Week 8 Scores and Highlights

[Escambia94]

#2 Ohio State 52, Iowa 10
#3 Tennessee 65, UTM 24
#5 Clemson 27, #14 Syracuse 21
#6 Alabama 30, #24 Mississippi State 6
LSU 45, #7 Ole Miss 20
#8 TCU 38, #17 Kansas State 28
#10 Oregon 45, #9 UCLA 30
Missouri 17, Vanderbilt 14
South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 24

 

[Leakfan12]

I'm surprise LSU didn't storm the field after being Ole Miss

 

[DRU2012]

I might have at least found some of these scores "interesting" a week or two back, but at this point the results during THIS season's match-ups have faded in importance for me:
All I am interested in examining and evaluating now and henceforth will be the ongoing moves and performance of the Florida program--what those seem to tell me about our progress and future. I propose you provide a statistical context that measures and somehow projects POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT...How talent acquisition measurably affects it, and game developments and results somehow indicate where we're headed, our potential for future success.
I'm not sure these latter projections are even possible. I only know that these are the kinds of "metrics" that would be particularly valuable now, and are what mostly remain of not just whatever interest that remains for ME this season, but that would likely be most useful now for Napier and his braintrust as they look forward, plan, move and focus on everything THEY must do in their ongoing efforts to transform our much-abused and neglected program into the future regular-challenger for SEC and ultimately CFB Playoff Championship titles that they envision and are here to see realized.

 

[DRU2012]

I'm surprise LSU didn't storm the field after being Ole Miss

Lol. Yeah, after seeing Vols fans carry the goalposts through Knoxville a week or so back it would seem one (albeit somewhat overdue) victory is all it takes to have a school's frustrated fans marching around as if one fortuitous victory suddenly marks exalted status among the ELITE.
"NOT SO FAST, MY FRIENDS..."
It is sustained success that y'all long for. One close win, no matter how satisfactory and long-awaited, does NOT a "wholesale change" make!
On the other hand:
"Let 'em party!", I suppose...
Without the patient and determined long term application of hard work, sacrifice and planning that is behind a true "rebuild", these will all just remain relatively isolated moments of happiness in an uneven "sea of mixed results", as we ourselves (and so many other SEC program) have experienced over the years.
It is time that WE at least stop "settling"; time that WE expect MORE from ourselves--our program, coaches, players and TEAM.

 

[Escambia94]

South Carolina earned its first victory over Texas A&M despite losing in every statistical category other than points on the board. They will likely be ranked now that they are 5-2 with a quality win. The Gators now have a template for beating both the Aggies and the Cocks, but they must get though Georgia first.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1584023962899533826

 

[Escambia94]

The outcome of the Alabama-Mississippi State game was never in doubt, but the Tide still has plenty to work on. Alabama only managed 29 rushing yards. They did keep penalties down to only 3 for 20 yards, compared to 10 penalties for 100 yards committed by State.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1584013577790242817

 

[Escambia94]

Vanderbilt has a defense!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1583959632309268480

 

[Escambia94]

LSU is better than we thought. It turns out that applying discipline to a talented team is one way to win games. The Bayou Bengals dominated on offense, won the turnover battle, and controlled the clock against an overmatched top-10 Ole Miss.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1583958821218942976

 

[DRU2012]

Does this mean that, relatively speaking, going by the scores against each other and shared opponents, here in the once not-so-long-ago "superior SEC" that we are somehow neither much better or worse than some of the many OTHER "theys" out there?
(The "theys" that are doing the playing and those that are doing the TALKING...I suppose that's what "mediocrity" amounts to!)
And then there's Vandetbilt and their seeming improvement, at least on defense...
With OUR moribund D, we are now quite clearly capable of losing to ANYBODY--and our AR-"led" offense isn't always ready to OUTSCORE anyone nowadays either!
Man, even coming into this season thinking I was READY for the uneven, bumpy road of a full program rebuild, I thought I was "ready" for all the ups'n'downs an SEC schedule was likely to pose us...After game 1 with Utah I guessed, like a lot of folks, that maybe we had more reliable talent (at QB and elsewhere) than we'd thought coming in.
So much for all that.
"Blessed is he that expecteth nothing."
(--The Coach's Bible)

 

[Escambia94]

@DRU2012 I am working on that analysis. For the most part, the Gators have performed as expected statistically, but not emotionally—meaning irrational fans will be disappointed but logical ones will be satisfied with the results.

 

[DRU2012]

@DRU2012 I am working on that analysis. For the most part, the Gators have performed as expected statistically, but not emotionally—meaning irrational fans will be disappointed but logical ones will be satisfied with the results.

Good deal.
Now, I'm not so sure where I fit along that "statistical-to-emotional spectrum", and evenless my emotional stability right now (lol), but I DO sense that I personally have somehow performed right about in the middle of some theoretical "sanity curve".
I hope so, anyway...I'm less sanguine about "us" as a "FAN-base", however. THAT remains to be seen and judged, I think.

 

[Escambia94]

Good deal.
Now, I'm not so sure where I fit along that "statistical-to-emotional spectrum", and evenless my emotional stability right now (lol), but I DO sense that I personally have somehow performed right about in the middle of some theoretical "sanity curve".
I hope so, anyway...I'm less sanguine about "us" as a "FAN-base", however. THAT remains to be seen and judged, I think.

I put part of the analysis up at https://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/mid-season-grades-for-the-2022-florida-gators-and-opponents.21026/.

I am guilty of being overly optimistic with my preseason prediction of 8 wins. The statistics had the Gators at 6.5 wins, and I added one plus the over. The Gators are currently trending towards 6.4 wins after a high of 7.4 wins after beating Utah. The rest of the analysis will go up on that post.

 

[DRU2012]

I put part of the analysis up at https://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/mid-season-grades-for-the-2022-florida-gators-and-opponents.21026/.

I am guilty of being overly optimistic with my preseason prediction of 8 wins. The statistics had the Gators at 6.5 wins, and I added one plus the over. The Gators are currently trending towards 6.4 wins after a high of 7.4 wins after beating Utah. The rest of the analysis will go up on that post.

This was certainly a tough season to see clearly, coming in...and actual results turned on the vaguaries of our players' heads, hearts and MOODS as it turned out, for crying out loud!
Personally, I don't currently care to hear "how highly talented" a particular young player is before they've in fact DONE ANYTHING at this level ever again--and that goes DOUBLE at QB!
(MAN! It just HURTS to BE a Florida Gator right now!)