GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we recap the Florida Gators big win over Mississippi State on Saturday night in Starkville.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre breakdown how both the offense and defense did on Saturday night and what worked for them against Mississippi State.
Andrew and Nick also breakdown the play of quarterback Feleipe Franks and explain why they think it was his best game as a Gator.
TRANSCRIPT:
Andrew: What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, you and I will eat some crow, and do it proudly. Gators went out and took care of business in Starkville. Wasn’t pretty, 13-6, but it’s a road win, so I guess all road wins are pretty.
Nick: I think we’ll get more into it, but that’s probably the best way, or maybe the only way, that Florida was going to win that game. Hats off to Dan Mullen, Brian Johnson, John Hevesey, Billy Gonzales, the offensive staff, for recognizing that and putting that game plan together.
Andrew: Nick, this is what I think you see from Dan Mullen. You never see a game that is identical, as far as offensive game plans. I mean that in the utmost respect of a way. You don’t see game that’s usually won the same way, week in and week out. Last week it was a lot of up the middle running and throwing middle of the field, because that’s where they were weak. This week it was more about the extended run plays, like you and I talked about. I think that’s one of the things that really just separates Dan Mullen from a lot of coaches, and that’s an offensive-minded coach in Dan Mullen.
Nick, he did exactly what you and I had talked about Friday. You weren’t going to be able to run at this team constantly just right at them. You had to figure out a way to get some extended run plays in, the stand passes, the screens, the swing passes and that kind of stuff. For a majority of the night, that’s what he did, and that play ended up scoring Florida a touchdown on the double pass from Toney to Moral Stephens.
Nick: That play was just so well set up. I think we saw early on that the offensive line was overmatched, and it’s not even really saying anything bad about them. That’s just a really physical defensive line for Mississippi State.
Andrew: Listen, you’re not going to find too many better players than Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons.
Nick: Right. You and I were talking during the game. You can’t run up the middle, because Sweat and Simmons were collapsing that. Feleipe wasn’t getting much time to throw. People were asking, why aren’t we getting shots downfield? I said, you got two and a half seconds to throw. How far is your nine route getting before Feleipe is having to run?
Andrew: Right.
Nick: So, you make the adjustment. It’s screen pass, stand pass, screen pass, stand pass. It’s kind of like you said on the Friday predication pass. If you’re not going to be able to run, because of what this defense is and how physical they are, use that quick passing game as an extension of your running game. Florida did that. The reason you were able to hit on the double pass is because you had thrown so many screens. The safety sees you throw to Kadarius Toney behind the line of scrimmage, and he immediately bites. He immediately runs, or immediately runs towards the screen, and then you’ve got a Moral Stephens wide open.
Andrew: You talked about not having the time for the seam route. Van Jefferson was wide open on a seam route, and listen, for the first time that I’ll say this, Feleipe didn’t have time to see that, because it was one of those where the pocket was collapsing. He didn’t have time to see that Van beat the DB at the time to have an open pass there. There wasn’t a ton of time. Like you say, you open that up.
I think too, a thing that I liked in the game was seeing when the safeties and the corners started to bite up a little bit on the receivers for the stand pass Florida was able to hit a few slants, able to hit a few crossing routes, and that was some of the biggest plays. I told you I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was the nine-yard slant route to Kyle Pitts on 3rd down. It was a big play. Listen, that was a tough throw into tight coverage, and that was a tough catch by Kyle Pitts, where he had to become a power forward and block out the DB there and make a catch. What a grab.
I think for me that showed what Kyle Pitts is going to be in the future, and it showed me just how Franks has grown. You and I talked about this, and I’ll say it again. I’ve been the most critical of Feleipe Franks of anyone, and I admit that. I think you will admit the same. For me, that was the most complete game Feleipe Franks has had at Florida. Not the biggest plays in the game. Didn’t have the heroic throw to Tyrie Cleveland for the touchdown, didn’t a comeback or anything like that, but from start to finish that was the best game of Feleipe Franks. I can only point to four or five plays in the game where I’d say I think Feleipe would want that play back.
Nick: 100% agree. Wrote that last after the game. There were plays he missed, there were guys. I think the play that he hit Trevon Grimes deep that was called back for holding, two things on that play. One, he had Grimes open like a full three seconds before he threw it, and ends up having to kind of throw a jump ball, where if he throws it when Grimes is initially open, probably ends up leaving him, and you get the ball out of your hands before the holding is called. He also had C’yontai Lewis who is down in the flats, also wide open. If you check down to Lewis, it’s, again, probably a 20-yard gain, without holding being there. It’s just he didn’t see it.
Andrew: Right.
Nick: 100% agree that Feleipe Franks, while not spectacular at all, against Mississippi State did everything that Dan Mullen really needed him to do. I think the beginning of the second half maybe you saw some passes, obviously tried to squeeze that one in to Tyrie Cleveland and gets tipped for an interception. There were a couple, maybe a couple, errant throws to begin with, but for the most part from start to finish that is the most complete and composed game we’ve seen Feleipe Franks have in his entire career. That was a hostile environment. I’m talking about I was at Gator Walk, and they started the F Dan Mullen chants as soon as Florida got off the bus.
Andrew: Right. I mean, there was plays. There was a couple plays in the game, and I said that when I was talking about that. I said I thought that maybe Feleipe, there was one play in particular where Feleipe got out of the pocket, and you had a guy coming open, but instead he went ahead and took the run. Some people said that’s showing improvement for Feleipe, and it was. It definitely was. I’m a little bit more critical than most people are, in that I want everybody to be perfect. It can’t happen. Like you say, there was a couple plays, the ball he tried to sneak into Tyrie that got picked. I think had he not thrown it 500 miles an hour it might not have gotten picked.
Nick: See, I think that’s the decision more so than how hard he threw it. I think he had to throw it that hard, because it was just the wrong decision. If he doesn’t throw that hard, it might just be picked off by the first guy.
Andrew: You’re right. Maybe so. I would need to go back and look at it again. The thing for me, Nick, and this is what I’ll say, we can’t expect Feleipe to go from a guy who is 50% good, 50% bad to being 100% good. I think you and I are both in agreement that he probably in this game was 80% good. Listen, good defenses and good defensive linemen force good quarterbacks to make bad plays at times, and that’s exactly what happened in this game. For me, like you said, like we both say, it was the most complete game he had. For the majority of the game, he looked like he was in control of the offense in general. Didn’t have any delay of games in the game. After the first couple series, didn’t have an false starts. For me, that’s big on the road against that hostile crowd at Mississippi State.
Nick: I think that’s probably, to me, that’s probably the biggest thing. I said it earlier with Feleipe Franks to me probably the biggest thing is that for 95% of the game he didn’t try to do too much, stayed within the offense, kept his composure. I think the biggest thing for me is just that. I think that’s really the maturation that we wanted to see.
It’s kind of what you said earlier in the year during fall camp. Last year Feleipe Franks wanted to be the reason Florida won, and he would throw interceptions or make plays that were too risky, because he wanted to be the reason they won. This year he just wants to win, and he’s happy to be a part of that, rather than being the reason why they win. I think you saw that as a big step. That was a tough win. You’re facing a top 20 team on the road a week after a very heated emotionally taxing at Tennessee. To me, that’s a huge step forward for Feleipe Franks yesterday in Starkville.
Andrew: Here’s the lesson to be learned for Feleipe, and any quarterback. We’re praising you, Feleipe. You didn’t have to do nothing spectacular. Let’s face it, without Feleipe, you don’t win that football game on Saturday. So, while trying not to be the guy who won the game, he won the game. Listen, those throws during the stand passes aren’t the easiest throws. I’ll go back to the pass to Kyle Pits, what a throw. For me, and this was an all-around really good play, for me, Nick, it was one of those.
You and I talk about this all the time. You can turn football on on Saturdays the last few years, and you watch a quarterback and receiver throw, and you go, man, it is that easy to pitch and catch. To me, that’s what happened to the pass to Josh Hammond across the field. Feleipe threw a ball that only Josh Hammond could have caught. Josh Hammond had to make a good catch, but it was an all-around good football play, and that’s something that we really haven’t been able to see throughout the last seven years. Since Tebow left, honestly, since Urban left. Good pitch and catch football.
Nick: I agree with that. To me, it was just a masterful game plan from offense, and then on defense as well, especially the adjustments. I think that’s the biggest thing you saw on Saturday.
Andrew: Did Geoff Collins come back?
Nick: This is what it was. It was a coaching staff that has nine years of experience in coaching the SEC, versus Joe Moorhead, who is, I think, a first-time head coach.
Andrew: He was an SECS coach, I believe.
Nick: We’ll go with first-time head coach. Not being able to make those adjustments. That was a big thing for me. Florida made those adjustments. Todd Grantham made adjustments after halftime on defense. Mullen made adjustments on offense after halftime. MSU just didn’t do that.
Andrew: Are you ready for this?
Nick: Mississippi State had 43 yards of total offense in the second half. 11 yards in the fourth quarter.
Andrew: That’s what I was going to say.
Nick: Not letting you steal my thunder.
Andrew: Ten yards rushing in the second half. Didn’t have a turnover or anything like that, but one of seven on 3rd downs. Ran just 27 plays, and only had the ball for nine minutes in the game. Florida’s drives weren’t pretty on offense, by any means, but they controlled the clock. Mullen knew what he had to do in this game, and he did.
I want to go to the offensive line, Nick. I said this in my little writeup after the game. I think overall the offensive line played a pretty good game. Not great, nothing specular, but pretty good. They understood what was being asked of them for the majority of the game, and they made that happen. They understood we need to get the defensive linemen’s hands down quick, and we need to block those guys inside to set up that stand pass or that screen pass. They did allow some running game to happen for Pierce and Scarlett and Lamical Perine for the game. Again, I will say I think they were more physical than we’ve seen in the past. Still room to grow. Nick, as weird as this sounds, the right side of the line is where they’re getting the push, and that is something I would never have believed earlier in the year.
Nick: Tell us a little more about that. What are you seeing? That’s with no Brett Heggie, who has a left hand injury and a gigantic cast on that hand. Why do you see it? Obviously, everyone can probably see it, but why do you think it is that? Why was it yesterday?
Andrew: A couple things. Last night, to be fair, Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat, which Montez was inside a lot, so he’s a force with Nick Buchanan, but Jeffery Simmons was mainly matched up with Martez for a lot of the game, so that’s one key aspect there. Honestly, I think that Fred and Jawaan are just getting off the ball a little better now. I feel like both of those guys are just a little more physical right now. I’m still not seeing it from Tyler Jordan at left guard.
I know Fred had the three false starts, and Jawaan had the one false start, but overall those two guys just seemed to get a little bit more push in the game. The 4th down play with Jordan Scarlett in the wildcat, if you look at it, Fred and Waany just completely stonewalled their guys to the right side to open that hole up. Granted, that was a lot of Jordan Scarlett just not going to be denied in that, but Fred really did a good job there. That right side of the line just, it did, that was the better part of the game for me.
Nick: Fred had an interesting start to the game.
Andrew: He did. You know what, and I think Dan Mullen will go back and tell him this same thing, it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish. At the end of the day, I think Fred last year has the three false start penalties, puts his head between his legs, and has a terrible game.
Nick: That’s true.
Andrew: Again, I’m not telling anybody Fred Johnson and Waany Taylor are All-Americans or anything like that. I’m just saying I’ve seen improvement for those guys. For me, Nick, and I know this hurts your feelings when I say this, and I’m sorry, but I think I’ve seen Jordan Scarlett in way too many games to know what he’s going to bring, and he’s just not seeing the hole right now.
Nick: I think Lamical Perine, if you look at the way the game kind of shook out, I think Perine kind of took over there. He had 10 carries for 55 yards. Scarlett had 10 carries for 21 yards. I thought last week we probably saw, or at least we thought, knocking the rust off. That’s a real thing. So much for running backs, you talk about it in the flow of a game, you need to … I remember growing up a Dolphin fan, Ricky Williams was this kind of guy. Ricky Williams would be okay in the first quarter, a little bit better in the second quarter, and it was like finally by the fourth quarter he was just starting to feel out the defense and get things. He still had a motor going, and that’s when Ricky Williams would be able to put games away, in the fourth quarter, because he was finally getting a rhythm.
I think that happens with a lot of running backs. With Jordan Scarlett, that’s what I think we were waiting for just this season, after being out for a year, but definitely not the same kind of game. He did have some great blocks. Saved Feleipe’s butt plays with picking off some of the offensive linemen.
Yesterday Lamical Perine was running hard, running with patience, running with a purpose, and I think we saw that on the touchdown drive. There were six plays, and it was all your 251 boys, Perine touched the ball five times, and then you had the pass from Kadarius Toney. Then Damien Pierce right now is your closer. They throw him in late, and he’s fresh, he’s ready to go. He had four carries on Florida’s last drive for 30 yards.
Andrew: I’m not going to lie to you, Nick. I think Damien Pierce is a guy, he’s definitely benefitting from that, but he is a guy who he’s just a horse to take down. You ain’t bringing him down. Again, I get Jordan Scarlett, completely. I don’t understand the constant throwing to him. He’s just not a guy that’s going to catch the ball in the backfield. We’ll move on from that.
Good overall game. You had 118 yards rushing. If either one of us would have said that at the beginning of the week against Mississippi State, I’d have probably told you, Nick, you were an idiot, and you would have probably told me I was an idiot.
Nick: Say that again.
Andrew: Florida had 118 yards rushing in the game. If I would have told you at the beginning of the week they would have 118 yards, you’d have told me I was an idiot. If you’d have said they’d have 118 yards, I would have told you you were an idiot.
Nick: Yeah. I didn’t think that Florida would be winning this game with 118 yards. I mean, I thought, the way it looked to begin the game, it looked like Nick Fitzgerald was going to run for 200 yards. It looked like he was going to run for as much as he wanted. Only ends up with 32 rushing attempts. What was the adjusted? Florida had seven sacks last night?
Andrew: Six, I believe.
Nick: Was it six? Six for 39 yards. Even if you add the 39 yards to his total, well under 100.
Andrew: Nick, this came up last week, and we talked about it, but I think we got to revisit it. Twelve receivers caught the ball. Twelve different players caught the ball this week out of the backfield. I think in this game a little bit more understood, for sure. It was interesting to see not only Kyle Pitts, but Lucas Krull get a catch in the game. That was interesting. A nice little out route there.
Nick: Going back to Kyle Pitts real quick, because you mentioned him earlier, they put him out wide one on one against, I can’t remember who was out covering him, but they put him out one on one wide and just threw him …
Andrew: Quick out.
Nick: A quick in, a quick little slant.
Andrew: Yeah. Pitts, not Krull. Sorry.
Nick: Pitts. I like to see that. People still don’t understand the redshirt rule. You can play in any four games this year.
Andrew: Right.
Nick: So, he’s still eligible to redshirt. He can play in three more games. That was, he put a move on a guy and then, like you said, used his body.
Andrew: Be a power forward. Nick, seen Kadarius Toney. Only had three touches, four touches including the pass, in the game, but I definitely think he was a guy that was used as a decoy a lot in the game. Nick, I’ll say this again. When you put that guy back in the wildcat quarterback, special things happen.
Nick: I mean, you just put the ball in his hands, special things happen.
Andrew: That is true too.
Nick: He had two rushes for 20 yards. He had that pass.
Andrew: He had that one run, Nick, for 16, that had Martez not ran into him he might still be running.
Nick: Yes. He was just, that was like the play last year when people are saying, I don’t know if Kadarius Toney has an ACL, because the cuts he makes and the moves he makes. Most of us would shatter ours.
Andrew: Good grief. Nick, final thoughts on the offense. I’ll give you mine. Improvement. Nothing great. Improvement. Ran the game plan that Dan Mullen had for them to a tee.
Nick: I think that there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but they are improving.
Andrew: I would agree with that. Got to be more physical this week. I don’t know if the defensive line, well, I know the defensive line at LSU isn’t better than the Mississippi State defensive line, but I think the defense as a whole is probably better than Mississippi State’s, LSU that is, better than Mississippi State’s defense, so you got to more physical. And 13 points won’t win this football game on Saturday.
Nick: I agree. Well, it could. We’ve seen some very, very low scoring games with LSU and Florida.
Andrew: That is true. So, that’s kind of my final thoughts on that. Nick, I want to go to the defense, and say, you and I, I think we struck gold with Cece and Jachai Polite. Those two guys, Nick, all night long. I mean, good grief. It just seemed like every play one of the two guys was making a play. Cece had that bad face mask on Nick Fitzgerald, but he had the really good play to get back there, and then the good play on 4th down. Then Jachai Polite, he just continues to be unblockable.
Nick: Jachai Polite, especially there at the end of the game, was just living in the backfield. He had only three tackles, but all three were solo. Two of them were sacks. He had a pass breakup and kind of just kept collapsing the pocket. Cece Jefferson had four tackles, none for loss. Would have had the sack. He also had a pass breakup. Both of them, and I think you get a win for Feleipe Franks as well.
Andrew: Before we do that, Nick, I want to go back to something you tweeted about and you talked to me about during the game. For a defensive lineman, you’re not going to get the sack every time. If you don’t get the sack, get your hands up. Get your hands up. You’re a bigger guy than the quarterback, and you got more depth. You’re deeper in the field of play. You’re in the line of sight. I thought Cece did a really good job on that pass breakup there. You had a couple more. I think it was Kyrie or TJ Slaton, one of them, they didn’t get credit for it, but they had a ball that I thought was tipped as well.
Just those things, as well as just simple pressure in the face and showing the quarterback, I’m about to hit you, you better get rid of it, really was the difference in the game. Fitzgerald threw the ball so many times that was either deflected or before the receiver was ready for the ball. That was good coverage by those guys that really helped the secondary, which, in my opinion, the secondary played for the most part better than I expected them to play.
Nick: I agree. I hear you with that. I agree with that.
Andrew: Didn’t see a lot of David Reese in the game. He was rotated in an out. A lot of that is because …
Nick: He was probably in there for maybe 25 plays.
Andrew: Yeah. I think a lot of that, Nick, goes to the style of defense they wanted to play. They were playing a lot of man, which we expected, and you didn’t want David Reese on a still little bit of a bum ankle trying to guard some of those guys that Mississippi State was going to throw at you. Vosean Joseph might be the MVP of the defense, if it wasn’t Jachai Polite, simply because of the plays he made. It was that old Vosean Joseph of having a knack for being around the ball. Had the sack, had the tackle for loss. Almost killed Fitzgerald on one play. Just, for me, Vosean starting to get back into his own a little bit.
Nick: I thought he had a good game. This game coming up against LSU, the way that these games always go, this is the game that’s kind of made for Vosean.
Andrew: Nick, I think you will agree with me here, and that is I give props where props are due, and I’m critical when critical is there. I think Chauncey played well. Chauncey’s ability at that nickel position, and you said it earlier in the year to me, and I think you said it on the podcast, and that was Chauncey fit for that star/nickel position, whatever you want to call it, so well. What he does on those swing passes and the stand passes, what he does in getting up there and really just pushing the blocker into the play is perfect for Chauncey. Chauncey is not a guy you want to be in open space a ton, but get him out there and let him physical. That’s what he’s good at. He does start to make some open field tackles a little bit more, but overall I think you’re seeing Chauncey playing a position he’s comfortable with and is best at.
Nick: I think he is so good at anything that’s in front of him, either erasing it or stopping it in its tracks. I think that’s what you’re kind of talking about there. I think Chauncey Gardner will leave after this year, and he’s going to make a living playing nickel for some NFL team.
Andrew: The thing for him, Nick, is he’s buying into special teams. For a guy like Chauncey Gardner, and just Chauncey, but any DB, you better be willing to special teams, because DBs are playing special teams. I’ll talk about that in a second with Trey Dean, because I saw someone tweet at you about this. You got to be willing to play that. Before we go to special teams real quick, Nick, getting Shawn Davis back, that’s like a trade deadline in baseball or a free agent pickup.
Nick: You got the bullpen help right before the trade deadline?
Andrew: Yeah. You got some bullpen help. You got that #1 prospect called up. Didn’t have a ton of stats. Just two tackles and a pass breakup. Every time you turned around and you looked, Shawn Davis was around the play. Listen, Shawn Davis, I’m trying to think of the best way to say this, Nick, and you might be able to say this better than I can or use a better analogy than I can. He is thunder and lightning with Jeawon Taylor, or thunder and lightning with Donovan Stiner. Jeawon Taylor is a guy who’s going to be in a position to make the play nine times out of 10. Is he going to make a spectacular play? Probably not. Is he going to be the guy who makes the thundering hit? Probably not. Shawn Davis is that guy. Shawn Davis is the guy that’s going to fly up and make an interception. Shawn Davis is a guy who’s going to fly up and blow the running back up in the backfield. To me, that’s what’s been missing at safety is that thundering guy that’s the big hitter safety to go opposite of Jeawon Taylor or Donovan Stiner.
Nick: I mean, you can’t really play safety like you used to, but he probably gets as close to it as you can, like a Major Wright or a Matt Elam.
Andrew: Keanu Neal.
Nick: I mean, Keanu’s obviously hurt now, but if the NFL actually let people hit, I think Keanu might be an All-Pro safety, but you’re not allowed to touch anyone anymore in the NFL. I think you’re right with that, talking about that athleticism, someone that can come up and help in run support, somebody that is going to be in the right spot.
I was just worried, and I was watching him closely going through warmups. DBs are always just doing their backpedal and their brake drills. I’m watching him, and I was trying to see how confident he was putting pressure when he had to use that, it’s his left leg, right? When he had to use that knee to be the one to stop him in his backpedal, to put all of his weight on it, and then push off and come out of that brake. Honestly, before the game I thought he was even kind of looking a little gimpy coming out of some of those brakes, but I didn’t see it during the game. I think that’s really what we’ve been waiting to see, feeling confident on the knee again.
That’s kind of where everyone asked about Jacob Copeland and when is he coming back, where is he? I mean, you had 12 guys catch a pass yesterday. You’re fine at receiver. Let Jacob Copeland take his time. I think with Shawn Davis you weren’t super fine at safety. I am very encouraged with Donovan Stiner and everything he’s done, but I think you saw an added element to the defense when Shawn Davis came back and when he plays like that.
Andrew: Nick, I think the play for me that really showed Shawn Davis was back was when he really turned it loose and went after that pass breakup. That was a play that he had to be 0-100 as quick as possible, and he did.
Nick: That’s instinct. That’s probably when, if you’re not 100% confident with your knee, you’re probably intimidated, and you don’t get there. I think that’s what you see with him.
Andrew: Right. I think you and I can both agree here that coming back from a knee injury is so different than anything else. You never know what move you’re going to make that’s going to make that knee ache. With an ankle sprain, you know what you’re doing with your ankle. You know what is going to make it hurt. With you knee, you make so many cuts you never know. You have to just be confident that you’re healthy, and I think that’s exactly what it was. Getting him and David Reese back does nothing but make this defense better. Again, I said last week getting David Reese back, your quarterback, is huge. Some people call the safety the quarterback, and that’s fine. If that’s the case, you got your other quarterback back in Shawn Davis, who honestly, I can say this, you don’t have another safety. Safety was the weak spot of this team, and getting Shawn Davis back was huge.
Now, let’s move to special teams. I’m about to go on a rant here. The targeting call against Trey Dean pissed me off to no end. I get it. The NFL is trying to make this sport safer. Nick, let me ask you this. If you go to pick something up, does your head go down or no?
We can’t hear you, Nick. Nick, we still can’t hear you.
Nick: Sorry about that. Got my late checkout here, and I got the maids knocking on the door here. You can’t have it both ways on special teams. You can’t want to have great special teams and then get mad at a coach when something like that happens. I was going to ask you …
Andrew: Hold on. You didn’t answer my question.
Nick: We didn’t get a replay in the booth, in the press box. We didn’t get a replay on it, so I don’t even know. I haven’t seen the game yet. I won’t see it until I get home and can watch the recording. I don’t even know if it was helmet to helmet. We didn’t get a single replay.
Andrew: I asked you, if you go to pick something up, Nick, does your head drop?
Nick: Yeah. That stuff happens everywhere.
Andrew: Exactly. My question to you, Nick, the ball was fumbled, right? The ball was fumbled. The receiver, Mixon, caught the ball. The ball was fumbled. Trey Dean dove to try to get the fumble. In the process of him diving to get the fumble, the Mississippi State guy ducked his head to pick up the fumble. Both guys were ducking their heads. First of all, it was not helmet to helmet contact. It was more helmet to shoulder contact. Yes, he did lead with his helmet, but anybody to go to pick up something is leading with their head. That is common physics, whatever you want to call it, in life, that is what it is. For the refs to throw that flag was stupid, because it wasn’t a late hit. The ball was fumbled. Secondly, it’s not targeting. That’s stupid as well.
I understand you want to get the game to be safer. It’s football, for God sakes. It’s football. He cannot go get the football if he does not duck his head. It is period. End of discussion. That is the way it is. If Dan Mullen doesn’t call up the SEC department and talk about that, then I have something to say to Dan. I think he will, because it was dumb. I understand you didn’t see the replay, but when you see the replay, Nick, you’ll come back on the podcast on Wednesday and tell me you agree with me.
Nick: Yeah. Initially we thought that the call was …
Andrew: Late hit.
Nick: Yeah, like a late hit. I didn’t get that, because there was definitely a muffed punt. Then they don’t really have the TV set up, and for some reason they didn’t show it. They had two huge jumbotrons there, and they didn’t show it on either one of those, so we didn’t really see it. To me, if you’re going to spend all the time to review these, then get it right.
Andrew: Nick, I’m a Braves fan, and review ain’t getting nothing right in this world. Here’s the problem, Nick, and this is the issue I have with it. Again, this is me being a Braves fan as well and going off on that spew for a second. If you’re going to go to a review, why should the review booth know what you called? Nick, if I tell you the answer to what I did, you’re more than likely going to agree with what I say than disagree with what I say.
Nick: Or look to justify it, right.
Andrew: Or look to justify it. Correct. So, why are we going to the booth saying, I called a late hit, and I think it’s targeting? That’s dumb.
Nick: You’re saying, go to the booth. Hey, here’s a play that just happened. What do you think it is?
Andrew: Tell me what happened. If they come back and say, good play, you can’t pick up the flag, late hit, so the late hit still gets thrown out there, which is BS, but Trey Dean doesn’t get thrown out of the game for a BS targeting call. It’s just dumb. I hated that play. It was the stupidest thing, because a couple series later, when Florida kicks off, I mean Mississippi State kicks off after the field goal, Freddie Swain is going down, and the same thing happens to him, and there’s no call. There’s no consistency.
Nick: I think that’s in college and in pro.
Andrew: It’s everywhere, but it’s just dumb. It’s so dumb. I usually side on the side with the refs as far as targeting goes, simply because I understand it’s a tough job, but you saw the guy muff the fumble. Think about it for a second, guys. You can’t go down to the ground to pick up something or bend down to pick up anything, ground or wherever it may be, without your head dropping. Trey Dean is taught to go get the football. It’s dumb. It’s stupid.
Overall though, Florida did well on special teams. Freddie Swain had a couple punt returns that set them up into better field position than it was, and Evan McPherson was clutch. Hit two field goals in his return to Starkville, where he was once committed to, and was once committed to Dan Mullen. I think that was good overall. You didn’t see any huge special teams play from Mississippi State.
Nick: To me, going back to that, the point that the guy was trying to make on Twitter was that you can’t have Trey Dean playing special teams. Mine was you can’t have it both ways. You can’t want great special teams and not want your best players on special teams. He countered with, it’s a thin position. Okay. Those are the guys that start on special teams. Trey Dean has been starting on special teams all year.
Andrew: Turn on Sunday NFL football.
Nick: Tyrie Cleveland starts on special teams. Chauncey Gardner starts on special teams. Lamical Perine, who’s one of your three running backs, is starting on special teams. If you want to have a great special teams, you put your best players on special teams. That’s it. Period. If you’re worried about Trey Dean or Lamical Perine or somebody getting thrown out for targeting or getting hurt on special teams, then just say, I don’t care about special teams.
Andrew: Turn on NFL football.
Nick: I’m fine with having Jim McElwain and Will Muschamp special teams. I’m fine with not blocking punts or not having a good return team or not having good kick cover team. If you want to have one of the best special teams in the country, you’re going to put those players there. I mean, Percy Harvin played special teams when he was a freshman. Chris Rainey, you put these guys. Carlos Dunlap played special teams, I think even as a junior.
Andrew: Yeah. Turn on NFL football on Sundays. The best of the best are playing on special teams. Only 53 guys get carried in the NFL. Only 70 get carried on road games in the SEC. No offense, but if the guy is third string on the offensive line or third string at wide receiver, why do you want them being first string on special teams? Just a question.
Nick: You don’t.
Andrew: For me, I don’t. If special teams was a waste and wasn’t made to win, why did they put it there? Why do we play it? Why don’t we just do it like we do in practice in spring games where a punt there’s no pressure, and you can’t return it?
Nick: Right.
Andrew: Because it’s made to win the game. I mean, go back to Super Bowls. How many Super Bowls have been won because of a blocked punt or a blocked field goal or a punt return or kick return? I mean, Devin Hester. Devin Hester will go down as one of the best returners in the game and athletes, because of what he did on special teams. That’s what a makes a difference for me.
Nick, let’s run through real quick our picks. My first pick was David Reese. Didn’t play a lot, so that’s a loss. Your first pick was Jachai Polite. That’s a W.
Nick: Yup. I’m going to take that one to the bank.
Andrew: Who was your second pick?
Nick: I had Jordan Scarlett. I’m going to probably take a loss on that.
Andrew: You’re 100% taking a loss. Sorry, buddy. My second pick was Feleipe Franks, and I don’t care what you say, I’m taking a win.
Nick: That’s a win. 22 of 31 for 219. He was efficient in what they asked him to do. He was composed. It was probably the most complete game. Don’t let the no touchdown, one interception fool you. Probably the most complete and composed game he’s played in his career.
Andrew: Yup. I’m taking a win for that. Your third was Jabari, correct?
Nick: Jabari Zuniga, yup.
Andrew: Let me see here real quick. I don’t even know what he did in the game.
Nick: Jabari had three tackles, two solo, one sack, one tackle for loss. He, Jachai, and Cece were all over Nick all day.
Andrew: I’ll give you a win.
Nick: I’m taking two wins out of there. You’re not giving me anything. That was a great pick.
Andrew: My third one was Cece, and I’m definitely taking a win.
Nick: No. Oh yeah, you switched from Van Jefferson to Cece, right?
Andrew: Yeah.
Nick: Yup. The buck linebacker, defensive end position got it done.
Andrew: Exactly. So, that was that. A couple games around the country, Nick. Penn State, what are you doing, James Franklin?
Nick: Jeez. Then he’s yelling at students when he’s coming off the field.
Andrew: What are you doing? You called two timeouts to run a counter play? Your quarterback is your best players on your field. Why are you taking him out? That’s just dumb. James Franklin, there’s a reason why you don’t win up at Penn State against the Buckeyes. Isn’t that two straight years Ohio State’s come from way behind to win?
Nick: Yeah. I mean, they had a big lead too. They had a big lead, with like five minutes left I think they had a two possession lead? Just a complete collapse with five minutes left in the game.
Andrew: That was awful. Louisville, Bobby Petrino, what are you doing?
Nick: I actually didn’t see any of that game, because I was down on the field watching everyone warm up and getting pictures and stuff for the website. Didn’t get to see that.
Andrew: I caught the end of the game. I caught the Bobby Petrino screw up on ESPN. Apparently, he had a minute and 30 to go, and FSU had two timeouts, and instead of running the ball on Florida State’s 30 to kick a field goal to put the game as a two-score game, he decided to throw the ball. They end up having to punt the ball away. Congratulations, Bobby. You gave one up to Willie Taggert.
Alabama, Nick, still Alabama.
Nick: Good Lord.
Andrew: Put it on them. LSU puts it on Ole Miss as well. Sets it up for a #5 team maybe, #6 team, depending on how they rank them this week, coming to Gainesville. We’ll see if Florida gets ranked this week. Maybe 24, 25, somewhere around in there. That should be a great atmosphere, Nick.
Nick: Talking about Alabama, real quick. Tua has yet to play in the fourth quarter.
Andrew: I saw that. They threw their third-string quarterback in there. Third-string quarterback played.
Nick: They are a machine, and they’re on a warpath right now to play Georgia.
Andrew: Poor, poor defense is all I can tell you. Good grief, Nick. I mean, how do you stop that? Because it’s just a thing where you come into this game and you say, let’s stop the running game. Okay. Tua’s going to beat you.
Final thoughts before we get out of here?
Nick: Final thought would be saw a lot of growth and maturity from this football team. I think we put them in the ground, put them in a casket, after a loss to Kentucky. Kentucky is now 5-0. Winning impressively too, Kentucky is. So, there was no way in my mind that I saw Florida winning back to back road games in Knoxville and in Starkville after we watched that Kentucky game. I think other Florida teams in the past might have folded it in and felt sorry for themselves, but we’re not seeing that from Florida. Now you’ve got a matchup where I think Florida will be ranked this week, and you’ll get a top 25 matchup with Florida and LSU.
Andrew: We’ll see how that goes. Visitors list is insane, Nick. Good grief. It’s crazy. Anyway, come check us out on Gator Country and get all the scoop on all that good stuff. Nick, tell everybody where they can find us. We’ll get out. We’ll see everyone on Wednesday as we preview Gators-Tigers.
Nick: www.GatorCountry.com for all your Florida Gator news. The podcast is there in audio and transcript form. Subscribe on any form, any outlet that you listen to your podcasts. Just search @GatorCountry. Do your social media thing. @GatorCountry on Facebook and Twitter. @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. I’m @NickdelaTorreGC, and he is @AndrewSpiveyGC.
Andrew: There you go. Guys, we appreciate it. We’ll see everyone on Wednesday. As always, go Braves and chomp, chomp.
Nick: You stay classy, Gator Country.