Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Iowa

Cover, you never fail to disappoint. I thought our guys came out to play and play with a purpose. From that game it tells me that the players care and they were more about team than just going through the motions. Three things I thought stood out to me. One just mentioning the team and how they played. The other two....Shannon and Nussy.

Mac go ahead and make him the DC. I really like what he did with the D. We've all been screaming play to your strength and what will make you successful. RS did that. Loading the box and backing off the corners really helps the depleted LB corp. He let our strength be our strength. I feel we would have seen the same ole same old with side hat. Also they came out with fire in the second half. Perhaps Shannon had done all he could with Side Hat there but we saw a difference yesterday. With what we lose and what we have coming back, there may be a slight drop off but I expect our D to still be pretty good next season.

Nussy, yes Nussy. I kinda got the feeling he was coaching for his job yesterday. Don't get me wrong I still think he's an idiot and he had MUCH to prove. The one thing I liked was after the first two INT's I felt that he would phone it in and leave it on the D. But there were some flashes of aggressiveness and I felt he hung with the run game more than usual. I know we need a QB, but Nuss needs to learn from this. We are all very critical of him and rightfully so. He has a long way to go, period. It's just one game but the offense deserved some kudos for not leaving the D out on an island by themselves. Now Nuss get your azz recruiting, quit being stupid, and get the job done.

At least we have a positive note to go out and start the new year. I'll take it. But not totally sold. The jury is still in deliberation. I am planning to make the trip to Big D to see the Meatchicken game, we'll pretty much know then IMO.

It's great to have versatile players on the back end. Gardner can be a star at either safety or corner. Depending on how recruiting shakes out he can be an all conference type player at either position. Putu got in there in the 4th and seemed to be okay. I think Chauncey will start out at corner next season and perhaps play some safety when the young pups catch up. I couldn't possibly agree more with Law regarding Collins. We seemed to be more aggressive with the defensive calls, and came after their QB with blitzes more often than usual. Felt like K Davis really had a great opportunity on the 1st drive for an easy pick, but couldn't hang on to it. One of many good calls by Randy there. He went on to force a fumble later in the game with a nice burst into the backfield.

I wonder if the staff wants to bulk up Polite for tackle, or play him at SDE to spell Cece here and there. He did a good job for us inside this year despite it clearly not being his natural position. Depending on how many big boys we sign inside will likely determine that. Scarlett looked good on a few nice runs, and even Thompson managed to make a play without screwing up. The one thing really holding us back is play-calling in the redzone. After Chauncey's second INT I have no clue what we were trying to accomplish. The whole series was a cluster resulting in 3 when 7 was there for the taking.

cover2 said:

One of the biggest complaints that I had with Collins was that we seemed to rely on Cover 2

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ironic

cover2 said:

Indeed, but as a college defensive standby, it is, like me, old!

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You made some good points in your post.
While I personally would liked to have seen how Shannon game planned and called plays against a better team, we got what we got and he succeeded very well in the game.
I said yesterday that unless there is a no brainer outside of Shannon, then he should be named DC. Perhaps Shannon is actually the no brainer. I think he's been out of the HC spot long enough that he's willing to work for it again and isn't likely to be in a huge hurry to find a HC job. That said, if he gets the DC job, and does really well next year, they'll come find him, which would speak volumes about him since we are set to lose quite a bit on defense unless these guys for one reason or another come back.

Great post Cover. The one thing I will add is that Mac needs to make Shannon DC as quickly as possible. Clearly he put together a great defensive game plan with a D that was very depleted and playing young kids and walk-ons! I really hope all this smoke around Locksley is true.

At Mac's press conference he really talked about fixing our issues in the trench. I am hoping part of that is a coaching change.

I really thought the early interceptions were not entirely on Appleby. He could have thrown it better, but they were both tipped in the air. Regardless, he is gone so I guess it doesn't matter.

Thank you Cover, for all your post game reports. Always the first thing I look for after a game. Much appreciated.

Also, I believe Johnny Townsend is a junior. With him and Piniero back next year, the kicking game will be strong. Now if only we could put together a return game. I thought Dre Massey would be that guy this year but he got injured. If he can come back in 2017 and be that return guy, we could be lethal on special teams.

Alex.

AlexDaGator said:

Thank you Cover, for all your post game reports. Always the first thing I look for after a game. Much appreciated.

Also, I believe Johnny Townsend is a junior. With him and Piniero back next year, the kicking game will be strong. Now if only we could put together a return game. I thought Dre Massey would be that guy this year but he got injured. If he can come back in 2017 and be that return guy, we could be lethal on special teams.

Alex.

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announcers were making comments about townsend leaving... hope its not true.

Durty South Swamp said:

announcers were making comments about townsend leaving... hope its not true.

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Really? A punter leaving early? I know Townsend's family isn't hurting for money. Hmmn.

OK. You made me look it up. Looks like an average of about 2 punters are drafted each year. Most drafted punters are taken in the 5th round or later with some rare exceptions in the 3rd and 4th rounds (I'm looking at the last decade or so).

NFL punters get paid around $3M/season.

I'd be surprised if he left early, but who knows?

Alex.

Three of the most promising aspects of our upbeat Defense's effectiveness:
1) Shannon got our young hodge-podge bailing-wired D to that solid function level in just 1 week's leadership.
2) Maybe being "in charge" will light up Shannon's recruiting enthusiasm now that they'll be "his boys"?
3) The D player's we lose might not dent next year D's effectiveness?

Many are pointing out that Iowa wasn't a good team, yet most 'spundips' thought they'd beat us - we beat them.

The Offense:

cover2 said:

• The way Appleby started, I couldn't help but think that we were going to be down a couple of scores and fail to get any closer given our offensive woes and Iowa's defensive rep. But that wasn't the case. He shook off some early gaffs and settled in to do enough good to help us win. I wouldn't say he "carved" the Hawkeyes up by any means, but he made a few nice throws and managed the lead. Again, I think he's a good young man, but not a particularly great QB (better than LDR), so it was good to see him go out on a positive note. That said, I hope we are past the transfer QB's for a while even though the fact that we didn't pull a red shirt off even as bad as we struggled from this position this year doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

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Lake Gator said:

3. Playcalling didn't turn stagnant after the first drive or two as in games past. This renews my hope for the future, especially with a more consistently accurate QB (Franks?) at the helm.

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TN G8tr said:

Nussy, yes Nussy. I kinda got the feeling he was coaching for his job yesterday. Don't get me wrong I still think he's an idiot and he had MUCH to prove. The one thing I liked was after the first two INT's I felt that he would phone it in and leave it on the D. But there were some flashes of aggressiveness and I felt he hung with the run game more than usual. I know we need a QB, but Nuss needs to learn from this. We are all very critical of him and rightfully so. He has a long way to go, period. It's just one game but the offense deserved some kudos for not leaving the D out on an island by themselves. Now Nuss get your azz recruiting, quit being stupid, and get the job done.

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I don't like people in my house, and the neighbors invited themselves over for a day of football = I was very irritated, annoyed, and full of anxiety through the first half. As such, I kept leaving the room to try and cool off = missed most of the plays. That said, when our first drive resulted in an INT I got sick thinking how that is typically the ONE DRIVE we execute well. When the second drive also resulted in an INT....I didn't panic. For some unexplainable reason, I didn't begin a tailspin of misery and swearwords. I can't say I felt good, optimistic, or hopeful....not even numb. Just kinda nothing = perhaps too dumbfounded how we give the ball away on our first two possessions and are only down by 3.

The key takeaway from this, for me, was that the TEAM didn't quit. Defense didn't fold like last season, and the offense kept trying. I didn't see anyone on the sidelines hang their head. This is a big step forward compared to last season.

For the defense, they folded the last 3 games of last year knowing we had NO chance on offense. Against F$U and Bama this year, I felt like the defense didn't quit as much has they got worn down. I think that resolve was in evidence for this game, and bolstered the offense in owning the bounce back from those first two drives.

I can't speak to the play calling, but I'd agree Nuss was likely coaching to keep his job.

For player execution, with AA we get what we get = a crapshoot. But at least he didn't fold. I'd love to have Goolsby spend the summer learning how to f'n block instead of give up sacks. I'd like to give Callaway extensive film sessions comparing his performance with that of D. Robinson from last year (dance much?) = DRob is gone, what will it take for AC to stop dancing and get what can be gotten then move on to the next play? I do admire the staff not giving up on Thompson as a RB, a gamble that paid off big (fluke? redemption? I don't know).

Looking ahead, we lose a QB and a few others that aren't a great loss (Fullwood, I'm looking at you). Maybe a little attrition to NFL with Sharp, but overall, if we get the right guy in at QB, I'm feeling next year will be continued progress. Not CFP level, but upward progress for this side of the ball. I'm expecting that given the development time Franks and Trask will have (LDR is not an option for me).

Thhe Defense:

cover2 said:

• Marcel Harris continues to improve. Nice to see him becoming a leader of the D by his improved play and aggressiveness. Several other youngsters gave notice...Vosean Joseph and Chauncey Gardner did a lot of good things obviously and maybe even without the recognizable depth, we are developing a nucleus of the next great unit? Time will tell, but the aforementioned depth, especially at LB, has to begin being addressed now. We'll see if any can be added at this late date.

• DL, with a few exceptions, was pretty decent most of the game and got some pressure on the Iowa QB. Nice to see Brantley and Ivie make a couple of plays and go out on a high note. Most think we've got a few good youngsters, but we need some more bodies and talent as well. Kid from Leesburg would be a great addition if we could add him. Our high school played him this year and he pretty much wrecked us single-handedly, and we've got a RB committed to Bama who is pretty special but was held to far less than what he usually averages rushing.

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Lake Gator said:

1. Considering all the defense injuries before and during the game, to hold a physical team with 2 - 1000 yard rushers to 3 points is a job well done. If Mac can give him some recruiting hotshot assistants, Shannon may have earned himself a permanent job title as DC.

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Yankeetown said:

When you consider that we're missing both our starting DEs,
AND our LB corps was basically 2 true freshman and a walkon (Garcia)
AND Iowa has a strong run-first offense,
AND (per what the TV announcers kept telling us) Iowa's OL was judged best in the country at the end of the season,
...
the defensive performance was just OUTSTANDING.

Somebody sure as heck coached 'em up.

And kudos to Caleb Brantley and Teez and Quincy Wilson, they did not hold back at all. When the leaders set that kind of example, good things happen.

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TN G8tr said:

Mac go ahead and make him the DC. I really like what he did with the D. We've all been screaming play to your strength and what will make you successful. RS did that. Loading the box and backing off the corners really helps the depleted LB corp. He let our strength be our strength. I feel we would have seen the same ole same old with side hat. Also they came out with fire in the second half. Perhaps Shannon had done all he could with Side Hat there but we saw a difference yesterday. With what we lose and what we have coming back, there may be a slight drop off but I expect our D to still be pretty good next season.

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Like others, I don't know how much of the defensive gameplan was intentional vs designed to make chicken salad from chicken sht. I can't comment a lot on Shannon from a DC perspective in terms of calls, but we did have players in the right places to make the plays.

Player execution is where I really saw things....like names I didn't recognize, stepping up and giving their best, which proved to be enough. I absolutely loved telling my neighbors that V. Joseph was a true freshman, as was Gardner. I'm not as hyped on M. Harris - yeah, he got the goal line tackle against LSU and IA, but he's also just bumping the QB at the goal line (see where the QB hurt his hamstring, see where C2 is pointing to poor technique). Garcia? I questioned why they moved Max from OL to LB, and why he was so much smaller....my bad. Love to see a walk on get a shot and deliver like that. Yes, the DL got run over for 200 yds, by a pair of 1k rushers and a run-first OL....I'll give them a pass on the running allowed, given they held the opponent to 3 pts.

Looking ahead, we're losing several starters in the backfield. Ok. I like what I saw from the younger guys filling in (DB/LB), and like how our DL will mature with another year under their belt. We may be a bit thin on this side of the ball, but I'm not looking at any returners saying "Please transfer" (other than maybe Dawson).

TLB said:

and like how our DL will mature with another year under their belt.

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I agree with pretty much everything else. Harris in particular played well (and much faster) from the middle of the season on. I never expected that at all. HOWEVER, you realize we are going to look much much different with Ivie and Brantley gone. Much different and even more soft up the middle. No amount of "DL maturing" is going to fix that problem. We are likely to be in the unenviable position of playing 250-260 pounders at NT. That is Div 3 stuff.

Swamp Donkey said:

I agree with pretty much everything else. Harris in particular played well (and much faster) from the middle of the season on. I never expected that at all. HOWEVER, you realize we are going to look much much different with Ivie and Brantley gone. Much different and even more soft up the middle. No amount of "DL maturing" is going to fix that problem. We are likely to be in the unenviable position of playing 250-260 pounders at NT. That is Div 3 stuff.

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I love how the weights of these hypothetical DTs keeps getting lower. Next week law will be telling us about our 210 lb tackles that couldn't start on their California HS's jv team

We played a 260 pounder (CeCe) at NT some THIS year. We played CeCe a d 250 pound Zuniga at DT extensively.

Im not the one making the depth chart or signing the flyweights.

Swamp Donkey said:

I agree with pretty much everything else. .

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Lies. I know you don't read my tl;dr crap.