Kyle throws ANOTHER pick in the endzone; against LSU, it kills us, against USC, 1st and goal.
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Official Game Thread: Week 8, #9 Florida Gators vs South Carolina 10/19/19
- Thread starter Escambia94
- Start date
There it is. Now they gotta gamble—and Grantham's guys can pin their ears back:
I am looking for some picks from here...
I am looking for some picks from here...
Whew! Way this Gator team has played, it ain’t over yet—but you have to like our chances from here.
However: Even if we DO win, I saw NOTHING to indicate that an angry UGA won’t STOMP ALL OVER US in two weeks. They may not be anymore one of those “ELITE” teams than we are—but without our first line defense, I have little confidence in our beating them.
Mind you, this is a Gator team that GETS THE BREAKS, eventually...bad calls, failures all over the field, but in the end we get that ONE call, that ONE bounce, whatever is needed at the crucial time. “Better to be lucky, than good...”
If only we had all the horses to CAPITALIZE—who KNOWS what might have been accomplished in this strange season! As it is, maybe we WILL “win out” and go to the SEC Championship Game: ...where, were that to happen, I still suspect reality WILL finally rear its ugly visage.
It would take one MASSIVE LOAD of “good luck” to see us get to Atlanta AND beat the TUA-led Tide. That comes to pass, and I will be ready to concede WHATEVER RIDICULOUS PROPOSITION YOU CAN COME UP WITH...(and, come to THAT, WTF is happening with our guys going down left and right now??? They don’t even have to get HIT! Every other goddamn play we lose another 1st stringer. And Mullens grinning through it all? I dunno, friends...something is WRONG with this team, something very, VERY wrong...)
Mind you, this is a Gator team that GETS THE BREAKS, eventually...bad calls, failures all over the field, but in the end we get that ONE call, that ONE bounce, whatever is needed at the crucial time. “Better to be lucky, than good...”
If only we had all the horses to CAPITALIZE—who KNOWS what might have been accomplished in this strange season! As it is, maybe we WILL “win out” and go to the SEC Championship Game: ...where, were that to happen, I still suspect reality WILL finally rear its ugly visage.
It would take one MASSIVE LOAD of “good luck” to see us get to Atlanta AND beat the TUA-led Tide. That comes to pass, and I will be ready to concede WHATEVER RIDICULOUS PROPOSITION YOU CAN COME UP WITH...(and, come to THAT, WTF is happening with our guys going down left and right now??? They don’t even have to get HIT! Every other goddamn play we lose another 1st stringer. And Mullens grinning through it all? I dunno, friends...something is WRONG with this team, something very, VERY wrong...)
Geez, give it UP, ‘Cocks: you’ve LOST this one! Do you HAVE to take out a few more of our guys before you face it?
And our much-vaunted new “strength and conditioning”-guy is having the SHITS on the sidelines, I’ll bet...(“Wtf? It’s not my fault! I didn’t teach them that!”)
It seems that USC has replaced Kentucky or Tennessee as the team that makes Florida win ugly. In the end, the Gators played a better game against USC than Georgia.
In truth, I am now ready to “face the music” (definitely in minor key):
This “team” is in fact FURTHER from “greatness” than we thought or hoped.
Yes, we have some of the PIECES—IF they are (and stay) healthy, IF (whether through injury or moving on to the pros) they are even still HERE as we gather the rest to the fold—and that whole fur ball of questions and criticisms regarding Mullens’ supposed limitations as a recruiter of elite talent (again: we have ZERO question as to how he can raise the level AND make the most of the rest), ultimately we must face THIS QUESTION: Is our next “big get” an ELITE-LEVEL RECRUITER?
Discuss.
(lol—y’all like that? laying it out there like an essay question? But I AM hoping for some detailed, insightful responses from our smart and erudite regulars!)
This “team” is in fact FURTHER from “greatness” than we thought or hoped.
Yes, we have some of the PIECES—IF they are (and stay) healthy, IF (whether through injury or moving on to the pros) they are even still HERE as we gather the rest to the fold—and that whole fur ball of questions and criticisms regarding Mullens’ supposed limitations as a recruiter of elite talent (again: we have ZERO question as to how he can raise the level AND make the most of the rest), ultimately we must face THIS QUESTION: Is our next “big get” an ELITE-LEVEL RECRUITER?
Discuss.
(lol—y’all like that? laying it out there like an essay question? But I AM hoping for some detailed, insightful responses from our smart and erudite regulars!)
We DO “find a way to win”... but yes, they don’t COME much MORE UH-GULLEEEEE!!!
(I only watched about HALF of it, the first quarter-and-a-half and the last mmmmmaybe a quarter or so...but frankly, I could not have STOMACHED much more. Yikes: “Winning ugly” inDEED...
Question number TWO:
“What is with Mullens’ apparent resistance to the CHALLENGE Rule?”
He seems to automatically eschew its option at every opportunity. Questionable ball placements for first downs, then that beautiful tap-in by the WR on what was shaping up as a critical drive to potentially take the lead early in the 4th quarter; instead, by NOT challenging the ruling that the receiver was outta bounds, he surrendered us to 3rd and forever and eventually a punt deep to finish off the third quarter tied—which frankly (and in retrospect) seemed his overall game plan in ANY event.
Now, though that may well have been the intentional and SMART way to go “in ANY event” (and we DID eventually win the game—in exactly that “wear-‘em-down, eventually-take-the-lead”-way, BY the way), it is NOT likely to garner praise nor excitement among Gator fans.
Until now I have always cheered under the assumption that Mullens understood the Gator ethos—that he was in FACT the embodiment of aggressive offense leading the way towards Championships; Grantham’s mastery of our defense was merely a sort of fortunate garnish on the bigtime OFFENSE Mullens was building to Gainesville: Together with kicking and special teams we’d soon be ACROSS-the-BOARD strong. THAT sort of “COMPLETE TEAM” concept, strong in each area but OVERWHELMING on offense was the aim, and we were heading there. Lately, I’m not so sure: We AREN’T so “strong” on offense (especially weak “up the middle”, especially ESPECIALLY ON THE O-LINE, which is the KEY).
Again, I invite y’all to examine and discuss our current state, and where we seem headed. Is it an easy fix? Just add a few pieces, or a complete rebuild? And is this Coach capable of EITHER? (Which returns us to the “Can he recruit at an elite level?”-question...)
“What is with Mullens’ apparent resistance to the CHALLENGE Rule?”
He seems to automatically eschew its option at every opportunity. Questionable ball placements for first downs, then that beautiful tap-in by the WR on what was shaping up as a critical drive to potentially take the lead early in the 4th quarter; instead, by NOT challenging the ruling that the receiver was outta bounds, he surrendered us to 3rd and forever and eventually a punt deep to finish off the third quarter tied—which frankly (and in retrospect) seemed his overall game plan in ANY event.
Now, though that may well have been the intentional and SMART way to go “in ANY event” (and we DID eventually win the game—in exactly that “wear-‘em-down, eventually-take-the-lead”-way, BY the way), it is NOT likely to garner praise nor excitement among Gator fans.
Until now I have always cheered under the assumption that Mullens understood the Gator ethos—that he was in FACT the embodiment of aggressive offense leading the way towards Championships; Grantham’s mastery of our defense was merely a sort of fortunate garnish on the bigtime OFFENSE Mullens was building to Gainesville: Together with kicking and special teams we’d soon be ACROSS-the-BOARD strong. THAT sort of “COMPLETE TEAM” concept, strong in each area but OVERWHELMING on offense was the aim, and we were heading there. Lately, I’m not so sure: We AREN’T so “strong” on offense (especially weak “up the middle”, especially ESPECIALLY ON THE O-LINE, which is the KEY).
Again, I invite y’all to examine and discuss our current state, and where we seem headed. Is it an easy fix? Just add a few pieces, or a complete rebuild? And is this Coach capable of EITHER? (Which returns us to the “Can he recruit at an elite level?”-question...)
Looking ahead, on the one hand I am happy to report that Mizzou looks EMMINEMTLY beatable...However, “the other hand” ALSO involves Mizzou:
They play dirty—and it comes from the top down.
Vandy had them down in the 2nd half, their freshman QB in there leading the team for the first time; Hasan is in the big ol’ running QB-mold, and he clearly offered that “11th man you have to account for in the backfield” that was giving Mizzou fits in the 2nd half. He’d just marched them down the field, cashed it in himself on a nice, long run, and was in the process of repeating the trick—when there was an extended full screen shot of the Mizzou Coach calling a kid off the bench, taking him aside and head down, talking to him intensely...Just a coupla plays later, Hasan runs for 8 yards, clearly goes into a slide that is DONE: He is almost coming to rest when the very same Mizzou player sent in special by the coach comes streaking in AFTER THE PLAY IS WELL OVER and drops his head to hit him full on in the face with the crown of his helmet. knocks QB out cold; teammates have to help steady him, keep him from collapsing when he tries to stand; is eventually assisted off the field. The HITTER gets up and trots to the sideline like he expected what came next, of course (just couldn’t help grandstanding on his filthy play, well-executed at the behest of his Coach)—which was his ejection for “Targeting”...He jauntily trots directly down the sideline and into the tunnel to the crowd’s cheers...The former Vandy QB returns to the field, and on his 2nd play throws a pick-6 which for the moment turns the game back in Mizzou’s favor.
Now, I don’t KNOW the proper way to deal with this approach, how to warn an opposing Coach and his players that “WE WILL BURY YOU! ONE MOVE that smacks of targeting and we will make this a street brawl!” It’s sort of like the rise of tyranny (hey—what’d you expect: I’m ex-Army AND a student of history): You gotta do SOMETHING—It is in EVERYONE’S interest...Frankly, I never thought Missouri BELONGED in the SEC, they just don’t FIT, in any way (funny: A&M DOES, Mizzou DOES NOT) and I would LOVE it if there were a growing move to eject them, bring in a more “SEC-ish school”, but that is unlikely anytime soon: It would take a slew of such outrages, all building towards a crescendo of “THESE Tigers must GO!”...but that leaves it to the rest, the “rank and file”, to insist on the restoration of decency and order—down in the TRENCHES! Because they pretty well announced it: They will be coming after Trask. Perhaps it is time to begin practicing up OUR “designated destroyer”, know what I’m saying? A freshman big-body who has some speed too: Pick their most crucial key player, and if they come after Trask that way, well, “open season, man!” Sounds (and feels) barbaric, I know—but we are already down too many first stringers...and anyway, this was such an extremely and egregiously intentional effort from the top down to go after a key young player who was gashing them: Well, you get what you give. One MORE reason to look down on Missouri, see them ground to dirt. My friends down this way who remember the Big 8 and SWC days say that Missouri has a LONG history of this—that was the one school no one was sorry to see move to the SEC—though they are still baffled as to why we WANTED them!
(Meanwhile, UGA looking sloppy against UK: It is still 0-to-0 in the 2nd quarter! Order and normalcy will no doubt be restored before it is over, though...)
They play dirty—and it comes from the top down.
Vandy had them down in the 2nd half, their freshman QB in there leading the team for the first time; Hasan is in the big ol’ running QB-mold, and he clearly offered that “11th man you have to account for in the backfield” that was giving Mizzou fits in the 2nd half. He’d just marched them down the field, cashed it in himself on a nice, long run, and was in the process of repeating the trick—when there was an extended full screen shot of the Mizzou Coach calling a kid off the bench, taking him aside and head down, talking to him intensely...Just a coupla plays later, Hasan runs for 8 yards, clearly goes into a slide that is DONE: He is almost coming to rest when the very same Mizzou player sent in special by the coach comes streaking in AFTER THE PLAY IS WELL OVER and drops his head to hit him full on in the face with the crown of his helmet. knocks QB out cold; teammates have to help steady him, keep him from collapsing when he tries to stand; is eventually assisted off the field. The HITTER gets up and trots to the sideline like he expected what came next, of course (just couldn’t help grandstanding on his filthy play, well-executed at the behest of his Coach)—which was his ejection for “Targeting”...He jauntily trots directly down the sideline and into the tunnel to the crowd’s cheers...The former Vandy QB returns to the field, and on his 2nd play throws a pick-6 which for the moment turns the game back in Mizzou’s favor.
Now, I don’t KNOW the proper way to deal with this approach, how to warn an opposing Coach and his players that “WE WILL BURY YOU! ONE MOVE that smacks of targeting and we will make this a street brawl!” It’s sort of like the rise of tyranny (hey—what’d you expect: I’m ex-Army AND a student of history): You gotta do SOMETHING—It is in EVERYONE’S interest...Frankly, I never thought Missouri BELONGED in the SEC, they just don’t FIT, in any way (funny: A&M DOES, Mizzou DOES NOT) and I would LOVE it if there were a growing move to eject them, bring in a more “SEC-ish school”, but that is unlikely anytime soon: It would take a slew of such outrages, all building towards a crescendo of “THESE Tigers must GO!”...but that leaves it to the rest, the “rank and file”, to insist on the restoration of decency and order—down in the TRENCHES! Because they pretty well announced it: They will be coming after Trask. Perhaps it is time to begin practicing up OUR “designated destroyer”, know what I’m saying? A freshman big-body who has some speed too: Pick their most crucial key player, and if they come after Trask that way, well, “open season, man!” Sounds (and feels) barbaric, I know—but we are already down too many first stringers...and anyway, this was such an extremely and egregiously intentional effort from the top down to go after a key young player who was gashing them: Well, you get what you give. One MORE reason to look down on Missouri, see them ground to dirt. My friends down this way who remember the Big 8 and SWC days say that Missouri has a LONG history of this—that was the one school no one was sorry to see move to the SEC—though they are still baffled as to why we WANTED them!
(Meanwhile, UGA looking sloppy against UK: It is still 0-to-0 in the 2nd quarter! Order and normalcy will no doubt be restored before it is over, though...)
Watching this UK vs UGA game, I can only conclude that though we are NOT an “Elite Team”, neither is ANYONE ELSE in the SEC East! So our road to the SEC Championship Game is looking clearer and clearer—or maybe “clearer” is the wrong adjective; more like “Doable”—and if things continue to fall as they are falling right now, we will be talked about as “the favorite”—which we must assume would be by those who have not actually WATCHED our games, but seen only the final scores!
Last words, then: just a reprise of what I’ve said for weeks...
We aren’t very good—but we are better than a large part of our direct competitors...and they are all more and more tending to be a reflective glass from that makes us look better and better.
Q - “Mirror mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
A - “Um, you’re not holding any hard, blunt objects are you? I mean, you won’t LIKE the answer—anymore than WE like the LOOK...”
Sigh...That’s how “fairy tales” go these days in the SEC!
We aren’t very good—but we are better than a large part of our direct competitors...and they are all more and more tending to be a reflective glass from that makes us look better and better.
Q - “Mirror mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
A - “Um, you’re not holding any hard, blunt objects are you? I mean, you won’t LIKE the answer—anymore than WE like the LOOK...”
Sigh...That’s how “fairy tales” go these days in the SEC!
ONE MORE POINT:
Give Kyle Trask a LOAD of credit...
This morning, all over the dial, from “SEC Now” on down the so-called “experts” are talking about the rain and how no one can throw the ball blah blah blah...them they have to basically ignore everything they’ve said about all the other games up and down the Southeast US—but then Kyle Trask proceeds to throw 4 TDs and more than the supposedly (quote “untouchable in this weather”) 200 yard mark...Kyle TRASK passes ANOTHER test...
But this DOES raise another point, this time regarding MULLENS’ learning curve: Turns out that, once again, this particular kind of weather produced on-field conditions Kyle’d never faced in-game before! Why’d no one have him practicing with wet balls all week?!! I missed the weather report—but it seems I was in the minority; certainly, it should have come as no surprise MONDAY MORNING for our Coaching staff. You THROW it differently when it’s pouring rain: You cannot SQUEEZE THE BALL—That makes the ball sail...and that’s exactly what we saw. No, you have to grip it lightly and just follow THROUGH! Missed at least 2TD passes, and threw one crucial pick just BECAUSE he had no experience in the slop.
BETWEEN THAT and the confused (to put it nicely) use (or rather NON-use) of the Challenge, I have been more and more surprised and disappointed by Mullens’ seeming naïveté/inexperience in certain areas here this late in his career as a Head Coach in the SEC!
WTF is going on there, my friends?
Give Kyle Trask a LOAD of credit...
This morning, all over the dial, from “SEC Now” on down the so-called “experts” are talking about the rain and how no one can throw the ball blah blah blah...them they have to basically ignore everything they’ve said about all the other games up and down the Southeast US—but then Kyle Trask proceeds to throw 4 TDs and more than the supposedly (quote “untouchable in this weather”) 200 yard mark...Kyle TRASK passes ANOTHER test...
But this DOES raise another point, this time regarding MULLENS’ learning curve: Turns out that, once again, this particular kind of weather produced on-field conditions Kyle’d never faced in-game before! Why’d no one have him practicing with wet balls all week?!! I missed the weather report—but it seems I was in the minority; certainly, it should have come as no surprise MONDAY MORNING for our Coaching staff. You THROW it differently when it’s pouring rain: You cannot SQUEEZE THE BALL—That makes the ball sail...and that’s exactly what we saw. No, you have to grip it lightly and just follow THROUGH! Missed at least 2TD passes, and threw one crucial pick just BECAUSE he had no experience in the slop.
BETWEEN THAT and the confused (to put it nicely) use (or rather NON-use) of the Challenge, I have been more and more surprised and disappointed by Mullens’ seeming naïveté/inexperience in certain areas here this late in his career as a Head Coach in the SEC!
WTF is going on there, my friends?
Well, I know what you MEAN—and it sure as hell puts a better spin on our very LIVES through the bye and on into The Party in J-vile in 10days!
But as “devil’s advocate”, there IS another side to that: In spite of myself, and in spite of the realization that HEY—we really AREN’T “bad” after all, that we are improving steadily, getting better during a stretch where were DOWN two of our best defenders AND One of our very best Playmakers from anywhere on the field—and now may be building the best all-around team we have fielded in 10 seasons, right here, right now—and just in time to beat the very two teams that knocked us down at this similar point a year ago—AND go on to win out after all! Suddenly that seems eminently doable—so at least I my case, I “CARE” after all. It ISN’t enough just to “win”, and/or “beat Muschamp” and be happy; No, suddenly much more may well be within our grasp: Let’s TAKE it, play through and play well and take ourselves and the fans to the SEC Championship at least, after all.
I am beginning to feel differently about this team, you see. This is something that, I am happy to say, we haven’t seen in a Gator squad in at LEAST 10years: a gelling “togetherness” that has us at our best when we are moving, supporting each other in concert towards a given set of plans and goals, I learning to trust each other AND the coaches and most assuredly, more than anything else, invariably getting STRONGER AS THE GAME GOES ON—ALWAYS stronger in the final quarter: We SING it that we WON’T, LET, DOWN between 3rd and 4th—and then, we DON’T!
And THAT, is pretty damn cool!
And not all that “ugly”, either, now that I consider it.
