1. By DANNY KLEIN
danny.klein@news-jrnl.com
After last season’s 8-2 breakout, Uni-
versity coach Brian Kells wants to make
sure his team doesn’t take a step back this
spring.
One thing that should help: For the best
run in program history, it also might have
been the most disappointing.
“We come out with intensity every prac-
tice,” said senior linebacker Matt Zook,
who had 112 tackles and seven sacks last
season. “Because for us, 8-2 wasn’t good
enough. That wasn’t our goal. Our goal
wasn’t to have a winning season or do
better than we did last year. Our goal was
to make the playoffs and we didn’t reach
that.”
University’s two losses came to District
2-8A runner-up DeLand and Lake Mary, the
eventual winner.
That left the Titans with a flashy record
but not much else to boast about.
Perhaps tougher to swallow, University
PREP FOOTBALL
Titans aim for playoffs
By BRIAN LINDER
brian.linder@news-jrnl.com
The Stetson Hatters might be the
host for Tuesday’s game against Flor-
ida State, but coach Pete Dunn said
his team likely will be outnumbered.
“Our classes are out, so we won’t
have as many students there,” Dunn
said. “So, you’re probably going to
see a lot more garnet and gold in the
stands than green and white.”
First pitch at Melching Field is
slated for 6 p.m. Ricky Hazel, a
Stetson athletics spokesman, said
Monday three reserve single tickets
and 700 general admission tickets
were left.
General admission tickets are $10.
Dunn would like to see a few more
Stetson fans get tickets for the game,
but he said he was OK with it if FSU
fans gobble them up.
“It should be a great atmosphere,”
he said.
The No. 7 Seminoles (34-15) roll
into DeLand winners in nine of their
past 11 games.
On the other hand, Stetson (24-25)
is coming off a deflating Atlantic Sun
Conference weekend sweep at the
hands of North Florida. The Hatters,
who entered the series looking to
take over first place in the A-Sun,
came out of it just hoping to make
the conference tournament.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Huge crowd expected for Hats, ’Noles contest
SPORTS SECTION
B
NEWS-JOURNAL
TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015
ON THE TRACK
Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer
hope to do well at their home
course in Kansas. PAGE 3B
HEY,
WILLIE!
KEN
WILLIS
HEY, WILLIE!
The Tampa Bay coach said the
team wouldn’t have drafted Jam-
eis Winston if they thought they
had to assign him a babysitter. I
thought NFL teams did plenty of
research before the draft. How’d
they miss this one?
JEFF
HEY, JEFF!
I doubt Jameis will have a
mediocre NFL career. You tend
to think he’ll go big, one way or
the other. He’s either JaMarcus
Russell or Andrew Luck.
A lot of it, or maybe all of it,
depends on whether he keeps
it together emotionally, phys-
ically and, you know, maybe
legally.
There’s a bit of history, you
know, but the Bucs’ investiga-
tive team found a way to either
explain it away or ignore it.
You can really buy into what
so many have been saying in
defense of his character.
But on the very night of the
draft, when he posts a photo on
Instagram of himself preparing
to enjoy a platter of crab legs,
well, you have to wonder.
Remember, the Publix corpo-
rate headquarters is only about
a half-hour to the east on I-4.
HEY, WILLIE!
Is it only me or are the an-
nouncers overusing the phrase,
“Let’s get ready to rumble!”?
I thought it had gone the way
of the dodo bird, but now I’m
hearing it again. I’ve heard it at
bridge and chess tournaments.
How long until someone growls
“Let’s get ready to rumble” to
kick off a quilting bee?
WILLIE FROM EDGEWATER
HEY, EDGEWATER WILLIE!
Gee, thanks.
As you probably know, fa-
mous ring announcer Michael
Buffer trademarked that phrase
about 20 years ago, which
means we now owe him about
$2.79.
HEY, WILLIE!
I see where 14-year-old players
are getting scholarship offers
from football powerhouses.
Amazing!
Wait, I just saw my little
grandson kick his Wiffle ball
across the room! I’m sending a
tape to Jim McElwain in Gaines-
ville.
STAN
HEY, STAN!
You know it’s getting bad
when even Steve Spurrier is get-
ting involved in this nonsense.
If you get a moment, go find
the picture of Spurrier posing
with a middle-schooler from
Atlanta named Dominick
Blaylock. Spurrier doesn’t like
recruiting 18-year-olds, so imag-
ine how thrilled he is by this
new trend.
Don’t just imagine it, go look
for yourself. You’d see more joy
in an old man’s driver’s license
photo.
HEY, WILLIE!
In your review of NFL quar-
terbacks from Florida schools
(April 24), you overlooked Chris-
tian Ponder, who was picked in
the first round by Minnesota.
He never should’ve been a
first-round QB. Jameis Winston
has it all to be a big-time player,
but he must keep maturing and
should’ve stayed another year
at Florida State to continue that
process.
LEE
HEY, LEE!
You’re suggesting Jameis was
gaining maturity in Tallahas-
see?
As for Ponder, I’m not the
only one to overlook him.
The Vikings ignored him con-
tractually, which landed Ponder
in Oakland.
First instinct says Ponder
should’ve been included in the
“underachievers” category. But
we could be kind and suggest
the jury still is out, since he’s
only 27.
Reach Ken Willis at ken.
willis@news-jrnl.com. Twitter:
@HeyWillieNJ.
What were
the Bucs
thinking?
By KEN WILLIS
ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
The PGA Tour always is looking
for ways to raise awareness for its
homegrown marquee event — The
Players Championship, which starts
Thursday alongside the Tour’s head-
quarters in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The Tour’s marketing staff has
plenty of help this week because of a
variety of recent headlines. Here’s a
sampling of talking points heading
into tournament at TPC Sawgrass:
Rory’s rolling
A lot of onlookers were considering it just
a matter of time before Jordan Spieth
overtook Rory McIlroy to become World
No. 1. It still might be. But Rory’s gallop
through the Cadillac Match Play Cham-
pionship — he was clutch late in tight
matches — sent a rather clear signal he’s
still the man. But like other greats before
him — particularly Tiger Woods and
Phil Mickelson — his Sawgrass record is
spotty at best. He missed the cut his first
three tries, then tied for eighth in 2013
and skipped it last year.
One short of a twosome
Spieth became an international star with
his Masters win in April, McIlroy solidi-
fied his No. 1 ranking last week, the PGA
Tour’s much-hyped hometown event
is this week ... and what’s the biggest
news in golf? Tiger Woods and Lindsey
Vonn have split. Guess what’ll be Topic
A during Tiger’s pre-tournament press
conference today? It won’t be his wedge
game.
THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
SHOW STOPPERSPlenty of headliners and stories ahead of this week’s big event
Associated Press/ERIC RISBERG
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is not ready to give up his throne at the top, as his performance this past weekend at the
Cadillac Match Play Championship proved.
News-Journal file/NIGEL COOK
University’s Lorenzo Lingard already
has offers from several big colleges.
PETE
DUNN
VANCE
VIZCAINO
Inside
Prep baseball Fab 5 and regional baseball
capsules, PAGE 6B
The Players Championship
WHERE: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra
Beach
FIELD: 144 players
TV: 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday
(Golf Channel); Noon to 2 p.m. (Golf
Channel) and 2 to 7 p.m. (NBC) Sat-
urday and Sunday.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS (PLUS TAX): $20
for today and Wednesday, $58 for
Thursday, $65 for Friday and Sat-
urday, $58 for Sunday, $165 for all
week.
FAMILY TICKET PLAN (PLUS TAX): $95
for two adult tickets and two $10
concession tickets. Thursday-Sunday.
All children ages 18 and under are
admitted free with adult.
MORE INFO: PGATour.com
• The 144-player field features 49 of the top 50 in the current Official World Golf Ranking and 56 of the top 60.
• Tiger Woods, one of just six multiple winners at this event, sees his first action since he tied for 17th at the Masters. That was
after a two-month layoff.
•Daytona Beach native Matt Every will compete in the event. He currently is 30th in FedEx points and 46th in the world ranking.
OF NOTE
SEE TITANS, PAGE 6B
SEE PLAYERS, PAGE 5B
Inside
Roundup, scoreboard, PAGE 5B
SEE HATS, PAGE 5B