SB Nation - David Nelson

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 Gators

91 votes

Penn State Nittany Lions

109 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

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.

SEC Championship Autopsy

mlmintampa — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:36:36 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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- Urban Meyer checking himself into Shands for dehydration after the game was just another paragraph in this incredibly bizarre season. It could be the flu, it could be food poisoning, it could have been throwing up because of the game, and it could have been his brain cyst acting up. It could be anything, which was the only consistency UF had this year; anything could happen.

- Educated Florida fans know that when UF runs the ball, they win. Yet, one of the glaring stats coming out of the game was the four non-Tebow carries UF had. They were losing the whole game, and big comebacks do not happen with 4-yard dive plays. But, there was no desire to grind some clock, keeping the Gator defense on the field even longer.

- Focus is the easy excuse for the Gator defense's awful play. From Charlie Strong's next job, to Carlos Dunlap's DUI, to Florida's front seven getting knocked off the ball every play, it seemed as if no one was ready. I don't believe focus was the problem because that is an insult to the team and Alabama. Of course, some guys thought UF would win because they won last year. There's also the complacency of champions in that they think they can flip a switch and win. But losing 32-13 is not Florida losing because of a lack of focus. It is Alabama winning because they had a superior game plan. On offense, it was spreading UF out and pounding the line. Greg McElroy is an efficient quarterback and has been winning games since he was 16 years old. Bama was the guy at the poker table who everyone is scared of because you never knew what his cards were. On defense, dare I say, they wanted Tim Tebow to throw the ball. I don't believe Tebow has regressed, but I think he has not improved. With Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy (or David Nelson in SEC and BCS games), Tebow could afford to not be perfect. With Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and Deonte Thompson, he had to be perfect (how many incomplete passes this season hit guys in the arms?). The interception to Javier Arenas was an example of something else; Tebow still struggles with reading coverage. Remember, he threw a similar pick (where an hidden defender gets in the way) against Oklahoma.

- Panic was a large reason why Florida lost Saturday. While Tebow stayed calm, Cooper and Hernandez were in panic mode after every near miss. Brandon Spikes and the rest of the defense were getting caught running themselves out of plays. It got to the point where guys were diving for tackles and not breaking down. That's not a lack of focus or lazyness; that's being so desperate to make a play that you ignore your fundamentals.

- People who should be blamed for Saturday's loss;

1. Whoever picked the white helmets.

2. My friend Hanson for not wearing his lucky shirt.

3. Charlie Strong

4. Steve Addazio

5. Urban Meyer

10. Carlos Dunlap. The kid made the mistake of his life during one of the biggest weeks of his life. He is a huge dumbass. But now he has to live with the possibility that his mistake cost the Gators a shot at a National Championship. It didn't. Jevon Kearse could have replaced Dunlap and it would not have made a difference. Sometimes, the other guy plays better than you could and wins. I hope Dunlap comes back and plays well enough. If not, I don't blame the guy for going pro.

- While I will criticize a college player for the way they play, I have a hard time doing it after a loss in a championship game. As fans, we get upset and bitch and moan about blown tackles and dropped passes. But we get on with our lives. College athletes don't. Of the 44 starters yesterday, very few will be successful NFL players. That means the most dominant memory of their college career will be a blowout loss and a season of a division title. That stays with you forever. Some jackass who was a student, donates money and writes a blog has no authority to talk about how they are hurt by this loss. The guys in that locker room just worked 11 months to finish second place in their league. Consider their pain before you think about how much you were hurt.

- My pick for best Gator performance Saturday? Chaz Henry.

- I always use death as a metaphor for a season ending. The loss was like watching a loved one get a stroke, start rehabbing, and getting another stroke and slowly dying. It sucked. You keep thinking if they had stopped smoking, or Jeff Demps caught that ball in the first quarter, or if he ate healthier, or if UF stopped a few more third downs, that things would be different. You'll go crazy thinking that way. One or two plays in a 19-point deficit will not make a difference.

- Speaking of death, my friends and I finished Saturday night in the only acceptable way for Italian and Irish Catholics; by going out and eating and drinking until we felt a little better. Our first toast of the night was to John Brantley, we screamed curse words at Colt McCoy, wondered if Les Miles was running Texas and Hanson was working women like he was Tiger Woods. It was also nice to see so many people in Gator clothes. Like I told my 13-year old sister after the game, after she insisted she could never go to school again, you never turn your back on the team. If you're willing to be for the team in good times, you have to be there for the bad times too. She will be wearing her Gator jacket to school Monday.

- We'll be back later when Florida is officially announced for the Sugar Bowl, likely playing Cincinnati.

Three Keys for Florida

Year2 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:00:17 -0000

Stop the run without sacrificing play action coverage.

Florida can afford to spend some extra effort in stopping Alabama's running game thanks to having a clearly good pass defense. The trick though is to do that without allowing Alabama play action game to get going. Too little attention has been paid to Bama TE Colin Peek and how he's one of Greg McElroy's favorite targets after faking a hand off. He can do some damage.

Florida will probably go to man coverage when loading the box, which means a linebacker will likely have to recognize Peek on a pass route and cover him. Brandon Spikes will be in run support far more often than not, so how Ryan Stamper and Brandon Hicks cover Peek will be vital to stopping the Tide attack.

Be able to find someone other than Cooper and Hernandez on third down.

The scouting report is crystal clear at this point. On third down, Tim Tebow generally goes through three progressions: look for Riley Cooper, look for Aaron Hernandez, and then take off. Alabama knows this, and so do the Florida coaches through self scouting.

Last year, little used targets Carl Moore and David Nelson caught touchdown passes on third down. Nelson is back, and Deonte Thompson is pretty good too. Florida has to be willing to go to those guys on third down because it's unlikely that the excellent Bama secondary will leave Cooper and Hernandez open. The primary targets are primary targets for a reason, and they'll get their shares of the third down throws. However, those two alone won't be enough to defeat the Tide.

Win the fourth quarter again.

There is a reason why Florida is a dominant fourth quarter team. Tebow just doesn't wear down over the course of a game as you might expect, and everyone goes through Mickey Marotti's hellish yet extremely effective off season conditioning program. Not only that, but depth in key places like defensive line allow the coaches to rotate liberally and keep players fresh.

It's very unlikely either team will put this one away after 45 minutes. It almost certainly will come down to who wins the fourth quarter again, and UF would appear to have an advantage in that regard once more. They will need to do what they do best: finish stronger than the other guys. That's no small feat against Alabama, but it will need to be done.

A New Season Begins

mlmintampa — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:35:12 -0000

There are only three games in front of the Gators now. Today's 62-3 win over Florida International was merely a practice, a diversion before the most important games in Florida history.

If there is something to take away from today it is that nine UF players had catches. While Cade Holliday and Justin Williams won't soon be getting in the lineup, David Nelson and Deonte Thompson got involved enough to get them into a rhythm for next week. Tim Tebow is loyal to a fault in that it took Aaron Hernandez getting limited action for our boy Timothy to look at other options. Following the game, Urban Meyer referenced the notion that perhaps Tebow should have been removed much earlier. But this time, the decision was a good one, as Tebow was able to reconnect with some long lost guys and his head didn't explode on an offensive lineman's knee. At 11-0, Urban is still the smartest guy in the room.

Florida State is next. It was interesting to note that several times today, the 1997 UF-FSU game was referenced, between pre-game and in-game promotions. That year, an undefeated FSU was stunned by a rebuilding Florida team. The tables are turned for this season. But there is no way in hell Tim Tebow loses on Saturday.

Looking Ahead: The Return Of The Troubles

mlmintampa — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:27:47 -0000

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"These kids are spoiled. They don't know what it was like watching Ron Zook for three years."

As a Florida transplant, I wasn't a Real Gator Fan until I attended UF. The Gators were always my favorite college, but Danny Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier were as close to me as characters on a show. (Now I rip on current students for being lazy at games. I'm an old man.) It is one thing to attend games or watch on TV, but as a student, you see players walking around campus and going out. That exposed me to how unprofessional and unfocused the Zook Era was. How was Bubba Caldwell supposed to learn his playbook when he couldn't show up for the Age of Dinosaurs at 10:30am? Why should I have been surprised when UF blew a 23 point lead at Miami, when the players were more excited to go out the night before than playing in the game?

Those stories are few and far between now. College athletes will still skip out on class and everyone wants to go out on Friday night, but Urban Meyer's cultural change was a 180 from the Zook years. But those of us who were there wear the scars and remember the losses to inferior teams every time UF starts slow. I'm not trying to bring down the room, but Florida is looking at a 2010 season that looks more like Florida 2003 than Florida 2007.

Based on Meyer's comment that there are seven juniors that are "quality NFL players" and Jeremy Fowler's estimate of five guys, we will assume three guys; Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden and Aaron Hernandez. All of them have an NFL body and NFL talent. There are always guys who leave after a championship who shouldn't, so we will include Emmanuel Moody, so would get more touches in the pros than in Gainesville.

Now include Tim Tebow, Riley Cooper, Jermaine Cunningham, Dustin Doe, Brandon James, David Nelson and Brandon Spikes. Throw in the loss of Charlie Strong and Steve Addazio (fingers crossed!), and you're looking at a legitimate rebuilding season.

I think most people trust John Brantley, but any concerns about the loss of Tebow was stifled by having a high quality backup. How many of you trust Jordan Reed to handle the ball next season? The defense should be ok, with enough guys in the pipeline to take over (Brendan Beal, Jelani Jenkins, we've seen Jaye Howard and Omar Hunter), but who would take Strong's duties? Even if you do trust Brantley, do you trust Andre Debose coming back from surgery, when it seems like every Florida player returning from surgery gets hurt again? (Cornelius Ingram, Dorian Munroe. Apparently UF's team surgeon uses push pins and Elmers' glue. The failure of those surgeries is a story on its own.) Plus, without Cooper and Hernandez, who is going to catch Brantley's rockets? I don't see UF wasting Brantley's arm and sticking with the running game like they have done this season. But I also don't see TJ Lawrence and Omarius Hines as the answer.

The cupboard isn't bare, but playing at Tennessee, at Alabama, at FSU and dealing with improved Georgia and LSU, Florida 2010 doesn't look good. Just something to think about between your weekly heart attacks during Gator games.

Cocktail Party Hangover

mlmintampa — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:39:51 -0000

- Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes yelling at each other following the Mississippi State game would be like watching your parents fight, if your parents were a large black man with dreds and an equally large Bible-thumping white guy. The impact of the two leaders of the team challenging each other is a trickle down effect with the results coming in 41 points against Georgia. As Tebow and Spikes yelled at each other, imagine a guy like A.J. Jones or David Nelson sitting there, wondering how they can play better. Florida's unit-by-unit victory was a direct result of UF's team leaders challenging each other.

- In a dark arts kind of way, Spikes going for the eye gouge is hilarious. (When I first saw the video, I thought he was going for a strip. I am a huge homer.) He might get suspended, since college players can't just pay a $10,000 fine and move on. But, if you had to pick out a guy to commit a dirty act at the bottom of the pile, how far do you go before you get to Spikes? Isn't he the first pick? I mentioned on Saturday that he brings an extra level of aggressiveness, and that has a dark side too. That Spikes would try to do something in a rivalry game and retaliate is almost acceptable, until the possibility of the whole "blinding a guy" thing is considered.

- When Tebow walked into the end zone for the SEC rushing TD record, it got a little dusty in the Alligator Army Luxury Box. The extended ovation for Tebow was a neat touch, like we expected him to come out of the dugout and tip his hat to the crowd.

- Urban Meyer continues to push the right buttons in terms of motivating this team. Last week's circling the wagons, combined with a mean Tebow and Spikes has set this team on a much steadier course than before Mississippi State. Contrast this with Mark Richt's black helmets, black pants and jump around after Georgia made it 14-10. Meyer does not rely on gimmicks.

- Speaking of Georgia's attempts to get noticed by Tim Gunn, regular readers of Uni Watch probably thought of writer Paul Lukas' "Is it good or is it stupid?" when UGA came out looking like Grambling. I liked the black pants, but the black helmet replaced an iconic helmet. UGA has worn a red helmet since the 1960s. To do a one-off against your rival is pretty lame.

- As for drinking fun, the highlight was seeing a drunk guy fall off an escalator at the Landings Saturday night. He flipped off about halfway up, landed on his back, and got up apparently uninjured after a 15 foot fall. Remember kids, drink responsibly.

Florida Needs Evil Tim Tebow

mlmintampa — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:25 -0000

You wouldn't like Evil Tim Tebow. Evil Tim Tebow doesn't like you either. He doesn't care if you write a blog or what plays your frat runs in flag football. Evil Tim Tebow takes dumps that can write a blog. You know when Good Tim Tebow goes to prisons to talk about Jesus? Evil Tim Tebow is inside beating up child abusers; the only good thing he does all year (Evil Tim Tebow is an Old Testament kind of guy). When Good Tim Tebow is running around with orphans in the Phillipines, Evil Tim Tebow is in Crystal River, killing manatees. You don't want to know Evil Tim Tebow and Evil Tim Tebow doesn't want to know you. In fact, Evil Tim Tebow is usually left alone with a bottle of Bushmills 21 and a phone. There are four people with that phone number; Urban Meyer, Chuck Norris, Bob Tebow and a hot blond (Evil Tim Tebow laughs at Good Tim Tebow for being a virgin).

2009 has been a difficult year for Evil Tebow. He's not in practice yelling at coaches or players for slacking off. That was his favorite thing; yelling at David Nelson for rounding off routes and Riley Cooper for not blocking. (Why do you think Cooper is such a good blocker now?) Evil Tebow has been replaced by Senior Tim Tebow, who is consumed with leaving a legacy, not killing people. Oh sure, Evil Tebow has made a few appearances. He played the final drive against Arkansas and is used in short yardage situations. But he needs to play more and not just because his whiskey is running out either. Evil Tebow was the guy who joined the team after Ole Miss in 2008, personally destroyed FSU in 2008 and 2007, and played the second halves of the Alabama and Oklahoma games (he's at the beginning of this video too). Evil Tebow hates it when Good Tim Tebow makes promises, but at least that means more touches for Evil Tebow. He doesn't need another corny promise from Good Tebow, but Goddamnit, Evil Tebow needs to get in the game.

You will know if Evil Tebow is in Jacksonville. His pace is a little slower; the walk of a thoroughbred before he enters the starting gate. He won't smile and he won't wear one of those awful three piece suits and the women's eyeglasses. Evil Tebow knows how to dress and has 20/20 vision. Evil Tebow will look like the executioner heading to the gallows. Hate is Evil Tebow's weapon and he will use it. If Evil Tebow shows up, Georgia has no chance. If Evil Tebow finishes the season as the starter, the country won't have a chance either.

Your Florida Gators Do 'Thriller'

mlmintampa — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:01:37 -0000

UF student Kristin Giannas (Telecom-News in the house!) pulled off a nearly impossible feat; getting a bunch of UF athletes to participate in something and videotaping it. Try picking out all the athletes Miss Giannas is able pull together as they perform 'Thriller' with Albert and Alberta. (HT: Miss Lindsey)

Where Does Florida Go From Here?

Year2 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:30:14 -0000

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It wasn't the epic beat down that all the experts were predicting. There was no domination. Instead of calling timeouts at the end, Urban Meyer was shaking Tennessee players' hands after it was over to tell them good game.

This Florida team didn't look like the one from the second half of last season that steamrolled everything in its path. It looked like the one from the first half of last year that played things conservatively and won by much more modest margins. In some ways it looked frighteningly like Meyer's 2005 team, which was the worst of his tenure. Here's a look at what happened on Saturday and what the champs can do to get their groove back.

WHAT HAPPENED

They got beat up front.

The Florida offensive line is still not set and ready, and it really showed. Tennessee has an excellent defensive line, and any time Tim Tebow dropped back to throw something deeper than 10 yards, the pocket collapsed around him. The Florida coaches have a philosophy that anyone who earns playing time should get it, even the offensive line. As a result there were guys rotating in and out throughout, which didn't help anything. They need to pick their best five and go with it.

On the other side, the banged up Tennessee line did a good job of patching things together and playing well. The Florida defensive line was held back by Jermaine Cunningham having the flu and Brandon Spikes, who often lines up as a defensive end, having tendinitis in his Achilles.

Spikes' injury also caused him to be conspicuously absent in supporting the line against the run during his normal linebacking duties. It is no coincidence that Spikes missed most of the second half, and it is the second half when the defense began playing a lot better. A full speed backup, in this case Dustin Doe, was better than the half speed Spikes. With all the depth that the team has, it's a small wonder that Cunningham and Spikes played at all.

Wide receiver is at critical condition.

Senior Carl Moore is out with a back injury. Freshman five star recruit Andre Debose is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Deonte Thompson missed the game with a hamstring pull. Riley Cooper pinched a nerve on the first series of the game. Even tight end Aaron Hernandez had the flu.

Of the team's six top pass catching targets, three missed the game and only one, David Nelson, was fully healthy. That's not an excuse, that's an explanation. I can't name many teams that could put together a full passing attack with that kind of attrition among the receiving ranks. With Thompson out and Cooper slowed, Florida was without a deep passing threat. With the Tennessee line winning up front on longer passing plays to boot, the vertical passing game never had a shot.

But just as important as the guys who didn't play because of injury were the guys who didn't play and were healthy: Omarius Hines, Frankie Hammond, and T.J. Lawrence. These three redshirt freshmen are along with Debose the future of the position in Gainesville, and apparently none practiced well enough to see the field. This was especially surprising in the case of Hines, who got meaningful snaps against Troy and looked good in them.

Too much conservatism.

Or, the right amount if you're only concerned with winning and not style points.

Years from now, we will all probably look back at the 2007 season and wonder what exactly it was that caused Urban Meyer to break from his conservative streak so early in the season. In every other year, now including this one thanks to Saturday, he comes out at the beginning of seasons and plays things close to the vest.

In past years, he explained the flood of runs up the middle as trials to see how tough his team was. This week it was a reaction to Tennessee's demeanor:

"I didn't feel like they were going after the win," Meyer said. "They wanted to shorten the game. I think that was the plan. There are 10 minutes to go and they're not in a no-huddle. It's 23-6 and no urgency (on UT's part).

"The way we lose a game there is throw an interception. Why put yourself in that position. Let's find a way to win the game. We're not trying to impress the pollsters, we're trying to win the game. A lot of it had to do with the way they were playing. It made our life a little easier."

You could also see it in all the Tebow runs. When Meyer gets unsettled, as his nervous tick of running his hands through his hair betrayed plenty of times on Saturday, he leans on the players he trusts most, and he trusts no one more than Tebow. The quarterback had 24 carries, four more than the rest of the team combined. Jeff Demps, though slowed by a 101 degree fever, averaged 7.8 yards per carry, Chris Rainey averaged 7.1, and Emmanuel Moody was the best of them with 11 yards a carry. But remember the thing about trust? Moody is the least trusted of the three and only got three carries on the game.

I don't want to sell Tennessee's defense short here, which was fantastic and outplayed Florida's offense on many occasions. Monte Kiffin was in the team's heads all week in practice, and he called a very good game. He moved Eric Berry all over the place and nearly every time had his prized safety in position to make a play. However, ol' Monte got some help from the other side too.

NOW WHAT?

Obviously, the schedule sets up nicely for the Gators over the next couple weeks. The road game at Kentucky could end up a very dangerous contest if the Wildcats learn to get out of their own way by Saturday. However, Florida could probably gut it out in the same way they did against the Vols if need be, allowing the talent gap between the teams to be the difference. After that, it's a bye week before the road trip to LSU.

Now that Florida has had its first big test of the season, it's time to evaluate what needs to happen to stay on track to accomplish its goals.

Get healthy, or at least play the healthy guys.

It floors me that the coaches seem to trust the unproven depth on the offensive line, as evidenced by the constant rotation, but not the experienced depth on the defense, as evidenced by them playing guys like Cunningham and Spikes who were nowhere near 100% ready to go.

If Spikes is hurt, use fellow leader Ryan Stamper and play talented guys like Doe and Brandon Hicks. If Cunningham is struggling with the flu, lean on Justin Trattou, Carlos Dunlap, and some of the young guys waiting to break out like William Green to pick up the slack. If Demps has a fever, ride Rainey and Moody. Only the MASH unit at receiver has no real proven second options, but would it hurt to put Hines or Hammond out there just to see what they can do? Probably not.

Take care of the ball.

The Gators have now lost five turnovers in the past two weeks. The fumbles against Troy were sort of understandable because of the rain, but not everyone fumbles six times during a storm. Eric Berry's interception was a magnificent play, but Tebow's fumble late against UT came from him trying too hard and putting the ball where a defender could strip it instead of just taking a nice gain and being happy.

At some point, someone is really going to make them pay for their indiscretions as Ole Miss did a year ago. Maybe it's Kentucky this weekend with the newly dangerous Mike Hartline to Randall Cobb connection. It could be LSU in a couple weeks, or Ryan Mallett with his cannon arm. No team wins championships of any kind turning it over this much.

Try to block out the hype.

In last year's revenge game for Florida, Brandon Spikes leveled Knowshon Moreno on the first Georgia drive of the game. It seemed to loosen the team up. No such play did the same in this year's revenge game, and the team looked tight for most of it.

That big play at the beginning isn't going to be there most weeks. The external pressure is only going to intensify thanks to voters (UF is now the unanimous No. 1 in the Coaches' Poll) and other powers (like Oklahoma and USC) falling away.

While the game against Tennessee was never in serious doubt for a lot of reasons, there are better teams looming ahead. If the pressure contributed any to the less-than-championship caliber performance over the weekend, a loss or two will be waiting for them ahead.

The good news is that had the tackling on defense been better, Tennessee would have had about 50-75 fewer yards. For all the struggles, the defense was still very, very good and will probably continue to be. Since defense wins championships, that's going to be the most important thing going forward.