Gator Game Day (11/22/14): Gators Warmly Welcome E. Kentucky

[DRU2012]

31-3 on the run...Treon looked up and ready after the one play out--Yeah, announcers are saying that he wanted back in, and "Nice call by Will Muschamp to give Jeff Driskel a chance to take the team in for the TD..."
OK, yes, real nice and all, but we have other things to think about. Fine for a series, and turned out fine, but for the first half at least, our future-QB needs the work and time onfield, and the ONLY reason you take him out early is injury. Now, once you get up big and it's after the halftime break, well, THEN you "play it safe" and bring in the backup--and if it gives your soon-to-be "former Head Coach" a chance to play his favorite former-starter, giving HIM a chance to do well and all that "good feeling stuff", fine. But you don't sit him before then, 'cause it WILL stiffen up then, and he'll be done for the day.
Once again, we can't stand success: We are escorting them down the field with the big, dumb penalty, etc...even so, they need ANOTHER 4th down play to keep it going, but this time it actually works--no fake, just hat-on-hat for 4th-and-short. Look, this one's a win, but not QUITE the rest-of-game "PAR-TAY" it probably outta be after all. Don't know if I'll be around too long into the 2nd half, certainly NOT once Treon's out of there.
Well, we lose the "wrestling match" for the ball on the longish pass for TD on their part. Guess they're just playing for pride now--their receiver does that whole "in your face"/Gator-chomp at our sidelines after the seeming catch, gets the penalty for it, and now it turns out replay shows it was incomplete ANYWAY. Dumb-ass had to know it wasn't a catch, too--now he has the Gator defenders mad, and they'll drill 'em HARD for a while longer.

 

[DRU2012]

I guess these are the kinds of questions, answers too, that you'd expect of Will Muschamp from the "blond-color-commentator" as he leaves the field at halftime--but wouldn't you like to hear some honest sh*t, both Q AND A, just ONCE? All kinds of funny stuff comes to mind...

 

[DRU2012]

Sigh...Missouri #20? Lets see...we count that "First" game, minus hurricane, as a win, kid catches the ball in the endzone against LSU, and we DON'T just completely disintegrate late in the 4th qrtr last week against SC(east), we're 9-and-2 and at LEAST "#20", Missouri is ranked even higher for beating us--and even there the team that ISN'T repeatedly doing all the crucial f-ups at key-points may well have beaten THEM too, and THEN...Aw, I know: Enough, MORE than enough of that crap.
Fact is, we are, HAVE been more and more that "stumbling, bumbling, fumbling" team for whole sections of EVERY game, it is a coaching problem, one which has just come to more nakedly BEAT us this season--and way I look at it, GOTTA look at it, is that maybe if we "catch a break" here and there and somehow just "make a few plays" we are looking at a spot in the SEC Championship game now and a New Year's Day game at the very least--and Will Muschamp coming back NEXT year with a pretty fair chance of doing this THEN instead, only with an almost certain bad 2015 NSD and our mid-to-long-term fate DEFINITELY sealed.
No, bad as this has been to witness and suffer through, our prospects I am certain are better for it, ultimately--because Muschamp HAD to go.
Sorry, Will. Like ya,. but don't want you as our coach. You just weren't READY--best I can say about it, in the end.

 

[DRU2012]

AS we get the ball to start the 2nd half, we proceed to show we STILL don't have a decently-"scripted" drive-series set-up, not even against a defense we obviously out-match all over the field AND have seen now for a full half. Gotta say, when you step back and consider it, Roper hasn't impressed me with his offensive acumen. I mean, this is pretty basic stuff I'm talking about here. A 3-and-out in that situation is an indictment of his overall readiness--at ANY level.

 

[DRU2012]

OK--I understand they're trying to get Treon untracked and some successful work in, build on that--but are these accuracy problems all just him and his mechanics? Give him a tight end he can turn to, maybe things settle down and these throw-to-set-up-the-pass series work out better? Don't think we're gonna find out 'til next year...

 

[DRU2012]

Geez, what's that, 1-for-7 on 3rd downs? Go for it on 4th and short!

 

[miltongator]

On 4th down we go for it and once again the O line can't move a supposedly over-matched D line. Ridiculous!!

 

[miltongator]

So, maybe our primary need for recruiting is some O-linemen who can actually block.

 

[DRU2012]

OH COME ON!!! Ya GOTTA call something besides the dive into the middle there. Starting to think Roper might be another in the over-hyped, turns-out-second-rate OCs we've chased and signed every year since Meyer himself was left with no one but Addazio to turn to...Just gotta hope "the next guy" brings his OWN "young unknown" with him to get it done with him, or we'll likely be stuck with ANOTHER one.

 

[miltongator]

Good for JD.

 

[DRU2012]

Still can't get over or get USED to this sorta thing, week after week. Only WE can come into the 2nd half in agame we're up 38-3 in and somehow look BAD, like we're struggling...and that's with our first-string still out there on offense.
Now Driskel comes in. Guess they were hoping to get Treon that "few more series" of work, hopefully successful but at some point it was time to get him out of there. HOPE that's what we're seeing with JD back there. And NATURALLY, NOW he throws strikes on consecutive plays, the last a TD to Robinson. Like I say, "Practice? Game already out of reach? No pressure on? Driskel's your guy."
Might be able to rehabilitate his image somewhat as backup QB...You know what they say about that...

 

[Leakfan12]

Actually, I do not align under any political party. I register Republican, only so I can get an extra vote, and because older military members lean towards old school Republicans.

I should have used "I blame Bush". I believe that is universally accepted as a non-political joke.

To be fair I don't blame either president for this (I'm a Dem) though I will blame Meyer, Newton, Muschamp, Driskel among others.

 

[DRU2012]

Good for JD.

Yeah, I don't begrudge him his success here. I just feel similar about JD as I do about Muschamp: Like him, rooted and believed in him for so long, probably longer than I should have--and in his (JD's) case, that business of showing all that "potential", more and more a pattern of showing it when it DIDN'T "count" but seldom when it did, it just wore me DOWN. I guess at this point I can't watch even his "good stretches" without fearing that others will conveniently forget all the rest, and we end up getting him BACK as starter. Could happen with a new Coach, new staff, new OC coming in with that "clean slate" mentality. We all know how that "expert-thinking" is about "what-you're-looking-for" in the "classic, modern quarterback"--and Jeff Driskel fits that mold, at first glance, and with his practice skills can really woo coaches and experts, as we've seen.

 

[DRU2012]

Meanwhile, I turned up the sound here in time to hear them discussing "why Florida is still one of the top 4 or 5 programs in college football", and the only specific thing they mention as "among the few things lacking" is that whole business of us not having an indoor practice facility. Now, I have heard this a number of times lately (Alligator Army has a column about this today, matter of fact),. and it is evidently taking on a life of its own now as a supposed "given", something that is a weakness, a drawback, a gap in our otherwise first class, up-to-the-minute complete and modern facilities...Now, as I understand it, it is as much a question of SPACE (as in room-for-such a complex on-campus) as it is a financial one--and that latter ONLY insofar as Foley doesn't like turning to bond-issues to fund such expenditures as other universities do, have done in recent years, rather using private money as available to build and expand facilities for EVERY sport. From my POV, these discussions miss two important and related points: It isn't exactly a poor climate that prevents a lot of practices for safety-reasons, and the elements that DO occur (for eg. heat, and the occasional sudden downpour) ARE FEATURES OF PLAY IN REAL GAMES during the season. Football is played in real weather, regardless (except for lightning, of course, as we well know); they may as well get used to playing in them, practice in them as much as possible, if you think about it.
Not as if there aren't first class facilities to turn to for everything BUT full-on, 11-on-11 field-length scrimmaging indoors. We have the best of EVERYTHING everywhere else. So I just can't imagine that's a drawback in any practical way, except insofar as image and the degree to which a kind of background-criticism by our rivals and me-too muttering in the media actually end up affecting a particular kid's decision--if it even actually does.

 

[DRU2012]

Looks like we won't hit that "66-point" mark, @miltongator, though I suppose it could still happen--either way, I agree with you that it probably took some poor play-calling on the part of Roper and co. (especially in the first half) to under-shoot that here.

 

[DRU2012]

Maybe I spoke too soon...with our 2nd and 3rd teamers in there, trying hard to make the most of their rare chances at extended playing time, might GET those 2 scores in the last 2 minutes, IF their guys keep letting up and our coaches were to LET our back-ups score twice--which, given the situation, they might in fact let happen.

 

[DRU2012]

OK, over. Actually got thru' the whole damn thing. Any real conclusions here that we couldn't have stated coming IN? No.
Does it for me. Will put aside beginning to consider/discuss NEXT week's game until later, at least.
We finally were throwing the ball today, obviously, and even with Treon sputtering a good portion of the time, everyone saw the results--especially on the scoreboard. So what? We all KNEW that already, been yelling at the screen about it for, well, for MONTHS at least. Wish Treon showed a little more accuracy and consistency, but he'll get it. I saw enough to be pretty sure of that.

 

[DRU2012]

Some hours later, and guess I shouldn't be surprised that the few here today bee-lined outta here moment it was over and haven't been back. I just "looked in" on the college football action today myself--on my phone while out doing other things.
Main thing that strikes me about the results and highlights, as I view the games over and ending now, is that EVERYONE is "beatable" this season (again: it would have taken hardly any changes in even our uneven, bumbling and inconsistent play to be headed into the FSU game at 9-and-2--we really missed a "come-back year" opportunity this season), and that means that there's at least a CHANCE for us to knock off FSU next week and end things on a TRULY good note. Thing is, it'll come down to a question of coaching then going into this one, and that doesn't bode well for us.
(...and if you wanna talk about "state of mind", conscious or otherwise, how bout the two Head Coaches, "best friends" Muschamp and Fisher, and the complex forces at work beneath the surface in THEIR respective heads?)

 

[awebbf5]

Didn't even watch today and from the look of the stands I saw from highlights guess I wasn't alone. Hopefully we pull a miracle next week because that is our National Championship game.

 

[Escambia94]

Oh. There was a game today? I just got out of my drunken stupor from last week!