It was Halloween. What did you dress up as this year? Being up here in enemy territory, I had to think long and hard on what would be the scariest costume. So I wore my Gator shirt and hat. It was easy. I had all the stuff AND all these Georgia fans were terrified at the mere sight. They alternated between looks of fear and hatred. It was wonderful. Saturday appears to have been incredibly humbling to Bulldog fans. I am not sure what they expected in Kirby Smart’s first season, but apparently this was not it. The Cocktail Party was the knockout blow.
None of the things the Bulldogs were basing their 2016 optimism on surfaced Saturday. At 2-4 in conference play, 2016 has turned into absolute nightmare for UGA fans. If they lose to Kentucky this Saturday, Georgia could actually fail to be bowl eligible. The realization that they may have hired their own version of Will Muschamp is setting in with a vengeance. The return of Nick Chubb has been less than awe inspiring this season but the game in Jacksonville was even worse. Even with Chubb and Sony Michel supposedly healthy Georgia could only generate a paltry 21 yards rushing and a 1.1 yard per carry average. It is difficult to even imagine the Georgia running game being that inept with all of the elite backs they have. Of course, the Gator defense had a lot to do with those numbers.
The Florida defense was nothing short of smothering, yet again. There is little doubt that this a championship caliber defense. The numbers border on incredible. Florida is second in the nation allowing only 11.7 points per game. The Gators are also second in yards allowed giving up only 239.9 yards a game. They are second in passing yards allowed and sixth in rushing yards allowed. And the defense seems to be getting more dominant every game. As I said, this is a championship caliber defense. With the exception of a Twilight Zone episode in the second half of the Tennessee game the defense has been consistently dominant. The problem is that Florida does not appear to have a championship caliber offense.
The Gator offense was not overly impressive against Georgia Saturday. Florida rushed for a hundred yards on only 2.1 yards per carry. Quarterback Luke Del Rio completed only 15 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That was more than enough offense to beat Georgia but the competition gets a little more difficult down the stretch. At some point the offense will have to be effective and consistent for the Gators to win. That might come as early as Saturday at Arkansas. This little piggy has had games this season where it scored a lot of points even putting up 30 in a losing effort against Alabama. Arkansas has scored over 20 points in every game but one, the pitiful 3 point performance in their last game against Auburn. But, the porkers are coming off of a bye week. They should be rested and prepared for the Gators’ visit.
I believe that Florida will hold the Razorbacks to their second lowest score of the season, but that may not be enough if Del Rio and the offense does not start putting it all together. This may be the week the offense must score late to win a game and I question if they have that in them. The offensive line seems to be improving a little each game but there is still a long way to go before anyone is going to accuse them of dominating the line of scrimmage. It is time for this offense to start finding ways to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers with space to attack. It is time for Luke Del Rio to prove that he is more than just a mediocre talent with enough football knowledge to beat out the competition for the starting job. With just four more regular season games to go this team finds itself in position to do great things but with few believers.
The Gators are 11th in the first College Football Playoff poll. To me that appears to be about the right place for them. They just have not looked like a champion team to this point, but they have looked like a team that could become a champion. There is no doubt that IF the Gators win out including a win in the SEC Championship Game they will be in the playoff. There is quite a bit of doubt about whether they are up to that task. Thanks to the cowardly way LSU handled the postponed game, Florida will only play in the Swamp one more time this season. Wrapped around that home game with South Carolina the Gators travel to Fayetteville AR, Baton Rouge LA and Tallahassee. Win at least two of the next three games and Florida will clinch a second straight trip to Atlanta to presumably match up against Alabama. Personally, I can visualize a scenario where Florida wins out for the regular season even if the offense only improves in small increments. I think I am joined by most rational people in my view that the offense will need to be much better to win in Atlanta.
For now, the oldest cliché in coaching takes precedence. The Gators must take each game one at a time beginning with the road trip to Arkansas that most of the so-called experts chocked up as a Florida loss leading up to the season. In my opinion, Arkansas looks inconsistent at best and perhaps even overrated. The Razorbacks have played three quality teams this season. They lost all three and by an average of 31 points. I believe the Gators are a quality team. I also believe that Florida will win on Saturday as long as the defense stays focused and the offense is at least moderately effective. Win Saturday and Florida will climb into the top ten in the next CFP poll. As Casey Kasem would say, Florida comes in at 11th with a bullet. Then it will be time to focus on the next game. One week at a time folks. One week at a time. Go Gators.