Here we are AGAIN...

[DRU2012]

Seems we find ourselves at this same crossroad annually, nowadays--but it's no April Fools joke (unfortunately):
Elite Eight game, play-in for the Final Four, and the roundball Gators lay an egg.
Like to see us make it to the next level, extend our (at UF, as opposed to other places, admittedly less emotionally-charged for this sport) run into the national consciousness a week or so longer, though. Talk about things being relative: regular outcomes that might get you fired at UCLA (ie. successive seasons not QUITE making it to the FF), in turn likely guarantee Billy Donovan's continued solid, even revered-status at UF.
Look, I don't mean to whine or be ungrateful: it's been an especially handy diversion during the very years that access to spring football practice has been restricted--but it isn't all that inspiring either. I mean, "making a decent overall showing" may be "good enough" for a B-ball program at a premiere college football program in a football-crazy state, but let's be honest: The best most can personally manage in response, once again, is the same honest, shrugging lukewarm "shout-out" as last year, and the year before THAT: "Hey, nice run there, boys...Now, where we at out on the practice field? Early enrollee's comin' along? How's that offense developing? We gonna be OK depthwise on the O-line with all the (albeit mostly minor-to-moderate) injuries?" And so on...
Nice that we compete "highly" at so many other sports, image- and/or revenue-producing, or otherwise, but all that's only "icing on the cake" when weighed against the success of our football program, and NO CONSOLATION AT ALL if the latter isn't at least "IMPROVING"--Oh, and btw, once you "come up a game short", you better "win-it-ALL" the NEXT season. Less "wiggle-room" in an actual playoff-system--and one's about to commence in 2014.
Mind you, it's our consolation TOO...If you're like me, at 23-to-8 in the 1st half earlier I was ALREADY calmly turning my attention back to and more fully ON the "MAIN Gator program". How'd ya like to be Kentucky? Or Miami? (Oh yeah--not so good an eg. that last one...THEY live in a strange world of denial that ignores ALL inconvenient truths, things like "Facts" and/or a little thing called "reality".) OUR best days, this season and beyond, our hopes and dreams based on the evidence right in front of our eyes suggests that "The best is still to come". At the very LEAST, it'll be a scary fun, fast and exciting ride seeing it through. GO GATORS!!!

 

[Leakfan12]

I don't know what was worse the pervious two years or that blowout today. Leaning toward the pervious two years though getting blowout doesn't help. I did hear the announcers say Michigan that the most talent then again doesn't really mean much lately (Butler twice, VCU, George Mason, etc.). Hey at least the suckeyes lost to Wichta State and the Gators to the coach stealers (AKA Suckeyes AKA TOSU). As for Ben Howland after three straight Final Four appearence, UCLA only made it to the second round the five years after that plus didn't they have some scandal a year or so ago. Don't know it was you or E-94 last year we care more on football than Basketball. I think Donovan is safe unless there's some scandal about comes about (which I hope it doesn't). Now to football. Starting to think that since that imfamous 2009 SEC title game, the Gators choke in the big games (well most of them).

 

[Escambia94]

At long as Billy D gets the Gators into the Sweet 16, he has a job. In another 3 or 4 years we can think about another run at the Elite 8, but for now we will have to build up a veteran roster. This is one reason why he turned down the Kentucky job a long time ago--he did not want to deal with the stress of replacing five one-and-dones each year. The Gators tend to keep players that want to play as a team for 3 or 4 years, and this group is done. So, here is to a good run in a few years.

 

[Dale J. Rodriguez]

Michigan just outplayed Florida plain and simple. I really want to see coach build a team with a better front court, going forward. Our front court play was horrible yesterday.

 

[DRU2012]

Michigan just outplayed Florida plain and simple. I really want to see coach build a team with a better front court, going forward. Our front court play was horrible yesterday.

Yeah--But this ain't the FOOTBALL program, Dale...rules, available talent, history AND expectations are entirely different. Anyway, is this gonna be a weird, seemingly unrevealing "spring game" coming up, or what?

 

[Dale J. Rodriguez]

Yea the spring game is going to be really interesting. My prediction is that the backup QB's will look better than our starter.

 

[Escambia94]

I get it that we won 11 games last year. Imagine how many games we would have won if the offense were not so ugly! The season played out like the Orange and Blue Debut in reverse. At the Debut, the offense looked like crap in the first half and then looked good in the second. The defense looked good even in vanilla schemes all day. In the real season, the offense looked good in the first half of the season, then got worse in the second half of the season. The defense looked good in all schemes all day, all season, especially in the second half.

Traditionally, the Orange and Blue Debut have foretold a lot about the upcoming season. The game does not matter, but it gives a lot of hints as to what will happen. I am looking forward to a good preseason game.

 

[DRU2012]

Thanks to all the injuries (especially along both lines), looks like it won't be a "game" at all...Should STILL "tell us" some things, though. There'll likely be a lot of interest in the various "Scenario-based Offensive Drills": We'll ALL be studying how Driskel and the back-ups handle the "1 minute left, ball at the 40"-drill, for eg., and so on.
Our Defense will be "good and getting better" (HOW good, and how FAST they'll be "getting better" will be the question, depending on a number of factors having to do with how fast the injured heal, the "filled with upside" actually step up, and the inexperienced GROW up), so that they'll start out athletically talented but needing to "come together and improve"...but it will be on the Offense that our overall success and improvement will depend this time:
Driskel, Jones and the rest will HAVE to do more than "Hold 'em!", while our D and special teams win a "possession and field-position battle" each week this season. They will have to "drive and score", maybe 3 or 4 times a game, while the other two units play our best opponents EVEN at LEAST in the toughest contests, if we are to have a shot at even EQUALING last season's record, let alone improving on it!
Yep, this Offense will have to take a COUPLE of steps forward, MORE than that in the passing game, to get where we wanna go--and that, even more than improvement in our receivers' play (which DOES show signs of at least having a couple of guys answer the call--and maybe more in the bodies of a couple of heralded incoming freshmen), depends more than anything else on a better, deeper and more integrated-in-their-play O-line to make possible that improvement.