Damn. There goes the lead.
And they get the ball to start the 3rd--after a 99-yd drive.
Sorry guys: Valiant effort. But you can feel it slipping away now. We just didn't/DON'T have enough.
I don't mind Napier being aggressive, even that "extra time-out call" (that eventually gave them that little-bit-more-time they needed to get that TD to take the lead at the end of the half, incidentally). But in the wider context of a close, back and forth game ON-THE-ROAD, we may have "shot our wad" here already in this one.
Our ONLY chance is to somehow even INCREASE the pressure and pace of the Gator offense, while the defense similarly carries ON.
There IS promise, on BOTH sides of the ball of this Gator squad. We aren't there yet--don't have the depth talent-wise. But make no mistake:
This staff will GET us there.
It's still hard to take now, having to endure knowing, SEEING flashes of how CLOSE we are.
It just isn't ENOUGH, telling ourselves "good effort", "ALMOST"...
So if we do "lose contact" with this opponent, watch them pull away in the third quarter, I will TRY to hold myself back from going ON about it. Instead, I will try toet it lie, quietly withdraw and move on.
If it happens, it will happen directly AFTER the break here, when the Vols get the ball to start the 3rd. SO now I will just shut up and let things unfold.
