Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Tennessee

cover2

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I'm not a professional journalist, but I've heard those that qualify say this about news (sports or otherwise): like fish, it's best served fresh and hot. The longer it sits, the less interesting it becomes. Therein lies the basis for my apology for being a day late with this article. I consider this my "real" job, but for starters the one that pays the bills got in the way. A cross country meet that we hosted finished about 11:35 and after sprinting to the wing joint (I volunteered to pick up the necessaries for the family viewing), I was about halfway into the first quarter before I got to start watching (though Mick kept me informed and I did get to watch our first series while picking up the wings). Afterward, it was up to the lake place for a family weekend (both kids home from Tifton and Valdosta respectively). No cable and no internet...yet and the result is this Sunday evening offering. I hope you'll forgive me.

Alright, enough of this waxing melancholy BS. Let's talk about our 34-3 drubbing of the hapless Vols. The culmination of our effort and the win over a primary conference rival, which is always good, left me feeling more like Smokey had heart worms and we had to put him down. It is hard for me to comprehend just what tough times their program has fallen upon and for how long the malaise has lasted. But make no mistake, I have no sympathy. As we well know, one bad hire (or two) can quickly set you on your ear. Couple that with capital inefficiencies and the recipe for a dying program is before you. It is debatable about the time frame of our turn around, better but not yet best maybe, but there is little argument that the Vols are clinging to the rim. Better them than us.

The Trask story was probably the biggest to most everyone. Chapter One (last week was the Introduction I guess) solid and awe-inspiring to an extent when you consider Trask's football journey to date, but he's not quite super hero status yet. Still a mere mortal, but maybe just a spider bite or radiation exposure away from something really special :dunno:. The contrived point here is to enjoy what he's been able to do and anticipate what he might, but keep it in proper perspective. He's got an advantage with our elite corps of receivers, but he's also a missed block away from an ambulance ride. With a better OL, not necessarily elite, and a strong running game, his progression might really be something, Kerwin Bell-ian perhaps. But as it stands, we get to enjoy this mystery chapter by chapter. On to the recap:

*Trask does some things really well, like throwing a good ball, most of the time, and putting it where our guy can catch it, most of the time. He has a confidence about him that doesn't belie that this was his first start since 9th grade. He's pretty clean with his mechanics (not just the throwing part) and his footwork. His humility, which is more throwback than modern day, makes me feel like he's very appreciative of where he finds himself and what it took to get there. He's not a finished product by any means and it is unbeknownst whether they'll make a CFB version of The Natural starring him, but who knows? I'll take him being in the conversation for All SEC. That's not too much to ask is it? ;)

*I'll be brief about the OL. They're still not very good. That said, I think it's time for more Pierce, as he seems to be the only guy we've got in the backfield that can get behind his pads consistently and I'm afraid that's what we're going to need this season. I see there's a thread on this subject (thanks @AugustaGator) so I don't believe it's my homer-ism. If I have a worry it's that we're liable to lose a back or two behind this line before the year's out.

*I felt like the coverage was some better, still a little soft in spots, and the interceptions were timely, but we missed a lot of tackles yet again. I keep my fingers crossed each week that we don't get fatally blistered, but so far we've escaped. I hope the growth and progression stays up (or ahead) of the level of our competition, but my head tells me we're going to get our britches pulled down sooner or later. It'll be nice to have Henderson back and see some of the others play up to their potential consistently (e.g. Wilson) and others keep progressing (e.g. Elam, Davis).

*Greenhard is bad dude. It was him amongst the boys yesterday. Glad we got him for a year at least. His play is especially important with no Zuniga. I think his heart might be the strongest muscle in his body. I appreciate what he brings. Quickness, strength, and great positional knowledge. Sometimes getting your hands up in the passing lane is as good as a sack.

*I think this game might have set some sort of record for official reviews. Luckily, we seemed to come out on top of most of them and I suppose it's great to be able to get most of the calls right, but it makes the games kind of clunky sometimes. Just wish we'd have had this feature in '03. Jack Childress would still be in prison.

*LBs looked like they were some better. Saw Moon make a couple of plays. Brunson may be emerging. Think it was Miller that got injured. Not sure of his status, but hoping this group can stay healthy throughout the season. The more reps they get, especially on passing downs, the better our entire D becomes.

*The OL notwithstanding, what's wrong with Malik Davis? Just doesn't look like the same guy. Ball security issues is a killer. Body looks healthy, just not sure about his head.

*One more note on Pierce...on a visit back home, one of our coaches asked if he thought he might be our best back. He immediately deferred to Perine and said it was his year. If Perine's going to be a scat back, which it looks like that is what he's become, it might not be his year for long. I appreciate Pierce's respect for his older teammate, but he needs to seize the opportunity.

*Three turnovers will hurt us against a better team, but I can't fault Trask's aggressiveness. It not hard to understand given the guys he's got to throw to. If Copeland hangs on to the one he dropped, the stat line might have had a little more bulge. I've already referred to the receivers as "elite," but if you add Pitts in with them, they might be as solid as any group we've had since the Spurrier years.

*Hats off to Franks. You can tell he's invested even though he can't be a part physically. I have to admit he's shown more character than I might have once thought he had. Glad to be wrong and hope for his future best.

*The TV guys made a big deal out of it, but Mullen calling time out to "refocus" the troops was well-timed. Hopefully they soon become self-correcting.

I think we grew some. Even though it was a not so good Tennessee team, the fact that the new QB starter clicked and the rest of the offense clicked along with him tell me that there is a developing trust and an "eyes front, keep marching" mentality forming. The test will be when we get punched in the mouth by AU, LSU, UGA, etc. The strength of your conviction as well as your plan will be revealed. But that's got to wait until after Towson. Keep growing and stay healthy!

Go Gators!
:chomp:
 

FlyingGator

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Timeliness, schimeliness, Reading one of your recaps is always worth the wait! Another good one and thanks Coach for taking the time here to do this! What were your thoughts on the series where EJ was used the first half? Seemed like more of a self imposed momentum killers for us though I get wanting to get him reps. The first 3 and out seemed like there was no real thought put into him running the show except just to get him out there early. His clean up time in the 4th seemed to make more sense. With our OL issues I think it will be hard to run any effective offense unless he becomes more of a threat to throw the ball. What are your thoughts with him going forward?
 

FireFoley

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JHC C2, Even tho it was only Tinerc Girls School for Sewing Machine Threading and Washboard Repair, you were late.

upload_2019-9-22_20-56-52.jpeg

Just Kidding. Good write up as always. Why not take next week off since we have a tilt against Brownie Troop #18 from Vermont.
 

cover2

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Timeliness, schimeliness, Reading one of your recaps is always worth the wait! Another good one and thanks Coach for taking the time here to do this! What were your thoughts on the series where EJ was used the first half? Seemed like more of a self imposed momentum killers for us though I get wanting to get him reps. The first 3 and out seemed like there was no real thought put into him running the show except just to get him out there early. His clean up time in the 4th seemed to make more sense. With our OL issues I think it will be hard to run any effective offense unless he becomes more of a threat to throw the ball. What are your thoughts with him going forward?
Thanks Fly. I think the reality is that after EJ we are reaching, so it's important to get him some game reps. I agree that his first series didn't really have a lot of rhyme or reason to it. You have to think that appeasing him is a part of it what with how quick a kid is to bolt nowadays. For what it's worth, my buddy from Heard Co. says he's one of the best kids he's ever coached, but that not withstanding, it's sure hard for a QB to stand in line. We'll see how it unfolds. The more pass reps he gets, the better we all feel about the whole situation.
JHC C2, Even tho it was only Tinerc Girls School for Sewing Machine Threading and Washboard Repair, you were late.

View attachment 16874

Just Kidding. Good write up as always. Why not take next week off since we have a tilt against Brownie Troop #18 from Vermont.
Appreciate it FF. We've got a late HS game in Cordele next Friday and if we go to the lake, I might be Sunday again, but I plan to get it in. Moral obligation, you know!
 

T REX

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I'm not a professional journalist, but I've heard those that qualify say this about news (sports or otherwise): like fish, it's best served fresh and hot. The longer it sits, the less interesting it becomes. Therein lies the basis for my apology for being a day late with this article. I consider this my "real" job, but for starters the one that pays the bills got in the way. A cross country meet that we hosted finished about 11:35 and after sprinting to the wing joint (I volunteered to pick up the necessaries for the family viewing), I was about halfway into the first quarter before I got to start watching (though Mick kept me informed and I did get to watch our first series while picking up the wings). Afterward, it was up to the lake place for a family weekend (both kids home from Tifton and Valdosta respectively). No cable and no internet...yet and the result is this Sunday evening offering. I hope you'll forgive me.

I think we grew some. Even though it was a not so good Tennessee team, the fact that the new QB starter clicked and the rest of the offense clicked along with him tell me that there is a developing trust and an "eyes front, keep marching" mentality forming. The test will be when we get punched in the mouth by AU, LSU, UGA, etc. The strength of your conviction as well as your plan will be revealed. But that's got to wait until after Towson. Keep growing and stay healthy!

Go Gators!
:chomp:

4-0. I'm going to enjoy it. In the back of my mind I am concerned about lining up and running the football. At some point, we'll need some tough yards or to bleed the clock. I'm not convinced we can do that yet. But 4-0 right here, right now.
 

CGgater

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Great review as always cover!

Being late due to family activities is totally understandable, but you forced me to post my amazing amateur insights on the truth takes thread.

My biggest takeaway is that it didn't take long to realize Trask dropping back to pass made me more excited than nervous compared to Franks. That's not to bash Franks, it's just that KT's timing seems to be better because the WRs are wide freaking open when the ball arrives (most of the time).
 

AlexDaGator

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I know I asked this before but can we pitch in a few bucks and buy C2 a dvr?


Alex.
 

SeabeeGator

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Thanks C2. Great as always.

What’s your thoughts on the right side of the line and our insistence on running there? Further, what is Dan’s obsession with QB runs to the right? Same play that was stifled in 08 with Tebow against Ole Miss.

Noticed two trends: we ran ok when we were under center (especially compared to out of RPO/shotgun looks) and we went nowhere when heading right.
 

cover2

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Thanks C2. Great as always.

What’s your thoughts on the right side of the line and our insistence on running there? Further, what is Dan’s obsession with QB runs to the right? Same play that was stifled in 08 with Tebow against Ole Miss.

Noticed two trends: we ran ok when we were under center (especially compared to out of RPO/shotgun looks) and we went nowhere when heading right.
Thanks Seabee. The right side OL is pretty bad. Neither is very quick and they both seemed to get overpowered frequently. As a fan, it's easy to think if they aren't getting it done, put somebody else in there. But whether you agree with or like the staff, they'd most certainly make substitutions if there was somebody else who they thought could get it done. They evaluate everyday. This is what's scarey about our OL depth. @Itraz has spoken toward this before. As for continuing to try the right side, you can't just totally go away from it. Gives the D an immediate advantage. As bad as they were, there were a couple of plays where they had a hole, but the back, Perine I think, missed it. Maybe it shocked him ;).

Personally I like going under center. Of course, it's better when we can run. I like a FB, too, but it looks like we're wearing a pair of new shoes right now when we do it. Still not quite comfortable. Looks like Mullen's looking for ways to help with the OL woes in the immediate. We're paying for poor past positional recruiting, as the OL usually takes the longest to get ready for college play.
 

stephenPE

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Excellent and with most of it I fully concur..............
f6d060b26b75ec4362112f957fe20bc1.jpg
 

TLB

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Thanks for the review, C2. With your reviews, the quality outweighs the speed to deliver.

The right side OL is pretty bad. Neither is very quick and they both seemed to get overpowered frequently. As a fan, it's easy to think if they aren't getting it done, put somebody else in there. But whether you agree with or like the staff, they'd most certainly make substitutions if there was somebody else who they thought could get it done.

With my 'never played a down' insights, I'm seeing Mullen's play calls to the right being a large dose of keeping the defense honest as C2 indicates, but also more reps for 'someone' to step up and do it right, and get more game film to instruct with. I have not paid any attention to ball position, if the attacks to the right are done when it is the wide side or not, so there may be some situational calls being made, but it really doesn't feel like it.
 

G8trwood

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Great read, whether it is with Sunday or Monday’s coffee :)

A bit concerned that our strongest best coached defender came from another team...but what a pickup he was. D certainly has the cardio training and were not sucking wind when TN was. Oh for some DT..

Pierce Seems to be the best back at running. We need quick steps back there. For whatever reason I wonder if Perine is favoring a shoulder, probably from picking up a blitzing LB that the OL missed coming up the center.

The receivers certainly are coming into their own, mostly, and I would throw to Pitts about every damn time! That is a miss match I like. Maybe some work on high pointing and fighting for it, you know no like teenagers for that last piece of chicken.

Go Gators
 

Tunaboat

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Thanks for the great analysis as always Cover2 - this game (actually started with KY game) shows we're in a new and productive phase of Gator football that is reminiscent of the Spurrier days. We have the passing attack we were looking for during the barren MacNuss years, now if we can shore up the OL and please, please teach the running backs to run to daylight instead of blindly driving into the middle of a pile going nowhere, we can actually begin to pull together a team that can stand up to anybody. Watching the Whisky vs Meatchicken game, the Badger RBs busted huge runs by bouncing off the center of the pile and then sprinting around the end where nobody was. I feel like if our guys tried that once in a while they could be much more effective. C'mon RB coach!

Anyway, great win driven by another awe-inspiring performance from Kyle Trask and some great stand-up work from the D. Like you pointed out Trask isn't perfect but he opens the possibility of a score from anywhere on the field - no more sense of doom on 3rd and long.

Thanks Cover2 - enjoy that lake house! :)
 

Gator By Marriage

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Great summary as always @cover2; I particularly liked the use of the word “hapless” to describe the Vols. It was, of course, apt, but it’s great to see words not much in use in the common vernacular make a comeback. Due to your posting on Sunday night instead of Sunday morning, I was also thrilled to learn your analysis goes with a glass of Cabernet as well as it goes with a mug of coffee - so there’s that. If you end up having to do it again, I’ll let you know how it goes with whiskey!
I found your comment on Brunson interesting. I had noticed him on the field, but then kind of lost track of him. We had heard in the off season that he had improved immensely, but then hadn’t heard much. As a big fan of underdogs, I always root for a guy like him.
I’d be curious to get your take on Marco Wilson. To my untrained eyes, it looked like he had a solid game and perhaps marked a start to the return to his pre-injury self. Any thoughts? To win the tougher games remaining on our schedule is going to require good CBs other than just CJ. And while Kimbrough and Elam seem to be coming on, I’d hate to depend on Freshmen corners.
 

Ancient Reptile

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Cover, would you or another poster comment on team speed? Seems to me that we could use some more. Seeing Schwarz every week on the SEC highlights really frosts me as did the UK QB running down our safety on the interception.
 
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Himey

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I'd like to see them run that counter handoff play to Copeland in the backfield the same way they did with Harvin back in the day. They did it once with Copeland this year and it worked great but never have gone back to it.
 

gatormandan

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I'd like to see them run that counter handoff play to Copeland in the backfield the same way they did with Harvin back in the day. They did it once with Copeland this year and it worked great but never have gone back to it.

That pass down the sideline to Copeland was a dime. Awesome accuracy. I bet he had nightmares that night.
 

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