I don’t know about you, but it was a restless Halloween evening for me as I waited for the game to begin. Seems like we haven’t played football in a year or so. Maybe it was the COVID shut down and the lost opportunity to play a seemingly hapless LSU bunch. Maybe it was that our last outing was a stinging loss in the waning minutes to TAMU (and Jimbo Fischer) on October 10, three weeks ago. Maybe it was the concern for our defense, or lack there of, and whether it would be any better (or worse) in light of the interrupted practice. Maybe it was a rare Blue Moon.
But in the end, the recovering Gators, without a dozen or so players, easily handled the Tigers of Mizzou 41-17. The defense effectively bottled up Missouri, holding them to 248 yards (208 passing, 40 rushing). Most amazing was that we were without three starters in the secondary and the tackling woes that have plagued us previously seemed to have been corrected...with limited practice opportunities! Second most amazing was that for a week at least, “Third-and-Grantham” wasn’t much of an issue as the Tigers were 3 / 15 on this down.
On the other hand, I was worried for a while that “Third-and-Mullen” might become a chant with us having some problems converting. For the game we were only slightly better than Missouri at 4 / 13 on third down, but we moved the sticks enough to put up five TDs and two FGs. There was a little rust, but the offensive efficiency was enough to engender confidence with the Dawgs and the WLOCP (or what once was pre-COVID) looming ahead.
So, let’s take a look at some specifics from the game:
*The story was the defense. If anybody would have told me that we’d have performed as well as we did with what we’ve put on the field thus far, I’d have told them they were crazy! How the heck we magically learned to tackle is a head scratcher. To be fair, Missouri helped us with some pass drops by open receivers and a couple of overthrows, but our performance was better. Now, will the improvement carry forward and be enough to help thwart UGA next week? You gotta think it looks better than it did three weeks ago!
*Offensively, Toney was the guy. Three TDs on the day, two receiving, one rushing, several defenders left grasping at air and nursing injured ankles. His talent is a difference maker and that he is getting the touches only makes our O that much better.
*Trask wasn’t at his very best, “only” 21 / 36 passing for 345 and a couple of hiccups (an INT and a three-and-out series with three straight incompletions), but he did throw four TDs and ran the ball effectively a couple of times. Maybe as importantly, he wasn’t injured on the unpenalized late hit just before the half. Healthy, he’s as good as any QB in the country.
*The front seven, especially the DL, Slaton, Cox, et al, deserve a shout out. 40 yards rushing, regardless of what you think of the Tigers, is a statement, especially when you weigh it against what we have been putting on film. Now go put two games together back-to-back.
*About that late hit...for all the blather and time spent by the SEC Network guys dissecting the play and the ensuing dust-up midfield, the biggest unanswered question to me was why was there no flag? Clearly Trask had completed the throw and was essentially defenseless. Although Mullen seemed to clumsily explain how things transpired, I don’t hold his outrage and sprint to midfield against him. If the refs aren’t going to protect your QB, then the HC has got to do it. And if the league hands down any suspensions after review, they should include an official responsible for the no call.
*Hats off to Howard! No McPherson? No problem! Way to step into the breech, young man. Evan will be back, but you showed that you’ve been earning your place at the training table. Kudos to a valuable walk-on and the latest Gator to make good.
*I’ve got to give
@Swamp Donkey a shout. After seeing Mullen’s outfit for his postgame presser...
...I couldn’t help but think “Damn, he really is ‘Dorky Dan!’” Maybe he lost a bet with Grantham?
It feels good to feel good on Sunday morning again. Part of that has to do with a better effort by the defense. It’s also nice to not have to constantly fret about the OL! Looking ahead to next Saturday, it begs the question “Can we keep progressing on that side of the ball so that we give our O the chance to outscore the Dawgs? Their D is pretty good, but their O not so much. If we can at least continue to tackle better, our chances are much greater than anyone would have given us three weeks ago. We also have to keep getting improved efforts from the front seven. UGA’s OL is better than Mizzou’s, so we’ve got to take that step. Do we end Kirby’s run and maybe represent the East this year? We’ve got a great opportunity. Can’t wait to see how we react! Bottom’s up, Jacksonville! And Go Gators!