CFB AM: Florida's fake FG star worked at Publix after beating UGA

CFB AM: Florida's fake FG star worked at Publix after beating UGA

Published Nov. 3, 2014 9:00 a.m. ET

Mike McNeely isn’t one of the most well-known Florida Gators, but he stepped into the spotlight on Saturday against Georgia.

The fifth-year senior wide receiver lined up as the holder on what appeared to be a field goal attempt on fourth-and-9 in the second quarter with the Gators trailing 7-0. Then this happened:

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McNeely instantly became one of Florida’s stars after his fake field goal TD helped the Gators upset the Dawgs, 38-20.

So what did McNeely do on Sunday to celebrate?

He worked his normal shift at a Gainesville Publix, helping customers check out and bagging their groceries. Here’s McNeely doing his job:

McNeely works from 1-8:45 p.m. every Sunday at the grocery store, albeit this wasn’t his typical shift. He was mobbed with photo and autograph requests while he bagged groceries.

A former walk-on, McNeely was awarded a scholarship prior to this season and was just accepted into Florida’s medical school. He said he’ll continue to work his Sunday shift at Publix until classes begin next August.

The only difference if he’s now probably the most famous grocery bagger in America (or at least in Florida).

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Our latest FOX Four came out Sunday night, with Auburn jumping into the playoff field at No. 3 and Florida State gaining at little ground on No. 1 Mississippi State. This weekend coming up is going to shake the playoff race, with crucial games all carrying potential postseason ramifications. Can’t wait.

2. Auburn leaped over Alabama to No. 3 in the newest AP poll, as that top 25 continues to have three SEC West teams in it, while TCU jumps up to No. 6. The coaches have the same top four, with Oregon No. 5, Michigan State No. 6 and TCU No. 7.

3. Notre Dame suffered a huge blow on Saturday night by losing linebacker Joe Schmidt for the season with a fractured ankle. Not many people will know Schmidt’s name or the impact he has on the Irish, but my colleague and former Irish QB Brady Quinn calls him the “quarterback” of Notre Dame’s defense, as it’s Schmidt who was responsible for interpreting DC Brian VanGorder’s complex defense and making sure everyone else on the unit knew where they had to be. Now the Irish must find a new leader on D during the same week they prepare to travel to Arizona State – a must-win game for ND to remain in playoff contention.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. Kansas State coach Bill Snyder apologized for appearing in a TV ad for a Kansas Senate candidate. "I made a mistake," Snyder told the Topeka Capital-Journal. "I'm not going to delve into exactly how everything happened, but I made a mistake and I embarrassed the university and that's my responsibility and that was my error. I'm not going to speak to it anymore right now, but that's my fault and nobody else's."

2. Bruce Feldman’s Week 10 Big Picture leads off with the Gators and has some interesting stuff from OC Kurt Roper on what makes freshman QB Treon Harris a special guy. Florida turned to Harris for the Georgia game over Jeff Driskel, and Roper said he had no intention of relying on the run game as heavily as UF did against the Dawgs. He just saw how badly the Gators were mauling UGA in the run game and decided not to mess with it. Good call.

3. I can’t stop laughing at these brilliant GIFs of Gus Malzhan on the sidelines begging for more tempo. My favorite:

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THREE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

1. You have to read this Alex McDaniel piece on love, loss and Ole Miss football. In our media and entertainment culture, especially in the digital space, content expires so quickly – we move on to the next video, Tweet, whatever, within minutes. But this is the kind of story that slows you down and reminds you of the power sharing personal stories can have.

2. “Hey bruh, what’s with that call?”

3. West Virginia president Gordon Gee, the former Ohio State president famous for his bowties, had some fun on Saturday before the TCU game in Morgantown. He wanted fans to know he’s not a certain former Notre Dame head coach.

LASTLY

* We always see the trick plays that go well. Unfortunately for Syracuse, this one didn’t go so well.

* I hope your week starts off a little bit better than the Georgia Tech mascot’s.

Have a great Monday, all.

Teddy Mitrosilis is an editor and writer for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

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