Now that Jon Sumrall has been hired as the new coach for the Florida Gators, he has some unfinished business to take care of on Friday night. Sumrall's original team, Tulane, is set to take on North Texas in the American Conference title game with a presumed spot in the playoffs on the line.
For Gator fans who haven't paid too close of attention to Tulane and/or Sumrall prior to this week, it will be a great chance to watch Florida's new coach in action.
Tulane takes on North Texas in the American Conference title game
The Green Wave, despite being at home, is a 2.5-point underdog to the Mean Green tonight. The two teams did not play each other during the regular season.
Florida fans who are going to tune in tonight at 8 PM on ABC are going to have their eyes on a handful of things with Sumrall:
- Sideline demeanor - One of the constant complaints we had with Billy Napier was the fact that he seldom looked like he cared about what was happening on the field. Based on what we have seen from Sumrall, he is a complete 180 from Napier and makes people want to run through a wall.
- Organization - Another factor that doomed Napier was the fact that nothing ever looked organized on the field. The play call came in late, Florida constantly took time-outs coming out of a timeout, and Florida frequently struggled to get the correct number of players on the field. No matter the talent level Sumrall is working with at Tulane, these are non-negotiables.
- 2nd Half Decision Making - The biggest knock on Sumrall, and the thing that has us concerned about whether or not it will work out in Gainesville, is that he has relied on a ton of one-score games. Typically speaking, G5 coaches with a ton of one-score wins don't succeed at the Power Four level (see Napier). If you remove Sumrall's first game at Tulane against SE Louisiana, Tulane has only outscored opponents by 1.5 points in the second half during his tenure in New Orleans. So if Tulane takes a lead tonight, are they going to keep their foot on the gas pedal or are they going to get tight?
The irony of tonight is that the North Texas coach, Eric Morris, is also set to leave after the season for Oklahoma State. It would actually benefit Florida for Tulane to lose tonight so that Sumrall can have his full attention on the Gators rather than preparing for a playoff game.
But, for Florida fans watching tonight, they still want to see a squad that looks prepared, organized, and one that doesn't get scared in the 2nd half.
The American Conference title game is tonight (Friday) at 8 PM on ABC.