The weekend that was…

The Florida Gators got pushed to the limit by Kentucky on Saturday night in The Swamp. 3 overtimes and lots of talking heads later, I am still not sure what to think. My takeaways from our game and other thoughts on the weekend that was, without further ado…

3. ACC Teams Surprise.

After giving Ohio State University and the Big 10 a big black eye last weekend, #17 Virginia Tech promptly lost to ECU on Saturday. A team goes on the road and beats a heavily favored team and the next week you lose at home to a solid but beatable team. Results like these confound me. Moreover, for the first half the Hokies were getting run out of their own stadium before they woke and tied it up late in the second half. It’ll be interesting to see how Virginia tech responds to this loss next week against Georgia tech. However, hats off to ECU who hung with South Carolina the week before for getting a win and for helping making the Big 10 look even worse.

Virginia also stunned #21 Louisville in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers overcame a couple big penalties by Senior Linebacker Henry Coley that extended two fourth quarter touchdown drives for Louisville. In the end the Cardinals muffed a punt at the 25-yard line and the Cavaliers kicked a 42-yard field goal to win it. This loss was a bit disappointing because I was hoping that Louisville might step up to challenge FSU in the ACC; however, this Virginia team has played well early in the season. They almost beat UCLA a few weeks ago; maybe I had the wrong team pegged to challenge the Seminoles.

Boston College also dealt a rebuking blow to USC on Saturday night, which was the biggest surprise of the weekend to me. I thought that USC might have some positive momentum coming into this match-up from beating Stanford last weekend. Former Gator Tyler Murphy rolled up 191 yards rushing against the Trojans who had no answer for Boston College’s rushing attack the whole night. Obviously, this game makes me want to go back to the drawing board on who might come out of the Pac-12 South.

2. The SEC East is Wide Open.

The Head Ball Coach still has fight in him. I admit, I thought UGA would go to Columbia and handle the Gamecocks. However, Spurrier’s seething hatred for Georgia opened up the race for everyone in the SEC East.

South Carolina outlasted a spirited comeback by the Bulldogs. The comeback fell short when Marshall Morgan, who had set an NCAA record for consecutive field goals earlier in the game, missed a game-tying 28-yard field goal.

However, Georgia’s coaching staff made some questionable play calls leading up to the missed field goal, if it’s first and goal from the 4-yard line I don’t know I call pass there. I have Gurley who was averaging 6.6 yards a carry in the game. Why get cute? The ensuing intentional grounding call forced UGA into throwing the ball and ended up costing them the game.

Two weeks before, everyone, me included, was reading the eulogy for the Gamecock’s season however, Spurrier has other plans for South Carolina. The loss was especially difficult for UGA as most pundits were expecting Georgia to win handily to take control of the East and bury South Carolina. After our win in Gainesville against Kentucky, the Gators control their destiny in the East. However, with UGA’s latest let down in Columbia the race for the East could be one of four teams: UGA, Missouri, South Carolina, and the Gators.

Most people thought the East would be a two-team race between UGA and South Carolina. However, Missouri has played well in it’s out of conference schedule so far. They look like they could be a contender for the crown as well. Kentucky and Tennessee look much improved and I think will give Missouri, South Carolina, and UGA better games than expected. Vandy barely beat UMass, I think they have returned to the basement. As for where, the Gators fit into this equation, I don’t know. However, we will start to get solid answers this weekend when we play Bama in Tuscaloosa.

1. The Gators – I Just Don’t Know.

After the jubilation that was 65-0 against EMU, we hopped on a roller coaster of emotions against Kentucky.

Much like everyone else in the Gator Nation I sat rapt to the television in disbelief as we struggled to win a conference game against a team that was 0-8 in the SEC last season. As of today, I am still not quite sure what to make of our 36-30 triple overtime victory.

The traditional narrative after a game like Saturday’s is that we took Kentucky’s best shot; that the Wildcats were motivated to end a losing streak against us that spans back to 1986. However, another narrative exists that believes that the core issues surrounding the competency of our football team have not been solved; that we escaped with a win against an inferior opponent. I totally understand all the arguments about the perceived weaknesses of this team. I just don’t know which theory is correct at this point.

However, this is not 2013 and these Kentucky Wildcats looked like a much better football team than recent editions. I think the Gators are an improved team as well. I am pretty sure the 2013 version of the Gators loses that game. I just don’t think we saw the best football that these two teams are capable of on Saturday night.

First of all, let me give a standing ovation to DeMarcus Robinson; one of the best performances by a receiver in school history. He was all over the field and looked like Jerry Rice in the old Tecmo Bowl game for Ninetendo. Most of all he came through with a clutch catch when we needed a touchdown in the second overtime. He allowed many Gators to breathe a much needed sigh of relief late Saturday night.

Also, Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor performances showed how dangerous and demoralizing this running game can be. Matt Jones bulled his way into the end zone and ended this nightmare. Kentucky had no answer for him all night. I am looking forward to watching more from these young men over the rest of the schedule.

Jeff Driskel did not play well in the first half of the game. He overthrew wide open receivers. However, in fairness he had receivers dropping the ball on him a few times as well in the first half. He threw a really bad interception in the first half and got away with another one in the second half that bounced into DeMarcus Robinson’s hands for a long gain.

He missed Robinson for a sure touchdown in the first overtime. I am not sold on Jeff Driskel at this point in the season because he takes a long time to make his decisions about where to go with the football; as we get deeper into the schedule the margin for error shrinks.

Jeff Driskel’s record as a starter is known to me and I am aware of his statistics from the second half. However, even at his best on Saturday night the tying touchdown pass in the second overtime should have been called back because we took too long to snap the ball. That play is not entirely on Jeff Driskel; but it is not one concern with his play, he still has several weaknesses in his game at this point.

I am not in the crowd that thinks we should go with a true freshman. Jeff Driskel has a lot of upside, I just really want to start seeing some returns on it sooner rather than later. As a fan I hope that light goes off for him, but as I watch the games I just have doubts about how he processes information and executes. Playing quarterback in the SEC is not easy, but I cannot put him up there with the elite signal callers in this League after Saturday’s game.

Kentucky also exposed the biggest weakness of our special teams. When we needed a longer range field goal we couldn’t get it from Austin Harden or Frankie Velez. Unfortunately, I have seen too many teams over the years undone by the lack of field goal kicker. I fear that this will happen at some point for the Gators. We don’t have anyone on the roster that we can pencil in points from 45 yards out; 35 yards, yes. However, as we saw on Saturday night 10 extra yards makes the difference between winning a game in regulation or having your hair turn gray over the course of 3 overtimes. Otherwise, I thought our special teams play was excellent.

The defense played well for most of the game. A bright spot for our defense and this team in general at this point in the season is the ability to generate turnovers. The Gator defense forced 3 interceptions on Saturday. We also repeatedly stuffed the UK ground game holding it to 86 yards rushing with 25 of those yards coming on one play in the first overtime. That bodes well for the rest of our schedule.

However, by playing the run so well we exposed our young secondary to Kentucky’s vertical and sideline passing game. Kentucky wanted to challenge us deep and had some success doing so. We had some visible lapses in the secondary and those lapses gave critics some of cannon fodder regarding the youth of our secondary. For the most part, I think that the bigger plays the defense gave up can be corrected; those plays are not the norm under Muschamp’s defenses and right now I think they are outliers. Players make mistakes, those mistakes hurt us against Kentucky; however, they didn’t kill us.

At the end of the day, I don’t think you fire a coach for winning a game or bench Jeff Driskel in favor of a true freshman at this point in the season, those are hyperbolic overreactions. As a result of the victory on Saturday we have a one-game lead on everyone else in the East; so prudence tells me to stay the course even though I saw a lot of things I didn’t like on Saturday night.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

  • Derek Mason finally got a win against UMass. The come from behind fashion does not inspire confidence.
  • Tennessee looked young, but full of potential on Saturday night against Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I think that it is going to be a tough game for the Gators up in Neyland Stadium.
  • If BYU continues to win it will be interesting to see how the Playoff Selection Committee reacts to an undefeated BYU team. They are outside of the Power 5 conferences and the anarchist in me would love to see them throw a wrench into things.
  • Bama finally got rolling in the second half against Southern Miss. I think 14.5 points is a lot of points for the Tide to cover against a healthy Gator defense.
  • FSU had a bye; but with their typical schedule did anyone notice?
  • Unfortunately Charlie Strong made the gaffe of the week by letting UCLA receive the kick in the first and second half of Saturday night’s game; that is something that should never happen.

The Weekend That Will Be…

I will be taking in the Auburn/Kansas State game on Thursday night; should be a good match up of upper tier programs of the SEC and Big 12.

BYU/Virginia should be a compelling game. BYU is playing well and gunning for a perfect season. Virginia may be a team on the rise. I am interested to see how this game plays out.

The SEC West will slowly start to come into focus when Mississippi State travels to LSU on Saturday night. Night game. Baton Rouge. LSU’s defense looks tough as ever with back-to-back shutouts. The Tigers offense isn’t scaring anyone though. While I like Mississippi State to score some points and make some noise, I have to go with LSU at home.

Clemson travels to Tallahassee to face Florida State on Saturday night in much-hyped Saturday night game. This was the Seminoles coming out party last year. It will give us more information about both teams and I will watch, but I won’t like it.

Nebraska/Miami looks like an interesting match-up…from the 1990s.

I’ll also keep an eye on the Cal/Arizona game; it will help bring the PAC-12 races into focus.

Gators/Bama…I see this being a closer game than most people realize; I think the spread of 14.5 points is a bit generous to the Tide. The Tide’s passing attack doesn’t scare me because I just don’t think Sims has the arm Patrick Towles or the confidence of Nick Saban. I think our run defense will keep the Tide in check. I think this will be a close game, but I think we fall in Tuscaloosa.

However, I would love to be absolutely wrong about that.

Christopher has followed Gator football since he stepped on campus in January 1994. After getting degrees from the University of Florida in 1997 he attended law school at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and graduated in 2000. He currently owns a construction business with his father and two brothers and practices law in Stuart, Florida. He brings plenty of experience to his writing as an arm chair quarterback and professional second-guesser with the extraordinary ability of hindsight. Christopher enjoys his free time reading, writing, and spending time with friends and family. Follow him on twitter @clscammell.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Good stuff Chris:

    The Gator/Wildcat game absolutely killed me. Could Kentucky be that improved? Are we still a mediocre team? Is Driskel ever gonna get this game and become elite? I know one thing…holy crap-we have a receiver that’s REAL good! The running backs sure are doing well. My biggest fear in this game, Driskel doesn’t have very good peripheral vision and could be vulnerable to blindsides by Bama’s defense. When are we going to truly utilize our players assets? Are we saving Driskel so he can run all over Bama . Or are his running days over? His time to shine is this Saturday. I hope he takes off like that Tenn game a while back. Build a legacy-win the game-no holding back! Anyway, I guess we are only a few days away from more answers…a bit disconcerting. Go Gators.

    • Keep the faith, you never know when that light goes off for a player or a team. The Kentucky game could be a catalyst for this team. I don’t think we have seen the best of Driskel or the Gators as a whole. I am hoping they can put it together Saturday afternoon.

  2. I agree, we’ll find out Saturday if the game with Kentucky was just a bad game that even great teams have occasionally or Florida is still a bad team. One thing you failed to mention is that it looks like the Gators are still poor at rushing the quarterback. Dante Fowler was the only defensive lineman that looked like he could rush the passer, and even he disappeared at times in the game. Jonathan Bullard looks like he’s going to be another five star bust. Does he ever even touch a quarterback? WE were fed a lot of propaganda about how improved UF was going to be this year. So far, the only things that seem to be true from the preseason stuff handed out is that Demarcus Robinson is the real deal at receiver and Kyle Christy is booming punts again. I knew the secondary would struggle, what else can you expect from so many players that have little or no playing experience. But you can mask their deficiency with a strong pass rush, but it appears that isn’t happening this year. It doesn’t take much to improve from last year’s 96th place finish in sacks, but right now I just don’t see any improvement.

    • I thought the pass rush was OK; we did net two sacks but I agree, pass rushing is not a strength of this team. Although, I am not sure Bama attacks us vertically like Kentucky did so I am not sure that the pass rush will be as important as protecting against the screen and perimeter game that Bama has displayed for Sims so far this year. I think our CBs and Safeties are going to be challenged in space on the outside and forced to make tackles. However, I think the game comes down to how well each defense plays the run. If we can run the ball effectively against Bama’s front 7 I think we can steal a win. I also think we will see more zone read keeps from Driskel in the running game this week. Also, if we can contain their run game and make Sims have to beat us with his arm, I think we have a shot. If we can’t slow down their backs they win the game.

  3. It’s hard to give this author any credibility when he can’t even get the OT periods right when we did & didn’t score a TD…

    “He missed Robinson for a sure touchdown in the first overtime” (this was actually done in the 2nd OT)

    “However, even at his best on Saturday night the tying touchdown pass in the second overtime should have been called back because we took too long to snap the ball.” (this was actually in the 1st OT)

    You should probably proofread/edit your stuff before you print it

    • You’re absolutely right…I’ll take good coaching anytime. However, I am not sure that mixing up the details of the OTs negates the overall point.

  4. it was a good article, however same as all the writers , just will not fully declare Driskell is not a good QB and he is not and we will lose games because of him , nobody wants to play a freshman QB but when the starter plays so very bad u put H in for a couple of series , he has already shown he can throw the ball really good, and no doubt is a popular player on this team , WM needs to make better decisions we lost to UM last year and to UGA in 2012 totally due to bad QB play , at high level of college football ONE CANNOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF BAD QB PLAY=======and is not the throws only , he has very little field command , not very good at where to go with the ball , does not see open receivers and then on top of this throws the ball bad===you said u think we will run on Bama , what did you smoke ? but hope I am wrong and u right

    • I don’t know if Driskel is good or bad; I think Saturday will tell us more about where Driskel is at. I am not willing to crown Treon Harris the starter because he made two plays against EMU; I think he has a lot of talent, but I am not willing to write off a season or a player because of a bad half of football.. Bottom line, we won on Saturday and Driskel had a rough half, I know that I wouldn’t pull the plug on him right now.

  5. I t agree about Driskell but why do coaches other than Spurrier refuse to pull their QB if he is having an off night and give what appears to be a very capable back up a couple of series. Heck 2 series if Treon in the first half could not have been any worse than Driskell. You got to love Steve hating/beating ga. like a little stepchild!