SB Nation - Chris Rainey

If College Football Had a Playoff: #12 Penn State NIttany Lions @ #5 Florida Gators

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:26 -0000

Continuing the new break out hit of the season "What if College Football had a Playoff" returns for game three of the playoff. Before we get to game three the previous matchup of #9 Georgia Tech at #8 Ohio State was a hotly contested matchup with the fan vote going to Georgia Tech upsetting the higher seeded Buckeyes.

This current matchup of Penn State traveling to the swamp against the Florida Gators will be another good game in this bracket (you hear that BCS). After losing the SEC title game we will all see if Tim Tebow can will the Gators through another four games to repeat as national champions.

Penn State will use their defense that gave up only 11.8 points per game to try to stop the Florida Gators which will only hold up for so long.

Penn State on offense will be the problem they will do their typical clam up into a shell and try to run against Florida. The Gator defense is too much, and will be able to stop the Nittany Lion offense. Neither offense will do much in this game as both have been spotty all year, but as mentioned above the Gator defense will be the key.

To give some help to those who are not sure who would win I turned to What if Sports to simulate this game. The outcome was as I expected which was a low scoring affair with Florida coming from behind to win 16-10. Florida scored the last 13 points after being behind 10 - 3 at the half. From the play by play the Gators were able to run the ball a little more effectively to pull out the win.

The What if Sports is not the decider in this game, you yes you! The readers of this site decide who moves onto the next round.

So gather your friends to stuff the ballot and check back daily at 12 PM eastern time to vote for the next matchup, and voting is only open for 24 hours. As they say in Chicago vote early and vote often.

Penn State Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Daryll Clark	12	93.0	214	337	63.5	2787	232.3	8.3	23	10	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	-	-
Matthew McGloin	1	0.0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
Kevin Newsome	8	70.0	8	11	72.7	66	8.3	6	0	0	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	24	113	14.1	4.7	1	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brent Carter	5	13	46	9.2	3.5	1	0	0	0	0	0
Daryll Clark	12	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	0	0	0	0	0
Curtis Drake	5	3	27	5.4	9	0	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	64	284	28.4	4.4	3	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	1	-3	-0.3	-3	0	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Kevin Newsome	8	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	0	0	0	0	0
Chaz Powell	10	9	76	7.6	8.5	0	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Evan Royster	12	188	1104	92	5.9	6	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Devon Smith	6	4	33	5.5	8.3	0	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	19	59	4.9	3.1	0	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Shaine Thompson	2	3	14	7	4.7	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brett Brackett	3	3	13	4.3	4.3	1
Justin Brown	3	5	78	26	15.6	0
Curtis Drake	5	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Chaz Powell	10	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Andrew Quarless	12	33	448	37.3	13.6	3
Evan Royster	12	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Mickey Shuler	9	11	89	9.9	8.1	2
Devon Smith	6	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Andrew Szczerba	1	1	6	6	6	0
Graham Zug	11	42	549	49.9	13.1	7

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Collin Wagner	12	-	-	-	-	-	11	18	60.0%	45	45	100.0%	78

Florida Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
John Brantley	6	113.0	36	48	75	410	68.3	8.5	7	0	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	-	-
Tim Tebow	13	103.0	182	279	65.2	2413	185.6	8.6	18	5	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Andrew Blaylock	1	4	6	6	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Brantley	6	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vincent Brown	2	3	1	.500	.300	0	0	0	0	0	0
Riley Cooper	13	1	14	1.1	14	0	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	26	189	37.8	7.3	1	1	6	1.2	6	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	1	16	1.3	16	0	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Emmanuel Moody	11	50	364	33.1	7.3	1	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
Chris Rainey	13	85	548	42.2	6.4	4	6	90	6.9	15	1
Christopher Scott	1	9	26	26	2.9	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tim Tebow	13	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	0	0	0	0	0
Deonte Thompson	9	1	-2	-0.2	-2	0	19	280	31.1	14.7	3

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Riley Cooper	13	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	1	6	1.2	6	1
Frankie Hammond Jr	5	4	57	11.4	14.3	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Omarius Hines	5	14	172	34.4	12.3	1
Cade Holliday	4	6	102	25.5	17	1
Emmanuel Moody	11	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
David Nelson	10	23	254	25.4	11	2
Chris Rainey	13	6	90	6.9	15	1
Deonte Thompson	9	19	280	31.1	14.7	3
Justin Williams	4	6	50	12.5	8.3	2

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Caleb Sturgis	12	-	-	-	-	-	21	28	80.0%	38	40	100.0%	101
Jonathan Phillips	3	-	-	-	-	-	0	1	0	14	16	90.0%	14

Poll

Who wins this matchup?

Florida safety Ahmad Black likely jumping to NFL

Mocking Dan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:31:42 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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The father of Florida junior strong safety Ahmad Black said his son is likely to enter the NFL Draft following the Sugar Bowl.

Talking to Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun, Bruce Black said with 90 percent certainty that his son would go pro. The reason for it stems from Gators coach Urban Meyer not starting Black the first game of the season.

"I would let Ahmad stay if they would show him some respect," Bruce Black said. "I don’t think coach Urban Meyer respects my son."

Yikes.

Black finished second in tackles for the Gators with 65. He also had 2.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and an interception.

At 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Black lacks the size typically required of a front line safety prospect. Black didn't start the first game of the season in favor of sophomore Will Hill, a player with first-round potential. Black looks to be a fourth-round player, at best.

But Bruce Black wasn't only talking about his son turning pro. He also said it was likely that offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey will leave Florida early. So would junior running back Chris Rainey.

The Fatal Flaws

mlmintampa — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:17:50 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

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Hopefully, we are far enough out from the SEC Championship Game that we can take an level headed look at the 2009 Gators. As fans, we have seen a team that either was destroying people or not meeting our expectations. Considering the history of college football, 14-0 was a challenge unlikely to be met, especially with the bonus of three outright championships in four seasons. But we thought our boys could do it. Here's some things that I thought were never addressed or fixed and ultimately led to the Gators' fall. As always, tell us where we're wrong. Let's get the hard one out of the way first;

Tim Tebow: In each of his first three seasons, Tebow improved as a player. The problem was that as a senior, he was the same as the year before. Every team he faced knew exactly what he was doing. You saw the strategy Alabama used of daring Tebow to throw to receivers he never trusted behind a line that nearly killed him. Against Tennessee you saw how an NFL-style scheme (even without the talent to do it) could confuse Tebow. There are two reasons for this; either Tebow plateaued as a player or the loss of Dan Mullen impacted Tebow's preparation and chemistry with the offense.

Tebow was pulled in more directions this season. He wasn't just Tim Tebow, quarterback, Florida. He was a missionary, preacher, charity leader, university representative, oh and this was his senior year of college. Everyone is stretched thin in their senior year of school either because of school demands, the pressure of post-graduation or relationships. Tebow had all of that plus everything listed above. The problem is that Tebow wouldn't have it any other way. This season, I have a hard time thinking that everything else surrounding him didn't contribute to his actions on the field. He was still a college senior and no senior ever has a perfect year. Here's hoping that at least he doesn't knock a brick off Century Tower. (If you don't get that, look at the last urban legend listed here.)

Lack of a Go-To-Guy: Tebow needed a running mate this season and no one stepped up to fill that role. Aaron Hernandez had uneven performances and Riley Cooper could never get open before Tebow got in trouble. Cooper might have been the most well-rounded player on offense, but even he got the drops. Jeffrey Demps and Chris Rainey still struggle catching the ball and Brandon James was never going to be the solution at the Harvin position. Emmanuel Moody lived in Urban Meyer's doghouse all season. Carl Moore and Andre Debose never saw the field. That Florida ran the same offense as 2008, without a go-to-guy, is a failure of the coaching staff. Like Donald Rumsfled said, "You go to war with the Army you have. Not the Army you might want or wish to have." Meyer and Steve Addazio knew what they had in front of them and treated them like Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy with Jason Watkins and Phil Trautwein at the tackles. Which brings us to our next point...

Never figuring out the passing game: If yards and rushing yards stay relatively flat, how do touchdowns scored go from 75, 82 in 2008, to 56 this season? I pin the blame on not having a secure 3rd and 4th receiver and not securing the offensive tackle spots. I thought Xavier Nixon and Marcus Gilbert got it together, but it was late in the season before that lineup change was made. I don't blame the line for the 36 sacks (only 2 more than last season) because too often they had to face 5 and 6 man rushes. Teams could afford those blitzes because Florida's receiving options were Cooper, Hernandez and a bunch of nobodies. David Nelson had his best game against Alabama (4 catches, 53 yards, TD). That's nice, but Nelson was supposed to be a number 3 guy behind Cooper and Hernandez, but his output was no better than 2008 (23 catches, 254 yds, 2 TD in 2009; 12 catches, 228 yds, 5 TD in 2008). Deonte Thompson was supposed to explode this season, yet nearly had the exact same numbers. Demps still thinks run first, catch ball second. Rainey is skinner than I am and James was getting too many touches as a returner (62) to be fit enough to be a permanent player (20 rushes, 24 catches). We trusted that Meyer, Addazio and Billy Gonzales would see any red flags and immediately turn the Gators into Georgia Tech South. But they kept calling plays like they had four reliable receivers and two experienced tackles.

Steve Addazio, Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach: It does not matter if you liked Addazio's play calling or not. The fact is that he cannot do both jobs and I would be surprised if anyone could be o-line and coordinator. Offensive line is hands on, requiring the coach to be on the sidelines. Offensive coordinator is a mad genius, sitting in his box and designing plays like a chess player thinking three moves ahead. It didn't help that Florida's play calling by committee was like cooks spoiling the broth. Last year, the offense went through Mullen. You never knew who it went through this season.

A light defensive line: Just the presence of Terrence Cody kept UF away from the precious dive play. UF does not have a monster run stuffer like that (Omar Hunter may get there one day). Plus, Jermaine Cunningham and Carlos Dunlap are long and lean. They can run around you, but not through you. Were it not for Brandon Spikes, A.J. Jones and Ryan Stamper, UF would have been screwed at the front. The Gators got by like this until they ran into an old-school big ugly offensive line at Alabama. Like any great defense that relies on speed, a big line can always win. There wasn't much UF could have done here, aside from eight in the box, and Greg McElroy was too good for that.

The Fans: No one is escaping this. Every college team has good and bad fans, unemployed fans who stalk message boards all day, and the locker room stooges who get off on revealing who was tanked on Monday night and who has the girlfriend sleeping with half the defense. Every college team has jackasses who write blogs, guys who have only played video game football and claim they know what they are talking about, and old men trying to live vicariously through college kids. But we wore the crown, so we fall the hardest. It doesn't help either that we seemingly lost the ability to lose with class. I include myself in this because while this seems very mature and composed, during the game I was screaming obscenities at Nick Saban, my friends, Mark Ingram, "Sweet Home Alabama" (song, not the Reese Witherspoon movie), Tim Tebow, and the band Alabama. I was also figuring out how UF could win in the fourth quarter, when a rational person would have turned off the game and waited for Texas-Nebraska.

We've been spoiled the past four years and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we have some realistic expectations for the Gators. Eventually, Tennessee, FSU and Georgia will get good. Florida may actually lose consecutive games to these teams. Losing these games, if it happens, should not require you to threaten the lives of anyone or throw the Gators under the bus, via your facebook status or twitter. However, all bets are off if Urban Meyer becomes Ron Zook, but I don't see that happening. We need to be rational again, but mediocrity can never be tolerated.

The Confidence and Complacency of Champions: When the Yankees were losing Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS to the Red Sox, Aaron Boone asked Derek Jeter why he was so calm. Jeter said, "The ghosts will come eventually." The ghosts did show up and Boone hit a game winning home run to send the Yanks to the World Series. The next season, the Yanks blew a 3-0 ALCS lead, and the Red Sox won the World Series, defeating the Curse of The Bambino in the process.

When you are defending champion, even if you are not considered to be the best team in your league the next season, there is a certain level of confidence in your team and what they can do. The Gators had won the SEC and National Championship twice in the last three seasons. There was no reason to doubt that they couldn't do it again. With that confidence also comes enough of a lack of drive that it can impact you negatively. You don't want to take those extra reps or spend 15 more minutes running routes. Sure, you can go to the party/Bible session/hookup with that chick from Plants, Plagues and People class, you'll just end your film study five minutes early. What's a few minutes anyway?

It all adds up eventually and for the Gators, it was 19 points in Atlanta. 19 points does not happen in one week of preparation, but over the course of the entire season. It's the reason why guys take extra sprints in August or lift more weights in April. Over the course of 11 months, the Gators were confident they could win no matter what and complacent enough to not put in more time. As for the party that ended Carlos Dunlap's season that included other teammates, let he who never took the edge off an upcoming test by drinking or fooling around with a lady cast the first stone. As for me, I think you got me confused for a better man.

Besides, Alabama played a perfect game. They had one penalty, were 11 of 15 on 3rd down, Bama held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, McElroy was 12 of 18 passing, and Marquis Maze's five catches for 96 yards made up for Julio Jones two catches for 28 yards. Florida could have spent the week in the football complex and St. Augustine's Church and they still would have lost. Give Alabama some credit.

As we said on Saturday, everything sucks now, but this still your team. You have to take the good with the bad and accept that sometimes, the other guy is better and you are not good enough. Time to look forward to next season and put your faith and trust in Urban Meyer. Especially that he finds a new defense and offensive coordinator. And say a prayer that John Brantley and Omarius Hines become the next great duo in Gainesville.

Three Keys for Alabama

Year2 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:00:15 -0000

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Get Mark Ingram going.

Last year, Glen Coffee was the man for Alabama. He ground out 112 yards on 21 carries, including a beastly 18 yard touchdown run for the Tide's first score of the game. He was an important factor in Alabama being able to run its offense the way it wanted to run it and control the game for much of the third quarter.

Ingram played in last year's game too, but he had just 21 yards on eight carries (2.6 average). Obviously he's greatly improved over his freshman self, but something about Florida's defense stymied him last year. He must find what Coffee found, because another 16 carry/30 yard effort will put Bama in seriously bad shape.

Stop Florida's running backs.

Dan Mullen kind of stole my thunder on this one already, but it's true. Jeff Demps is a threat to take it 50 yards. Chris Rainey can juke guys out of their jocks. Emmanuel Moody is averaging over seven yards per carry. Florida's got some very dangerous options at tailback.

On option plays, it would behoove the Tide to focus on those guys. As tempting as it is to try to take a shot at the Golden Boy, the Golden Boy has a far lower average and median rush than the other guys do. Most of Tim Tebow's longest runs come on busted pass plays or designed runs disguised as pass plays, and there's not much you can do about that. However, make him be the ball carrier on the standard running plays. He'll get some yards, but he won't take it half way down the field.

Put pressure on Tebow in the pocket.

Many defenses get confused on what stopping Tim Tebow actually means. You can tell who are the ones that don't know because they celebrate wildly for stopping Tebow on a two or three yard rush. That's not stopping him though; it's just a side effect of having a big dude at quarterback run some option. It's a known issue with the UF offense, and the game plan is built knowing that will happen about seven or eight times a game.

Stopping Tebow is pressuring him, forcing him to make bad decisions, and getting him to turn it over. Throughout his whole career, his worst games have come when he's getting sacked repeatedly. The Florida offensive line has been shaky at times, and it even has an obvious vulnerable point in true freshman LT Xavier Nixon. Nixon has done well so far, but he's still a true freshman and he can and will be beat.

What will it take to pull off the upset?

outsidethesidelines — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:53:47 -0000

On Friday during game weeks I generally post a preview of the upcoming game, but I've decided against that this week. Both Alabama and Florida are already well known commodities, and in general everyone is aware of the key players, so I see little need in recapping something that most already knew in the first place.

Instead, I want to take a look at the things that we must do in order to pull off the upset. Florida knocked us off a year ago in Atlanta, and despite another 12-0 start by the Tide, the general consensus is that the Gators will send us to New Orleans once again. And unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that the general consensus is indeed probably the correct one. We're fighting an uphill battle here, and victory will not come easy for the Tide. Let's look at some key things the Tide must do in order to pull the upset.

Avoid the slow start. Sluggish performances early have plagued the Tide all year, and truthfully did for much of the second half of last season as well. That continued last week against Auburn as we found ourselves down 14-0 before we could even blink. Likewise, we got off to a slow start last year against Florida. We received the ball on the opening kick-off, went three and out, punted, and Florida marched right down the field for a touchdown. Simply put, we cannot afford another slow start this year against the Gators. We don't necessarily need a blitzkrieg from the beginning -- like the Blackout two years ago -- but we cannot get ourselves in a hole early and still expect to overcome that and get the victory over a team like Florida.

Win the field position battle. Offensively Florida is still a juggernaut, and giving this offense a short field is almost guaranteeing a touchdown. Last year, for example, the combined average starting field position of Florida's four touchdowns was past their 40-yard line. Likewise, Florida is very good defensively and any offense consistently forced to drive 60+ yards against them to get points is likely to be very limited in point production. Given that, we must win the field position battle in this game.

Limit the big play from Florida offensively. You heard all that talk about how Florida cannot generate the big play? Don't buy the hype. They might not be producing them at the prolific clip that they were last year, but this is still a big play offense. Riley Cooper had a 51-yard reception against 'Bama last year, and has had four catches of 35+ yards in 2009 (not to mention averaging over 17 yards per reception). Aaron Hernandez and Deonte Thompson both have big play ability. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey both average over 7 yards per carry, and have had several 40+ yard runs this year. Again, they aren't producing the big plays at the prolific clip they were last year, but don't interpret that to mean that they haven't generated big plays. They can still strike you at any time, and we must limit big plays for the Gators.

Get off the field defensively on third down. Last year, in many ways, the difference in the game was the ability of Florida to convert on critical third downs. And once again the Gators bring that reputation to Atlanta... they are one of the top teams in the country in third down conversion percentage. Simply put, we must get them off the field when we have the opportunity. A breakdown defensively on third down gives them new life, which with an offense of this caliber will more likely than not result in points.

Stop the dive play and control the interior run by Tebow. For all of the talk of speed and spreading the field, Florida relies heavily on the inside running game on the halfback dive and the draws by Tebow. It is of the utmost importance that our defensive line can stop this on their own. If they can shut down Florida in this capacity, that allows the linebackers to play sideline-to-sideline, and it allows the safeties to stay back and limit big plays. If you cannot do it in the trenches, however, linebackers and safeties have to come up to stop the run and that is what really allows all of the elements of their spread game to expose you.

Establish a consistent pass rush with the defensive line. Blitz packages can be great, but against a spread team -- one that will always have checkdowns to high end players at their disposal -- led by a senior quarterback they can be of limited effectiveness. If you have to rely heavily on them in order to rush the passer, much like we did last year, it will many times be ultimately futile because you get picked apart on the back end. And to that end, we have to be able to rush the passer with the defensive line. Florida is young at the tackle position (one of their few weaknesses), and we must take advantage of that. Along with controlling Florida's interior running game, our defensive line needs to get to Tebow. Simply put, they need to play the game of their lives.

Greg McElroy must be a game changer. Remember earlier in the year when we were saying that McElroy had transcended the game manager label and had turn himself into a legitimate game changer? Well, that hasn't been true in the past two months, and McElroy hasn't played particularly well since the Arkansas game. He has been checkdown happy, hasn't been able to throw the football vertically, has missed key throws, and has made a lot of poor decisions. That is acceptable enough against teams like Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Auburn, but that all must change on Saturday if we are to win. McElroy will have to be able to throw the football vertically, and will have to eliminate dumb mistakes, especially turnovers. There is simply no two ways about this one... if McElroy plays at the game manager level, we'll need an almost perfect performance by the rest of the team in order to win, and that is simply not feasible against a team like Florida.

Offensive line must get the job done in pass protection. Lost in the very low Adjusted Sack Rate that the Tide's offensive line has posted this year is the fact that our offense almost never throws the football vertically, and thus the ball generally comes out quickly on three and five step drops. That makes the offensive line's life very easy, but against Florida they will probably not get any such luxury. We'll have to throw the football vertically and in turn they will have to protect on long drops. And don't think the suspension of Carlos Dunlap is going to dramatically change things. Florida still has a ton of talent coming off the edge, and remember last year that the Gators clinched victory not with Dunlap, but with a key sack from Jermaine Cunningham.

Run the football relatively well. Injuries are really limiting our running game right now with Mark Ingram, Mike Johnson, and James Carpenter all being slowed by some ailment or another, but they must overcome that this week and still play at a high level. Florida has a great run defense in their own right, and as a result we aren't just going to run over this team. Much worse run defenses than Florida have been able to shut down our running game (see Arkansas and Auburn), and we cannot allow that to happen in Atlanta. Again, we aren't going to be able to run it down Florida's throat regardless, but we do need to be able run the football relatively well (and do it on a consistent basis).

The wide receiver corps must make plays on the outside. Julio Jones had a big game last year in Atlanta, and he will need another one this year. Likewise, Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze -- both of which had big catches in the Georgia Dome in the season opener against Virginia Tech -- will need to use the fast track of the Dome to their advantage once again. We haven't been able to get the football to our receivers consistently all year long, and that must change tomorrow.

Kick and punt return defense must hold up. It's going to be tough enough to control the Florida offense and move the football on the Florida defense as it is, but it's going to create an almost impossible task if we have one major breakdown in either kick or punt coverage. Brandon James is as good as any returner in the country, and we cannot afford to give Florida a cheap score in the return. Again, given how difficult of a task we face in the first place, giving up a cheap score on special teams will likely be the death knell for us.

All in all, simply put, we need to play at a very high level. We need to play our best game of the year in order to win on Saturday, and anything short of that will likely result in defeat. We cannot afford to play like we did against Virginia Tech. Or Kentucky. Or South Carolina. Or Ole Miss. Or Tennessee. Or LSU. Or Mississippi State. Or Auburn. We're going to have to take our game to another level if we truly expect to beat Florida.

In short, what we really need is perfection. Of course, a football game (not counting kicks) usually consists of 120-130 snaps, and that's just entirely too many snaps to not expect some breakdowns, particularly against a team of Florida's caliber. Thus, as with most things, perfection is an elusive goal in football, and it is one that we will not attain tomorrow. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that we are going to have to come very close to that level if we are indeed going to knock of Florida. They are on the verge of a bona fide dynasty, they have one of the top three coaches in the country, they probably more talent and depth than any other team in the country, and they are led by a senior quarterback who will undoubtedly go down as one of the great college football players to ever live. A "good" performance will probably not bring down the mighty Gators, rest assured. We had a "good" performance last year and it was not enough. It likely won't be enough this year either. Perfection may be an unattainable goal, but Alabama will need to come almost as close as humanly possible in order to pull off the upset tomorrow night.

Hope for the best.

All My Gators

mlmintampa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:28:20 -0000

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Saturday will be the 13th episode of "All My Gators," the Florida Gators season long soap opera. After twelve weeks of a chaotic home life in Gainesville and enemies tracking them across the Southeast, there is one more episode in Atlanta. That is if they want to make the big move to Los Angeles. Let's revisit the story lines from each episode;

Episode 1: Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes return to Gainesville for a chance at another championship. But will Tim and Urban Meyer be successful with new business partner Steve Addazio? Charleston Southern guest stars.

Episode 2: The Troy Trojans come to Gainesville, but all eyes are on a new Gainesville resident; Andre Debose. Tragedy strikes the young man as he enters surgery to repair his hamstring. Dr. Pete Indelicato guest stars as the team doctor with a wallet of gold and the hands of Michael J. Fox.

Episode 3: The dashing and bombastic Lane Kiffin comes to Gainesville, desperate to break Urban's hold on the SEC East. Lane is not successful, but he worries Gainesville's citizens. Monte Kiffin guest stars as Lane's elderly father.

Episode 4: A mysterious illness plagues the team as Jeffrey Demps, Aaron Hernandez and Jermaine Cunningham are stricken. Gainesville citizens are stunned when Tim is infected as well. But worry turns to horror as Tim is nearly killed during the trip to Lexington. Rich Brooks guest stars as the gruff Kentucky leader with a secret past.

Episode 5: Tim makes a miraculous return, leading the Gators into the bayou against crazed rival Les Miles and Louisiana State. Tim is finally successful in a city that had painfully defeated him in 2007. John Brantley guest stars as the young man who wants a chance to shine.

Episode 6: There are problems back home as Tim and Chris Rainey come down with fumblitis. The defense struggles as Janoris Jenkins is abused by Arkansas and Ryan Mallett. But Caleb Sturgis finds the cure and keeps the Gators healthy. Guest starring SEC officials who just want to be noticed.

Episode 7: The Old Money boys from Alabama have jumped Florida in the rankings. Tim is conflicted as he travels to rural Mississippi and faces his former partner, Dan Mullen, while everyone wants to see current partner Steve Addazio taken away. The pressure gets to Tim and while he is successful, it strains him. Dustin Doe guest stars as the linebacker who lets his showboating get in the way.

Episode 8: Florida is back on top in the rankings, but their Cocktail Party with Georgia looms large after Florida embarrassed them the year before in Jacksonville. Georgia shows up in black, yet Florida is not intimidated and dominates on the First Coast. But not before Brandon tries to take revenge on Georgia. Washaun Ealey guest stars as the object of Brandon's hate.

Episode 9: Without Brandon following his crimes in Jacksonville, Florida tries to feel comfortable at home. Vanderbilt guest stars as the one SEC team that scares no one.

Episode 10: The Gators face their ex in Columbia as the city is under siege by a paramilitary organization. The Gators struggle against the soldiers, until they capitalize on a strategic mistake. Guest starring Justin Trattou as the loveable defensive lineman who stands up to South Carolina's Stephen Service.

Episode 11: Rumors swirl about Urban leaving for South Bend and A.J. Jones is injured. Florida International guest stars as the violent youth trying to become a mature adult.

Episode 12: It is the final time in Gainesville for Tim, Brandon and Riley. They cannot let their emotions get to them as an old rival returns for the last time. Bobby Bowden guest stars as the rival ready to retire, and featuring Bob and Pam Tebow as the proud parents.

Episode 13: The Gators are under pressure to be successful in Atlanta, with the goal of going to Los Angeles. But Carlos Dunlap is arrested for driving under the influence and Gainesville's citizens wonder if the Gators can overcome all the distractions. Guest starring Nick Saban as the ruthless opposing head coach with a love of window treatments.

After so many story lines, do the Gators have the focus and strength to continue? Will they remain successful? Will Tim inspire his teammates once again? Will Emmanuel Moody finally live up to his potential? Will Joe Haden be able to stop Julio Jones from destroying the Gators' secondary? These questions will be answered on the next "All My Gators".

Ranking the top 25 draft-eligible sophomores

Mocking Dan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:12 -0000

by Mike Fuentes - AP

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With a possible record number of redshirt sophomores entering the 2010 NFL Draft, it might be a good idea to start thinking about some of the best.

The clear-cut top third-year sophomores are Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett and Texas strong safety Earl Thomas. After them there is a moderate drop in talent, but the top six in the list could all go in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft.

Countdown To Atlanta Death Match 2009

mlmintampa — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:03:38 -0000

It is a coincidence that Alabama and Florida are playing for the SEC Championship. Since divisional play began, Alabama has won seven SEC West titles and Florida has won ten SEC East titles, the top two in the Conference (including 2009). It is not surprising then that this will be the seventh time the teams have played for the SEC Championship, and the second time it has been in consecutive years (1992-94 were UF-Bama matchups as well).

It is fate though that the Gators and Tide are undefeated and ranked #1 and #2 in the BCS rankings. Both teams have their own pressures to deal with. Florida wears the crown of a champion, which at times has seemed to overwhelm their coaches and players. Alabama has the expectations of history, and the pressure seems to be gaining on them after the angst over their offensive woes, despite improving their total offense with a first year starter.

Urban Meyer and Nick Saban are both mercenaries, but have locked into posts where they can make or break their careers. Neither man can top their historic predecessors. But to a generation that will donate more money and follows college football with more passion and intelligence than their parents, they will be the pinnacle of their schools.

Florida does not have Mark Ingram and Bama does not have Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey or Emmanuel Moody. Bama does not have Tim Tebow and Florida does not have Julio Jones. Both teams still have defenses that prop up offenses that cannot score or kick too many field goals. Just like two heavyweights, it may not be pretty, but they will pound you into submission.

And just like two heavyweights, they will have to go through a few tomato cans before their unification bout. Florida, for all the talk about a terrible offense, has won 8 of 9 games this season by double digits. Now, they get a South Carolina team that hasn't scored more than 20 points in a month and lost 3 of their last 4. After a bye week against Florida International, they get FSU, which cannot win since they are too busy trying to pull a coup on their head coach.

Bama destroyed people in their first seven games, before needing Terrence Cody's big paws and Leigh Tiffin's big leg to defeat Tennessee. A bye week was supposed to fix all the offense's woes. Yet, the Tide was losing entering the 4^th quarter against LSU, before two field goals and a Jones TD and conversion sealed it for Bama. They face Mississippi State, who is not scared of anybody, then a bye week against Chattanooga. Bama then gets Auburn, who has scored 96 points in their last two games (wins) after scoring only 47 in their previous three games (losses).

Both fan bases alternate between various levels of panic and booking flights to Los Angeles on Orbitz. Both fan bases think the other is nothing but white trash or high and mighty snobs. Florida fans wonder if Bama fans will just drive their house to Pasadena, and Bama fans will reply that at least the bank doesn't own their home.

Of course, the Gators and Tide have to hold up their ends of the bargain and not slip before getting to the Atlanta Death Match 2009. Players have to avoid getting high on weed or tryptophan, and watch out for cousins giving them pills and NFL players recruiting for agents. Coaches have to game plan for everything or remove their head out of their ass. Florida has been under huge pressure all season. With the date set in Atlanta, Bama will get a taste of that same pressure too for the next three weeks.

The next four weeks will be cruel on fans and players. One loss will end a season, either now or in Atlanta. But we would not want it any other way. Only 27 days...

On To Jacksonville

mlmintampa — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:30:24 -0000

More photos » by Jim Lytle - AP

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There are a few things to note from the Gators' 29-19 win over Mississippi State. One of them is from the Orlando Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler;

Once Chris Rainey got his first touch in the red zone, he rushed for a 9-yard touchdown with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter. Gators running backs got two red-zone touches all game.

That's right, Florida's great backs touched the ball twice during UF's attempts to set offensive football back six decades. This combined with Tim Tebow being asked to throw a play action pass on his one-yard line in the final four minutes, is proof that the playcalling must end now. You can beat Mississippi State by using Tebow as a blunt object, but you will not beat Georgia.

Florida's focus was again missing as Tebow hit a wide open Miss State DB for a 100 yard touchdown and Dustin Doe's Leon Lett moment was saved by the worst conference officials in America. In game seven, can we finally say that Tebow is regressing? Or that too much of the load on his shoulders is breaking him down? As for Doe, I can pass that off as a one time thing and Caleb Sturgis' misses like a golfer missing the fairway. But I'm running out of excuses for Tebow.

Let's end on a happy note, however. Tebow is now tied with Herschel Walker for most SEC rushing touchdowns. The side effect of having an eight-year old calling our red zone plays is that after Tebow's score, he never got to the end zone again. And we know, Urban would love breaking that record in Jacksonville and rubbing it in the face of every Georgia fan. That is the only thing to be sure of in Jacksonville right now, and that's not very good for us.

Welcome To Hate Georgia Week.

Know Your Opponent: Florida Gators

jeremyflint — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:45:30 -0000

Now that we are back into SEC play, it is easy to find qualified bloggers that will do a Q & A about the upcoming game with you. To prep for the match-up against the Florida Gators this Saturday, I sent a few questions over to fellow SBNation blog Alligator Army. Here are their answers.

Note: When my answers to their questions are posted, I will update this post with a link.

1. After racking up big points in non-conference play early in the season, the Gators have had low scoring games against a terrible Tennessee team, as well as at LSU and against Arkansas. Is this just the offense running up against stiffer defensive challengers as Florida gets into the heart of SEC play, or is it a lack of play makers on offense aside from Tebow?

It is a lack of guys who can catch the ball and an offensive coordinator who is in over his head. Tennessee and LSU have very good defenses and Arkansas forced four fumbles, but Florida was never comfortable in those games. That's the biggest difference. I think a lot of Gator fans would take an Alabama-style beatdown (win by 21 but allow less than 10) because Alabama looks damn good even scoring less than 28 points.

2. Speaking of offense, Percy Harvin left a pretty big whole in the Gator offense after his departure to the NFL. Who has stepped in to fill those shoes and how are they measuring up?

Tim Tebow has stepped up. Seriously, they knew UF would be in trouble without Harvin and Louis Murphy, 2008's top recievers. WR Riley Cooper has played well in spots and TE Aaron Hernandez is an NFL-ready tight end, but that's it. When you promote your 3 and 4 men to 1 and 2, with no one to fill in at 3 and 4, you are in trouble. Florida still has great backs in Jeff Demps, Emmanuel Moody and Chris Rainey, but they are not pass catchers. RB Brandon James has been used in the slot, but he is struggling as he has gone from a game changing returner to nothing on special teams.

3. Brandon Spikes is one of the most terrifying defensive players I have seen in this SEC this year. He suffered an injury in the game against Arkansas. Will he miss the Mississippi State game and what effect will that have on your defense.

He is reported to be healthy enough for the Miss State game. Spikes has struggled with Achilles' tendonitis and now a groin pull, but he should be fine. Aside from guys out for the season, Florida should have a full staff. But Florida is deep on defense, unless the offense puts the ball on the floor four times and they have to take the field every two minutes.

4. Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has worked with Florida HC Urban Meyer since he was at Bowling Green. Does his familiarity with the Gator's offense give the Bulldogs an advantage going in to this game?

Huge advantage, especially that Florida's current offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, calls games like an eight-year old on Madden. I'm sure the signals have changed as Meyer is detail orientated and would guess Mullen would try to get the signals. But Mullen's familaritity makes this less of a blowout possibility.

5. The Gators are 0-4 in their last 4 trips to Starkville. Will the Gators break that streak or will the Bulldogs push Florida out of the #1 slot in the polls?

I think Florida wins. Compared to the other trips to Starkville, Zook was an unfocused dumbass and Florida's other losses were not with teams as good as this one. Yes, Mississippi State could win, and I think Mullen will build a decent program. But they won't beat Florida this season.