Gator Country VIP Newsletter – 11/21/18 Edition

    By popular demand, Gator Country is refreshing one of its favorite features, this time in a weekly cadence to get everyone over hump day and rolling into the next Gator game day. Ray (Solari), in his everlasting wisdom (?), assigned the bulk of the newsletter to me, David Parker.

    Most of the thoughts will revolve around our beloved Gators, of course, but many will stray about the field of college football, as well as other ports of call along the pop culture spectrum.

    Following that, you’ll find additional snippets and tidbits from the Gator Country staff and columnists. Sometimes it’s factual stuff, sometimes it’s insider stuff, sometimes it’s something else entirely. But it’s always relevant to the Florida Gators!

    We’ll be mailing this out every Wednesday morning just in time with your coffee, tea, or whatever voo-doo you use to get your day started.

    Hope you all enjoy. -PD

    Happy Thanksgiving from the Gator Country staff — we are very thankful to have your ongoing support; it means a lot to us to be able to do the things we love in bringing all things Gators to you! -Ray

    Thoughts of the Week 

    There are many different weeks throughout the football season. We are headed into Hate Week, not to be confused with Rivalry Week. There are a few designated each year as Separation Saturday. This past week could probably be called Time Warp Week for Florida fans. It was a week where we entered a late-season game quite happy with our year to date and having no fear of the opponent, a glimpse into the past the way things used to be every week. And we got to glimpse into the future and watch a ton of players get their first significant playing time for the Gators, and show off the future bedrock of the program. And before it was even over, Scotty beamed us back to the present, where we dwell on two questions that will define living in the Now for Gator fans, until they are answered. 

    And they’ll both be answered in part or in full on Saturday. 

    Can I have My Quarter Back?

    The first question is what will we do with Emory Jones the rest of the season? And I will hereafter refer to him as EmJ, as I continue my effort to get that nickname to stick. Many theories have been floated, and I had mine as well. But mine was dashed when EmJ took the field in the second quarter against Idaho, meaning he can now only play in either the FSU game or the bowl game and still retain his redshirt status. 

    My belief was that he would be saved for the FSU game and the bowl game, and skip the Idaho game, a glorified exhibition. But again, Dan Mullen is working with a tad more understanding of running football program than I am. I didn’t see much value in working EmJ out against such a vastly inferior opponent as Idaho, not after he’d already seen real minutes against Georgia. But that really didn’t do him a lot of good. He only went in with a limited package with very limited responsibilities and options on each play. It wasn’t a test; it was just one test question. Playing against Idaho allowed him to run the whole offense, or at least as much as could be squeezed into about a half of football. 

    Now he’s ready to execute an entire complement of playbook pages, entire sections, if he is forced to play full-time against FSU (or the bowl opponent) due to an injury or full performance face-plant by Feleipe Franks. Now he is ready to be a real weapon as a change of pace against FSU (or the bowl opponent) instead of just a gimmick. 

    And no Dan has more options than he had before Idaho, not less as I had thought. Because now he can choose to hold EmJ out of the FSU game contingent on how Franks plays. If Feleipe is sharp and doesn’t make big mistakes, Florida should control the game and perhaps even pull away steadily and win handily. In which case, there will be no reason to burn the redshirt by playing EmJ. Or Franks could struggle or other parts of the team could struggle or FSU could merely play way over their heads and the game could stay very close and EmJ would be needed to offer a spark and a new wrinkle or three. OR the first scenario could happen, Florida could be cruising, and Dan could choose that as a time to get EmJ experience running the offense against a fierce rival on the road without the pressure of a tight game in the balance. 

    And the brilliant thing about all of this is that none of it will impact how EmJ is prepared for the bowl game. The primary benefit of a bowl game for a young player like Jones is of course all those extra practices he gets. Well, regardless of whether Kyle Trask is available or the early bowl practices, or the late bowl practices, or not until spring practices, Emory Jones is still going to get a ton of second team reps for the duration of bowl preparations. Even if he doesn’t take a snap in the bowl. 

    And if he does play against FSU and then plays against the bowl opponent, thus burning his redshirt, after the Idaho game, I am far more inclined to believe that Dan could care less. 

    Because the question of what we will do with EmJ the rest of the season is critical to informing us as to what we will do with him the rest of his career. Which is the real interest here. And if Dan Mullen is fine dispensing with the redshirt for EmJ, it gives us a lot of information about how that future might take shape. 

    And again I’ll say that this pivot of perception came after seeing EmJ play against Idaho. I think what we saw of him Saturday was an eye opener. At least from my perspective, it informed me of two things:

    1) I now know a lot more directly why he’s being groomed for the future. He’s not a running back who can throw a little; he’s a real quarterback. And he’s not a project; he’s a kid with real talent that is progressing on a developmental track as any highly regarded true freshman would be at this point. He may not have Frank’s canon (few do), but he has a gun, he has great touch on the deep ball, and he throws precision passes to all the routes when his mechanics are good. And he has learned the offense and can read a defense and make the right decisions on RPOs and passing progressions very well for a true freshman. In fact, he’s not only a better runner than Franks, he already looks like a better passer as well. His arm is not as strong, but his accuracy and touch and accuracy (it bears mentioning twice) are already better than those of Franks. I think the only gap that exists in Franks’s favor is experience. 

    2) I know why the staff is so excited to get Jalon Jones in the fold. Because he is a very dynamic runner. While Emory Jones is a much better runner than Franks, that advantage is mostly rooted in superior instincts and superior ability to make the right RPO reads and pick the right holes and angles. Emory however is not an electric runner and does not possess special quickness in tight spaces like Jalon does. If Emory can match or surpass Franks’s mastery of the play book and command of the huddle, he will supplant him as soon as he proves it (as early as next fall is not unreasonable to imagine). And if/when Jalon can learn the playbook and gain the experience to be able to execute the full offense I’m front of 90,000-plus home or away – and if he demonstrates that he can also make all the throws and do it on time with accuracy – he will supplant Emory as soon as he proves it, as well. 

    And by that time, EmJ might be ready for the next level. Most quarterbacks who spend a college career learning from Dan Mullen are. So with no entrenched reliable starter, there is no reason to even care about a redshirt this year. 

    F-S-You-Gotta be Kidding Me

    The second big question that is occupying every minute of the NOW for Gator fans this week is…of course…are we finally going to start beating FSU again this year? After watching both teams play all year long, the tenor of Gator Nation entering this game should be nearing a fever pitch. If Franks or the defense or the offensive line don’t go out and completely lay an egg, this should be a very enjoyable game for Gator fans. 

    But instead of anticipating this matchup with zeal or even guarded optimism, the Gator skies are filled with clouds of gloom and doom. Suddenly one gift-wrapped 1-point home win over a bad ACC team missing one of their star players, and Gator fans are projecting the Semis as hell on wheels, poised to turn 11-straight games of pure garbage into a sterling performance. 

    I guess I should have seen all this fear coming. The Gator PTSD (Post-TOG & SwampDonkey Disorder) is real.

    But being objective, we should win this game handily. They absolutely suck. Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Suck. They are still struggling just to line up and get plays off, and it’s Game 12 on deck. All with the benefit of facing pathetic ACC offenses and defenses every week, which except for Clemson would almost all finish in the bottom 3 of the SEC this year with Arkansas and Tennessee.

    We’ve had our issues, but they’ve only been exposed because we face SEC offenses and defenses every week. And it didn’t happen until we ran into some significant injury issues, too, and were forced to play bench warmers who should never see the field in live SEC competition.

    I don’t know if some of those Plan B signees from recruiting classes past will have to start or play significant minutes Saturday – probably some will – but we own every matchup advantage in the game, most of them by a significant margin.

    So they’ll be hyped up to play the mighty Gators…so what? Name me one team other than LSU that doesn’t circle Florida on their schedule as their Super Bowl or “Game of the Year”. And for LSU, we’re #2 right behind Alabama. We get everyone’s A++ game every week and always will.

    But this FSU team’s A++ game is an F.

    Don’t get me wrong, we may lose…but they won’t beat us. If we lose it will be because Franks was a turnover machine and missed a half dozen wide open walk-in touchdowns, or our defense didn’t get off the bus, like against Missouri, or we suffered significant injuries, like along the offensive line. Or a combination of those. Barring that, however, we should have them covered like a Beatles song. 

    Anyone think our defense won’t be ready to play FSU?

    I mean, the meme of “Florida better not take them lightly”…what is that about? When has UF ever taken FSU lightly? All that talk about how FSU will be amped up and frothing at the mouth to beat us? We will be as much or more juiced to beat them. And we are the ones with wins against multiple ranked teams, including one in the top 5. BC was ranked? Please. Missy State would beat them by 30. Or 20…basically by however much they could score. We are the ones who are SEC battle tested.

    UF has been blown out twice; FSU has been blown out 5 times. Florida is 3-2 against opponents that have been ranked this year  (beat #23 MSU, #5 LSU, & South Carolina that peaked at #24); FSU is 1-6 against opponents that have been ranked this year  (beat #20 Boston College). FSU has 5 wins: 3 were gift-wrapped at the last minute by bad teams that were beating them the whole game (yes one was ranked, but still a bad team missing a star player), 2 were over cupcakes. UF has 8 wins: 3 against teams ranked this year, 2 against lower rung SEC teams, 2 against cupcakes.

    Shouldn’t they be worried instead of us?

    And to drive that point home, I leave you with this music of the day. Gator fans, fear no spear. Hold your head up!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBnSWJHawQQ

     

    Chomps from the GC Staff & Columnists —

    ANDREW SPIVEY

    Florida has gained a lot of ground for Miami offensive line commit Michael Tarquin. He has visited Gainesville three straight weeks and the Gators are in great shape to flip Tarquin. 

    Mississippi State defensive end commit Nathan Pickering visited Florida over the weekend and the Gators made up a lot of ground. Pickering won’t sign until February but the Gators are in contention now for sure. 

    This weekend is huge for Florida in recruiting. This is a must win for the Gators as they need to show recruits that they can end FSU’s winning streak. 

    NICK DE LA TORRE

    Well, well, well how the turntables (that’s a quote from Michael Scott in The Office).

    Twice since the 2013 season the Gators have gone into the final weekend in November with a losing record. This season it’s FSU that needs a win to keep a 36-year bowl streak alive. FSU also hasn’t had a losing season since 1976. That should make any Gator fan’s mouth water more than a Thanksgiving turkey — the opportunity to not only keep FSU from bowling but to give them a losing season for the first time in more than 40 years.

    The sense I’ve gotten around the team this week is they are a little anxious about getting to a New Year’s Six Bowl game. Maybe it’s just the line of questioning from us in the media, bringing it up, but the players are really looking forward to playing in a major bowl game. I don’t know if it is a distraction necessarily. With Florida coming in at No. 11 in the CFP poll this week it’s win and you’re in so maybe the ranking on Tuesday will let the players breathe and be able to put that thought of playing in a NY6 bowl game on the back burner.

    This week, I think, hinges on the passing game for both teams and Todd Grantham. FSU has not been able to sustain drives this season. They’re ranked in the 90s in the country in sustaining drives but they’re top 20 in explosive plays. That’s a huge discrepancy and Florida’s defense has been susceptible to giving up the big play. All three losses were handed to the Gators because of explosive plays — Kentucky in the running game and Georgia/Missouri through the air. Florida needs to limit that and I think you do that by getting pressure on the quarterback. FSU’s offensive line is in shambles due to injury. They’re starting a defensive tackle at offensive guard. It’s ugly. Florida needs to get pressure with four this weekend.

    DAVID WUNDERLICH

    Florida’s third down defense was a strength early in the year, but it fell off a cliff after the bye week. The Gators allowed Georgia to convert 57% of third downs, Missouri 61%, and South Carolina 54%. It got bad in a hurry. The good news is that there’s reason to think the trend will reverse this week.

    Florida State had the worst third down conversion rate in the country two weeks ago, though they’ve climbed all the way up to third-to-last now. FSU only moves the sticks on 30.5% of third downs, ahead of only Rice and Akron. They’ve made it above 40% in only four games this year. UF’s defense should be able to get off the field on third down much better on Saturday than it has against SEC opponents this month.

    ERIC FAWCETT

    The Gators are in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis! After the opening night debacle against Florida State this will give the Gators a great chance to bounce back against some great competition. They start against Oklahoma then will play either Wisconsin or Stanford.

    The Gators have really struggled from the 3-point line to start the season but everyone is insisting they have shot the ball really well in practice. This hopefully will manifest itself in games shortly! Gorjok Gak is still injured and won’t play in the Bahamas and though it was initially stated that he’d be back after that trip, I’m hearing it could be a bit longer for him which given his injury history isn’t surprising.


    That’s all, folks!

    We’ll send you off with our photo of the week below. Until then, see you in your inbox next Wednesday. : )

    All the best,
    Your friends at Gator Country…where it’s GREAT to be a FLORIDA GATOR!

    Florida Gators defensive lineman Cece Jefferson (96) gets a hug from University of Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen during senior day ceremonies as the Florida Gators defeat tne Idaho Vandals 63-10 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Novemeber 17th, 2018. Gator Country photo by David Bowie.
    Raymond Hines
    Back when I was a wee one I had to decide if I wanted to live dangerously and become a computer hacker or start a website devoted to the Gators. I chose the Gators instead of the daily thrill of knowing my next meal might be at Leavenworth. No regrets, however. The Gators have been and will continue to be my addiction. What makes this so much fun is that the more addicted I become to the Florida Gators, the more fun I have doing innovative things to help bring all the Gator news that is news (and some that isn’t) to Gator fans around the world. Andy Warhol said we all have our 15 minutes of fame. Thanks to Gator Country, I’m working on a half hour. Thanks to an understanding daughter that can’t decide if she’s going to be the female version of Einstein, Miss Universe, President of the United States or a princess, I get to spend my days doing what I’ve done since Gus Garcia and I founded Gator Country back in 1996. Has it really been over a decade and a half now?