Miller Report: Time to move on for the Florida Gators

Normally I would begin by reviewing Saturday’s game but….. So, I will begin with my putting in my two cents worth about the postponement and makeup. First, I was not privy to the conversations that took place within the Florida athletic department offices or between Jeremy Foley and the commissioner’s office so I do not know the criteria used to postpone the game. What I do know is that it seems as if the game could have been played either Sunday or Monday and probably should have been. Trust me, the impact of that postponement will continue in multiple ways.

The publicity surrounding the fiasco of trying to reschedule the game in not good to this point. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva is trying his best to leverage this into a benefit for LSU in any way he can and I am not faulting him for that, it’s his job. However, suggesting that the SEC move the title game and have Florida play LSU in the Georgia Dome on December 3rd seems way over the top to me. Especially since Alleva keeps saying he is not willing to entertain any solution that means LSU losing a home game. But suddenly he wants Florida to move the game to Atlanta, losing a home game, for no explainable reason. Watching Alleva in action makes me appreciate Foley that much more.

What concerns me to a greater extent is that the uncertainty surrounding and focus upon the postponement and rescheduling seems to be lingering heavily around both programs. I worry about the Gators players turning their attention to Missouri as quickly as they should have. Missouri is a quality team. Anything less than 100% focus on the Tigers will spell a loss for Florida rendering the rescheduling of the LSU game meaningless for the Gators. So let us turn our attention forward.

Florida’s last game against Vanderbilt left a lot to be desired. The Gator offensive line was all but ineffective against the Commodores. Missouri seems to produce a good pass rush every season. They must be licking their chops watching game film on Florida’s O-line. It’s time for the Gator offensive linemen to defend their manhood. There is no excuse for one unit to be the weak point for the same program for five straight years. Gentlemen, it is time to not be gentlemen.

Luke Del Rio is supposed to be ready to reclaim his position as starting quarterback. That is welcome news. Austin Appleby was adequate as a replacement but the Gators need Del Rio’s quick release and decision making behind this offensive line. With most of the playmakers back and at full speed there should be opportunities for explosive plays Saturday if the line can protect long enough and Del Rio can hit the right target. LSU hung 42 on these guys.

I keep saying this but the running game must become more consistent down the stretch. While I have yet to see what I think is a truly elite running back in this group in fairness I am not sure one can emerge while trying to spread the ball around to so many different backs. In my somewhat less than humble opinion, I think it is high time to settle on a couple of feature backs and let them get into a rhythm. Or tire the defense down chasing Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine and then pound them late with Mark Thompson. One way or another the ground game must become more consistent to slow down the pass rush.

Defensively, the Gators bounced back from their horrendous second half performance in Knoxville to turn in a solid game in Nashville. However, it warrants pointing out that Vanderbilt’s offense would struggle against air. The Florida defensive line is still banged up but it is a little healthier than it would have been Saturday if the game against LSU had taken place. The rest of the Gator defense appears to be at nearly full strength. LSU held Missouri to seven points. West Virginia held them to eleven points. This is a game Florida should win in Gainesville.

Win this game Saturday and Florida will (presumably) have an off week to get healthy, regroup and get the future of the UF-LSU game settled before moving on to the second half of the season. The Gators are still in position right now to have a special kind of season but they must win games. The team cannot be worrying about what Tennessee does against Alabama. They cannot be worrying when or if the LSU game will be made up. It is time to move on. Florida MUST focus on beating Missouri and only on beating Missouri. One more loss and the Gators are relegated to playing for pride and trying to get a better bowl game the rest of the season. Keep winning and EVERYTHING is still within reach. I know this is starting to sound like the same message over and over, but we should know a little more about this team after Saturday. So far they have managed to leave more questions than answers after every game. That cannot continue can it?

Mark Miller
Mark Miller's bravery knows no limits. He's a Gator living deep in the heart of Georgia. Mark's weekly columns appear in the Coosa Valley News in Rome, Georgia, where Gators are few and Bulldogs are many. His updates about football and life among the heathens will appear in Gator Country on a weekly basis.

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