Bits & Pieces: *Cotton Bowl* Florida vs. Oklahoma

[Swamp Donkey]

Excuses are for losers. Winners don't need em. I have a feeling Mullen lines up his excuses before a game

Dan is confortable in his losing skin.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

We had three cotton bowl practices, how many did Oklahoma have?

Enough that they knew all three of the routes our receivers would run.

 

[Musclepug]

 

[wrpgator]

This will start with a little blasphemy, but you'll probably agree with the conclusion, so here goes.

Just like without Percey Harvin there might have bee no Tim Tebow, without Pitts, Toney, and Grimes, there's no Trask. They made him look great all year with routes and catches that repeatedly gave him perfect targets and that often saved him from his own mistakes.Throwing to them, his soft touch looked perfect. Throwing to a lesser bunch last night, he just looked indecisive and weak.

I know a lot of that is unfair. How can you ask a QB to be successful with receivers he's literally never played with? The might be why Emery looked better, at least he'd played with these guys in practice. But, bottom line, take away once in a lifetime talent like Pitts, absurd play making skills like Toney, as well as Grimes and Copeland, and Trask looked outright pedestrian.

I don't agree that "they made him look great all year". It takes two to hook up a pass and catch. Last night Trask had receivers standing flat footed in the end zone while the defender went up a caught the ball, and others not running clean routes or running lazy routes, others dropping the ball. Yeah he didn't have a good night, but he stands among the greats of Gator quarterbacks even though his 4 top targets selfishly abandon the team for this last game. While freshmen players made plays for Oklahoma last night, Mullen let it be known that for his team if you're not a starter, you're relegated to the 'scout team', and a ready-made excuse for inept coaching. Don't ever wonder why Mullen is a marginal recruiter.

Trask could have opted out too, but he didn't. Kyle Trask is a warrior, and a great Gator.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Enough that they knew all three of the routes our receivers would run.

So one?

 

[RocketCityGator]

Meh, if we are going to call bowl games meaningless and genuinely believe that, then one should not infer too much from the performance of this game.

I'm shaking my head reading this statement. This game, more than any other, indicates issues with recruiting (these folks are going to be starters next year), coaching and preparation, team discipline and accountability, playcalling (2 consecutive QB runs up the middle), and leadership. Like C2, I all in on not giving up on the Gators, but I have given up on Mullen.

It's been a rollercoaster for me with Mullen. After watching him choke against Bama his last year at MSU, I didn't want him. But he was hired and I liked his enthusiasm, his mantra of relentless effort, etc. But after watching him for 3 years my conclusion is that while I believe that he is one of the best offensive guys in the business, he is a terrible head coach. He is unwilling to make personnel changes, fails to manage the entire game, doesn't hold people accountable including himself, and can't recruit. His job is to run the organization and he is failing to do that. And probably his worst failing is that I see no evidence that he self-evaluates. Good leaders not only evaluate the performance of those that report to them, but also themselves. He needs to be an OC somewhere calling plays with a head coach to handle recruiting, accountability, and game management. And someone to yell into his ear, "Stop running our Heisman QB up the gut on 2nd and 3rd and long."

So I say Go Gators with a furrowed brow because, I can infer a lot from this game.

 

[wrpgator]

Dan is confortable in his losing skin.

Yep, and the message he delivered after the game was "come on and be a Gator...you'll be on the scout team, you'll be ignored by us coaches and you'll serve as an excuse for me when I need it!"

 

[FlyingGator]

I know this a meme but is there a video? I can't find it on YouTube. I just wanna see that dude get clocked with a can.

The best is from the great Steve Inman. For those that haven’t seen his work, you’re welcome. He does great work with his play by play on Antifa beat downs too

 

[RocketCityGator]

Why the Butt Hurt?

Did anyone really think we would be competitive in this game?
I surely didn't, I didn't even make any effort to watch or listen.....

I gave you a dislike, but laughing at the Gators for being upset over this crap show. I'm going to go back and change it to ban.

 

[RocketCityGator]

Add to it that we had 3 practices.

This was much like a 1AA team playing Bama for the $$$.
It was a game where a bunch of young guys got to play and there were a few players making their first catch (Fraziars, Weston, Pouncy) or tackle (Summerall) in a real game.

Good point. But why were they getting their first chance to play? Why didn't we get ahead in other games and work them in? Coaching and game management issues.

 

[G8trwood]

Note, don’t have a bonfire and be drunk when you are disgusted with the coaching.... going to need some new gator gear for 2021....

 

[fischerwood]

Excellent assessment Cover, dark days ahead...
One of the worst Gator showings I can remember, worse than 4th & dumb, worse than 0-10-1, worse than Larry Ochab (not his fault), worse than our DB falling down in the '80 FL/GA game, Cousin Eddie and his staff should be ridden out of town on a rail, I've witnessed a half century of Gator football and this whole thing reeks of mediocrity. I don't think it'll be fixed any time soon which is a microcosm of what's going on in general...

 

[Saulgoodman]

For myself in the past there was always the promise of improvement moving forward, I no longer feel that. Combine the "futures" game tonight with poor recruiting... Dark days brothers.
I hope I'm wrong.

Couldn't agree with you more. Look at teams in the playoff this year and previous years, they have more "Jimmys and Joes" than anybody else other than Georgia. If it isn't the overall talent, they have an exceptional to good QB at the college level to take the lesser talent to higher levels (Burrow, Watson, Mayfield, Murray, Mariota, Hurts) sometimes coupled with a FAR EASIER path to the playoff than us in the SEC. Look at Clemson vs Bama 2017 with a serviceable QB in Bryant compared to the rematch next season in 2018 with Lawrence. Last year Burrow was able to carry a lackluster defense through most of the season until they could put together a solid outing.

This year Trask was on an Elite level, and it still wasn't good enough to get us over the top. It is going to be extremely hard to duplicate what he and this offense did this year when next season rolls around. Bama, LSU, & Georgia have been and will continue to be more talented than we are unless Dan decides to go get elite recruiters. Georgia won't have Frodo at QB next year unfortunately. Add to the equation that there is a good chance that Todd G returns and it looks like 11-2 will be our ceiling with Dan at the helm.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Dorky Dan went 8-4 with Dak also.

An elite QB wont fix Dorky Dan's failures, period.

 

[TheDouglas78]

UF's last game 12/19
OK last game 12/19

So we both had 11 days to prepare, stop using that as an excuse...

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Scout squad is hilarious, too.

Quite a slap in the face to his #2 player, too.

You signed these guys, Douchebag Dan. Families have entrusted their kids to you for development.

Not that you care. You are no doubt back on vacation til July.

After you took 7 days vacation last week.

 

[GatorJB]

This will start with a little blasphemy, but you'll probably agree with the conclusion, so here goes.

Just like without Percey Harvin there might have bee no Tim Tebow, without Pitts, Toney, and Grimes, there's no Trask. They made him look great all year with routes and catches that repeatedly gave him perfect targets and that often saved him from his own mistakes.Throwing to them, his soft touch looked perfect. Throwing to a lesser bunch last night, he just looked indecisive and weak.

I know a lot of that is unfair. How can you ask a QB to be successful with receivers he's literally never played with? The might be why Emery looked better, at least he'd played with these guys in practice. But, bottom line, take away once in a lifetime talent like Pitts, absurd play making skills like Toney, as well as Grimes and Copeland, and Trask looked outright pedestrian.

Emory did not look better throwing the ball. He had several passes that looked worse than anything Trask threw. He was just lucky enough to not be picked off. The only reason why he had some success was because OK was prepared for Trask and the pass, but he played in less than half the game. Also, the offensive scheme works better with a running QB based on how the O-line blocks and the fact that Mullen loves running the QB even when it means settling for a field goal and not trying to score a TD.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Cover2...Far better than most reporters.

I am also old school but we live in #$%^& UP times. It is so obvious that even if Mullen's Offenses is not the problem, his inability to evaluate ineptness and make changes IS.

ESPN announcers on air told Dan and the college football world that his DC is a clown (my words).

I can forgive mistakes...I don't forget laziness and ignorance...Especially from people making over $6MIL/YR

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Pretty sure is is 6.5 mil a year.

 

[RiverRat]

Damn that was UGLY.