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

Is it too early to scale back expectations?

Wow – that was the most brutal offense in the Meyer era.  Mike Pouncey was shockingly poor at snapping the ball in the shotgun, the OL blocking was mediocre, no mid-range passing game.  Steve Addazio apparently needs a lot of help from the rest of the offensive staff in devising a game plan, or else Coach Meyer needs to make an executive decision and relieve him of OC duties, as there is no ‘coordination’ of the offense at all.

The OL should improve with Carl Johnson coming back this week at LG, but Xavier Nixon is a huge missing piece right now at LT, and the absence for a few more weeks of Matt Patchan is killing the OT rotation.  The RBs were hard to evaluate, as the OL blocking was so poor.  Jeff Demps showed again how dangerous he can be on any play, and Mike Gillislee, in my opinion, has passed Emmanuel Moody on the depth chart.  The running game has to markedly improve beginning this week.

The passing game was pathetic, mostly due again to the poor snaps and general poor OL play.  I’m glad John Brantley didn’t get injured covering all of those fumbles.  When there was time to read the defense, there were glimpses of solid WR play.  The drop by Deonte Thompson of a potential long TD pass continued his inconsistent pass-catching, but he does get open.  He has to make big plays when given the opportunity.  Omarius Hines is a great player, and has to be utilized more as the competition toughens.  Chris Rainey made no plays in space (what little there was).  Carl Moore was a non-factor.  Also disappointing was the lack of any depth in the rotation.  Will Andre Debose get a chance to contribute?  When will Frankie Hammond be allowed to play?  Right now, there is no contribution from the TE position.  Hopefully Jordan Reed gets healthy soon and gives Brantley another outlet.  Trey Burton looks to be a jack-of-all-trades this season as a receiver and in the shotgun in red zone situations.

Man, if the O stinks it up this week, look out. And the Gators find a way to lose? Wow.

Like it or not, if that happens, someone is gonna take the bullet, and we know ultimately who it has to be.  I’m going to try and remain hopeful for this week’s performance, but hope does not = confidence.  If this doesn’t improve significantly by the end of September, there is NO WAY you can defend Coach A as OC anymore. 

The defense looked good for a first game.  Lots of speed at all positions, some turnovers, and most of the depth chart got some snaps.  The best development was allowing no touchdowns, even when put into extremely bad positions by the offense. 

The DL rotation is the deepest it’s been since Coach Meyer arrived.  Jaye Howard was disruptive at DT, and Omar Hunter occupied blockers and space, as he should.  Sharrif Floyd made a few good plays as well.  The DEs did not apply much pressure, and this will be a concern all season unless some young guys make an impact.  Justin Trattou is solid, but Duke Lemmens is simply not an SEC-caliber DE.  Look for some combination of Ronald Powell, William Green, and perhaps Dominique Easley to see a lot more snaps as the season progresses.

The LBs are fast and can hit.  There were some fundamental mistakes made in pass coverage by the young guys like Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins, but that will be corrected in time.  The secondary was terrific, with Janoris Jenkins and Ahmad Black always in position and also being sound tacklers.  Both of those guys should have all-SEC seasons if they stay healthy.  Josh Evans did a good job filing in for the suspended Will Hill.  The turnovers generated by the defense were not only a promising sign – they were the main reason for the win.  Coach Austin was able to play most of the depth chart, always a good thing with so many new faces to work in.

Janoris Jenkins is definitely a top cover corner who also can hit, Ahmad Black is always in position to make a play, Jaye Howard looks like the real deal at DT, and the young LBs can get to the ball.  Of course, some maturation needs to happen, as there were some mental lapses on the one long drive they allowed at the end of the first half, but that will get corrected with more game experience.

South Florida is talking a big game coming into the Swamp this week.  They obviously feel that the win last season at Florida $tate compares to what they will experience Saturday.  I was of the opinion there was no comparison until the horrid play of the Gator offense last week……looking frighteningly like previous F$U offenses.  Since most of the Bulls’ players are native Floridians, they have extra motivation to prove something this week, and will make some plays.

On offense, BJ Daniels is a mobile QB, and will probably make some plays with his legs.  However, if the Gators apply any pressure on him, he will turn the ball over occasionally.  USF does have a solid rotation at RB and at WR.  The Bulls usually have difficulty sustaining long drives, though, relying on big plays to score.

USF was gutted on defense by the NFL the past 2 seasons, and have a lot of new starters.  With the new coaching regime, there may not be much to gain from looking at last year’s tape.  Having so many in-state players means a fast, aggressive team, though.

It’s easy to say that “if the offense plays that way again, the Gators could lose to USF”.  Can the offense play that badly again?  It was criminal to see so much talent being wasted out there, and I can only hope Coach Meyer does right by the players and improves the coaching and their chances.  I don’t believe that there is a magic cure that will fix everything in just one week.  I need to see proof on the field of improvement across the board.  Getting a few more starters back on the OL will help, and the embarrassment of last week’s performance is a strong motivator.  I would hope that the OL can lean on the undersized USF DL and wear them down.  I fully expect the Bulls to line up guys right over Pouncey to see if the snap problems continue, and a lot of blitzing until the OL proves it can hold up in pass protection

Until the offense proves itself, the Gator defense will need to carry the day.  The quality defensive depth on the roster will be a big advantage in the heat and humidity.  Generating some turnovers again would make things easier all around this week.

Florida 31      S. Florida 17