The Walking Dead come to life this Saturday in Jacksonville right after Halloween, as both team limp in with disappointing records, disgruntled (to put it mildly) fan bases, one offense that’s DOA, and enough players shelved for the season with injuries that I would bet could field a competitive team.

After a week off, we’ll see right away if Will Muschamp backs up his comments about changing things across the board in order to jump start the offense and give the Gators a fair shot at winning.  Sadly, the team is only playing for pride going forward as any significant team goal will not be achieved.

Again, it all starts with the O-Line.  Hopefully some changes in position and/or players themselves allows Tyler Murphy and the passing game some shot at making enough plays to balance out the offense and actually score some points……a novel concept this season.  The week off should have allowed some guys the chance to heal some nagging injuries.  The main thing, though, is the scheme……have the coaches actually given the players a better chance at success?  Kelvin Taylor hopefully gets a full share of carries, and it sure as hell would be nice to take some chances down the field with some intermediate and deep throws, even if the WRs are covered……give them the chance to make a play on the ball.  What’s the worst that could happen?  Another turnover?  Another punt?  And what happened to the supposed throws to the RBs?  Screen passes?  UGA’s DEs are undersized, and can be pushed around – quit leaving the OTs exposed to pass rush specialists, help them with some TEs, and make something happen.

There’s nothing to lose now, and it’s time to be more aggressive and even start planning ahead for 2014.  Brent Pease is the Dead Man Walking right now……

The defense certainly had it’s pride wounded at Missouri with a combination of tiring of bailing out an inept offense and simply playing poorly.  Even with all of the injuries to the Puppy offensive skill players, their attack will challenge all levels of the field, and will require a great effort to slow then down enough to have a chance at winning.  If the pass rush would ever materialize, Aaron Murray has always shown the propensity for erratic throws and turnovers.  I expect a healthier Todd Gurley is gonna get a lot of carries to simply try and wear down the Gator defense as long as the game is not seriously in doubt for Georgia.  The Florida secondary should match up well with the Puppy WRs, and should have at least a few chances at interceptions.  It’s the run defense that worries me – it started to show cracks as far back as the Arkansas game, as the D-Line and LBs have been pushed around too easily.  In addition, all of the injuries to the UGA WRs have meant a lot more throws to the RBs and TEs – let’s hope the coaches plan for this and the LBs are ready.  I expect a lot of nickel and dime packages (not the Halloween or other side of the tracks kind of packages, kiddies), daring UGA to stay with the run.  I hope to see a lot of blitzing as well, both against the run and pass.

Florida may have an edge in special teams again this year.  It looks like the KO return game has stepped up with Solomon Patton.  Frankie Velez has been solid on FGs, and the coverage units have played well.  The Puppies have struggled in giving up big returns for a decade now, and that could swing things Florida’s way……the Gator offense needs all the help it can get right now.

At this point, I think Gator Nation just wants to see some changes – any changes – on offense to try and jump start things, and, while hating a 3rd straight loss to Georgia, would be OK with a competitive game.  How sad is that?

In the end, I see Georgia’s offense having too many possessions that will eventually lead to scoring opportunities later in the game.  Even with the Puppy defense struggling mightily this year, Florida doesn’t have the players and hasn’t shown the coaching capable of exploiting it the entire season to date.  It looks like the Resident Evil and Red Queen (Coach Helen Hunt of the Puppies) live on for a 3rd straight year……I sure hope I’m wrong.

Prediction:  Georgia 31        Florida 17

About the only good thing to come out the trip to Columbia was that the Visor has now attended games at each SEC venue.

Where to begin?

The offense is completely broken.  Every position area has problems.  Tyler Murphy played hurt with a bruised shoulder, and it was apparent on his missed TD throw in the 1st quarter to Burton, and some shaky passes the rest of the game.  He looked tentative and missed some open receivers by not simply pulling the trigger right away – you can see some reasons why he was the backup QB starting to come to light.  Kelvin Taylor showed some promise at RB, and looks like the lead ball carrier going forward.  The fact that he is still learning the playbook and can be a liability in pass protection is outweighed by his playmaking ability.  Mack Brown is an adequate backup, but won’t break off any long runs.  The WRs did not get open often to help Murphy unless it was on short, quick routes, but that leads to the continued crowding of the box by opposing defenses.  But it all comes down to……the (truly) Offensive Line……what a disaster.  This group as it’s constituted simply has failed.  It’s time to move some guys back to their natural positions and stop the square peg/round hole measures.  Tyler Moore either should play OG or sit.  Jon Halapio is just not 100% even though he has bravely soldiered on with his pectoral injury – maybe replace him with Moore.  DJ Humphries has disappointed at LT protecting the blindside – he simply is getting overpowered and lacks the weight needed for the position……maybe move him to RT, and let Max Garcia slide outside.  One sustained drive……unacceptable.  The entire passing game is suffering due to the crap OL play, but even when there is protection, the schemes, routes, and concepts appear weak and too simple to defend……another damning indictment of Pease.

As feared, the defense eventually cracked, and in a big way.  The inability to adjust to the runs to the left side of the Mizzou OL was particularly troubling.  The LB corps was exposed as too small and was pushed around.  Yes, the loss of Dominique Easley is being felt, but Leon Orr is simply a warm body out there, and Darious Cummings isn’t making any plays.  Dante Fowler had some flashes, but could be neutralized with additional blockers while the other defenders were handled – easily.  Jon Bullard is off-and-on, and lacks consistency – he needs to find a permanent home at either DE or DT.  Talk about a portent of things to come……Maty Mauk hits the first play for a long pass completion, and Cody Riggs gets himself tossed for targeting – inexcusable.  The DBs did an OK job on the short routes, but were burned on the corner and slant routes way too often.  Knowing the size of the Tiger WRs should have been an indicator of playing more inside technique – the staff gets a lot of blame for that.  Again, the lack of push from the DL on pass plays was evidenced, and allowed a QB making his freakin’ first-ever start look like an all-SEC player.

There is enough talent and good coaching on Defense to make adjustments to correct some of the problems, but this unit will continue to wear down and become disheartened if the Offense continues to fail.  And where’s the evidence that things will change, from players to schemes to coaching?  Brent Pease should be on immediate notice that he’s gonna get his ass run out of town quickly unless something different is tried – his tenure has been unimpressive.  Will Muschamp looked a little shaken for the first time in his career at Florida on his coach’s show.  He said the right things about change, but we’ll see if he follows through in 2 weeks.  Gator Nation is in an uproar, and for once it’s not all unwarranted.  The offensive staff has failed to date – even with personnel problems, it’s their job to give these kids the best chance of succeeding.  The rest of 2013 will lay the groundwork for 2014 and beyond.  The ineptitude of the Offense is going to affect recruiting, and that can spell the end to any coaching job.  Jeremy Foley won’t do anything rash unless absolutely warranted – Muschamp’s job is safe, but Pease and Tim Davis may have one foot out of the door.  Here’s the rub with coaching staff changes……Muschamp may eventually decide that these guys haven’t worked out, but how will that be perceived by potential new candidates and recruits?  That he’s a guy that has a quick trigger for coaches?  That he simply can’t identify a quality OC?  That he meddles in the offense no matter who the OC is?  Do recruits that play offense see this and choose to stay away?

It’s a sobering situation to have to get consoling words from Missouri fans of all people leaving the game.  The Offense has stunk for the majority of 3 years now.  Florida is just another team on the schedule, with fading national cache.  What should have been a SEC East Division there for the taking is a wasted opportunity.  How much damage is being done to the program?  You could se some arguing on the Gator sideline during the game, and how much longer until the infighting between Offense and Defense fractures the locker room?  It may have already started.

These are dicey times for Will Muschamp and Gator Football in general.  There is so much negativity swirling around the program right now it’s a challenge just to focus on helping the players and preparing for the next game.  Sadly, expectations are really low for the rest of 2013 – 5 or 6 losses are a real possibility.  I mentioned in my season preview that there was a good chance that this year’s record likely would fall behind 2012, but no one saw this abomination on Offense coming.  Some of the disappointment can be tempered by the staggering amount of season-ending injuries to key players across the board, but there are signs of cracks in the foundation of the program in coaching and player development (or lack thereof) on the offensive side of the ball that are troubling and that cannot be masked or ignored.

We’ll see if a nothing-to-lose attitude takes over, and whether a fresh start after a week off helps the team going forward.  It’s tragic to have it come to this for the Florida program.

I’ll be back next week with my preview of the Georgia game – it’s still great to be a Florida Gator, and especially not a mangy ‘ol Puppy.

Well, so much for playing fast and loose in Baton Rouge.  Despite the success of shortening the game and reducing the number of possessions that LSU’s offense had, the inability of the Gator offense to make big plays and execute in key moments led to a desultory loss.  This was painful to watch……how long before the defense starts pointing fingers at the offense and things get really dicey in the locker room?

The main reason for the failure of the offense to score a touchdown was the poor performance of the O-Line.  Even with the Tigers jamming 8-9 men at the LOS to stop the run, the Gators managed enough first downs and time-of possession to make this a winnable game.  But the pass blocking was horrid, never allowing Murphy the time to make some throws where the design of the play actually had something available.  This is year 2 under OL coach Tim Davis, and this unit still is not SEC-caliber.  Garcia and Harrison are by far the best 2 OL, while the rest are limited as run or pass blockers……the loss of Chaz Green at RT before the season even started is glaringly apparent now.  Not far behind in poor performance was the WR corps – too many times did a WR not read a blitz and adjust their route accordingly to a quick hitch, and let the ball either him them in the back or simply never see the pass coming.  The freshmen receivers were guilty of this a few times, but also Burton once, and that is inexcusable for someone with his experience.

By process of elimination, it looks like those who are a part of the “Free Kelvin Taylor” movement will get their wish, as he relieved Matt Jones – Jones is now out for the season with a torn meniscus.  Taylor ran well, but it is his lack of knowledge of the entire playbook and deficiencies in pass blocking show why the staff had been trying to hold him back for a redshirt – now that is no longer an option.  Brown ran well in spurts to move the chains, but can’t rip off large chunks of yardage.  Murphy never panicked despite heavy pressure and was able to scramble a few times to extend plays, but never really had the chance to take advantage of the few opportunities to make a game-changing completion.  He did overthrow a few open guys in the red zone, and that hurt as well – he looked like a guy running for his life with little experience, which had to be expected at some point.

The Gator defense was gashed all afternoon by the run.  LSU decided to use it’s size advantage, and exposed the front 7 as too small to stop an elite O-Line.  This was more than the loss of Easley at work – Orr, Jacobs, and Cummings were manhandled, and the LBs could not fill the gaps effectively, either.  The pass rush was almost non-existent, with Powell and Fowler no real factor.  It was surprising to see the lack of blitzes until later in the game, maybe underscoring the lack of trust in the coverage by the secondary……a puzzling scenario.  Just as disappointing were the lapses in pass coverage from Roberson and Purifoy, as each received his at least once-a-game PI penalty.  The real crusher, though, was allowing LSU to convert on 3rd-and-17 in the second quarter, eventually leading to a 14-3 Tiger lead.  Still, even with all of those negatives, only 17 points were allowed after LSU shut things down to see what the Gator offense could (or couldn’t) do, which should have given Florida the chance to win, but……

As bad as that loss was, Florida still has it’s destiny in it’s own hands as far as getting to Atlanta by winning the East.  This week’s game at Missouri is critical to not just keep that opportunity alive, but to start to repair the mental damage of 2 road losses this year.  Florida gets a huge break with Tiger QB James Franklin out for the season with a shoulder injury.  Head Coach Gary Pinkel has to go to backup Maty Mauk, who is an unknown factor, but playing at home always helps someone thrown into that circumstance.  Franklin’s running ability will be missed, but the Tigers still have a good running attack with 3 RBs over 300 yards for the season, and averaging 5.7 yards per carry.  Their WRs are big and strong, led by Dorial Green-Beckham and L’Damian Washington.  It will be another physical matchup for the Gator secondary, which has to play better this week and shut them down.  Missouri did Florida a huge favor in winning at Georgia, and the Gators must take advantage.  The real question (as usual) going in will be whether the offense can play at an effective SEC level and pull it’s own weight.  The Tiger defense has an excellent pass rusher in Michael Sam, but has inexperience in it’s back seven that can be exploited (at least by most teams).  Perhaps Taylor can break off some big runs to spark the offense..

Will Muschamp is a smart coach, and has to recognize how this offense is killing the team.  While no one knows for sure if he has a hand in the painful conservatism of the play-calling, it’s obvious that the offensive staff has to change things up in order to get better results.  The defense will continue to show cracks if it has to carry the team all season.  The wolves are starting to howl in the distance, and this could prove problematic if the rest of the season tanks and potentially affects recruiting.  Jeremy Foley will not make any rash decision, but will seriously evaluate things next year unless tangible progress is shown on the field.  Maybe changes will be made within the staff in the offseason if necessary…….but right now there is still a lot to play for in 2013, and the staff owes it to these players to put them in a better position to succeed.  This is now the biggest game of the year, and the coaches and players have to rise to the occasion.  It’s too late now to try and hold stuff back for the Georgia and South Carolina games – Florida needs a win this week.  The Gators haven’t won on the road against a decent opponent yet – here’s their chance to make something good happen.

Prediction:  Florida 20      Missouri 17

Florida put forth a solid performance in it’s 30-10 win over Arkansas at the Swamp Saturday night.  The defense continues to lead the way, allowing the offense the luxury of a few possessions to find a rhythm before effectively moving the ball.  The run defense, though, showed a few cracks, as the Razorbacks ran for 81 yards in the 1st quarter and took a 7-0 lead.  Alex Collins is a good back, and their fullback is effective as well, but the loss of Easley and an undersized LB corps was slightly exposed.  The coaching staff will have to figure out a way going forward to scheme ways to offset these shortcomings against the tough opponents coming up.

Tyler Murphy continues to perform efficiently at QB.  The passing game was opened up a little bit, as Arkansas (as expected) dared Florida to throw.  Some new corner and crossing routes were used to good effect, and Patton had a career game with his 2 long runs after the catch for TDs, taking advantage of some poor tackling.  The only real criticism is that Murphy has to learn to throw the ball away occasionally instead of taking a loss.  The running game struggled, but credit has to be given to the Hog D-Line, one of the better units in the SEC.  Of course, the game plan was to keep things safe mostly between the tackles as long as the game was close or in hand, but Florida won’t have that luxury against the better teams coming up.  Matt Jones still doesn’t look right, and while Mack Brown is solid, but has no real breakaway speed.  There were some holes that a game-breaking RB could have made some big runs through, but it looks like the Gators simply don’t have that big-play RB this year.

On defense, Florida controlled things after a shaky first quarter.  Coach Muschamp said after the game that some of Arkansas’ running success was due to poor gap discipline, but I’m still concerned that the interior of the line and LBs lack elite size and strength to control more physical opponents.  Fowler and Powell got good pressure against the pass, and Taylor seems like the most instinctive LB when shooting gaps to make tackles and in coverage.  Morrison has been pretty quiet at LB so far this season.  The secondary did it’s usual excellent job.  Purifoy turned the momentum of the game around with his pick-6 to give the Gators the lead for good, while the rest of the DBs did a good job of tackling.  However, the Razorback WRs did their QB no favors with at least a 6 drops.  The slant routes were effective, and Florida needs to shore up it’s technique against these immediately.

The (not so) special teams play by the kickers was brutal.  Christy and Hardin are a mess mentally right now.  They need to relax and get their minds right going forward, or will be on the bench.  If the personality of your team is ball-control offense and tough defense, this group can kill any good work by either.

HOUSE MONEY

The preseason is over, and it’s time for big-boy football starting this week at LSU.  Going in to this game with a backup QB who really hasn’t been tested by a quality opponent, and with the loss of the defensive leader, does not allow for much optimism.  However, it also takes some of the pressure off of the team, as expectations for an upset will be scaled back.  Unfortunately, it’s doubtful the Tigers will overlook the Gators, as they will have payback on their minds after the physical way they lost last year.  Based on performance to date, it would appear that there is little chance the Florida’s running game will control the clock and wear down the Tigers like it did last season.  But this has been a strange year for defense in the SEC, and LSU has uncharacteristically struggled this year, especially against the pass  The question is whether Florida can expose this weakness with it’s lack of playmakers.  Yes, Patton and Dunbar have made some big plays, but this is a step up in quality of opponent, despite their struggles so far……especially in a tough place to steal a road win.

LSU’s offense has been a revelation this season, with new Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron reviving an attack that’s been mostly dormant for years.  Zach Mettenberger is suddenly a pro prospect at QB, with Jeremy Hill, Alfred Blue, and Kenny Hilliard all big and tough RBs.  The passing game is what has elevated their offense to one of the best in the country.  This will be strength vs. strength, and the Gator secondary has to prove it’s worth with tight coverage all day against quality WRs like Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry.  It will be interesting to see how Florida’s run defense holds up, as Arkansas had some early success between the tackles.  This will by far be the toughest test to date for Florida’s defense, and we will see if it’s lofty statistical ranking is more a function of weak competition or of true ability.  The Tigers are averaging over 40 points a game, and there’s no way the Gators steal a win in Death Valley unless they hold LSU to around 24.

LSU’s defense has really struggled at times this year, especially against the pass.  Defensive Coordinator John Chavis has been in the SEC for over 20 years, and I have to believe that they will improve.  Unfortunately, I’m just not sure that Murphy, despite his poise and leadership, has the experience and confidence to really open things up and execute when opportunities present themselves on a consistent basis yet.  Brent Pease has to break tendencies across the board, starting with more passes on first down to keep the Tiger defense honest instead of stacking the LOS.  The RBs have to start to be utilized more in the passing game, and perhaps we’ll see some screen plays and more play-action passes.  The O-Line has to play it’s best game of the year to open some holes in the running game, but also in pass protection.  Arkansas presented a solid challenge with their D-Line, so perhaps that was good preparation for this week.  Of course, crowd noise will be a huge factor, and the OL has to show discipline in preventing procedure penalties.

Until Florida’s offense proves it’s worth against a good team, it’s all on the defense to keep things close until the 4th quarter.  The Gators have to win the turnover battle, and somehow keep the crowd out of the game by keeping the score close, and not allowing momentum to sweep them away.  Defense and special teams have to give the offense some short fields to work with, and it’s time to open up the playbook after a painfully conservative 5 games.  This is a huge step up in competition, and I’m sure the players are ready to elevate their game to the challenge.  Ultimately, I’m afraid the Gator offense with Murphy at QB still lacks the experience and playmaking ability to keep up with LSU’s offense.  I can see a few cracks showing in the Gator defense as the game wears on unless the offense rises to a level it hasn’t shown in a long time.  Again, the special teams play has to revert to something approaching 2012 form to make a tough job a little easier.  Right now, I think the Tigers pull away in the second half in what should be a very good game.

Going in to the meat of the schedule with a new QB and the loss of Easley may eventually prove problematic, but I feel it alleviates some of the expectations, and may allow the Gators to play fast and loose on Saturday.  Very few give Florida either a chance to win in Death Valley, or to go on and win the SEC East, so it’s time for the staff and players to play with house money and let it ride.  I hope it’s a fun ride the rest of the season no matter the wins and losses.

Prediction:  LSU 27          Florida 17

Florida earned a workmanlike 24-7 win over Kentucky, the 27th consecutive defeat of the Mildcats.  Given all of the drama surrounding the first month of the season, including the recent loss of Dominique Easley, that was a solid effort put forth in the Commonwealth, controlling the action for almost the entire game and getting the road win – always something to be appreciated in the SEC.

Tyler Murphy performed well in his first career start, especially on the road.  Yes, that wasn’t a quality opponent, but he continues to show poise and leadership, and the offense can feed off of that as things get more difficult going forward.  His 11-11 start passing was a pleasant surprise, even with the safe throws.  Matt Jones claims he is only now feeling close to game-ready, and he showed flashes of what was expected by the staff with a very good performance.  The O-Line did a good job overall, but still shows it is not as proficient in pass-blocking, which will become a serious problem as the level of opponent increases in difficulty……good thing Murphy is mobile.  The WRs (again) weren’t utilized as much as hoped, but I think after the fast start that Muschamp and Pease decided to shut things down to an extent to try and keep some things off the film for future games.

The defense was solid, after a slow start on the opening drive.  Muschamp said after the game that Kentucky used their off week to put in some new things that weren’t on film, but the staff and players did a nice job of adjusting and shutting things down for the most part after that.  The loss of Easley was seen right away, as the interior run defense wasn’t as sturdy as before, and that will have to be addressed right away.  Fowler and Bullard generated some occasional pass pressure, and the secondary wasn’t really challenged seriously.  VH3 continues to show out as a true freshman at CB, and is already starting to get some attention regionally and nationally – the kid is a baller.

Special Teams really weren’t on display other than kickoff coverage.  We’ll have to wait until this Saturday to see how Christy responds to his punting struggles, as he has to elevate his play to help the team out going forward.  Hardin did convert his only FG attempt with a solid kick from the left hash.  Maybe the staff will need to remember that for the future.

It’s back to the Swamp for a game with Arkansas – only an occasional SEC opponent for the Gators.  This is a step up in competition, and could turn out to be a real challenge.  The Razorbacks have an effective offense led by QB Brandon Allen, freshman RB Alex Collins (from Miami) who is averaging over 100 yards per game, and sophomore RB Jonathan Williams at over 90 yards per game.  New head coach Bret Bielema prefers a strong running game based on his tenure at Wisconsin, and this will be the first serious challenge to the D-Line without Easley.  The Hog passing game shouldn’t be overlooked, though, as WR Javontee Herndon played quite a bit in the passing game developed by the fired Bobby Petrino.  TE Hunter Henry is proving to be a serious target as well, and the RBs are utilized as receivers quite often (something Florida needs to expand upon).  This is going to be a test for the entire Florida defense to try and limit Arkansas’ effectiveness and ball-control capability, to allow the Gator offense to nurse Murphy along and not have to get out of it’s comfort zone to either play catch-up or get into a scoring contest.

Arkansas’ defense has struggled to date, and hopefully that continues another week.  Florida simply does not have dynamic playmaking ability this season, so it will have to continue to be consistent and remain turnover-free to be successful.  Like most opponents going forward, I expect the Razorbacks to crowd the box and dare Murphy to pass.  Perhaps we’ll start to see some throws to the RBs this week to change things up, and the WRs have to continue to improve upon defeating coverage to give Murphy a fair chance.  The passing game has to start to prove itself a threat to give the tough opponents coming up something to think about.

Gator Nation needs to show up in force to protect home-field advantage, as the meat of the SEC schedule begins.  It will be a grind from now until season’s end for this team, and they need all the support they can get.  Playing this game at home should help Murphy, and the crowd can help inspire the defense to elevate it’s game.  I fully expect this contest to not be decided until the 4th quarter.  The offense has to limit turnovers going forward, as it simply is not good enough to overcome falling too far behind and hasn’t proven it can sustain drives almost exclusively with the passing game.  Time for a hostile nighttime crowd at the Swamp to help deliver a win.

Prediction:  Florida 24      Arkansas 20

A Whole New Ballgame

That was quite the unexpected Saturday at the Swamp despite the expected win over Tennessee.  This season, much as I feared, has possibly turned upside down with the loss of Jeff Driskel for the year with a broken fibula.  Tyler Murphy showed a lot of poise and maturity, giving Gator Nation some hope that the season won’t go down the drain.  Given that he has never played a meaningful snap going in to his redshirt junior year, that was a clutch performance, even against a bad Dolly team.

It’s really interesting now to hear the various thinking about the QB situation……

Take #1 – “Driskel sucks, is a turnover machine, and just doesn’t ‘get it’ at QB.  Murphy may be better”.

Not so fast, my friends.  That was a bad Tennessee team, and Murphy had the element of surprise, as there is NO film on this guy.  Yes, Driskel is limited in some ways, but is a tough player and has serious physical skills.  Definitely premature thinking by a long shot.

Take #2 – “The season is toast.  5-6 losses for sure”.

Despite losing the starting QB, Florida has enough talent on offense and such a great defense that I still expect wins (unless Murphy goes down – yeesh) against Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Southern.  I believe that enough offense can be generated in those games, especially with Murphy showing mobility and the ability to make plays with his legs to keep defenses somewhat honest.

Take #3 – “At least Will Grier is an early enrollee, and may start as a true freshman in 2014”.  Again, WAY premature, and simply unlikely.  The staff has a lot of trust in Driskel (I can hear the haters groaning), and if somehow Murphy blows up and earns the job based on the rest of 2013 going into Spring practice, I simply can’t see Grier playing much, if at all.

Now, back to the game……

The pick 6 from Driskel shook the offense (and the fans) in more ways than one, and it showed for a few series until Murphy started making some plays, which injected life into the team and the crowd.  I was never really worried, especially after the Gators took a 10-7 lead on the TD pass to Patton.  But I REALLY wasn’t worried as I watched Gator defense taking the Dolly offense to the woodshed.  Yes, that was a mediocre Tennessee offense, but they do have some SEC-caliber RBs and WRs, and a few decent OL.  Fowler was a man in that game at DE, and Easley his been a disruptive force inside all season.  The secondary, even with Roberson sitting out, Poole getting ejected, and Purifoy getting hurt on the kickoff return, was still lights out until letting down for a score near the end of the game.

I have to give the team credit for staying focused after Driskel left, and to the coaches for staying patient through a rough first half, which I’m sure helped the players keep their poise and to continue to play hard.  There are still some areas that need work, starting with getting Matt Jones right at RB – he doesn’t look anything like what was expected yet, and now has fumbled in both games he has played.  Brown was a workhorse, but is not a breakaway threat.  Still no throws to the RBs, and that has to change to help out a new QB.  Perhaps Murphy can develop some chemistry with a few of the WRs.  Dunbar has played well this season, and Patton has some big plays, but the ball has to be spread around more.  I’m starting to wonder if Burton may need to play more H-back again and less in the slot, to help the running game some and give defenses the Wildcat look to practice for.

Looking at Tennessee’s schedule through October……it’s gonna be another looooong season.  Volsheimers will be needed again after this year is over.

Now it’s on the Commonwealth for the first SEC road game against Kentucky.  New head coach Mark Stoops has a reputation as a defensive genius, but how much of that is reality, and how much just for he last name?  This is another team that has a LONG way to go to become consistently competitive in the SEC.  The Mildcats did hold Louisville to 27 points in a loss 2 weeks ago, but that was an in-state rival that they were certainly up for.  Yes, they haven’t beaten the Gators since 1986, and that can serve as motivation – to a point.  But they are (again) outmanned and have a weak offense with inconsistent QB play and precious little playmaking ability, and will have to rely on the Gator offense to continue it’s disturbing penchant for turnovers to have a chance at the upset.

Before some in Gator Nation get too excited about Murphy’s performance, rest assured that he’s going to have his struggles going forward.  He has virtually no experience, and now has the added pressure of being the starter.  He also had the advantage of two weeks of (limited) practice snaps before Tennessee, but will now have to get into the weekly rhythm of learning a new opponent.  His arm strength isn’t great, and no one has a clue as to his ability to read defenses yet.  A backup can survive in a home game, but the road environment in the SEC is completely different.

It’s time for each offensive player to take more accountability, in order to not just help out the new QB, but to help the team win games.  Cut down on the penalties, take care of the damn football, and play smart and fast going forward.

And now for the latest downer……Dominique Easley is out for the season after tearing his ACL in practice Tuesday.  Un-freakin’-believable!  Chucky was really coming on, looking fully recovered from the ACL tear in his other knee sustained against F$U in 2011……and now this.  Leon Orr had better learn to play hard every snap starting now, and Darious Cummings is going to get  a lot more snaps.  Looks like the redshirt may be pulled off of one of the true freshmen – perhaps Jay-nard Bostwick or Caleb Brantley.  Any way you look at it, this is a big loss to the team, as Easley was probably the spiritual leader of just not the defense, but the entire team.  No more dancing at the LOS before blowing up another play Chucky – good luck in the NFL next season.

The defense had some other dings against the Dollies, especially in the secondary.  Roberson should be back to help offset the loss of Poole for at least the first half after his illegal hit disqualification.  Purifoy may play, but it’s hard to tell after a deep thigh bruise how he’ll feel at kickoff.  Fortunately there is so much quality depth there that the Gators should survive.  The D-Line has disrupted so many plays at the LOS it’s made life easy for the back seven to dominate.  It may not be as easy going forward without Easley’s presence.

It’s going to be a different feel going forward.  The defense may have to still carry the team, as the offense will have it’s struggles until Murphy can prove to be a consistent, if not spectacular, performer.  Special Teams need to step up as well.  Christy is a huge disappointment punting so far, and Hardin needs to show he can make a FG longer than 35 yards – the loss of Caleb Sturgis could really be felt going forward.

Unless somehow the team gets completely ambushed early by a rash of turnovers or blown assignments on both sides of the ball, I think Florida eventually wears down and draws away in the second half.  I have no illusions about the offense – I think it’s going to be dicey going forward as teams get more film on Murphy – and the offense has yet to prove it can play smart, mistake-free football.  Coach Pease has some late nights ahead of him to try and gameplan to help this offense survive.  If he can somehow devise ways to get the passing game going to provide some balance, the defense is good enough to beat most teams as long as it doesn’t sustain any more key injuries..

The margin for error is razor-thin now, and it truly will take a complete team effort going forward to make this a good season.  Coach Muschamp’s mantra has been, “Man down, Man up”.  That is being put to the test moreso than anyone could have expected.  Remember this – there’s a reason a depth chart exists……some players are just better than others.

Prediction:  Florida 23              Kentucky 14