All of a sudden, the Gators are starting to resemble a football team.  Florida dominated an overmatched Vanderbilt team from the start, and was able to clear the bench in a 55-14 blowout.  Actually, it’s difficult to read too much into this game, as the Commodores looked pathetic and punchless.  However, the way the game unfolded, especially in the second half, may be a harbinger of things to come the rest of this season and into 2011.

It appears that the failed Dazzler OC playcalling experiment is finally over, and that other offensive staff members are helping to develop a hybrid of the Spread Option to take advantage of the strengths of these players — a novel concept.  The Gators are back to being a power running team utilizing zone-blocking schemes, and are now employing an unheard-of 3 QB rotation.  Brantley is still the best passer, and Burton the best option guy, but now comes the sudden emergence of Jordan Reed as a viable threat both ways.  He certainly has the physical skills to make big plays running and passing, but will have to be brought along quickly and, more importantly, smartly, with a huge game coming up.

There really isn’t much to dissect from this lopsided game.  Florida did anything it wanted on both sides of the ball.  There were a few mental lapses, especially the poor blocking on the punt block, and some expected rustiness in some of Reed’s throws.  It was good to see Chris Rainey’s continued resurrection, and his impact on special teams as well.  There are a handful of freshmen who will be major contributors the rest of 2010 – Floyd, Powell, Riggs, and Dubose.

Showdown at the Swamp

Now it’s on to a championship game for the Gators, as they welcome South Carolina and the Pariah to determine the East representative in Atlanta.  Despite their blowout home loss to Arkansas, It would be a bad idea to underestimate the Lamecocks.  Their pass defense is worst in the SEC, but Florida’s pass offense has been anything but consistent and efficient up to now.  Expect a heavy dose of blitzes and jamming the box to stop the Gator option attack, and for USCeast to dare Florida to throw the ball to beat them.

On offense, the Pariah will attack to weak link of the Florida defense, the underachieving LB corps.  Their key RB, Marcus Lattimore, may be a little hobbled, but I still expect to see a lot of carries early for as long as he can go.  The LBs and safeties have to limit the completions on the slants and square-ins to Alshon Jeffrey, and must make Garcia try to pick out 2nd and 3rd options to throw to.  Even in his 3rd season, he still makes mistakes, and generating a few turnovers to help the Gator offense will be critical.

A big concern is the kickoff coverage, or lack of it.  With a walk-on as kicker who lacks the leg strength to get the ball inside the 5-yard line, it may be time to try some squib or sky kicks to offset this disadvantage.  All phases must be on point this week, and yielding continued good field position is not part of Urban Meyer’s Plan to Win. 

As much I would like to completely buy in to the revamped offensive scheme, it is still a work in progress, and there is precious room for error right now.  Florida is not a dominant team this year, and must continue to play opportunistic and efficient football to win.  The past 2 weeks offer hope, but can the Gators continue their momentum and push through this week, especially if they run in to any early setbacks and fall behind?  A slow start can cripple a fragile team, and I’m not sure if there is enough leadership among the players to overcome it.

All that being said, Coach Meyer was more energized than at any time this season during his television show, and is calling for an intense atmosphere at the Swamp Saturday night.  It will be a Blue-out game, and let’s hope the Gators don’t black out under the pressure.  I’m going to go with the home team and crowd in what could be another game not decided until deep into the 4th quarter.

Prediction – Florida 27    South Carolina 24

Not Dead Yet!

The Gators remain alive for a shot at Atlanta, rallying together in the off week to put together (finally) an offensive game plan that utilized the strengths of the players, and overcoming quite a few self-inflicted “flesh wounds”. The first overtime game in series history turned into an instant classic.

It was certainly a stirring win with so much going in a negative direction the entire month of October – bad play, even worse play-calling, and injuries. It looks like the team is starting to buy in to the team concept as the only way it can really compete for anything meaningful.

While the game turned into a shootout in the second half, it really only became close because of horrendous 3rd down defense (or lack thereof) by Florida. Teryl Austin has to be criticized for some of the schemes he dialed up, leaving the middle of the field open too often, and also getting some strange coverage matchups with LBs and DEs on TEs and WRs. This has to be corrected.

The offense got back to its roots with a powerful option run game to complement an efficient passing attack. The offensive staff is to be commended for figuring out a way to get 2 (and sometimes 3) QBs on the filed at the same time, while using motion to line them up at QB depending on the play call. The return of Chris Rainey at RB was a big boost, as was getting enough quality snaps out of Demps. The WRs came up with some clutch plays to keep drives alive and covert some long-yardage situations. Hammond and Hines are starting to elevate their play, and are becoming reliable targets.

Finally, a few words about that hypocrite Mark Pricht and Mr. Choke, Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham. What a pair of losers……the usual classless acts we’ve come to expect from the Puppies. Talk about making it that much sweeter for Chas Henry to kick them to the curb – AGAIN! Hey Puppies – how did that hob-nail boot to the face feel? Once again, I-75 north back to Athens, er, Loserville, is The Trail of Tears.

Now it’s on to Nashville to face Vanderbilt. It looks like it’s going to be a chilly day up there, so expect continued pounding of the running game early to set up some safe passing later. Despite it’s struggles the first half of the season, Florida still owns a huge talent advantage,and should be able to slowly take control of this game. The Gators still have a lot to clean up — penalties, missed blocking assignments in pass protection, and improved pass coverage concepts to protect the middle of the field.

The Commodores just lost leading rusher Warren Norman to injury for the rest of the season. Their running game was the only real bright spot on this team, as their passing game is mediocre at best. Their defense lacks depth as usual, and has been wearing down with regularity in the second half of games.

Historically Florida has struggled to cover the spread in Nashville, and this could be a sandwich game before the SEC East showdown at the Swamp next week against South Carolina. Also, it’s going to be a cool day and an early start, so the staff will be challenged to have the team ready to go from the opening kickoff. However, with so much work still to do to improve all facets of the game, I have to believe the players will be focused enough to take care of their business.

Prediction – Florida 31 Vanderbilt 14

Two teams going in opposite directions meet in Jacksonville this week.  Georgia has turned a crappy season into a mediocre one by winning 3 straight, and their offense has come alive after the return of AJ Green from suspension.  The Gators?  They are in desperation mode, and have no room for error if they still want to win the East.

There has been a lot of talk during the off-week that Florida has re-vamped many things on the offense.  That’s nice to hear, but for me, I’ll believe it when I see it.  As long as the Dazzler is involved with playcalling instead of just trying to improve the poor play of the O-Line, the Gators can lose to almost anyone.

It all will start at the QB position, where Brantley has been the square peg being forced into a Spread Option round hole most of the season.  How many snaps does Burton get from here on out?  Does he actually get the chance to throw the ball, or has the staff failed here as well to at least make him a decent passer by now?

Hopefully the RBs are healthier than they have been in a month.  Demps should be ready to at least get 20 plays or so, and his speed and big-play ability are sorely missed.  Gillislee should be better as well.  Moody?  He’ll never be a real contributor it seems.  Brown?  It looks like a redshirt year for him, as he “learns” this terrific offense put together by the Dazzler.

The WRs have left a lot to be desired so far as well.  Time to play tough football — block harder, make catches over the middle, and break some tackles and make plays.  They have to get separation and make some plays downfield.

The Gator defense has to improve against the run game and get off the field on 3rd downs.  The Puppies have been winning by running the ball more effectively to help develop a young QB in Aaron Murray, and Florida needs to put the pressure to make big plays directly on him.  Washaun Ealey and Caleb King have developed into a solid 1-2 punch at RB.  

AJ Green is back, but he’s going to see (again) the best CB in the SEC in Janoris Jenkins.  JJ should be able to limit Green’s effect on the Puppy offense, and that helps the rest of the Gator defense take care of it’s own business.  The D-Line and LBs need to shake off a poor month of October and carry their fair share of responsibility starting this week.  The Puppies will go after the Gator LBs all game, especially in the passing game.  They love to run the TE down the seam, and have the WRs run the 15-18 yard square-ins.  Jones and Hicks especially have to elevate their game, starting this week.

If you can’t be a dominant team, you can still be an efficient and resourceful one.

Go with schemes that best utilize the strengths of the players on the field.  Stay ahead of schedule on first down.  Take a few more shots downfield to loosen up the defense.  Get the linebackers in position to better stop the run.  Take advantage of any big plays made by the defense or special teams on the plus side of the field.

The Gator offense is a complete mess right now, and 2 weeks is probably not enough to try and correct all of the problems.  Can the Gators regain some confidence and play aggressively this week?

Unfortunately, until these supposed changes are fully implemented, I am not confident that Florida can turn things around this week.  The hardest thing to do is to break a losing streak when all phases of the game are in question.

This prediction kills me……

Georgia 24      Florida 21

 FEELING LIKE ROCK BOTTOM

History repeats itself as the Gators look dismal against an out-manned MSU team.  Shades of 2004 and the end of the Zook Error, but losing at the Swamp?

Total abject failure on offense.  The Dazzler is completely incapable of coordinating an offense, and the OL play stinks as well. Coach Meyer needs to do the right thing for the program and relieve Addazio of the OC duties immediately, and try and salvage an already disappointing season and prepare for 2011.

There really isn’t much to dissect from Florida’s performance.  Unfortunately, it appears that the offensive ineptitude has finally started to permeate the entire team.  The defense only gave up 10 points, but it was clear that MSU was going to run the entire second half unless they fell behind.  And yet, the defense let the Bulldogs eat huge chunks of time off the clock, and gave the struggling offense poor field position.

Yes, there have been injuries to some key players, but 5 years of solid recruiting means that the staff is even more at fault for not getting the others ready to play and win.  Demps is a shadow of his former self right now, and, just when Debose started to gain confidence, he goes down with a bad ankle injury that could keep him out for an extended period.

I feel badly for Chas Henry as well, as he is simply not a quality placekicker, while he is having an A-A season as a punter.

Where is the LB corps? They have been practically invisible this year, except for a few interceptions by Bostic.  Hicks?  Jones?  They seem to be good for 1-2 impact plays a game, and no more……disappointing.

Where is the D-Line?  No real push from the interior, and Lemmens just isn’t an SEC-caliber DE.  Time for Powell and Floyd to get extended playing time.

Coach Meyer is saying most of the right things this week, but will he go as far as necessary for this team?  The entire offensive scheme needs to be re-vamped, and the entire coaching staff has to start earning it’s keep, as they have failed so far in giving these kids their best chance to win.

However……incredibly……the Gators still control their own destiny to get to Atlanta!  HA!  The East is WAY down in 2010……wow. 

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

I’ll be back next week with my Georgia preview……Go Gators!

A painful and well-deserved loss at home to LSU now has the Gator Nation no longer grumbling under it’s collective breath, but openly criticizing and questioning the coaching staff……and rightly so.

Maybe the Gators didn’t play well enough to win, but if you aren’t a dominant team, you can still be an efficient and opportunistic one.  Somehow Florida found itself still in the game by taking advantage of LSU turnovers in the first half.  Then, the big-time kickoff return for a TD by Andre Debose, and putting together its best drive of the SEC season to take the lead late.  But once again the coaches did not do their job to help the players close out the game with a win.

It will be discussed ad nauseam, but it was a colossal screw-up by Coach Durkin and Meyer and the special teams not to play a safe defense on a 53-yard FG attempt, allowing LSU to bumble their way to a first down despite a poor lateral.  Hey, even if they make the kick, it’s a tie game and you’re going into overtime with momentum and the crowd on your side.  Instead, Teryl Austin dials up a crazy blitz with zero coverage, and gets burned on a quick slant down to the 3.

And yet……and yet……you can still get to overtime by helping Jeremy Brown be ready for the obvious fade route……TWICE……by giving him safety help inside so he can play outside technique.  Nope.  Gators lose.  Everyone knows that Janoris Jenkins is an A-A candidate, and Brown had better get used to getting a LOT of action his way the rest of the season.

The struggles on offense have glossed over one concern — the Gator defense is allowing some long drives right now, and has to get off the field on 3rd down.  The LB corps has been pretty quiet this year despite the interceptions, and there is still little push from the DL, which is especially disappointing given the depth and talent of that unit.

Now there’s no more room for error, starting with the Homecoming game against MSU.  Dan Mullen comes back to the Swamp to try and ruin any plans the Gators have to get back to Atlanta.

The Bulldogs are not as strong on defense this season, but their offense is slowly improving behind a strong running game.  They still struggle to throw the ball, and Florida’s defense has to let their secondary handle their business man-to-man, and force long-yardage conversion attempts.

I have no real clue as to how the offense will play this week.  While there are some legitimate injury concerns with Brantley and Demps, I’m getting tired of the excuses coming from the staff……coach these guys up, and give them a real chance to be successful.  Hopefully Debose will be allowed more touches now, as he seems to be the only other game-breaker other than Demps.  Gillislee still is underused in the running game, and can take the load off the other guys……if given the chance.

It may be a huge blessing to have a open week after this week’s game in order to re-think the entire offense, and that includes possibly taking the play-calling away from Addazio, because the Dazzler is in way over his head, and has no real clue as to how to scheme and think ahead and “coordinate” an offense.  More damning evidence is the uneven play of the OL, which simply should not happen with so much experience and talent.  Jack-of-some trades, master of none.

Time to survive and advance.  Getting a win will be a boost to the team, and then they have 2 weeks to get ready for UGA and a shot at the East title.

Prediction  – Florida 31        MSU 21

So much for the “upset” pick of the week.  Florida dominated the Mildcats……again……and continued to build momentum for it’s showdown at Alabama.  That’s 24 straight over Kentucky, and the aptly named Joker Philllips can talk another big game……next year.

The Gators finally came out of the tunnel and started hot.  The 2 straight TD drives really set the tone for the evening, and Kentucky never recovered.

The offense is starting to show some continuity, and now there is a sense that the staff knows what they have in terms of talent, and is figuring out (finally) how to utilize it.  Debose got some early touches to get himself going, Brantley was a little more accurate on his intermediate throws (although he still missed Hines twice on corner routes), and the OL started opening some holes consistently.  Thompson and Moore continue to make plays over the middle, and Hines hopefully will see more throws his way.  The only real downer was the minor injuries to Pouncey, Johnson, and Nixon on the OL, and the lingering foot injury to Demps.  I suspect all will show up ready to play this week, though.

Of course, the big story from this game was the impact of Trey Burton.  He certainly seems to possess ‘it’ in terms of playmaking ability and finding the endzone……just in time to give Bama a lot more to think about.  Excellent athlete, and seems cool in pressure situations……someone who other players will be happy to follow in the future.  He can also throw well enough if necessary to cross up the defense.

The Gator defense was solid again.  I’m still concerned with the lack of pass rush from the DL, but they continue to control the opponent’s running game, and they shut down Randall Cobb.  Two more interceptions to continue to lead the nation — Jon Bostic is really impressing for an inexperienced MLB in pass coverage, and Jeremy Brown showed again that he has elite skills at CB, and will continue to improve if he remains healthy.  The backups also received a lot of snaps in this game, which can only help as the SEC season’s grind starts to wear teams down.

Now it’s time for 2010’s version of the SEC Game of the Year — Florida vs. Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  While the Gators starting to find themselves on offense, this is a completely different level of opponent this week, both athletically and in coaching.  Despite the loss of 9 starters, the coaching of Nick Saban and a home crowd are great equalizers.  I have to believe there are some plays that the Florida staff has been saving for this game, but it will be the performance of the OL that will determine whether the Gators can win this one.

The Gator offense can’t play — or be coached — timidly.  No matter the outcome, the players have to remain aggressive and focused on their assignments.  They can no longer continue to rely on converting so many 3rd-and-long situations……they have to avoid them by staying on schedule on 1st down, and also taking more chances on early downs.  Alabama is still tough to run against, but their secondary can be beaten, and Florida needs to rattle their confidence early to keep them off-balance.  And expect a good dose of Burton in the single-wing, with a few wrinkles added in for this week.  Time for the younger guys to grow up and be accountable on the big stage.

The Florida defense has been solid against the run, but they are going against the best combination of OL blocking and RBs in the country this week.  Ingram and Richardson are beasts to tackle, and are both effective in the passing game as well.  I expect a good amount of the 5-2 look that was unveiled at Tennessee to slow the running game, but of course Bama now has tape to look at to combat it.  Expect the Tide to have some success running, and to break some long runs — they are just too good to shut down completely.  But if the Gator defense can force enough long distance plays on 2nd and 3rd down, that is where Bama is less comfortable, and Florida can get off the field and let the offense take its shots.

Ultimately, the Gator LB corps will have to play their best game of the season.  The Alabama coaches will try and isolate the young guys like Bostic and Jelani Jenkins in both run and intermediate pass schemes, and they have a devastating screen package as well, which is actually what I’m worried about most.  The seniors, AJ Jones and Brandon Hicks, have to play smart and fast to offset this advantage for Bama.  Trattou and Lemmens, the DEs in the 5-2, must play smart and recognize any run/pass option quickly.

Finally, the Gator special teams have been great so far at setting up the offense in good field position, while Chas Henry once again has shown why he may be the best in the country at limiting returns and kicking inside the 20.  They will be sorely tested this week, as Bama plays 2 of it’s offensive studs, Richardson and Jones, as KR and PR.

Ultimately, Florida has to weather the emotional storm in the 1st quarter and settle down and execute its gameplan.  An early strike on offense (or defense) would certainly help, but they can’t count on solely a few big plays to win this game.

Unless the Gators somehow collapse emotionally and mentally early, I believe they can win, or at least stay close enough in the second half to have a chance to steal one.  However, there is still too much uncertainty in the offense’s playmaking ability, and not enough proof that the DL can go toe-to-toe with Bama’s running game for 4 quarters.

Prediction – Alabama 27    Florida 17

The Gator Nation breathed a sigh of relief, as Florida came alive on offense in the 2nd half and put USF back in their place.

Improvement was the focus the entire week of practice, and it showed, especially in the play of the OL.  The botched shotgun snaps were corrected, the running game came alive, and even the pass protection tightened up.  Of course, it helped that Carl Johnson and Xavier Nixon returned to the starting lineup……they were sorely missed.  Jeff Demps again showed why he is one of the most dangerous players in the country with another long TD run and big kickoff return.  Mike Gillislee ran hard between the tackles, and the OL imposed its will on the Bulls in the 2nd half.

The passing game is still a work in progress.  Brantley looked more comfortable this week in the pocket, and made some nice plays on some checkdown routes.  He still seems to favor throwing to Thompson, though, and more WRs need to get involved.  Moore did make some tough 3rd down catches, but some young guys like Debose and Clark need to start making plays.  Jordan Reed showed in limited snaps why he can be a big help to the passing game at TE, getting open for the last TD of the day.  The RBs are available in the flats, and Brantley needs to take advantage of this more often.

Once again, the defense carried the day until the offense started to find a rhythm.  They generated another 5 turnovers, the biggest of which prevented USF from taking the lead in the 3rd quarter and re-taking momentum.  The run defense did get gashed somewhat due to the ball-handling and elusiveness of BJ Daniels, but that can get corrected, as the Gators will not face another QB with that mobility until LSU.  The one disappointing unit was the LBs, as they did a poor job of overrunning holes and not shedding blocks better.  The young guys – Bostic, and Jenkins – both areas need to improve markedly, and soon. 

Janoris Jenkins is playing at an A-A level so far.  His coverage and technique is excellent, and he is a tough tackler.  He may have inherited the PR duties as well for the time being, given the poor performance of Rainey, to go with his off-the-field troubles.  Ahmad Black is not far behind.  Once again, he was always in perfect position to make plays, and is the surest tackler on the team.  Even some of the young CBs like Jaylen Watkins and Cody Riggs made some decent plays in coverage.

Special Teams is a little ragged right now.  Caleb Sturgis fought through a sore back, but he has to make FGs from inside 40 yards, and has to stop kicking off out of bounds, giving the opponent the ball at the 40-yard line.  The initial kickoff coverage is good, but the gunners are overrunning their lanes inside the 20, letting returners get extra yards that should be closed off.  They need to slow up a little and break down in position more soundly.  Another solid week for Chas Henry, both from deep in his own territory and putting the ball inside the 20.

Time to travel up to Rocky Top to face a Tennessee team nearly in crisis mode.  They hung around for one half against Oregon last week, but their lack of depth and speed were exposed as they were run off the field after halftime.  It’s difficult to see where they can generate any consistent offense from right now.  While they still have 2 decent RBs in Moore and Oku, the OL is mediocre, with no depth.  Simms has little experience at QB, and looks uncomfortable under any pressure at all.  Luke Stocker at TE is probably the most consistent player the Vols have on offense.  WRs Da’Rick Rogers and Gerald Jones have some talent, but have shown no consistency yet.   Combined with the QB situation, that’s practically a no-win scenario against a quality SEC defense.

The same story applies to the Volunteer defense.  Decent first team, but no quality depth.  They have some playmakers with DL Montori Hughes and with Myles, Janzen, and Teague in the secondary.  They wore down noticeably last week, and I expect the Gators to keep pounding away at them, even if the game is close entering the 2nd half.

More in-season turmoil, with Chris Rainey suspended indefinitely for utter stupidity.  This puts Omarius Hines in the slot, and gives Debose and Clark a chance to make an impression on the coaching staff.  Hines will improve the edge blocking, and is a dangerous mid-range target that could help the passing game.

Derek Dooley will surely throw everything he can at Florida to try and steal a win, but I have to believe the Gator defense has too much ability and leadership to struggle an entire game.  The unknown factor is how will Brantley and the young receiving corps perform on the road against a loud SEC crowd.  I really do not believe the passing game is ready to win a game by itself if needed yet, but they certainly can take advantage of particular matchups and make some big plays to keep things on schedule for the offense.  Thompson and Moore can really show some leadership this week with solid games.  I like the development of the draw play and misdirection calls in the running game, and the combination of Demps, Gillislee, and Moody needs to control the flow of the game.

Prediction – Florida 27      Tennessee 14