Occasionally we’ll highlight some very informative and sometimes entertaining posts on our Swamp Gas forums that can’t be missed. On an average day, we have over 4,000 new posts on our forums so it’s easy to miss out on some real nuggets. Now and then we’ll highlight some of them for your enjoyment.
Today’s featured posts on our BullGator Den:
Ripostes and Reviews 9/21/08
By Naphta
Offensive Woes? The new clock rules have not simply “taken plays away” they have taken offensive possessions away. Consider this, if you used to have between 15 and 20 extra plays per game, you also have fewer possessions on average, and that, consequently, makes every possession more valuable, and more costly when unproductive.
When on the road in the SEC, you can’t do a couple of things and win, and turning the ball over is chief among the things you can’t do. With possessions limited, conservative, ball-control offensive play calling will be the rule when ahead. There are those who will say that if you shorten your possessions you’ll get more of them in a game. The problem with this theory is that when you play in the SEC and nearly every team has the athletes to eek out first downs 3.34 yards at a time and shorten the games even further, you simply cannot have unproductive possessions, while incomplete passes (getting behind the chains) and interceptions are twice as costly as before. With a lead, smart teams will control the ball and play keep away. It’s not as much fun, but it wins games. And above all, the coaches are about winning games because winning = keeping your job. Losing pretty = losing your job.
Here is the “problem” with the UF offense: the defense and special teams. Meyer is a special teams-emphasizing coach. He comes from the Holtz tree of coaches, and he believes that ST play is the way to win games. Looking back, it often is the difference in big games. He’s proving that this year, since UF’s special teams are what’s beating its opponents. It’s odd to think of it that way, but you have to look at it like this: blocked punt = short field, INT for touchdown = one less possession for the offense or short field, etc. UF has mostly been on short fields this year or kicking the ball off to the other team after a non-offensive score. Non-offensive scores and fewer possessions make an offense look weak that isn’t. But UF has shown that when it needs to, it can pull off the 70 yard drives you sometimes have to have.
Perspective After Tennessee
By GatorGary
The Gators are in great shape after a big win in Knoxville. The following are a few of my observations after watching the CBS replay and “Breakfast with the Gators”:
1. Each and every road SEC win is a very big win, however, to easily handle UT was very special for me as I truly hate them (along with UGA, FSU and Auburn)
2. Like most every Gator fan, I would have preferred a game like last year where we scored at will and looked unstoppable on offense. But, it is hard to complain about a 24 point road SEC win.
3. It was clear to me that the Gators started working the clock after we got that fumble at our three yard line with 11:35 left in the second quarter. Don’t forget. With all his reputation for being a wide open, “balls to the wall” offensive master mind, Meyer is actually a very conservative a field position type of coach. Some, if not most, of Tebow’s scripted carries are not because he is our best runner, it is because there is no one on offense that Mayer and Mullin trust more to keep possession of the ball than Timmy. Most of his carries this year have not been near the goal line or in short yardage situations.
4. Brandon James is the man. His two returns allowed the Gators to “play from ahead” all game. UT never even came close to recovering from the early 17-0 lead.
Offensive Stat Analysis (Yards Gained/Yards Available)
By ParisGator
Much has been said about the lack of offensive stats for the Gators last night. How we can consider it a “successful” night for the offense when we had only 253 yards of total offense?
Considering the new clock rules, I think the best way (or a least a GOOD way) to analyze the success of an offense is yards gained vs. yards available to be gained. For example, if a drive started on the Gators 15 yards line…we have 85 yard available. How do our yards gained compare to the yards available to us?
Florida had the ball only 7 times the entire evening, not including the end of the 1st and 2nd half kneeldowns. A summary:
Drive 1: 44 Yards, TD (44/44)
We had a short field here and gained every yard possible.
Drive 2: 1 Yard, FG (1/22)
There were 22 yards left here.
Drive 3: 74 Yards, FG (74/97)
23 yards “left” here.
The Armchair QB Grading The Gators vs. UT
By Randy Platt
Lead: It is Monday Morning and the Armchair Quarterback grades the Gators on their performance vs. University of Tennessee.
Coach Urban Meyer’s mantra for winning football is play great defense, don’t turn the ball over, and have great special teams. Florida did just that in defeating the University of Tennessee 30 – 6 in Knoxville on Saturday. The Gators scored 17 first quarter points, highlighted by Brandon James 78 yard punt return for touchdown that silenced the hometown crowd, then played solid defense, turning back the Vols twice inside their own 5 yard line, to secure their first SEC victory of the 2008 season.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
IMPRESSIVE:
James Brandon, Janoris Jenkins, A J Jones, Joe Haden, Jonathan Phillips, Special Teams and defense
SOLID:
Offensive line, running backs, receivers, Tim Tebow
NEED WORK:
Still too many penalties and kickoff coverage, but I am being real picky
Observations from the Game (Long)
By G8rRanger
Sat in a UT section and they were as nervous as long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs. They were tight, tight, tight. The atmosphere outside the stadium was very muted. Lots of “pageantry” without the passion from the fans. They knew what was coming and hoped for better. A tense balloon, waiting to get popped.
How many times do our players note how loud Neyland is for the first quarter but it sure seems to get quiet after that? QED We could hear Timmy calling signals the whole second half.
Cruel irony that they are playing in their decade-anniversary of their NC. All the images on the jumbotron MUST serve as reminders of how far they have fallen, and they haven’t hit bottom yet. I’ll get some observations from my good friend, Jeff Hall, the PK from that year. I know he will be candid.
Al Wilson was a heckuva CFB player and pro, but it seems he falls short as a pre-game motivational speaker. Nice.
You all couldn’t tell on TV probably, but it ws as awesome a venue for a football game as you could ask for. Beautiful setting and one that any Vol would be proud of…until they kicked off.