Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Louisiana State

[Bernardo de la Paz]

AA pitches have been interesting/scary at times.

This.

I think the pitch at the goal line was actually a good call from an Xs and Os standpoint, but when you call a play like that you have to know your guys can execute. That's the part that I don't get. Maybe we run this stuff like clockwork in practice, but in games AA has really struggled pitching the ball. The play that immediately comes to mind is the one last week where Perine? had to make a one handed grab of a ball that was too high and behind him to avoid a big loss.

 

[oxrageous]

I despised that call.

 

[gatormandan]

I despised that call.

I loved it...when LSU tried it in the end......

 

[LongTooth]

THEY PLAYED LIKE WARRIOR POETS

THEY PLAYED LIKE GATORS

THEY WON THE SEC EAST

 

[CGgater]

I despised that call.

Because of the result.

 

[oxrageous]

Because of the result.

With the push we were getting I think a sneak with our huge QB would have gotten us in. No reason to pitch it, especially with AA being so bad at it. He really has no touch at all.

 

[FireFoley]

Because of the result.

I think that people like me and OX, etc. despised the call not b/c of the result. Had it resulted in a TD, it still would have been a horrendous call for this reason. The entire drive which got us to the TWO inch line was based on pure power running mainly guard to guard. The O-line was in sync and they were confident. And there is nothing more demoralizing to a defense than knowing exactly what the offense is going to do and not being able to stop it or slow it down. Well that entire drive is the epitome of a good offense and those MORONS botched it by getting cute when there was absolutely no need. This O-line can only have a small amount of success if things are simple and repetitive and keeping them in a rhythm. Had we not been moving the ball inside the tackles very easily then I could have seen the call, but since we were moving it with ease, this particular call was nothing short of atrocious, regardless of result!

 

[CGgater]

With the push we were getting I think a sneak with our huge QB would have gotten us in. No reason to pitch it, especially with AA being so bad at it. He really has no touch at all.

Just poking a little fun there, bro. However, I don't disagree with your points. I believe lswho was loading up for stuffing the middle and that is why I don't believe it was a BAD call. Everyone would've screamed it was predictable if we went up the gut and failed, even though no one will admit it.

 

[gatormandan]

Just poking a little fun there, bro. However, I don't disagree with your points. I believe lswho was loading up for stuffing the middle and that is why I don't believe it was a BAD call. Everyone would've screamed it was predictable if we went up the gut and failed, even though no one will admit it.

I admit it. I would have been mad. I really thought a qb sneak was in order.

 

[T REX]

What a win over the Coon Asses! Particularly sweet given the sh!t talk that has been spewing from Baton Rouge of late. Better yet, we didn't lose one in the second half by virtue of too conservative and erratic play calling/sequencing (which have not left us BTW). The D is due a big hats off. They weren't perfect today, bent a lot, but didn't break, and the goal line stand was a thing of beauty. And they did it with several starters out, as if you didn't know that! Offensively, we were erratic, but actually made a big time play and found our running game against a pretty good D. Still several head-scratchers from the coaches IMO, but we survived them.

I personally went through a wide span of emotions during the game, alternating my cheers with streams of profanity. Don't get me wrong, the win, as I stated earlier, was great and much needed. But a lot of the same problems from several coaching standpoints remain. The difference may have been the level of mental preparation and consistent play, physically and emotionally, by the players. Thus, my comments will be broken into two parts...what I liked and appreciated and what I didn't (which could probably subtitled same old sh!t from the coaches and a couple of players). So here goes:

• Scarlett just keeps getting better. The guy has the best legs and leg drive I've seen from a Gator back in a while. To repeat myself, he's Mr. YAC. He seems to get at least two or three yards when it looks like he's going to be stopped. Loved how he just demolished Beckwith. He looked especially strong in the second half. Keep giving him the rock.
• The OL had something to do with Scarlett's big day. They were able, as Jesse said, to get a consistent push in the run game. Pass Pro was a little shakey, but they probably did their best on the 98 yarder to Cleveland. Thought the new center and the other youngsters acquitted themselves pretty well. Ivey played pretty well I think and made a highlight play when he wrapped and sealed the ILB on one of Scarlett's big gains. Glad to see this group progressing.
• Young LB's played pretty well despite some gaffs. Early on, they were slow to read some keys (e.g. Kylan was a count or two slow reading the back in the flats on a screen and got sealed by the OT; with some experience he'll scrape past that block untouched and blow the play up) and pressed the LOS on the play action, which allowed the TE to easily get open behind where they should have been in coverage. But that's youth for you. They made enough plays to be a part of the winning D. The kid from Michigan has a chance to be a good one I think.
• Appleby was fairly steady if unspectacular with a few exceptions, the biggest obviously being the strike to Cleveland. He made a big error on the pitch to Perine that could have cost us, but the D bailed us out. Hate to say it, but I don't think we win that one if the other guy was under center, so I do think we've upgraded the position somewhat.
• Kicking game was good and I think coverages were better. Maybe Nord reads Gator Chatter :). Punter was a big part of the victory with his kicks that flipped the field when our offense was sputtering. And Eddy made some kicks, albeit more short than dramatic, that we had to have.
• Just when I told c2 Jr that Perine seemed to be fading a little in the last couple of games, he has a highlight reel run, dragging half the Coon Ass D with him!
• Loved the energy and consistent play by the team. It's been a missing ingredient. Hope it's here to stay, especially with Jimbo and the Criminoles on the horizon. Bama's another matter for two weeks. It's important that we play with the same effort and consistency of that and energy against a heated rival.

Now for part two:

• The play calls/sequences are still at best erratic. First down is a throwing down way too much for us to fool the opponents. Of course, there was one big exception today and I tip my hat for the timing. Many will recall Mark Richt as the F$U OC consistently throwing from his own end zone with quite a bit of success. It also tended to loosen up the rush D. Still, we had little rhythm in the first half. The big play and the run game was great in the second, though I'm still wondering why we take Scarlett out on third and two (I think it was) to score and try the pitch to Perine. He would have probably scored if the pitch wasn't low and behind him, but my thinking is first, why even try it and second, you might look like a genius if it works, but you look like a dumb ass that's out thought himself if it doesn't. Might have been in the playbook, but wasn't executed like it had been well-practiced. It was a staple in Spurrier's time and we ran it and inserted it to perfection. Not so much today.
• You might disagree, but I don't know why in the hell Mac called time out during the goal line stand. I believe LSU would have called their own and it could have been costly if they scored and we needed it when trying to get in scoring position with a short clock. We knew (or should have) what their goal line plays, formations, and tendencies were and should have been able to adjust as necessary. If they'd have Japped it up from the huddle break, then take a TO. Just didn't make good sense to me at the time and I almost felt like Mac might have felt like we were going to give up the score and wanted to conserve some time. If so, bad message to send.
• Praised the OL, but Sharpe was anything but what his name implies on several plays, particularly in Pass Pro. But he's been getting beaten pretty consistently by the other team's DE, so I shouldn't be surprised.
• Penalties seemed down (haven't checked the stat line), but the delay that put us in a and-long situation wasn't good. Gotta have a better presence in that situation.
• Appleby seemed to lock onto one receiver on some occasions. There were a few passes that if he'd better read his progressions, we might have had a few more completions. Of course, protection was shakey and it's easy to get tunnel vision when you're on the move.
• Mac better buy Collins a steak after this one. His group saved the day.

On the good side, we beat a good team that we had to beat and Mac got one more signature win. I think he has two now. The bad thing is that winning might make the coaches believe their plan has finally been validated, and maybe it has . But I'm inclined to think that if we stay erratic with the play calls and play not to lose in the second half against the good and better teams, there will be more UT experiences in the future. We overcame it today because the D didn't give up or out and they dialed up that fantastic goal line series. Scarlett and the OL in the second half made it work. Remember that we only had 60 yards of total offense in the first half and we couldn't stop LSU on third down. Whether this is a trend or outlier will be better known after next week. But enough of my critical ass for now. Let's savor a big, big win and get ready for the Noles. Go Gators!



*Sorry about the error in the title! I'll fix it when I figure out how :(

Thanks as always C2. Big game next week for bragging rights for the next 364 days. Also huge for recruiting. We could use a nice win streak going into ATL.

 

[gatormandan]

You guys could use a nice win streak going into ATL.

FIFY

 

[BMF]

Good post as usual C2. Nice inputs from the board.

Does anyone know how many of the D players in on that last play return next year? I noticed at least 5.

We technically will lose around 8 or 9 starters on D (depending on who leaves early). But w/ the playing time and starts these younger players are getting, we'll return a solid core. We need the JUCO DT and Riles to be SEC ready next fall as the #3 & 4 DTs and I think we'll be fine. I have to say, Tavin Bryan has greatly improved. He and Clark will be very solid SEC DT starters next year. The 2 freshman LBs are getting very, very valuable experience and will come in w/ 5 starts each (against some very good teams: LSU, Bama, FSU, bowl opponent....and SC, who has improved as well). I hope this isn't premature (w/ FSU, Bama, and the bowl game yet to come). Now we need to find a QB!!

 

[BMF]

I just watched the last play again, and I think at least 8 players will return: Johnson, Bryan, Reese, Joseph, Washington, Sherit, Jefferson, and Harris (all were on the field for that play).

 

[cover2]

The little misdirection pitch seems to be a little enigmatic judging by some of the comments. Execution kept it from being the right call in that particular situation IMO. I haven't re-watched the game and can't quite recall AA's action, but the QB should fake right to draw the playside DE (Arden Key) who is supposed to be unblocked on an inside track. But I seem to recall him coming straight upfield, so either the fake was bad or he was pretty disciplined. I'm guessing the former as bad (and probably hurried) as the pitch was. Don't remember the exact formation, but the OT playside either scoops the DE and rises to the CB or does the same off the DE's inside hip. You can't run it if there is any doubt whatsoever that there won't be a clean and precise exchange. As many have noted, it was a left-handed action, so it has to be repped many, many times for a right-hander, and a former back-up at that, to develop the precision and trust. At any rate, somebody miscalculated and I believe it was one or more of the adults in charge.

I've read in another thread where Mac expressed some dismay with some of the play calling, getting away from the Scarlett A/B gap runs. If so, that's on him. He's the CEO and an offensive guy. His public demeanor says otherwise, but he needs to be more authoritarian where the play calling and planning is concerned. He can't trust Nuss to be any better than he has been thus far unless Mac is on board with the offensive game plan as it has played out these last several weeks. If so, it makes no sense to me.

 

[FireFoley]

Cover, would like your opinion on something I have noticed (or to be specific) not seen for weeks regarding some play calling. This is not, I repeat, not about the LSU game or bashing in general, but more just philosophy. It seems to me that there is no middle of the field passing in the intermediate areas (10-20 yards). I have always thought that teams can do a lot of damage there b/c the offensive game these days is so sideways. Being that we do not really have any dynamic guys who can catch a 2 yard pass and take it 60 yards, why do you think this staff is so reluctant to explore the intermediate routes between the hash marks? Besides short crosses or short drag routes, we seem to disdain the middle of the field. Perhaps we do not have a good possession type guy who understands coverages and can find the soft spots?

 

[cover2]

Cover, would like your opinion on something I have noticed (or to be specific) not seen for weeks regarding some play calling. This is not, I repeat, not about the LSU game or bashing in general, but more just philosophy. It seems to me that there is no middle of the field passing in the intermediate areas (10-20 yards). I have always thought that teams can do a lot of damage there b/c the offensive game these days is so sideways. Being that we do not really have any dynamic guys who can catch a 2 yard pass and take it 60 yards, why do you think this staff is so reluctant to explore the intermediate routes between the hash marks? Besides short crosses or short drag routes, we seem to disdain the middle of the field. Perhaps we do not have a good possession type guy who understands coverages and can find the soft spots?

Good question Fire. We have some routes designed for the middle of the field. For example, yesterday there was a pass that AA threw to the sideline (I believe he rolled right) to a covered receiver he was locked onto while a receiver from the opposite side ran a drag between the LB's and Safety, who were flowing with AA's roll. The drag was open, but AA was never going to see him. I don't know that we run a bunch of digs (15 yds and across), but depending on what the complimentary routes are (e.g. a seam or post to occupy the Safety), they can be hard to cover if run precisely by a speedy receiver. But they take time to develop, and some of our pass pro hasn't been real consistent. The QB. Has to be able to identify the coverage and quickly go through the progressions and/or know who will most likely be open as a result pre snap. I don't think we've had a QB this season that can consistently do that for one or both of the aforementioned requirements. Additionally, the QB has to be tall enough to see over the OL, and that might have hampered LDR somewhat. Some posts are what I recall seeing, and maybe we've hit a few, but seems like most of our attack points have been to the sidelines with several being bubble screens. Not much reading to be done on these.

Somebody mentioned in either this thread earlier or another that maybe the coaching staff didn't trust the current players with a wider variety of plays than what we are seeing. If that is the case, the players have to be worse than we imagine (which I can't fully buy into) or the coaches haven't been able to develop them further than they are (which maybe I can believe). To their credit, they have translated their abilities into eight wins, but some have almost been in spite of the offensive output. Coaching is about nurturing growth, as quickly as possible, in your players. I just get the feeling that Mac isn't a big risk taker, but he probably didn't have to be under Saban. I didn't follow him while was at Colorado State, but I have to believe the competition didn't routinely necessitate a ton of aggressive play calling. Likely much of the fundamental stuff, which ain't all bad, but is reflective of what we had under Muschamp. Thus, he probably feels safer with a steady diet of attacking the outside thirds with the passing game than trying to put the safety in a bind and throwing in front of him. With as good a core of receivers as I feel we have, it is an opportunity lost lost IMO. But the QB play can be a mitigating factor. By now we should be able to do this as consistently as the outside stuff.

 

[Since65]

A question regarding the "why" of the pitch play near the goal line. Gators had been consistently gashing LSU with between the tackles running. It seems that LSU was beginning to take some chances to try and slow down that success, one example of that was crashing from the outside with defensive backs. I know they made at least one tackle for loss this way. In other words, it appeared they were beginning to bring some extra personnel to help the DL in an effort to stop the run.

It seems (to this uneducated X&O viewer) that the pitch play would be the right kind of play to negate the impact of this pinching from the outside. Could that be the reason for the call as opposed to just trying to be clever? Similar to what UF defenders did on the final play of the game when the outside guys crashed inside and grabbed Guice by the ankles. Had Guice gone outside it didn't look like we had much coverage on the edge?

I didn't hear Clark's name called much during the game? Did I overlook his contribution or did Bryan get most of the snaps (along with Ivie) next to Brantley?

The hit by Joseph on Ettling was a thing of beauty. Shoulder to the chest....no helmet to helmet, no targeting. Just a bigger guy making the other guy pay for his decision to run the ball. The fact that Joseph just stood straight up after the hit and stood completely still made it that much better. Just a great visual!

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I admit it. I would have been mad. I really thought a qb sneak was in order.

Didn't we fumble the last QB sneak?

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Had Guice gone outside it didn't look like we had much coverage on the edge?

Watch the play. He looked outside and both 17 Sherit and 11 Joseph were there. Not sure if it was a counter all the way or if he was supposed to go outside. He wouldn't have made it unless he broke or juked them both.

I didn't hear Clark's name called much during the game? Did I overlook his contribution or did Bryan get most of the snaps (along with Ivie) next to Brantley?

He was there but playing nose most of the time. Double-teamed a lot. Bryan usually played DT not NT.

I saw a few plays with 3 DTs on the field and CeCe at DE.

 

[I Have No Friends :(]

Our bread and butter short yardage play is the QB sneak, which we average about 2 yards a try with. It's 3rd and goal on the one inch line on the road and LSU hasn't pushed the Oline back once this current drive. You run the sneak, take the TD and win the game. There's no need to out scheme LSU here at all. None.