Not A Big Deal At All

[g8rboy]

Originally Posted by LoyalGatorFan

I just can't get on board with this mentality...just the simple nature of being a competitor and an athlete and playing in front of your fans who pour their heart and soul into watching you day in and day out should be enough for guys to play at their highest level...a loss eats at me for hours and I'm not even an athlete...these guys are paid by the school (by paid I meant given tuition, room/board etc) to show up day in and day out for 3-4 years...I can understand more not bringing it every day in practice but Im sorry...it shouldnt be too much to ask for kids to bring it once a week on gameday...not to mention for this game they had a month off to rest up...there is no excuse or silver lining for this....it may not hurt us with recruiting or anything but its a loss that shouldnt have happened...not to mention its ammo for our rivals

That's how it should be, but doesn't always happen in a game like this. If this game meant moving on to the next round, I suspect it would have been different.

[Chompsuey]

Off topic but I'm curious why Dunbar insists on catching the ball with his knee on the ground. Very strange.

[gatormoe1]

What exactly is a Sugar bowl to a team that could have (possibly should have) been playing for a title. It's not a big deal because higher ranked teams lose stupid bowl games like this all the time. If we scheduled Louisville in the regular season, and we just lost like this, I would be on suicide watch.

Again, this is just a bowl game, not much different than a consolation game in those NCAA basketball early tournaments. I mean, it sucks we lost, but its not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Tell me, would you trade this loss for a loss to FSU? I didn't think so.

[BengermanV]

Originally Posted by Chompsuey

Off topic but I'm curious why Dunbar insists on catching the ball with his knee on the ground. Very strange.

Are you confused as to why Dunbar has to drop to his knees or why Driskel throws the ball closer to the ground than his chest?

[Chompsuey]

Considering the last one he was wide open and looked like he was sitting down

[drramer]

The season is over. We did better than anyone expected and had a great year with some big wins against top teams. Disappointing tonight, but we just didn't look prepared. Plus, giving up a td within 10 seconds of the start of each half really can deflate anyone.

We can only improve next year. We still have a ton of talent with a ton more coming in. Something to look forward to.

[Matthanuf06]

Originally Posted by gatormoe1

What exactly is a Sugar bowl to a team that could have (possibly should have) been playing for a title. It's not a big deal because higher ranked teams lose stupid bowl games like this all the time. If we scheduled Louisville in the regular season, and we just lost like this, I would be on suicide watch.

Again, this is just a bowl game, not much different than a consolation game in those NCAA basketball early tournaments. I mean, it sucks we lost, but its not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Tell me, would you trade this loss for a loss to FSU? I didn't think so.

Why is the FSU game important? Pride?

Then why isn't pride a factor for a prestigious bowl game?

So why is the FSU game important? To get to an elite bowl game?

Well we got to it. If it is worth fighting to get to it then it should be worth fighting during it

[tilly]

Originally Posted by kgator94

If you guys think this was no big deal then I feel sorry for you. Since when did losing the Sugar Bowl and being embarrassed by a lesser team become no big deal. Doesn't anybody have pride anymore? I would give my left nut to have the opportunity to play in that game and represent the University of Florida with the passion and competitiveness they deserve. I had a freaking Auburn fan asking me what was wrong with the gators. That was pathetic. If you can't get up for a BCS bowl you shouldn't even be on the team.

[tommyuf21]

Originally Posted by LoyalGatorFan

I just can't get on board with this mentality...just the simple nature of being a competitor and an athlete and playing in front of your fans who pour their heart and soul into watching you day in and day out should be enough for guys to play at their highest level...a loss eats at me for hours and I'm not even an athlete...these guys are paid by the school (by paid I meant given tuition, room/board etc) to show up day in and day out for 3-4 years...I can understand more not bringing it every day in practice but Im sorry...it shouldnt be too much to ask for kids to bring it once a week on gameday...not to mention for this game they had a month off to rest up...there is no excuse or silver lining for this....it may not hurt us with recruiting or anything but its a loss that shouldnt have happened...not to mention its ammo for our rivals

Human nature. I see people do it every day in their job, when they take it easy and don't give 100%.

It's far more common than most like to admit.

[gatormoe1]

Originally Posted by Matthanuf06

Why is the FSU game important? Pride?

Then why isn't pride a factor for a prestigious bowl game?

So why is the FSU game important? To get to an elite bowl game?

Well we got to it. If it is worth fighting to get to it then it should be worth fighting during it

We needed to beat FSU to have a chance to go to the national championship. Notre Dame ended up beating USC after we already beat FSU. I'm simply asking, would you trade this loss for a loss against FSU?

[tommyuf21]

Originally Posted by kgator94

I had a freaking Auburn fan asking me what was wrong with the gators. That was pathetic.

Did you ask him what was wrong with his team?

[maxgator]

Originally Posted by LoyalGatorFan

I just can't get on board with this mentality...just the simple nature of being a competitor and an athlete and playing in front of your fans who pour their heart and soul into watching you day in and day out should be enough for guys to play at their highest level...a loss eats at me for hours and I'm not even an athlete...these guys are paid by the school (by paid I meant given tuition, room/board etc) to show up day in and day out for 3-4 years...I can understand more not bringing it every day in practice but Im sorry...it shouldnt be too much to ask for kids to bring it once a week on gameday...not to mention for this game they had a month off to rest up...there is no excuse or silver lining for this....it may not hurt us with recruiting or anything but its a loss that shouldnt have happened...not to mention its ammo for our rivals

I gotcha. But you know what, I don't buy that they just didn't bring it. I think we got outcoached and outplayed. And that is a part of sports.

I hate it. I'm pissed. But damn, it is what it is.

Having said that, I think from top to bottom, we underestimated Louisville coaches, players and heart.

I think we really believed that if we came out strong and laid the hats to them . . . .and we did. . . .they would fold.

Nope. They had a sound game plan. Executed extremely well. And got us out of our game plan.

[ovillegator]

Originally Posted by gatormoe1

We needed to beat FSU to have a chance to go to the national championship. Notre Dame ended up beating USC after we already beat FSU. I'm simply asking, would you trade this loss for a loss against FSU?

You are spot on. I said the same thing in another thread. Even if we didn't need to beat F$U to get to this bowl, I would still not trade that win over them for a win in this SB over Louisville.

This was like the NIT for us. For Louisville, it was their NC, ands they played like it. I wish we had played harder, but I can understand the lack of focus. I expect more next year, and we will get it. WM is still a young coach.

[Matthanuf06]

Originally Posted by gatormoe1

We needed to beat FSU to have a chance to go to the national championship. Notre Dame ended up beating USC after we already beat FSU. I'm simply asking, would you trade this loss for a loss against FSU?

Of course not. But that doesn't make this game meaningless either. If the standard is MNC or bust then many of our games are meaningless.

Either way I don't see any evidence we lost due to intensity or effort. Focus maybe, but we've been undisciplined all year.

Again, what players weren't giving 100%?

[tilly]

Originally Posted by RealGatorFan

Utah was a far, far, far, far better team than Louisville could ever dream of being.

Who was their QB?

Exactly.

This Louisville team is very good. And they are VERY well coached.

[TampaGatorFan]

Originally Posted by ovillegator

Let's bring your examples closer to home --

Nebraska gave us a much more humiliating bowl defeat in Jan. 1996 Fiesta Bowl -- 62-24. Do you remember that? Humiliating! They even broke Quezzie's leg!

And the next year WE WON OUR FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 52-24 OVER F$U!

52-20, brah...get it right.

But yeah...we be goin' natty next year...book it!

[tommyuf21]

Originally Posted by gatormoe1

We needed to beat FSU to have a chance to go to the national championship. Notre Dame ended up beating USC after we already beat FSU. I'm simply asking, would you trade this loss for a loss against FSU?

They don't get it, zero perspective. Every game is life and death to them. Tonight's loss means doom to the program and themselves.

They don't realize that the Florida Gators will still be playing football long after we're taking dirt naps and this game will be in typeset in a column in a media kit.

Life goes on. We'll play for championships in the future, perhaps sooner than some think.

[Swamp_Thing]

i wonder if the other schools that lost their bowl games used the same pathetic excuse

[kgator94]

I'm sorry, but if the attitude is what does it matter to a team that should have been playing for a title, why even go to a bowl game? Sit home and lick your wounds and whine about how you should playing for the title. Why waste the gas, the time in practice and anything else you sacrificed to get ready for the bowl game. Damn dude, just don't even go. Do you stand over a four foot put and say what does it matter if it doesn't go in, I should have been putting for a birdie instead of a par? Hell no, you do the best you can on every hole and then get pissed at yourself when your done that you shot a 92 instead of an 89. If it doesn't matter sit your ass at home and watch cartoons instead of trying to beat your buddy on the course. Its a game and the object is to try and win, not get beat because it doesn't matter because you should be somewhere else. Give a 110% and then tell guy who kicked your ass good game, you deserved. Don't roll over and play dead because your feelings are hurt when maybe you should have been somewhere else. After they way played tonight they didn't deserve to be in a BCS bowl in my opinion.

[g8rboy]

Originally Posted by Swamp_Thing

i wonder if the other schools that lost their bowl games used the same pathetic excuse

Possible. And, lack of interest or one team caring more than the other is gonna happen in bowl games