Gator Country brings you a new podcast as we recap the Florida Gators football game against North Texas on Saturday night in the Swamp.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre break down the injury of quarterback Luke Del Rio and what it means going forward, plus we debate the play of Austin Appleby.
Andrew and Nick also talk about Jim McElwain’s reaction to the injury, plus start to look ahead to the Tennessee game this weekend in Knoxville.
TRANSCRIPT:
Nick:What’s going on, Gator Country? Florida is 3-0. The defense is playing at a historic pace. All four running backs are toting the rock. All four of them scored. It’s Tennessee week. This is what we’ve been waiting for for months. Andrew, why are you not happy this morning?
Andrew:Man, this dark cloud that continues to just hang over this program. You feel really bad for everyone involved. It sucks. The Muschamp dark cloud is still in Gainesville. He didn’t take it to Carolina with him. You feel bad for everyone involved. No matter how good Appleby does, and we’ll see. We’ll talk about that in a few minutes. You feel bad for this team. You feel bad for this coaching staff. Two straight years of a team that looks like it’s improving, and then you lose your quarterback. It sucks. I feel bad for everyone involved.
Nick:On Twitter, #blameboom.
Andrew:That’s right. Here’s the thing, and I’m about to take it to another level. Gator fans, I’m not going to lie, for the first time probably since I’ve covered this team, I’ve been embarrassed by this fan base.
Nick:Attacking the fans.
Andrew:I’m not attacking all of the fans, but I’m attacking some. To come out and blame Mac, I see this on our message board. I posted a photo, and, Nick, you know I’m very different about the coaching staff. You have an opinion. I have an opinion, and we’re perfectly cool with both us having an opinion. What Jim McElwain did on Saturday should earn that man props forever, and we’ll talk more about that in a second. You see people on Twitter, on the message boards, saying he’s an idiot for even having Del Rio in there, because it was 19-0, and there was no way they were going to do that. Then you have fans tweeting.
Nick:The whole get Del Rio out of a 19-0, stop it. It’s 19-0, you should have been beating that team by 30 at that point. 19-0, you’re not taking anybody out of the game.
Andrew:It wasn’t Jimbo with Derwin.
Nick:No. 19-0, you’re not taking anybody out of the game.
Andrew:Then you just have fans tweeting different things about, the season’s over. No way anybody this. I don’t know. To me, it’s an embarrassment. It really is, and for the first time I am, I’m embarrassed by some of the fan base. Fan base was, I don’t know. I don’t even know how to say it. Just embarrassed.
Nick:I got flashbacks of last year. I got flashbacks of last year when people were saying, put Josh Grady in, instead of Treon Harris, and you tell them, I’ve seen both of them play in practice; there’s a drop off. There can’t be. It can’t be any worse. Okay, you would know. The coaching staff that every fan says I trust, love, believe in, why is Appleby in there? Or give me Appleby, I was getting both last night, and I tell you, there’s a drop off from Del Rio to Appleby, a significant drop off, in my opinion. That’s why Del Rio’s starting. That’s why Appleby’s not playing. That’s why when Appleby comes into the game you run the ball 10 straight times.
Andrew:Right. Here’s my thing with that. It’s even people direct the comments at us, well you don’t know. Okay, well then why are you asking me? If you don’t want my opinion, why are you asking me? If you know so much, why aren’t you coaching the team? Why aren’t you coaching the team?
Nick:Probably just haven’t gotten the opportunity yet, still waiting on the phone call.
Andrew:Yeah. There’s probably a reason they didn’t get the opportunity to. It’s just frustrating. It even goes to some of the media people. You see dumb ass comments, and it’s just time to become real about things. There’s a difference between a fan and being crazy. A fan is upset when their team loses, but there’s a reason that you pay for insider information, or there’s a reason you’re a fan. You don’t go to practice. You’re not in the coach’s things. Let’s not make out like you know their game plan. You know their game plan? Well, dang, I feel pretty connected. Nick, you feel pretty connected?
Nick:Yeah.
Andrew:I don’t know the game plan. Man, maybe it just went on past us. They were getting on Del Rio, and Del Rio played really bad for the game, but here’s the thing, and it’s like I told you too, Nick. They were sending eight in the box. Florida was not going to show anything, was not going to show anything last night. They could have walked out there with three plays, and they were going to be happy with it. It is what it is. I don’t know, man. Just something hit me last night, and I don’t even know why, but it’s just an embarrassment.
Nick:Del Rio, so the debate on people saying take Del Rio out of the game came because the offensive line was getting him killed. Del Rio was getting drilled, flattened, pancaked.
Andrew:Hold on a second. Hold on. Let me make this point. I don’t know so much if it was the offensive line though. Let me add to that. There was a lot of times they were bringing more guys than Florida had to block, because they were simple, we don’t care; we’re just going to hit them.
Nick:Yeah. Maybe that’s part of what you get into when you play teams like this.
Andrew:They have nothing to lose.
Nick:Yeah. Schedule better. Make a better schedule.
Andrew:Do you want to talk about the dirty hit now, or move on a little bit?
Nick:Let’s talk about it now.
Andrew:Okay. Dirty hit. Someone said, he got tripped. He didn’t get tripped. I’ve seen four different replays. He didn’t get tripped.
Nick:That was North Texas’s head coach.
Andrew:No, but I’ve seen Gator fans say he got tripped. He didn’t get tripped. Goolsby was by him. He had already went by Goolsby. He launched himself into Del Rio. That is a play that in the NFL you’re sitting out games and getting a major fine. Not only that, but…
Nick:Depends on which quarterback. You do it to Cam Newton, and you’re fined. You do it to Tom Brady, and they publicly execute you.
Andrew:That’s the play that destroyed Tom Brady’s knee and put him out for 16 months. There’s no room for it. Back to back hits, or back to back weeks this guy takes an opposing quarterback’s ACL. No room in the game of football for that. Football is a violent sport, but you don’t intentionally take someone out. For me, North Texas is a dirty football team to Seth Littrell, and he’s a dirty man to that football team. That’s a dirty football program, and consequences should be handed out. Not only on the Del Rio play. Mark Thompson got stomped after the play. They were diving at LP’s ankles after plays were happening. That is a dirty football team. Props to Martez Ivey for taking up for his quarterback. Maybe that lights a fire in him. Props to the team the way they handled it. That’s a dirty football team from Seth Littrell.
Nick:I saw some stuff, like you mentioned. I didn’t see Mark Thompson, that stomp, but I saw some late hits. I remember I texted you, it was an open field tackle, but the safety, I think it was, maybe safety or linebacker, went really low on Perine. To me, I didn’t like that. The stuff after that wasn’t getting called, like someone just diving on, piling on.
Andrew:No room for it.
Nick:Yeah. To me that stuff isn’t getting called. I think Martez Ivey gets thrown out of the game as more of a statement, because there wasn’t really a punch thrown.
Andrew:No.
Nick:So I think it’s more of a statement of we’re going to get this game under control, and then you don’t.
Andrew:Right. Couple things.
Nick:So to me that was, yeah, it gets to a point where North Texas knows, we’re not going to win the game, and then it gets chippy.
Andrew:Yeah. Couple things that I want to hit on right there. A, with Martez, could this be the play that turns Martez, that gets that fire missing out of Martez back?
Nick:Homeboy almost exploded his helmet. He got thrown out, was walking on the sideline, and he Gronky spiked his helmet. I’m surprised the face mask didn’t fly off.
Andrew:You saw a fire in Martez that I haven’t seen since high school. I mean, agree? That could be the play that gets him going.
Nick:I don’t know if I agree that it will, but…
Andrew:It could.
Nick:I won’t even say that it could. I would say that you would hope.
Andrew:Right. McElwain, props.
Nick:Dude, the players loved that reaction.
Andrew:Absolutely loved it. You’re seeing it on Twitter explode nightly and daily about the guys saying they have his back. That team was different after the ejection, and it shouldn’t been, but it was like we weren’t really into this game, now you pissed us off, and you took our quarterback out. So we’re going to get you and get you hard. Good thing for Mason Fine that Collins and those guys took out the starting defense, because they were coming looking for blood.
Nick:They were getting it. Can we talk about this Florida defense?
Andrew:Let’s talk Florida defense in just a second though. I want to his this McElwain thing one more time. For me, and it’s different from what it was with Will Muschamp, and it’s different from this. You don’t see Jim McElwain ever react like that. I think he said that was the first time he reacted like that since like ’88 or something. You don’t see Jim McElwain get like that very often, but he was pissed off at that play, and for me that earned Jim McElwain points in the locker room from his players.
Nick:Yeah. 100%. Everybody said that it showed that he has our back, and makes us want to have his back. The players loved it. Absolutely loved it. I think that is shown. Jalen Tabor walked him off. Fred Johnson walked him off. Every player we spoke to last night said that just shows that our coach loves us. Was it an overreaction by McElwain? Yeah, but he sees his quarterback, he’s seen some late hits already. As an adult, he understands this isn’t a game that we were ever going to lose. Both coaching staffs should know that, and he expects the other coaching staff to, let’s take our paycheck; let’s not try to do anything dirty and ruin Florida’s season. Take our paycheck, go buy new uniforms, whatever we’re going to buy. They should probably buy new uniforms. Those things were hideous. Take our loss and go home. He got mad, because he perceived it as a late hit, and kind of just lost it. There’s really no other explanation other than he lost his cool.
Andrew:See, do I think he overreacted? I don’t. I think he was a guy that just had enough. I think he had had enough. That wasn’t the first late hit on Del Rio in the game. Would you agree?
Nick:I don’t think the hit that hurt him was late.
Andrew:No, I’m saying…
Nick:I think just low. It was low, not late.
Andrew:Right, but I’m saying that wasn’t, I see what you’re saying. There was multiple late hits in the game that just wasn’t called. So that wasn’t the first hit on Del Rio that was a cheap shot.
Nick:Yeah.
Andrew:Let’s talk defense. Nick, you came up, and I’m going to give you these stats, because I want you to be able to talk about them. We were talking about this off the air. This Gator defense, and before anyone, because I promise to God, if the next person that hits me on Twitter saying Florida hasn’t played any good offense will get blocked. I promise they will be. No if, ands, or buts about it. I don’t care if it’s Jim McElwain. He will get blocked. Don’t test me right now. It doesn’t matter if they’re playing JV football teams. To put this up is incredible. #1 in scoring defense, 4.7 points a game. #2 in rushing defense to Houston, 42.33 yards a game. #2 in passing defense to Virginia Tech, 87.3 yards a game. #1 in total defense, giving up just 129.7 yards a game, and they’re averaging 5.33 sacks a game. That also leads the country.
Nick:16th in the country in interceptions. This Gator defense, and I feel like we’ve been saying it for like four years now, they’re going to take a step back. Look at who was drafted. Look at what they’re losing. You can’t replace that. You can’t replace Sherif Floyd. You can’t replace Dominic Easley. You can’t replace a Jenoris Jenkins, Joe Hayden, Major Wright. How are you going to replace these guys? Waiting for Florida’s defense to take a step back.
Andrew:Lose Vernon Hargreaves too.
Nick:Grab a number. You lost two first rounders. You lost two three year starters in Jon Bullard and Antonio Morrison. If you’re waiting for Florida’s defense to take a step back, grab a number. Find a comfy chair, a beverage, maybe a snack, because you’re going to be waiting for a while. The intensity that this defense is playing with, Duke Dawson only had one tackle yesterday, but he knocked old boy six yards back and made him question is this sport really for me. Florida is hitting people with anger.
Andrew:There’s no tomorrow.
Nick:There’s like a pain inside, like Florida’s defense just got broken up with, and they’re taking it out on everybody they’re playing against. The hits that are happening. This defense is just playing with so much confidence and so much anger. It’s just really fun to watch.
Andrew:The play that was funny for me, and Jalen Tabor had two pass interference calls. One was an absolute horse crap call. Quincy Wilson’s call was horse crap. Anyway, two plays after getting a pass interference Jalen Tabor, there’s a little video going around of him lined up in the receiver’s face, literally clapping in his face, jawing, like, come on. Anzalone, Davis, you name it, are just popping people. Caleb Brantley on the safety destroyed Mason Fine. Destroyed him. The pops are coming. It is crazy. It really is. It’s crazy to think about the hits that is going on, and it’s just an overall team effort, including Marcell Harris gets his first pick on Saturday night. This team is just they’re bringing the lumber out there, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.
This defense is really good, and, Nick, we would be crazy not to mention that there’s young guys getting in there. Jabari, my boy JZ, getting in there. Khairi Clark getting in there. Keivonnis Davis getting in there. Jachai Polite getting in there. Kylan Johnson, excuse me, David Reese, I tweeted, you get Davis out of the game, and then you get a missile, 33, coming; David Reese hitting you in the mouth. You think about these guys. Chauncey Gardner had a big play. Putu had a big play. Jawaan Taylor had a pass breakup. The young guys on defense are learning from these guys. It is helping these guys, and where’s the drop off? This defense is the best in the country.
Nick:Yeah. Last night Jalen Tabor has a pass breakup. Quincy Wilson has two. Chauncey Gardner got one, also got a tackle. Marcus Maye broke up a pass. 10 tackles for loss last night, seven sacks. Seven sacks. Jabari Zuniga gets two more. He has four on the year. You look at this team, and it’s just, we think that the defensive tackles are going to be a weakness, because there isn’t depth. Nope. We think linebacker is going to be an issue. David Reese came in in garbage time last night. His first drive a guy tries to cut him low, slaps him in the helmet, moves around, makes the solo tackle in space.
Andrew:He has five tackles. He’s third on the team.
Nick:Four solo.
Andrew:That wasn’t just in garbage time with that. He had some plays during the game. Nick, you say how many sacks was it? Seven?
Nick:Seven sacks.
Andrew:Then they had another eight quarterback hurries. Good luck. We’re going to get more on this with Tennessee here in a couple minutes, and more on Wednesday. The difference will be Alex Anzalone in this football game, Nick. I am glad I have the first pick on Friday. Alex Anzalone will be my first pick, because he’s going to be key in this game. Let’s talk offense, Nick. The offensive running game, 255 yards total yards rushing in the game. The four-headed monster all scores.
Nick:To me that is interesting. You look at the way the carries were distributed, 11 to Thompson, 11 for Scarlett, 11 for Perine, 9 for Cronk, and then you also had three receptions for Cronk. Perine had a catch as well.
Andrew:I mean, here’s the thing for me, and you know I’m biased, Nick. So I have to ask, get your opinion on these running backs. For me though, Perine and Scarlett are your best two backs. I saw one of our competitors say Cronkrite has the best vision and hits the hole the fastest. That’s retarded. That’s stupid. Not happening. No way, shape, or form. Scarlett and LP are hitting that hole and going, and here’s the thing, Nick. It doesn’t matter if there’s five, six, seven guys. Their feet are still churning. They’re not giving up.
Nick:To me, if I would rank the four, I’m not sure who I would rank one.
Andrew:I’ll give you Scarlett. He’s older. I’ll give that to you.
Nick:Being older doesn’t really, I don’t really factor that in. I’d probably go Scarlett one, Perine two, Cronk three, Thompson four.
Andrew:I’m right there with you. I still Cronk is more of your all-purpose guy.
Nick:Cronk definitely seems to be your NFL, that’s our 3rd down back. That’s our guy that is going to be our receiving back. Mark Thompson lost those privileges real quick. To me, that seems to be what separates Cronk is that they’re at least using him, maybe more comfortable with him in the passing game, as far as being a receiver. Very impressed with Jordan Scarlett, his blocking. That’s something I told everybody when he was coming in. His high school coaches used him as a fullback on the goal line, because he was such a good blocker.
Andrew:Right.
Nick:Never worried about blocking with him. I think the most complete back, if you say complete back, you look at Scarlett, and you look at Perine.
Andrew:That is what I was saying. Both of those guys. Interesting tidbit on the blocking, Perine his junior year was lacking that, and his offensive coordinator put him in drills with his tight ends to make him block, to become a better blocker. So that was where it was. That’s why that is, but those two are your guys there.
Let’s talk Austin Appleby going forward. You and I are going to differ here. It’s cool. It’s completely cool. Now, here’s the thing I want to say though, Nick. This is what I want to say to everyone. Be careful of what you take from him from his Purdue time. Shitty team around a quarterback makes the quarterback even worse. A bad quarterback around the team makes the team worse. So be careful of that. I will say this, and, Nick, you heard the same thing, and we both laughed. Players, people around the program, liked Appleby in the fall. Not more than Del Rio, but it was constant. We like Appleby. We’re going to see it. I’m not saying I believe it. We’re going to see it. I will say this. It doesn’t take a rocket science to run Mac’s offense. It takes someone that can simply throw the ball. That’s why Treon Harris failed.
Nick:I think, and I’m going to write on Sunday, so check that out on Sunday night or Monday, I’m going to write that losing Del Rio, yesterday we didn’t know, today we think it might not be as serious as originally feared, but it’s kind of what we talked about before the year. Remember we say if you need a quarterback for a week, it’s probably Appleby. If you’re looking at something long term, probably going to look at one of the freshmen. Looking at you, Kyle Trask.
Andrew:Right.
Nick:To me, you can’t start a freshman next week. So Appleby’s your guy. A conversation I had in the fall was don’t sleep on Appleby. I respond, he’s not beating Del Rio for the starting job. Oh, no, of course not, but he’s not bad. He’s a good quarterback. If that’s buy or sell, I’m selling.
Andrew:Here’s the thing. Nick, you know I had this conversation with someone, and we’ll remain nameless on who this conversation was. I posed this question to said person. I said, Appleby just really isn’t that good; he’s just here for depth. Said person responds, is he the greatest quarterback? No. But he can knock that window out beside us that Treon Harris couldn’t. If we have to go to him, he’s better than Treon Harris.
Nick:To me that means nothing, because that was trash. So you’re better than one of the worst quarterbacks Florida’s had in history.
Andrew:Right. I respond to you with this, Nick. You look at the games last year. If Treon just was able to look and find the open receiver that was wide open in the games, he doesn’t do bad.
Nick:My problem with Appleby is accuracy. So even if you’re finding…
Andrew:I understand that.
Nick:So even if you’re finding that open guy.
Andrew:Can you hit him?
Nick:Can you hit him? I don’t think he consistently does. Then when does that turn into interceptions? When do incompletions turn to interceptions?
Andrew:Will you give me this? The jury’s still out.
Nick:I don’t have any confidence in Austin Appleby running Florida. I think the things we’ve talked about will help him. We talked about the running game and the running game being strong. We talked about the defense being stupid, and I think those things help him. We’ve also talked about you don’t need a quarterback to win you the game, but I think Appleby is a quarterback that could lose you a game. Whereas we talked about Del Rio, said he’s not going to be the reason you lose a game. He might not win it for you, but we don’t think that he can lose you a game. I think Appleby’s the kind of quarterback that can make those mistakes and can lose you a game.
Andrew:Nick, you know I love you, but do you really and truly believe Mac’s going to put him in the opportunity to lose the game? I’m just asking.
Nick:You’ve gotten past the easier part of your schedule.
Andrew:It’s not about the easy part of the schedule.
Nick:You can’t, and you know this, every football game doesn’t go exactly how you want it, so there will be times where the quarterback will have to make a play.
Andrew:Right. I am with you with that.
Nick:Especially if you get into the situation where, now what happened last year is Treon puts on film, guy can’t throw. Okay, so now we’re not going to let him run. Appleby can move a little bit.
Andrew:He has a rocket of an arm.
Nick:He’s not Lamar Jackson, but he can move a little bit. If teams are going to say, listen, we’re going to keep you in the pocket and make you throw, and he shows that he can’t do that, now you’re getting into a situation where the other defense is dictating the game. That’s what happened last year.
Andrew:I’m with you. We’ll see. That’s what I’ll say. We’ll see.
Nick:I think everyone keeps saying that this battle was so close.
Andrew:It wasn’t close.
Nick:It wasn’t close. That’s where in my mind that I’m kind of writing Appleby off. You’re telling me it’s close, then why did he not get any snaps? Last year with Grier and Treon they said it was close, and that was not close, but they said it was close, and you saw them share snaps. There were no shared snaps this year. So how close was it?
Andrew:Here’s the thing. I’m not arguing that it wasn’t close, because I don’t think it was close. My argument is this, and that is I saw how bad Treon Harris was, and I saw how close Florida was. We forget that the Florida State game was a one score game heading into the 4th quarter last year. We forget that. With a quarterback capable of adding two to two, we’ll see. My thing is this. This defense is so damn good that you’re just asking your quarterback not to be stupid.
Nick:They were good last year.
Andrew:But Treon was stupid.
Nick:Didn’t your mama tell you, if you got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all?
Andrew:You got me riled up, Nick. You got me riled up.
Nick:Is Austin Appleby Treon Harris? Lord no. He is better than Treon Harris. There’s a reason he’s the backup quarterback. There’s a reason he’s a graduate transfer quarterback. Can you name a graduate transfer quarterback outside of Russell Wilson that had any kind of success? No, because those quarterbacks…
Andrew:Jake Coker disagrees.
Nick:We can’t compare.
Andrew:I’m just saying, you make a point. I’m making a point back. Jake Coker disagrees.
Nick:I think Alabama’s the exception to the rule.
Andrew:Davis Webb out of Cal does okay.
Nick:What’s Davis Webb doing?
Andrew:They beat a pretty good Texas team.
Nick:Graduate transfer quarterbacks are in their fifth year of school for a reason, and it’s because they’re not world beaters.
Andrew:Here’s the thing, and for everyone, Nick and I are just debating this. You and I, we say they’re game managers. Game managers don’t get drafted three years out of high school, or in college. I’m not saying Appleby’s that. I’m just saying, let’s see what he brings before we make a jury on this kid. Here’s the thing. Maybe, I mean, Nick, you’re a baseball guy like me. How many times have you seen a pitcher trade teams, go to a new pitching coach, and become a better player?
Nick:Yeah. I’m just selling it. I’m selling hard on Appleby.
Andrew:I’m just saying that the jury should still be out. People should not make a definite decision on Appleby until we see it. We have to see it. That is my point. We have to see it. Anybody, and this goes for you too Nick, that has a jury out on him that he’s going to fail simply is wrong. You don’t know. You haven’t seen it. You haven’t seen him. You haven’t seen him under McElwain. You haven’t seen it. You just haven’t. I’m not comparing this, but people said the same thing about Brady when he was in the NFL when Bledsoe was the guy. Brady couldn’t beat out Bledsoe, so he’s not that good. I’m not saying Appleby’s Brady. I’m just saying.
Nick:Here we go. I don’t think the jury’s out. I’m just selling.
Andrew:Okay.
Nick:Is there a big enough sample size to make a decision? No.
Andrew:Okay.
Nick:There isn’t, but I’m selling. I’ve seen him in the spring and in the fall, and I’ve made that point about him not being what Luke Del Rio is very clear, and you’ve seen what the offense is with Luke Del Rio, who’s in my opinion a better quarterback. So I don’t see the offense getting better with Austin Appleby.
Andrew:I don’t think it gets better, but…
Nick:I don’t think it stays the same.
Andrew:Okay. We’ll agree to disagree here. You guys got both sides of the opinion. That’s what this show’s for. Alright, Nick, I want to run through the predictions real quick, because I want to turn our attention to Tennessee. You kicked my ass this week predictions. I was 0-3. Lost with Quincy Wilson. Lost with Luke Del Rio, and I lost with CJ Worton. All three had bad days. Sorry, guys.
Nick:I will take a win with Lamical Perine. 11 for 57 and a touchdown, add on 29 yards for a catch. I will take, what do I get for Alex Anzalone?
Andrew:Nothing.
Nick:That’s a loss? Two tackles? One quarterback hurry.
Andrew:Sorry.
Nick:Take a loss with that. Brandon Powell.
Andrew:No way, shape, or form are you taking a win with Brandon Powell.
Nick:Three catches for 20 yards. He was also the punt returner, and that was a snooze fest.
Andrew:Yes, so no. On the year you gained one on me.
Nick:Gained one ground, and I win this week.
Andrew:There you go.
Nick:Picks, my Ole Miss pick did not work out.
Andrew:Mine did.
Nick:We both picked Louisville.
Andrew:I did.
Nick:That certainly worked out. I picked Ohio State to beat Oklahoma. You picked Oklahoma.
Andrew:That didn’t work out well.
Nick:We both picked LSU.
Andrew:There you go.
Nick:So I won the picks this week.
Andrew:No, we tied.
Nick:Yup, 2-2.
Andrew:Alright. Let’s go to Tennessee. Here’s my thoughts going to Tennessee. This team is pissed off. I wouldn’t want to be the Tennessee Volunteers right now. Not only does Florida despise Tennessee, but they’re pissed off right now. The anger that leaves that game is canned, and that’s a team that’s going to be pissed off this week. You know Jalen Tabor hates those boys over there. They can’t stand them. You know Mac wants to beat rivalry games. He’s probably going to come and say on Monday he expects Tennessee to kick their ass, yada, yada, yada. Whatever. Just a pissed off team going up against a shitty Tennessee football team, and, yes, I said shitty. This team is not very good. Josh Dobbs is still not a good thrower. Alex Anzalone has a big day for this point. You spy Alex Anzalone. You man your corners up, play ball with those guys. Anzalone’s your spy. Make Josh Dobbs beat you.
Nick:That’s it. You play man. You have Anzalone or Davis spy, probably Anzalone, spy Dobbs, and you say, listen, if you’re going to beat us it’s going to be because Josh Dobbs beat us through the air. Can the quarterback who won you a game by throwing for 91 yards do that? I say no. I don’t know how Tennessee scores on Florida.
Andrew:That’s what I’m saying. Here’s the thing, and this goes back to kind of my point with Appleby. Tennessee’s down their #1 corner. Their secondary is atrocious right now. Who’s guarding Callaway? They’re going to be without Darrin Kirkland. Maybe Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Maybe.
Nick:Their defensive coordinator, Shoop, comes into the season and says, “There are three irreplaceable players on my defense. I can’t run and do what I want to do on defense without these guys.” Jalen Reeves-Maybin, questionable for the game. Cam Sutton, out for the game, and Kirkland, out for the game. So two of three, maybe three of three, of those irreplaceable guys out against Florida.
Andrew:Tennessee this year.
Nick:If Luke Del Rio is starting this game, I would probably go on record and say Florida wins by double digits. It’s not even close. I still don’t know how Tennessee scores.
Andrew:Going into this year, and now, let’s face it. Tennessee’s played nobody whatsoever either. App State, garbage. Ohio, garbage.
Nick:Butch told us App State was a good football team, before Miami went up to their place and ran them out of the house.
Andrew:Yeah. Virginia Tech is a very bad football team as well. So Florida and Tennessee have both played three bad football teams. Tennessee scoring 31 points a game, giving up 18.7 points a game. Tennessee is rushing for 189, but giving up 152 yards rushing. Passing, they are passing for 162 and giving up 184. Giving up 336 yards per game.
Nick:Their offense is only managing 351 a game. Florida fans are yelling about their offense, and they are fourth in the SEC at 466 per game. That’s 115 yards more per game than Tennessee.
Andrew:Yup. This is not a good Tennessee football team, fellas. You’re going up to Knoxville, Game Day, which I am so excited for. Nick, have you ever been to Game Day?
Nick:I’ve never been to college. I’ve been to SEC a couple times, but not College Game Day.
Andrew:Neither have I. Gators go in. Game Day is going to this one. Gators come in ranked 19th in the AP. Tennessee is 14th in the AP. First time since what? 2012? They both come in ranked. I think that’s right.
Nick:I think so. It was the game in Knoxville, wasn’t it? No. It in Gainesville.
Andrew:Right. I believe it was 2012, but anyway, back to it. It’s going to be a really good game for Florida. Not sure if it’s going to be a game you want to remember if you are Tennessee, and, Nick, I’m going to be honest. Wednesday is the day I start bringing the heat on. For me, I need to shake off this Del Rio loss and this dark cloud. Just the raw emotions from that game.
Nick:What do you need? Maybe you need to start drinking.
Andrew:Maybe. Butch Jones still does suck. Josh Dobbs still sucks. Tennessee still sucks.
Nick:It’s going to be a great week. We have a very cool week planned. We’re going to talk to our paisan Vince, of course, and we also have one of your buddies coming on to talk Florida/Tennessee with us.
Andrew:Yeah. His tweets on Saturday was…
Nick:Tennessee fans were up in my mentions on Saturday saying Florida is going to crush us.
Andrew:My buddy says, and he’s a diehard Tennessee fan, from Alabama with me, from Mobile, and he says, “North Dakota State should get more votes in the AP poll than Tennessee.” Tennessee fans are now calling for their backup quarterback, saying when is Butch Jones going to wake up like Les Miles and give the backup a chance?
Nick:Wow. Really? Turning on Dobbs.
Andrew:Turning on their Heisman trophy winner.
Nick:Did they already give him that?
Andrew:Yeah. That’s already been given to him. Then our buddy Barrett Sallee and those guys were saying was going to pass for 3,000, rush for 100. Has he even passed for 500 yet? Let me see.
Nick:Joshua Dobbs.
Andrew:He’s passed for 486 yards this year in three games. He better turn it up. 2,500 over nine games? He better turn it up if he’s planning on doing that.
Nick:He’s not doing it. He’s not going to help that next week.
Andrew:No way, shape, or form is he doing that on Quincy and Jalen and those guys. Those guys suck. It’s going to be so fun. Cannot wait for Knoxville. I cannot wait for Knoxville.
Nick:It is going to be a big week in Knoxville. Interesting to see how the quarterback position will shake out. So we’ll see. I think you’ll see two quarterbacks. I think you’ll see two quarterbacks on Saturday, but, as always, you just have to keep tuned into Gator Country to see how all that shakes out this week in practice.
Andrew:I promise, these podcasts this week are going to be lit as hell.
Nick:Once we get you out of this little funk.
Andrew:By the time we tape this on Tuesday your boy will be pumped, be ready to roll. Tennessee hate week is coming, and it’s nice. It really is nice. I need a shirt, like after the game that I can like walk out of the stadium after we do our media stuff, with 13 in a row. If anybody wants to make some, send Nick and I one.
Nick:I don’t need it, but make the shirts for Spivey, make sure you send Spivey your hate Tennessee tweets.
Andrew:Yes. No tweets about the defense. No tweets about Appleby, because, quite frankly, you will get blocked. I am on a block rampage. Sick of the negativity.
Nick:Sick of it?
Andrew:Sick of it. I blocked 22 people last night.
Nick:Threw the pimp hand down on 22?
Andrew:Yes.
Nick:I don’t have many people blocked.
Andrew:If you’re listening to this, and you got blocked, chances are you pissed me off.
Nick:Let me know if you want to be unblocked, and I will plead your case. If Andrew blocked you, let me know, and I will plead your case.
Andrew:Better be a good argument. Good thing Nick’s the son of a lawyer. Nick, tell the people where they can find us. We’ll get out of here. We’ll see everybody on Wednesday.
Nick:Www.GatorCountry.com for all your Florida Gator news. @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. @GatorCountry on Facebook and Twitter. Find us on iTunes, our podcast there. Subscribe, never miss an episode. Just search @GatorCountry in the podcast app. If you are not an iTunes user, we’ve got our transcript and the podcast audio on the website. Make sure you’re tuning in there. Find us on the message boards. You can find us on Twitter, @NickdelaTorreGC. He’s @AndrewSpiveyGC. Follow me on Instagram, just Nick de la Torre. Hit the double tap. Appreciate you.
Andrew:Lots of cool stuff from Game Day. I’m getting a selfie with Miss Ponder.
Nick:We’ll see if you can.
Andrew:I absolutely will.
Nick:I’m going to sell.
Andrew:Okay. I would love to get a selfie with Lee. For me, Nick, and I know people hate Lee, and it’s whatever, but for me Lee is like Vern. He’s just college football. He’s college football.
Nick:Yeah. It was fun watching him on the sidelines of Louisville. Louisville and Florida State, two schools that he coached at.
Andrew:Will he don the Gator or put the whatchamacallit?
Nick:I think, man.
Andrew:He’s putting the Gator hat on. I hope he puts on Tennessee, because he’s hardly ever right. He was right about Louisville.
Nick:He was. They were all right about Louisville.
Andrew:It doesn’t take much to predict against Florida State. As always, guys, chomp, chomp. Go Braves.
Nick:You stay classy, Gator Country.
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Transcript by Five Stars Transcription