Alternate Gatorverse? I felt like thats where we were Saturday. Lol Completely different game and I am referring to the effort, attitude and teamwork, not the score. Great day to be a Gator and the crowd was amped. What a game! Florida destroyed SC 38-6. If it wasn't for a fake punt play on ST, we would have shut them out. Over 500yds of total offense and 374 on the ground. AR was 11 of 23 for 112 yds abd 2 TD's nothing stellar but what impressed me was the fact that he also had 15 rushes for 96 yds and a score. Zero int. I thought he managed the offense fairly well. I think he took a step and showed poise for the most part. He moved forward Sat. Kitna, while limited, looked calm and in control. Good to see Napier trust him to pass and not just hand it off. I think we had 5 plays over 20yds in the first half. The boys came out swinging. Good day for the backs. Johnson had 161 on the ground. Etienne had 100 and AR as mentioned had 96 (which they wore him out for not getting 100) No Int, but we did collect 3 sacks. Overall I give the offense a B. Scored alot of points, gave up zero int. And the Oline blocked well. We need to get better with pass accuracy and YAC. Solid performance though. The defense was the star. A- performance. They looked like a completely different team. Gap integrity was solid. Decent wrap and roll on tackles and coverage was good. Run defense was stellar. They had zero rushing game and only produces 44yds on the ground. ST was our achilles heel. Getting stripped on the punt and the low kick which was blocked. A mishandled snap. Overall they have been a strength so im sure they will address things. The biggest impact of the day took place off the field however. This was a big recruiting weekend. Mainly because a freshly flipped commitment from Rashada has the program buzzing. This has been in the works for awhile and he and his family genuinely want to be here. Welcome him with open arms. Things are changing Gainesville And this commitment is proof. This staff is putting in work and its starting to show and they are just getting started. December should be fun. Fun Highlights: Etienne, 85 yard TD run. Douglas emerging as a receiver Big Dez with the strip. So fun to watch that play. Persall with the high point TD reception in the back of the end zone. Great fade over the top by AR. Great day and something the team can build on. Glad the boys are bowl eligible. Go Gators!!!
Nice to see a complete game. We will be in a position to work on special teams starting season end through 1st game next year and should be solid in all 3 phases and playing complementary football.
Agreed. What really excites me is the potential for year 3. I think by the time we hit conference play we will have a solid barometer of how things are progressing. People dont even understand the load CBN took on. Things were bad.
If AR returns and improves and we shore up a few spots on D, especially LB and Safety, we could contend next year. We likely need a few key pieces from the portal.
Agree with all of your post. I am just high lighting your defense comments. Especially the Gap integrity and the tackling. Bringing the man down at the point of contact is vital!
We are on the same page as looking at this rebuild project taking multiple season. I am not inferring that we will have let downs in the future. What I am saying is that Eastern Division Championship and Conference Championships are are a few years down the road. Look how long it took Kirby to get UGA to the top.
Picky question - Just curious, but what did u see to give the defense an A- rather than a straight up A. The defense did pitch a shutout. I don't recall SC even close to scoring. Of course, maybe I'm just grading on a curve based on the season. Good thing you didn't give special teams a grade.
Special teams had its fair share of issues but I didnt want to condemn them on one game. Hopefully rhat was a one off and we can keep things positive. A straight A would insinuate a flawless performance on D, which it wasn't. It was however a great outing so I thought an A- recognized the effort while acknowledging room for improvement. Hopefully that continues!!! Excellent question. Go Gators!!!
