STARKVILLE, Miss – These Florida Gators must be a great football team.
How else do you explain them playing so poorly for two weeks and still being unbeaten after seven games this season?
Great teams aren’t much in evidence around the SEC, where wins are hard to come by these days. Take a look:
On the same day that Alabama dodged a bullet when Tennessee’s potential game-winning field goal was blocked and Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina team eeked out a win over Vanderbilt, Florida let Mississippi State hang around for three quarters before the Bulldogs self-destructed.
Though he says just winning is plenty good enough for him, clearly Florida coach Urban Meyer and his star quarterback, Tim Tebow, are not pleased.
Meyer admitted his team was starting to feel the heat, mostly because the offense has struggled and the Gators can’t seem to put a complete game together lately. Even after Florida’s seventh win Saturday night, 29-19 over Mississippi State, the locker room was not a happy place, though Meyer did try to put on a happy face in his press conference and take the heat himself for another lackluster offensive showing.
“I’m pressing like crazy,” said the head coach, ironically, after his 51st victory at Florida and the team’s 17th straight. “I think the head coach wants to score so damn bad. He’s not used to this, I’m not used to this. And if I’m not used to this then the people more important than me in that room aren’t used to this.”
One of those people wears No. 15 and made a Promise 17 games ago that he has more than fulfilled. The trouble is that the Gators had another red zone meltdown – one touchdown in five trips – and Tebow played his worst game since he was a sophomore. Two of his passes were picked off by the same Mississippi State defensive back, Johnthan Banks, and returned for touchdowns – the first one 100 yards at the end of the first half.
So upset was Tebow that for the first time ever he declined to speak to the media after the game. He knows he can play better and has become very frustrated with an offense that seems limited in scope. He also didn’t execute well. Once again, Tebow seemed hesitant on some plays and held the ball extra long, which was partially responsible for him being sacked three times.
These were the best of times and worst of times for Tebow. His performance did nothing to enhance his position in the Heisman Trophy race, even though he become co-owner of an SEC record that is revered: Tying Herschel Walker’s mark of 49 touchdowns.
The game’s most historic moment came at an unlikely time, just under three minutes deep into the second quarter, as Florida was struggling a bit on offense. Having failed to capitalize on the interception by A.J. Jones, who came down with Carlos Dunlap’s blocked pass, the Gators had a second drive fizzle virtually at the Bulldog goal line. Having already converted a fourth-and-2 play to keep a drive alive, Tebow and the Gators faced a third-and-4 play at the Mississippi State 26.
It was a rather ignominious start to owning a piece of a treasured record. The ball was snapped high by center Maurkice Pouncey and the play, which appeared to be going to Tebow’s left, suddenly changed directions when Tebow couldn’t get the handoff to his running back. So Tebow blew passed a defender and, seeing that the Bulldog defense had overplayed, cut back to the right. As he chugged to the 5-yard line, Tebow could see the bright orange pylon getting closer and he dove for it, touching the ball to it. Once the official signaled touchdown and Tebow came up with the ball, he asked if he could take it with him to the sideline and was obliged.
That was Tim’s lone shining moment of the first half – and one of his few all game—because things would get much, much worse.
Speaking of ignominious, Tebow was on the other end of a play that shall live in infamy. His glory didn’t last long, because it was a Tebow pass thrown at Deonte Thompson and slightly tipped that Banks picked off and took back the wrong way 100 yards for a touchdown that put the Bulldogs back in the game at halftime, 13-10.
Here’s further testimony that Florida’s red zone offense gave Meyer a red face. The Gators reached the red zone four times in the first three quarters – the 20, 1, 4, 6 and 8-yard lines – and got just three field goals. Not to mention giving up a pick six on the last one. And, of course, by allowing former Florida offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen’s team to hang around, the Bulldogs came back to bite the Gators with a third-quarter Derek DePasquale field goal of 31 yards that tied the score at 13. That was overcome, 16-13, with yet another Sturgis kick.
Then a trick play that went awry for Dan Mullen blew the game open for the Gators.
Clearly there was something broken with this Gator offense, which has been in the deep-freeze since the second quarter of the Kentucky game.
Urban manned up and wanted to take the blame for Saturday night.
“I didn’t coach very well,” Meyer said. “I put Tim in some tough situations down in the red zone. Offense now is really an issue and that’s something we’re going to start on during the plane right on the way home.”
The good news was that the defense and special teams showed up at the right time. David Nelson’s pressure on a fake punt helped blow up Mullen’s trick play and when the Gators got the ball back, Tebow lined up under center, took the direct snap and handed off to Chris Rainey for an 8-yard scoring jaunt.
The scoring drought has begun to plague these players and bug the coaching staff.
“I can feel it,” Meyer said of the pressure. “I’m pressing. ‘Score! Score! Do this!’ And we’ll do things maybe we shouldn’t be doing.”
Meyer warned “people will be taking shots,” and told his players to stick together.
They are hoping this means their best is yet to come. At least that’s what senior linebacker Ryan Stamper said Saturday night after Florida’s less-than-stellar performance.
“We haven’t played our best football yet on both sides of the ball,” said Stamper, who had to help fill the void after the injured Brandon Spikes couldn’t go. “But we’re seven and oh.”
The “we’re seven and oh” theme was a common phrase among the players, who were held over in about a 30-minute meeting following a mistake-filled game. There was a lot to talk about, apparently.
It’s just going to have to be their mantra while the offense fights its way out of a slump.