REDEMPTION

It was an early and, in retrospect, an overall beatdown and domination of the Criminoles in Taliban City, helping to take away most of the stench of last year’s embarrassment at the Swamp.  The 37-26 final score is not indicative of the difference in quality of these two teams.

Florida handled it’s business again, showing the nation and the in-state recruits that the Gators are back on top of the state in a big way, with more to come.  Even with the disappointing 3rd quarter that gave F$U a false sense of hope, Florida maintained it’s composure, relying on the crucible of playing the best teams in the country both at home and on the road to physically and emotionally crush the weak-ass ACC’s best team……what a joke.  In retrospect, it was even better to watch that false sense of hope get snapped away from F$U and it’s “fans”.  Chop that!

It was gut-check time in the 3rd quarter after an uncharacteristically poor punt by Kyle Christy and then a fumbled exchange between Jeff Driskel and Mike Gillislee allowed F$U easy points and the illusion that it had a chance.  That just made it all the sweeter to make then feel the pain of having their will taken away from them and wilting against a legitimate opponent – an SEC opponent, not someone from the Almost Competitive Conference.

The offensive game plan was exactly what was needed.  A lot of early throws and rollouts to protect Driskel early and loosen up the defensive front seven, then going to work pounding away with 6 and sometime 7 OL, with the Criminoles not being able to do a thing about it.  Gillislee went over 1,000 yards for the season, providing the exclamation point to both the game and his entire season with his TD run that gave Florida the lead for good.  Shame on the Dazzler and the Cheeseburger for ignoring this guy.  Driskel was efficient and tough as nails, playing through a painful ankle injury and going the distance and leading his team.  Great blocking by the OL, with special mention to Xavier Nixon – the X-Man had a great game, and showed what he (and the entire OL) could do if healthy.  The WRs played tough and blocked well, and also provided some clutch yards after the catch. Big time 3rd-and-long catch and run by Jordan Reed near the end of the 3rd quarter to set up Caleb Sturgis’ 3rd FG  and open the floodgates.  Total dominance of time of possession, and a score that should have been a lot worse, given the blown TD opportunity on the fake FG attempt in the 1st quarter and the 3rd quarter troubles.

The defense owned the LOS all night, and shut down the F$U running game less some scrambles by one of Florida’s MVPs – EJ Manuel – who once again shrunk against the Gator defense and was exposed for the mediocre passer he is.  Between him and Dumbo Fisher, Dan Quinn and Will Muschamp knew going in they had a distinct advantage.  The Criminoles never put together a decent scoring drive, and Florida brought the pain all night, especially the crushing hit by Tank Morrison on Manuel that knocked him out of the game temporarily, and really switched the momentum completely back to Florida.  Another super effort from Sharrif Floyd, who wreaked havoc at the LOS in likely his next-to-last college game before going to the NFL as a 1st-round draft pick.  The Gator secondary was excellent, making plays, tackling well, getting turnovers, and not allowing any consistent drives through the air.

Florida finishes 2012 11-1 and #3 in the BCS rankings, just missing out on the BCSCG due to Notre Shame’s unbelievable luck and an unfortunate turnover-filled game against overrated Georgia, which is definitely more than most had hoped for or predicted.  A likely Sugar Bowl reward awaits a team that by the end of the season could stand toe-to-toe with anyone.  Tremendous physical toughness and emotional resolve all season, a reflection of the great job by the coaching and strength and conditioning staffs.

Quite the fast flip from 2010, and real hope for the future and proof that Muschamp can get it done in the SEC.  See you soon with the bowl preview.

What a great season!  As always, it’s great to be a Florida Gator!

Florida finished 2012 with only it’s 3rd 7-0 record at the Swamp with a workmanlike 23-0 shutout over JSU.  Again, another dull effort by the offense, as the game plan was vanilla and the fans had to watch the Gators slog through this game, hoping against hope that there is an inspired effort left in them the last regular season game.

Brissett did what little he was asked to do, playing it safe and not turning the ball over, as the defense had the game well in hand throughout.  Lots of short, safe throws to keep the chains moving.  Gillislee had a nice Senior Day with over 100 yards and a TD, and should go over 1,000 rushing yards for the season before it’s over – quite the accomplishment after he was essentially forgotten by the previous staff.  The O-Line is still beat up, but each of the starting 5 from early in the year all saw some action.

The defense got it’s second shutout of the year with another solid effort.  Jon Bostic had a great Senior Day moment with a pick-6.  The unit as a whole never was really challenged after the first JSU drive of the day ended with a missed FG.  The D-Line is still banged up at DT, but everyone will give it a go in the last game.

It’s on to Taliban City to face the Criminoles in the regular season finale, and there’s a ton at stake for Florida in terms of BCS implications.  Finding a way to pull out a win would really set the Gators up nicely to at least get a BCS bowl game invite, and also give them an outside shot at sneaking in to the BCSCG if things fell their way.  However, there is a lot of work to do this week, and the offense has to somehow generate some points to give the defense a chance to pull it off.

No surprise here – it’s pretty much entirely up to the Florida OL to manage some semblance of a run game and allow time for a controlled passing attack to provide some balance and keep the defense from wearing down.  The OTs are in the spotlight, as they have to keep the F$U DEs out of the backfield and allow whomever is at QB the time to make some plays.  Werner and Carradine have had good seasons, and will be a challenge for Florida.

There is no reason to doubt that the Criminoles will dare Florida to throw, putting 8 and 9 men in the box and challenging the WRs to make plays.  The good news is that it appears Driskel is well enough to start, but no one will know for sure if he limited as a runner or when scrambling due to his ankle injury until the game starts.  Brent Pease has to scheme up some plays to give his offense help and get the F$U defense to back off the LOS somewhat, or it will be a 3rd ugly loss in a row to them.  Coach Davis has to get his OL to stop blowing pass protection assignments that have been allowing unblocked blitzers into the backfield.  Reed has to get open and make some catches to occupy the LBs and safeties at TE, and somehow a few WRs have to rise to the occasion and make a play downfield.

I’m actually hoping that Florida will use a game plan similar to the one Alabama employed against LSU in last year’s BCGCG.  Bama threw early and often on first down, and continued to do so throughout the game, even when LSU’s defense had to think they would revert back to tendency by running on the early downs.  Bama stayed committed to it, and it worked well.  I simply don’t believe the OL is physically ready to rely on a power running game.  There is no SECCG next week, so there is no reason to hold anything back in the playcalling in this game.

The Gator defense knows what it is capable of, and has been tested in some tough road environments already.  EJ Manuel is still the person you want to force to make plays, as he still can be forced into bad decisions and turnovers when under pressure.  The Gator DL should be able to at least get a stalemate, so the back seven have to help shut down the F$U running game and make Manuel beat them passing against a solid Gator secondary.  Floyd, Easley, and Fowler have to be able to get pressure, while Bostic, Jenkins, and the rest of the LBs have to have a great day tackling.

F$U’s running game was hurt with the loss of Chris Thompson.  Devonta Freeman and James Wilder are not the home-run threat Thompson was, and the Gators need to shut them down early and force Manuel to make plays consistently.  Kelvin Benjamin and Rodney Smith are big targets at WR, but lack breakaway speed, and the Gator DBs should be able to stay with them one-on-one…….they just have to be ready for a physical battle all day and not get out of position to make a play on the ball.  Rashad Greene is probably their best WR in space and the one guy that Florida has to contain.  Look for F$U to try and single out Purifoy as many other team have done recently – he is the Gator DB that struggles the most in coverage.  I’m not worried about Roberson and Watkins in coverage, and Elam has a score to settle with these Clowns.

Florida has a decided edge on special teams.  Despite the lack of any playmaking this year by the kick and punt returners, overall this unit is one of the best on college football.  Both PK Sturgis and P Christy are finalists for national awards, and deservedly so.  The coverage units have been excellent as well.  When you have key injuries and are on the road, the special teams have to be reliable, and a single big play from them can be the difference.

It’s really a shame that the injuries to the OL and Driskel could derail what may have been an excellent chance to win at F$U.  Despite all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth, I know that the Gator staff has been holding back a lot for this game, and doing it’s best to manage all of the injuries and try to have all hands on deck for this one.  If Florida was coming in to this game healthy and clicking on offense, I’d give them a better than 50% chance of winning.  Unfortunately, the poor play of the offense makes it look like there is at best a 1 out of 3 or 4 chance of victory.  I definitely give the coaching edge to the Florida staff.  Here’s hoping this week is that 1 game, but I’m not inclined to pick it that way……I can only hope I’m wrong.

Prediction:  F$U 20    Florida 13

What else can be said about that near-disaster?  Nothing came from this game constructive except for Brissett being just good enough as a backup to finally get the offense in the end zone late.  The defense was great as usual, and the special teams were just that – again – making the play of the game with the blocked punt by Purifoy to win the game.

No rest for the starters, continued crappy play by the OL, the starting QB gets injured, and the defense having to play it’s starters until the end to bail out the offense.  No rest, no development of backups, a key injury……so much for having 3 weeks to get ready for F$U.  Everything good that could have come from this game was essentially lost.

It’s stunning to see the OL play so poorly.  There was apparently zero margin for error with the starters as far as staying healthy, and the lousy backup play just shows how bad the Dazzler’s recruiting was from 2009-2011……garbage.  It will take another 2-3 years to build a quality rotation capable of consistently competing in the SEC.  I think this really shows why the staff went with Driskel as the starting QB, knowing he had the mobility to keep defenses somewhat honest and to keep himself from getting killed when trying to pass.

At least ULL is a decent opponent – not the gimme that most fans expected after ignoring what Coach Muschamp said all week.  This was a winning team with some playmakers, and they took advantage of all of the gifts they were given by Florida and damn near pulled off a stunner.  And, they are still ranked ahead of half of the wreck that is the F$U schedule……how embarrassing (again) the ACC is this year.

Well, one more cupcake comes in this week, as JSU prepares to get a nice paycheck for a glorified scrimmage.  This one will be an easier game, and it looks like Brissett will get the start, as the Gator Nation hopes that Driskel can be ready for the Criminoles in 2 weeks.

As always in these games, the mantra is……NO MORE INJURIES!!!

Prediction:  Florida 38    JSU 7

I expected a letdown after the loss to Georgia, but that was a brutal exhibition on offense, despite the injuries.  Once again, the Gator defense was left on an island and had to bail out the Gators and get a closer-than-necessary win at home.

There’s a lot being said about the injuries on the O-Line and how an average unit to begin with is really hampered, but it’s the responsibility of the OC to coach around that, and Brent Pease’s playcalling for a second week in a row left something to be desired.  Driskel is still being asked to drop straight back instead of some designed rollouts, too many inside the tackle runs are being called against an 8-man front, and Hines and Burton remain painfully underutilized.

It’s hard to tell if Driskel has regressed the past month because of the poor blocking, but he continues to lock on to his primary receivers, and needs to be allowed to run more often.  You have to work with what you have, and the staff has to help the QB out.

The defense rose to the occasion despite a lot of players being weakened by the flu or nagging injuries.  The secondary did a great job of defending over 50 passes, holding Missouri to under 50% completions and getting 4 interceptions to hold the lead.  Fowler and Bullard played their best game at DE, and are a promising duo for the future.  Bostic continues to excel in pass coverage as well.

A lot of fans will now focus on the F$U game 3 weeks from now, and expect 2 easy wins at the Swamp before then.  Unfortunately, Louisiana-Lafayette looks like a decent opponent this week, and the Gators may not get the chance to rest and play backups as much as hoped for.  Pease has to diversify the run game to take the pressure off of the OL by getting to the edge, and getting the ball in Hines’ and Burton’s hands more often. I expect to see a lot more of the Wild Gator formation this week.  The defense will have to generate a few more 3-and-out possessions this week, and the injury to Sturgis hopefully doesn’t prove problematic if Phillips has to perform the placekicking duties this week.

Here’s hoping for a solid win without having to stay with the first-teamers late into the second half, but the way the injuries have piled up and ineffective offense has struggled, it could be another grind this week.  Get the win, and hope for no more injuries.

Prediction:  Florida 30    ULL 14

It was a brutal performance by the Gator offense, leading to a heartbreaking loss to Georgia.  All of the hard work and effort to get to this point was thrown away by 6 turnovers, allowing the Puppies to come away with the edge in the SEC East race, and offsetting a gritty and tough showing by the Gator defense.  As Coach Muschamp reiterated after the game, this team has little room for error, and that was evidenced by a bitter defeat.

There is really no earth-shattering analysis necessary……6 turnovers killed Florida’s chances, especially the ones at the end of each half.  Driskel’s horrible decision to throw across his body into the end zone cost the Gators the lead going into halftime, and completely changed the complexion of the rest of the game.  Then, the last chance drive that looked so promising was wiped out by Reed’s ill-advised attempt to do too much, causing him to fumble and effectively ending the game.

All that being said, the offensive game plan was certainly that – offensive.  Very conservative, very predictable, especially given the evidence from the very first possession that the Gator O-Line was not at 100% health, and that Georgia was going to crowd the box the entire game.  The few times that Florida ran some screens and draws were effective, but were too little and eventually too late.  Coach Muschamp and Coach Pease have to come to an agreement and understanding on just how much the playbook needs to be opened up from the start of future games in order to help out the players.  It may be time to break tendencies on the early downs to help get the offense moving and restore some lost confidence.  By the way……Jarvis Jones should send 50% of his NFL 1st-round draft pick contract to the Gator OL after making him look like an All-American the past 2 years.

What else can be said about the Florida defense?  They were outstanding all afternoon, generating clutch turnovers in their own territory, and preventing scores after almost every Gator turnover.  They probably would say that their run defense was not as good as usual, but they continued to play hard and not get discouraged despite the struggles of the offense……a real tribute to the resolve of the players and the defensive coaches.

There is still one more SEC game to go, and the team has to regain it’s focus and somehow put aside the disappointment and perform well this week.  This year’s offense simply does not appear to be the kind to open up any kind of breathing room on it’s own, and a letdown against Missouri would be a big mistake, despite the Tigers’ struggles this year.  James Franklin can still lead an effective spread attack when he gets hot, and Missouri has a few playmakers on defense, led by DL Sheldon Richards, that could keep them close into the 4th quarter.

The Gator O-Line is banged up, and somehow Coach Davis has to patch together a unit to give Driskel some help, but Coach Pease can help as well by getting Driskel out of the pocket some, and using the screen and flat passes a little more often.

Even though it’s unlikely, there is still a slim hope that Georgia could slip up against Ole Miss (forget Auburn – they are horrible), and allow Florida to go to Atlanta.  There is still a lot left to play for, and now is not the time for self-pity.  Time to get back to efficient, tough football, getting another SEC win, and moving forward towards the end of the regular season.  The coaching staff has a new challenge this week getting the players ready after a loss, and have to make sure they secure a win.

I’m still concerned that the Gators, with the early kickoff of noon and the hangover of a tough loss, will come out flat and uninspired, and fall behind early (again).  I hope I’m proven wrong, but I have a bad feeling that things could get dicey before this one is over.

Prediction:  Florida 24    Missouri 17

Source:  www.mysanmarco.com

It’s not pretty, but it’s effective.  Florida completely shut down South Carolina with it’s usual tough defense and a great special teams effort, hammering the Lamecocks and ending any thoughts of a special season for the Pariah.  Coach Spurrier can go home after essentially quitting by benching his starting quarterback the entire second half, sending a message many Gators received even during his best years at Florida – that he’ll panic as soon as even a few small things go wrong, and he’s done after that.  Enjoy the Piedmont, loser.

The Gator offense struggled mightily to generate any running game in the first half, as Carolina sold out against the run.  This staff, however, doesn’t panic, and bided it’s time and allowed the defense and special teams to play opportunistic football to set up 3 easy scores.  Despite not being able to contain Jadaveon Clowney, Driskel found enough time to complete 3 clutch TD passes to cash in for Florida, and cash out the Lamecocks.  The O-Line performance was only adequate at best, partly due to guys playing through injuries, but there are still some troubling blown assignments allowing rushers to sometimes come unblocked into the backfield.  There’s still work to be done and improvement to be made for Coach Davis and this unit.

The Gator defense was sensational – again – not allowing Carolina any sustained drives (except with a LOT of help from the referees), and stuffed the running game.  Spurrier simply doesn’t have a quality QB that can pass consistently and effectively against quality defenses, and their WR corps does not scare anyone.  Floyd anchored the D-Line, Bostic and Jenkins played well in coverage at LB, and the secondary continued to make plays and, in this case, perhaps the biggest play of the game, Purifoy’s fumble-inducing tackle of Shaw on the first play of the game.  He is a stud on special teams, and his play at CB has improved significantly as the season has progressed.

Kyle Christy has to be the all-SEC punter at this point, and could be 1st team A-A if he continues his tremendous punting.  Coach Muschamp trusts him to flip the filed even when the offense is struggling – the best compliment he could receive.  Sturgis continues to excel as the PK, and the coverage units have been dynamite all year.  The 2 straight fumbles they caused in the second quarter essentially won the game.

Now it’s on to Jacksonville, and to a SEC East title game against the Puppies.  Even with zero running game and crappy QB play last season, Florida still was in position to win, and the staff will have a solid plan ready to prevent a repeat of that debacle.

Georgia comes in as it’s usual enigmatic self.  Great numbers, but a complete implosion in it’s only big game to date, at Carolina.  Their SEC schedule is ridiculously weak, and is the only real reason they have a chance to win the East……but it is what it is, and they can back in to a title with one decent performance.

I thought Carolina would be the most balanced opponent for the Florida to date, but it appears as if the Puppies have enough talent at the skill positions to make this the biggest challenge of the season for the Gator defense.  Florida needs to stick to following it’s coaching and simply making one play after the next, and not let the hype and excitement of the stakes of this game take their minds off the task at hand.  They will be challenged for 60 minutes, and need to keep their focus and not let emotions erase all the good work to date.

Georgia has shown an effective running game with its 2 freshmen RBs, Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley, but they seem to have stalled a little the past 2 games, and the Gator D-Line should have the edge over the Puppy O-Line.  It will be interesting to see how Aaron Murray performs, especially if Florida can force the Puppies into a passing game……we’ll see if he can withstand the pressure, as it took not 1, but 2 garbage 4th down TD throws to beat the Gators last year.  Florida’s CBs will still be challenged by a solid group of WRs, despite Michael Bennett being lost for the season to a knee injury.  Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell, and Marlin Brown have good speed, and I expect Georgia to go deep more often that usual to try and get the big plays instead of trying to grind out long drives against a tough Gator defense.

The Florida offense was bailed out against Carolina, and must find a way to get started early.  There’s a lot on the line, and will Coach Pease break tendency and throw often on first down, or will the offense stay with it’s conservative play even if they fall behind?  The O-Line has to gut out another game at less than 100% health, and the early load Gillislee has had to carry seems to be taking it’s toll a little.  However, I love the fact that there are plays that haven’t been seen all season that will probably be unveiled this week, as evidenced by the jailbreak middle screen to Reed, and the reverse handoff and sweep out of the Wild Gator formation.

Georgia still has enough quality playmakers in defense to make this difficult challenge.  John Jenkins is a load at NT, Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree are solid LBs. and Bacarri Rambo is an experienced leader at safety.  Can Florida continue to do what it’s done all year and impose it’s will on opposing defenses in the second half?  The Gators need to be close if they don’t have the lead in the second half, because they are simply not built to throw the ball in a come-from-behind mode, and have not really been asked to go no-huddle to hurry to get a late score.

It’s been a great run so far, but now there’s a ton of pressure with a title within reach.  Florida has been given only grudging praise due to the style of play, and will the players be too anxious to prove themselves now and make uncharacteristic mistakes?  In a perfect world (which doesn’t exist in SEC football), if Florida performs at the level it has so far, it probably has enough to get the win.  Coach Muschamp and the entire staff have done a tremendous job of developing these players and making in-game adjustments, but poor execution and silly mistakes can undo all the good work.

It will be a tense, emotional atmosphere Saturday, and another challenge for a team that has risen to the occasion all season.  I might be ready to finally drink the kool-aid, but just to be disappointed?

Prediction:  Florida 24    Georgia 23

A typically desultory effort against Vanderbilt led to a typically closer-than-necessary game. Penalties, dropped passes, some shoddy tackling, and a general lack of emotion kept this game close into the 4th quarter until Driskel’s 70-yard TD run closed down Music City for another year.

It was obvious that the injuries on the O-Line that had Harrison and Wilson out partly led to a painfully conservative attack, but the lack of any real downfield attempts against an outmanned team is cause for concern going forward. Driskel was lucky 2 of his passes weren’t intercepted, as he stared down a few receivers.

The performance of the run defense was troubling as well. Even with Easley being held out, this group normally dominates a team like Vandy. But the lack of emotion combined with what appeared to be a lot of thoughts already looking ahead to S. Carolina led to the worst second-half performance of the season to date. I’m going to attribute this effort to the usual level of competition provided by the Commodores and the 2 big games coming up, but it’s time to ramp up the intensity again. The run defense was sloppy and uninspired, and there were some misjudged pass plays - Matt Elam in the end zone on Vandy’s first TD in particular, that were surprising. Again, it looked like the players were doing just enough to get the win, which will get you in trouble on the road in SEC.

Now it’s on to the biggest game of the season for Florida, with S. Carolina coming to the Swamp coming off of a tough loss at LSU. The Gamecocks have to win to stay alive in the East race, while the Gators can all but wrap up the division with a win. This is a difficult matchup for the Gators, as Carolina presents the best and most balanced offense they have faced.

The Florida defense won’t be able to load up against the run like they did against LSU, as QB Conner Shaw is a dangerous runner to go along with Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecock passing game isn’t terribly scary, but Shaw’s mobility seems to help get his receivers open at critical times. Ace Sanders is the deep threat, as well as a dangerous kick returner, as has to be contained. The Carolina O-Line has struggled at times this year, including last week, and if the Gators play at the level they exhibited against LSU, they could disrupt things enough to keep the score down and help a still-developing Gator offense.

I don’t believe the Florida passing game (or lack thereof) can be hidden any longer. It’s time to spread the ball to not just the TEs and RBs, but the WRs as well……and not just 3-5 yard throws. This Gamecock defense seems to be at or near the level of LSU’s this year, and I’m not expecting them to only score 6 points. Perhaps there are some formations and plays that Brent Pease has saved up to now, but the lack of balance in the Gator offense will catch up to them……there simply have to plays made downfield to loosen things up.

The injuries on the O-Line could doom the offense, because they rely first and foremost on a power running game, and will stick with it until the situation dictates otherwise……and that could happen this week.

Once again, the Pariah comes back to Gainesville to try and screw over his alma mater and former employer.  I’ll never understand why so many Gator fans give this guy a free pass - ”if the Gators don’t win, then I’m glad it’s Spurrier”.  Forget that – I’m a Gator first, and hope Florida kicks his ass out of the Swamp.  This is probably his best chance to win the SEC, and he’s really showing the strain after the LSU loss, calling out his QB and having team meetings.

Again, I’m going in to this game thinking that the lack of a balanced offense will lead to a Gator defeat, and Carolina has enough balance on offense and a solid enough defense to win.  Driskel still has a lot of room for further development in the passing game, and until the WRs help stretch the field, it’s gonna come back to bite the Florida sometime against a quality opponent.

Prediction: S. Carolina 23    Florida 17

Florida showed it is on the path back to competitiveness at the elite level with a hard-fought win at the Swamp against a very tough LSU team.  The Gators atoned for a weak effort last year against the Tigers, and continue to put behind them the disappointment of the previous 2 seasons.

The Gator defense carried the day, keeping the Tigers out of the end zone in the first half while the offense struggled to get untracked and out of it’s own way, then slamming the door once Florida finally took the lead late in the 3rd quarter.  The front seven were called out most of last season and, while showing improvement in September, finally stood up and punched back against an excellent running team.  Solid tackling, sound gap control, and getting a stalemate or better at the LOS most of the game made LSU rely on an unproven QB, and that was the difference in the game.  Lerentee McCray,  Sharrif Floyd, and Jon Bostic are all playing the best football of their careers.  The secondary played physical coverage, and Matt Elam made a statement to be all-SEC or better with an outstanding performance, making plays and physical tackles all over the field along with the play of the game, stripping Odell Beckham after a long reception, ending LSU’s only real threat in the second half.  Jaylen Watkins continues to come on as a playmaker with another interception.

Don’t forget the fine play of Florida’s special teams.  Kyle Christy continues to impress with solid punting, and the coverage units have been excellent all season.  Louichez Purifoy is a standout gunner, and Coach Muschamp singled him out as one of the best he’s ever coached.  While Caleb Sturgis did not get the chance to try a FG due to a turnover and some poor pass blocking in LSU territory, he continues to kick off per the coaches strategy, either getting touchbacks or high kicks to the goal line allowing the coverage unit to hold opponents inside the 25-yard line.

The offense cam alive in the second half playing the most basic and physical running game since at least 2009.  Credit goes to the staff for staying patient, riding a great defense until the O-Line started to assert itself and soften up perhaps the best D-Line in college football.  The improvement in strength and stamina is evident, and credit goes to new S&C coach Jeff Dillman.  Credit also goes to OC Brent Pease and OL coach Tim Davis, who devised a great strategy of adding extra tackles  and running a lot of counter plays in the second half, allowing Mike Gillislee to announce himself on the national stage as a quality RB……quite a difference from never getting a full chance from either of his previous OCs – the Dazzler and the Cheeseburger.

As I said after the Kentucky game, fans need to be patient with Jeff Driskel as the level of competition rises.  He has a long way to go to be proficient in the passing game, but has the physical tools to still make clutch plays in the running game to keep some drives alive.  He did take a step back by taking some unnecessary sacks and giving up a fumble deep in Gator territory late in the first half that could have been devastating.  But the defense bailed him out and he played smart the rest of the way.

It’s obvious that this year’s offense will continue to rely on a power running game, but I am disappointed by the lack of throws to Jordan Reed, and even short routes to the WRs.  Unless this part of the attack improves, there will be some tough games ahead against some offenses that have the talent to score enough points to beat Florida.

Now it’s on the road to Nashville to play Vanderbilt, who is coming off of a nice road win at Missouri.  This has “trap game” written all over it, as the team will hear all the accolades all week from the fans and media.  The coaching staff, along with the handful of upperclass leaders, have to ground the team and keep them focused on this game.  This team has done nothing impressive since 2009, and they will lose a lot of the positive momentum built so far this year if they lay an egg.

James Franklin continues to do good work as Vandy’s head coach, and their defense is considerably improved.  Until the Gator offense shows up in the first half, it’s possible this could be another second-half grind.  Of course, it would be nice to see the team come out loose and take it to the Commodores early, allowing a lot of backups to get some snaps in the second half and staying healthy for 2 huge games to come.

Until I see the offense open up and get an early lead, though, I have to expect a closer-than-wanted game into the second half.

Prediction:  Florida 31    Vanderbilt 16