STARKVILLE, MS — The escape artists known as the Florida Gators did what they have become rather good at lately, which is playing down to their competition and somehow walking away with a white knuckles win in a game that should have never been close in the first place. The wins are the only thing that counts — the Gators are 7-0 for only the fifth time in school history — but at some point you have to wonder just how much time the Gators can borrow before they are cornered with no avenue for escape.
There is no logical reason why the Gators turned another perfectly good blowout opportunity into a hold your breath until the clock turned zero 29-19 win over Mississippi State Saturday night. Just like last week’s 23-20 win over Arkansas that should have been 31-0 at the half, the Gators found ways to self-destruct in the red zone. Last week, fumbles and sacks did the Gators in. Although they didn’t fumble this week, they managed only one touchdown and three field goals when they got within sniffing distance of the Mississippi State goal line.
The Gators got away with their lack of productivity in the red zone Saturday, just like they got away with it last week against Arkansas and got away with it the week before at LSU and a month ago against Tennessee. The Gators are 5-0 in the SEC and four of their five wins would have been TKOs at halftime if only the Gators could find what works consistently when they get inside the 20.
It’s enough of a problem that Urban Meyer said the work to re-invent the red zone package begins on the plane ride back to Gainesville.
“I didn’t coach very well,” Meyer said. “I put Tim (Tebow) in some tough situations down in the red zone. Red zone offense right now is really an issue. It’s something we’re going to start [working on] on the plane on the way home.”
It could have been 31-3 at the half except that the Gators missed a 31-yard field goal on their first possession and settled for two 21-yard field goals when they couldn’t punch it in for touchdowns. Florida did get a touchdown on a 26-yard run by Tebow on a busted play in the second quarter. Tebow had to jump high to corral a bad snap that threw the timing off what was supposed to be a play action pass. Rather than force a pass, he simply took off up the middle, cut to his right and then outran everyone to the end zone for the touchdown that tied Herschel Walker as the all-time record-holder for rushing touchdowns in the SEC. That made it 10-3 with 13:16 left in the half.
Another touchdown opportunity was blown in the final minute of the half following a blocked punt by Chris Rainey that gave the Gators a first and goal on the Mississippi State seven. Instead of a touchdown, however, Tebow threw the first pick six he’s thrown since his sophomore season, a tipped pass that Mississippi State’s Jonathan Banks returned 100 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the half.
Instead of the 31-3 lead the Gators should have had, the Bulldogs were very much in the game. If the Gators had scored touchdowns when they had the chance, the Mississippi State crowd would have been planning an early exit but at 13-10, they knew they had a chance.
The Gators were 2-2 in the red zone in the second half but they got only one touchdown. Tebow got stuffed on a third and one at the Mississippi State nine that led to the third field goal of the game by Sturgis with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Gators punched the ball inside the 10 when Tebow converted a fourth and one into a three-yard gain. One play later, Tebow lined up under center with Rainey in the I-formation. Rainey followed devastating blocks by Mike Pouncey and Carl Johnson for an eight-yard touchdown run with 9:08 left in the game. When the Gators went on defense, Brandon Hicks tipped a Tyson Lee pass in the air that Dustin Doe picked off and returned 26 yards for a touchdown that gave the Gators a 29-13 left with 8:25 left.
The Bulldogs made it interesting with 3:51 remaining when Tebow threw the second pick six of the game — the first time that’s happened in his career — but interesting is as good as they could make it. Florida’s defense wasn’t going to give up anything. They gave up only 237 yards, no offensive touchdowns and just two field goals.
“If we have to carry the load, we carry the load,” said junior safety Major Wright, whose fourth quarter interception was Florida’s third pick of the game. “We know the offense is going to get it together but until they do, give us the load. We’ll carry it. We’ll carry it as long as we have to.”
Meyer knows he has a defense that can make plays and put his offense in position to score touchdowns but something has to give. If the Gators continue at their present pace of red zone productivity, it will come back to bite them. It’s only a matter of time before there is no escape route.
“You score in the red zone,” Meyer said. “Like against Tennessee … there’s common theme. You score in the red zone against Arkansas. I can’t think of when we have not led the SEC or been top three [in red zone productivity]. We have to evaluate what we’re doing.”
Meyer and his staff will re-evaluate things. He did it with the offense in 2005 after the LSU game. It started with drawing a few plays up on a napkin and ended with an all-nighter with his offensive staff re-tooling things to fit the skills of Chris Leak. A year later, Leak led the Gators to a national championship.
Now the plan is to re-tool the red zone package and find a way to score touchdowns instead of field goals but until he gets it figured out, he will be happy to win any way he can. The way the Gators have won four of their five SEC games hasn’t been pretty, but the Gators are 5-0 and needing only a win next week against Georgia to clinch a tie for the SEC East championship.
“That doesn’t equate … winning ugly,” Meyer said. “You win. You win.”
Ugly isn’t bad at all when you’re winning.
“Ugly is very pretty when you’re 7-0,” middle linebacker Ryan Stamper said.
The Gators have indeed won ugly and it makes you think maybe they’re living on borrowed time but for at least one more week, the clock didn’t strike zero. Even with all their warts, even with all their wrinkles and the need for a day at the spa, they are 7-0 and it really doesn’t get much more beautiful than that.