already knew it was going to be a 3:30 game by virtue of Georgia-Alabama being set for primetime, but now we know it’ll be on ESPN and not ESPN2. (Tommy Scott, Florida Gators)
Florida-South Carolina advanced stats review: As Wunderlich noted on Twitter, the first- and fourth-quarter success rates for the Florida offense stand out. (David Wunderlich, Gator Country)
Mullen alters stance on divulging injuries: To be clear, noting which players have injuries that will cause them to miss extended time and not the nicks-and-bruises stuff out of what is superficially deference to keeping COVID-19 diagnoses private but is probably an interest in not giving anyone in the media or in other programs information that Mullen would rather not share is still a stupid and misguided thing, because it’s going to foster speculation rather than diminishing it. But it’s Mullen’s prerogative to do what he wants with the information he controls, so long as it’s legal; it’s equally fair for journalists to take issue with those stances. (Robbie Andreu, The Gainesville Sun)
Semi-random hilariousish Internet thing: Probably, at this point, you have seen or heard tell of the wonderfully blissed-out video of Nathan Apodaca, alias @420doggface208 on TikTok, skateboarding on a highway while singing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and sipping Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice straight from the bottle.
If you haven’t, enjoy:
@420doggface208 Morning vibe #420souljahz #ec #feelinggood #h2o #cloud9 #happyhippie #worldpeace #king #peaceup #merch #tacos #waterislife #high #morning #710 #cloud9
♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) - Fleetwood Mac
But as the Fleetwood Mac and/or “Dreams” challenge — which, like, isn’t a challenge, but was seemingly one guy doing whatever the hell he wants? — goes viral, with Mick Fleetwood and an Army helicopter crew among the folks getting in on it, I found a lot of hope and joy in Laura Zornosa’s profile of Apodaca for the Los Angeles Times, which paints him as a guy just getting by and enjoying life. Why is he on TikTok? His kids, of course. Why was he skateboarding that day? His car broke down, so he skated to work.
If only we could all be so free. It’s only right that you should play the way you feel it.
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