Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Vanderbilt

[cover2]

Just got back from the game and it appears we saw most of the same things. There were some positives in that the run blocking was pretty good, we played decent defensively against their run game. We were able to sustain some drives keeping our defense off the field, but defense still had their issues. Our passing blocking though was well below average at best. I feel bad that Del Rio got hurt, but on that play as well as a few others, Del Rio left the pocket to the outside when there was no need to. He could have stepped up and climbed the pocket on a couple of plays but did not. I know it is back to FF now, and I just hope he will let some of the plays develop, although that pass that Swain caught on a deflection was an awful throw. I am convinced it was intended for Goolsby but he threw it high and way behind Goolsby. We did throw it TWICE to a RB as the primary receiver. Once it resulted in a big gain and the second one late in the 1st half might have been a TD but FF threw it way behind the RB. We also would have had a TD to Toney on a slip screen but Ivey totally WHIFFED on a block on the CB who was the only defender out there. Thankfully we scored on that drive to bail Ivey out.

Defensively I am officially done with Nick Washington in pass coverage. He is just awful. Both he and Gardner had chances at wounded ducks that any average safety would have gotten to, but they are just so bad that they did not. Washington plays flat footed and never breaks on the ball. he only moves after the ball is caught. I thought this was the poorest game our frosh CB's played in regards to technique. They were not good on most 50/50 balls technique, wise. Vandy's 2nd TD was a complete bust by someone, but not sure whom, but he was WIDE open. Vandy's 3rd TD was just an awful play by Henderson.

And lastly, Butters once again showed what a complete moron he is from a game management perspective. Late in the 2nd quarter, Vandy has it 4th down, about 1:30 left, clock running and we have all 3 timeouts remaining. Vandy is probably going to try about a 47yd FG give or take. so instead of taking a timeout, Butters lets Vandy burn 40 seconds, Vandy take the timeout and trots out the FG unit. But coming out of the timeout, we send 12 guys out on the field. How the FVVK does that happen coming out of a timeout? We did drive down thanx to a long pass to get a tying FG, but would you rather have 1:20 left and 2 timeouts remaining or 40 seconds and 3 timeouts remaining? I will take the more time and 2 TO's. But it's Butters.

With that said, there was some positives but as C2 mentioned, we should look improved against Vandy. They are not terrible and really exposed our pass defense. Speaking of being done with both our starting safetys in pass coverage, I feel the same way about our LB's. Reese had 2 balls right in front of his face and could not knock either one down. Moon and Joseph are also awful in pass coverage. it was good to see Johnson out there and I hope he is healthy next week.

Thanks, Fire. I hate it for LDR. Just heard them say at halftime of Auburn/Miss St. that he has a broken collar bone and is done. Grow up time for Franks. Washington looks like one of the players on the old electric football games at times. Lost and goes where he shouldn't, or standing like a statue. He's an upperclassman. Got to have more consistent and better play from his position. Clock management? Sometimes I think there is none. Thankfully, it didn't kill us, but it might down the road. LBs are going to be what they're going to be with little depth and walk ons in reserve. Read earlier in the week that Garcia had some comments about criticisms of his play. I would have to tell him Partner, we're proud you are a member of the team and that you are not only a good student, but a great citizen as well. That will take you far in life. But an SEC caliber defender...I'm sorry, but no. Keep giving your best, but recognize from whence the criticisms come.

Great points Cover. During the half time interview with mac I mentioned to the Mrs that Mac actually sounded like a coach instead of the philosophizing farmer.

He showed a slightly more involved side, they must have reduced his meds.

Good show by the Gators today, I enjoy watching Franks play.

"Philosophizing farmer!" I love it!

I loved the way their rcvrs got separation. They pushed off every time. Quick shove with the hand low. It will never be called. Can our rcvrs be taught to do that?

The biggest problem is that we aren't very physical on the routes ourselves. Of course a mitigating factor is that we don't always recognize the routes and this helps cause our poor coverages. As for our receivers, I would hope that as they mature, they will become more physical as well.

Forgot once again to mention in the OP, but recruit Dameon Pierce rushed for 200+ and three TDs. He was limited in the second half with an ankle injury (not too serious), but still ripped off a couple of long runs, one for a TD and another that he did a 360 after contact to extend the play. His cuts were limited after the ankle, but the effort was still there. Bainbridge lost to Rickards out of Tallahassee 41-27. Game was tied with 3 minutes or so to play and Rickards scored to take the lead. Second play after the kick off, Rickards returned an interception for the knock out. A limited Pierce was a factor in the outcome.

 

[GatorJ]

Counter was a good play for us

It's so frustrating that it took this long for us to consistently run a counter. It should be the bread and butter running play. Now for sure, Davis runs the counter very well – but it's nice to see it as a staple in our playbook. It catches the defense going one way and puts them out of position. Any back who has vision will exploit that consistently.

We got burned on a screen again and I can't help but feel part of the problem is that the LB's get caught too close to the LOS and are easy to seal.

These linebackers are so infuriating. In coverage I see them routinely to the side of a receiver leaving them open for slants. They are not the best at run defense and they are even worse at pass defense. They did shore up a bit in the second half – but that D line was a monster today.

Not as many missed tackles, though two were very noticeable. Both by Chauncey. He got trucked twice and it will continue to happen as long as he stands flat-footed and waits on the back (or receiver) to meet him with a head of steam. Poor technique.

I've been sticking up for Gardner a bit because I don't think he has been 100% healthy. But he is not doing much to help his case. Over the last three weeks he has been all over Twitter complaining about the fans. Even today – calling all gator fans not real fans. He has deleted quite a bit of them but that shows me that he is not responsible with social media. One thing that I do not like about Mac is that he gives his players so much leeway with social media. We saw it with LDR. And now we are seeing it with Gardner. Just shut that crap down. No tweets during the season.

 

[Marine1]

I like Gardner but he just has not played well yet. I've heard he has a persistent ankle injury but it just appears to me that he keeps going for the knockout punch and either whiffs entirely or get trucked. He has to wrap up.

I've seen his tweets. Of course I hate that crap. But as I'm learning...its how we roll these days. The criticism of him on social media has gotten very ugly and very personal. If grown men accept this as acceptable behavior its going to hard to convince 20 years olds to not return fire. I've learned its called "clapping back". I'm lit AF.

 

[GatorJ]

I like Gardner but he just has not played well yet. I've heard he has a persistent ankle injury but it just appears to me that he keeps going for the knockout punch and either whiffs entirely or get trucked. He has to wrap up.

I've seen his tweets. Of course I hate that crap. But as I'm learning...its how we roll these days. The criticism of him on social media has gotten very ugly and very personal. If grown men accept this as acceptable behavior its going to hard to convince 20 years olds to not return fire. I've learned its called "clapping back". I'm lit AF.

I haven't seen what was tweeted at him. But simply Mac needs to just say, "no social media during the season". I think he's letting it get under his skin and it's reflected in his focus.

 

[GR8 2B]

Good win and better performance by the good guys! Some improvements, which are to be expected by game 4, if not somewhat slower than anticipated. But before we start handing out t-shirts, it was Vandy...we should expect to beat them. Even though they made us look after defeating K State, Bama pulled off their contender costume. The key at this point, to me, is to continue to get better each game, which I think we've seen to a degree in the last two. Even though LSU isn't up to speed this year, you've got to think it'll likely be a battle. But again, keep improving and we have a positive outcome. Alright, let's talk specifics...

*We were able to generate more pressure from our front four. Heck, Shannon even dialed a little up with the LBs a time or two. He'll be growing a full fro next thing you know! Seriously, much better and Polite and Zuniga, among others seem to be rising. Sherit solid. Bryan generated a rush on an outside stunt, but he gets stood up and chicken fights too much when rushing the interior. I guess he's there for a middle screen, but really he's still raw, particularly in this area. CeCe had some good rushes as well. Rush D was better. Slaton got a shout from the commentators (more on them later) and we were generally consistent with the rush D.

* Joseph looked to have a more consistent game. Some good rush plays and passes defended. Some coaching and understanding seem to be going on and taking hold. Reese had a few good plays against the rush. Johnson was back. We got burned on a screen again and I can't help but feel part of the problem is that the LB's get caught too close to the LOS and are easy to seal. They could also be better in their under coverage on passes. QB and route recognition need to improve.

*Special Teams...Some better. Punting was ok. Saw some attention to hang time on short field punts, but coverage was better on the boomers. We shouldn't have a hang time concern on these punts IMO. If we've got a guy that can kick it 60, then we need to have guys who can get off the hold-ups and force the return guy to the middle if we don't tackle him. The middle lane guys have to be downfield in a hurry and not get held up, either. We were better. Townsend ain't exactly kicking line drives! Hustle and technique. Eddy was great on KOs, but his long FG attempt was a duck. Doesn't count against him, but I was expecting him to clear with 10 yds to spare! A note on punting...the Rugby style, employed by Vandy, is supposed to be a no return scheme. The guy takes about 5 steps on the roll, buying time for the gunners, and usually tries to kick a lower trajectory ball with hopes that it will be more difficult for the returner to field (and fair catch if executed properly in terms of coverage) and they can then take advantage of the tumble. They were pretty proficient, although Powell muffed a returnable punt.

*Not as many missed tackles, though two were very noticeable. Both by Chauncey. He got trucked twice and it will continue to happen as long as he stands flat-footed and waits on the back (or receiver) to meet him with a head of steam. Poor technique. To his credit though, he did have two pass break-ups, the last was a shot on the receiver from the hash.

*Secondary made a few plays (Henderson, Duke, etc.), but the Vandy guy carved us up to an extent when we didn't generate pressure. We aren't lockdown by any means, still get lost in coverage some, and make crazy reads (Washington flies the opposite way from the QB roll in the red zone when they hit the TE dragging...what the heck was he thinking?). Lot of work to do but potential is there.

*Usually not crazy about the RB by committee, but it was well-managed today. Perine had a big day and Davis was solid. Thompson had some good plays. He's pretty good receiving. 5 rushing TDs? I'll take it.

*OL was better, as evidenced by our ability to run. A few pass pro issues, but maybe they are gelling. Counter was a good play for us and the G blocks looked pretty decent. As they continue to improve, our chances to be more efficient offensively and to win obviously expand.

*Hate to see LDR injured, but Frank's came in and gave us what we needed. Strike to Cleveland was big, even though we settled for a FG. Not what we wanted, but given the field position likely better than expected. He made some good throws, more of them than bad or ill-advised ones. The laser he threw to Swain in the back of the end zone, despite what McElroy said, was a confident throw by a gunslinger. Swain could have made the catch I thought. It was a little low, but where it needed to be in that situation. Frank's will get better with the reps and his performance in the win should help build his confidence.

*The commentators...First, McElroy was a college QB, but shouldn't be held as the final authority. Seemed like he got on Franks a bit much. Some deserved and questions about the cadence were deserved, but his point about the bad snap on the goal line was a big reach. Saying that he thought McCoy believed Franks was under center sounds like horse sh!t and piling on. Unless they changed the way a QB seats his hands under center, McCoy would have felt the top of Franks upper hand on his junk. No need to go all Merrill Hoge. Besides, his tie knot was too small. Also, the dialogue about Davis needing to take a knee when he broke into the open and scored is preposterous as far as I'm concerned. You don't coach a back to do that and if Mac does, as they speculated, then it only adds to the concerns...but I have some doubts as to that validity, despite the continuance of the dialogue while the camera was on Mac post play.

*Slight concern that we allowed Vandy to follow our score with a score of their own a couple of times. We need to be a little tougher in these situations moving forward. No need to give them a chance to feel like they can play with us. These are times we need a stop.

*Dont know for sure, but Mac seemed a lot more focused on the sidelines than maybe I've thought in the past. Not as goofy. Maybe a change for the better. He just looked more involved. Coaching points at times they were needed appeared to be delivered. Positive.

Next up...LSU. Some more momentum from the win and better play going forward. I'm glad to see us trending this way. Still lots of work to be done. Liking better what I'm seeing. Go Gators!

You're the man, cover. Your posts are very much appreciated!

 

[Marine1]

I haven't seen what was tweeted at him. But simply Mac needs to just say, "no social media during the season". I think he's letting it get under his skin and it's reflected in his focus.

I agree.

 

[rogdochar]

Maybe, the criticism on social media is the only decent "coaching" these kids "get", since they're so attuned to it. Hell, they could have been trashing me -- I've never seen a CFB player's tweet I could know from. I saw a few aTm players that hansome kind of compression outer-sock outside his shoes that covered from his arch up his ankle; it looked very safe. We cannot aford for Cleveland to be diminished.

Franks will learn with the extended playing time + the guarantee-thinking that he won't be pulled by an unpredictable HC.
He surely fires the ball in good travel-time to the WR. He still kicks his on feet once in awhile. But goodness, think about his accuracy long distances to Cleveland. Swain & Soloman will have to show skills like Cleveland = "be like Tyree". Too bad the players believe in themselves but the coaches don't. Our RB trio will have to continue getting 230 + YPG if we are to beat LSU, maybe UGa.

Watched other games today. Most other teams play like pros compared to us. And Yet we're moving forward 2-0 in our division. So many failing HCs in the SEC East. Hope when they are fired opposing schools don't hire any HC we got our eyes on. Scoring 38 on a better than usual Vandy was good, but allowing 24 wasn't.

 

[emr25]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet, but when is the last time we won the 3rd quarter in a close game?

One TD in the 3rd with another TD coming a few plays into the 4th. Defense held Vandy to 0 in the 3rd.

It was Vandy, so all taken in context, but the second half may have been the best called half for Nuss as a Gator. The run was working and we stuck with it. Even had a few well timed screens.

 

[cover2]

I like Gardner but he just has not played well yet. I've heard he has a persistent ankle injury but it just appears to me that he keeps going for the knockout punch and either whiffs entirely or get trucked. He has to wrap up.

I've seen his tweets. Of course I hate that crap. But as I'm learning...its how we roll these days. The criticism of him on social media has gotten very ugly and very personal. If grown men accept this as acceptable behavior its going to hard to convince 20 years olds to not return fire. I've learned its called "clapping back". I'm lit AF.

I think Gardner has an upside as well. But he tackles terribly. As for Twitter, I don't do it, but my son tells me what the players say and he has alluded to Gardner's tweet war with fans. Stupid both ways. But if he doesn't want criticism, he should work on fixing the tackling issue. He's a second year player. No excuse for remaining so poor in this area. I really don't get the whole Twitter thing. Stay off of it and stay happier!

Maybe, the criticism on social media is the only decent "coaching" these kids "get", since they're so attuned to it. Hell, they could have been trashing me -- I've never seen a CFB player's tweet I could know from. I saw a few aTm players that hansome kind of compression outer-sock outside his shoes that covered from his arch up his ankle; it looked very safe. We cannot aford for Cleveland to be diminished.

Franks will learn with the extended playing time + the guarantee-thinking that he won't be pulled by an unpredictable HC.
He surely fires the ball in good travel-time to the WR. He still kicks his on feet once in awhile. But goodness, think about his accuracy long distances to Cleveland. Swain & Soloman will have to show skills like Cleveland = "be like Tyree". Too bad the players believe in themselves but the coaches don't. Our RB trio will have to continue getting 230 + YPG if we are to beat LSU, maybe UGa.

Watched other games today. Most other teams play like pros compared to us. And Yet we're moving forward 2-0 in our division. So many failing HCs in the SEC East. Hope when they are fired opposing schools don't hire any HC we got our eyes on. Scoring 38 on a better than usual Vandy was good, but allowing 24 wasn't.

Lots to agree with Rog! SEC east coaching is sub par for the most part. Kirby will be a good one, much to the Gator's chagrin I'm afraid. His dad gave me my first coaching job. I want him to be undefeated except for one game each year even though I'm no Dawg lover! He was a good kid and player. Had a good football mind back in high school.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet, but when is the last time we won the 3rd quarter in a close game?

I have trouble remembering the last time we scored in the third quarter. I think it was 2011.

 

[T REX]

It was Vandy. The last three teams we've played are not very good. It's not transitive either. Tenn struggled against UMass then was shutout. UK played poorly against us and Eastern Mich. Vandy lost 59-0 and lost 24-38 to us. The east is so bad.

 

[Alumni Guy]

Anyone else notice the Franks tends to twitch or "mini-pumpfake" before he throws? It's like he's not confident or something.

It almost cost him a pick when he passed to the flat. It sort of telegraphs where he's throwing it.

 

[divits]

Chauncey Gardner tackles like a guy named Chauncey.

 

[cover2]

Anyone else notice the Franks tends to twitch or "mini-pumpfake" before he throws? It's like he's not confident or something.

It almost cost him a pick when he passed to the flat. It sort of telegraphs where he's throwing it.

The game hasn't slowed down for him yet. The more game reps he gets, it should start meshing better. But then again, Driskel seemed to have that problem while he was here. Some guys progress faster than others. The coaching they get has a lot to do with it.

 

[cover2]

Chauncey Gardner tackles like a guy named Chauncey.

Hes starting to look more like an armadillo than a DB.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

Hes starting to look more like an armadillo than a DB.

But wasn't he an adequate tackler last year? What happened? I actually feel sorry for him, squatting there waiting to be run over. I find myself wondering whether or not his eyes are open.

 

[ChiefGator]

I also heard that LDR's career is over, I don't see why or heard from any official source. It is only a broken collar bone, they do heal and if he likes school and can help younger players I don't see why his career is over.

Now he might not want to continue that is of course his choice, but we will have plenty of scollys.

 

[GatorJ]

But wasn't he an adequate tackler last year? What happened? I actually feel sorry for him, squatting there waiting to be run over. I find myself wondering whether or not his eyes are open.

I think because he mainly played CB. And they spend the majority of their time breaking up passes. A safety has to be able to tackle. Safety is not a good position for him.

 

[Jbossgator8]

Gators WIN and there is NOTHING you Dumpers can do about it!! Yes it was Vandy but an improved Vandy team with good coaching. Haters and Complainers in PANIC mode. Our D has to improve. Go Gators!!

 

[cover2]

But wasn't he an adequate tackler last year? What happened? I actually feel sorry for him, squatting there waiting to be run over. I find myself wondering whether or not his eyes are open.

I quoted J's post below, as I believe him playing corner last season might have a little something to do with it. Safety has got to be a hat on the ball type guy as well as cover. The fact that he gets in a position to tackle, albeit flat-footed and stationary isn't ideal, it makes me think he is willing, just not very good at it. I think it's correctable, but we should already be seeing it improve by this juncture. As stated previously, he put a nice lick on a receiver while coming off the hash for a PBU. He can make contact.

I think because he mainly played CB. And they spend the majority of their time breaking up passes. A safety has to be able to tackle. Safety is not a good position for him.

Gators WIN and there is NOTHING you Dumpers can do about it!! Yes it was Vandy but an improved Vandy team with good coaching. Haters and Complainers in PANIC mode. Our D has to improve. Go Gators!!

Boss...you complaining about the D or just sharing an observation? ;)