- Oct 5, 2017
- 2,303
- 6,263
The annual bye week before Florida/Georgia usually is a good midway point for the season, usually after seven games, this year it comes at the 2/3 of the season mark. We have played 3 non-conference games, 5 SEC games, and 6 total power 5 games (yes, save the Miami/UT/USCe jokes).
This is the best start to the season since last year, but in many ways is a better beginning than last year. So far, we have seen the Gators get 1/8 of their all-time total in runs of 75 yards or more, we've seen the best passing season in over a decade, we've dominated Tennessee in ways we haven't in 25 years, and when healthy, we've seen the best statistical pass rush that perhaps we've ever seen. All this without having a fully healthy defense one time, missing our most dynamic offensive weapon in 6 of 8 games, and facing multiple top 50 defenses. Has it all been perfect? No. We've seen massive safety failures, we've had receivers drop balls, we've had questionable playcalling at times, QB's have missed throws, but we know the best is yet to come when we have a fully available team for the first time this entire season.
It's also been fun watching FSU continue to fail, even in a couple wins, UT fail, Muschamp fail, Butters overall fail, and having a few good Bye Weeks with plenty to watch. BTW, WTF has Chip Kelly done to turn it around the last few weeks? Kicking the crap out of ASU...a top 25 team...wut?
Offense
QB's- A-
When you're having one of the best passing seasons in over a decade it's hard to grade lower than this. However, some of the negatives of the season can be contributed to either the overall lack of coaching Franks had in his life, the lack of starting experience for Trask, the O-line, and/or playcalling putting them in the wrong position at times. Overall, we had 7 straight games with 250+ passing yards, the 8th game had 4 passing TD's, and that is nothing to be upset over. What Trask has done in the context of not playing much for 7 years is ridiculous and he will only get better. I feel bad for Franks, but I don't think many are arguing this is Trask's team as long as he wants it to be.
RB's-B+
I cannot fault the running backs for the poor play of the O-line. They have missed some holes. They have also set a record for most 75+ yard runs (ok, one was Hammond, but still we have time) in a season, showing that when they are given an opening, they can break a long run at any point. Over the last few weeks we have seen their production increase against Auburn, LSU, and USCe. Not exactly the part of the schedule you would expect to see them start getting it going with the line. We also have seen very few mistakes in pass protection from the group as a whole. At one point, Perine was our leading receiver and still is #3 in receptions with 22 catches (Swain and Hammond both have 21). If the Gators continue to improve in the run blocking aspect of the game, I expect the numbers for our running backs to take an extreme incline up.
WR-A
These guys have been solid. A few drops that shouldn't have happened. A few where people say "WeLl it WOulD Be a DiFFiCuLt CatCH" (yes, that is to mock that crap), most difficult catch drops are still catchable, you're at UF, not FIU, I expect some difficult catches. Heck we've see some nice ones. One of my favorites so far? Freddie Swain's diving TD at USCe. Heck Copeland has dropped two probable TD's, but made up for it in Columbia with a great catch and run for a score. The emergence of Trask has also helped these guys produce. As Trask grows and the O-line grows, so will these guys. Heck, if our running game grows and defenses have to respect it again, look out, these guys might really put up some numbers. And all of this has happened without Toney, wait until you have one more guy out there to keep an eye on.
TE-B
Kyle Pitts may be the greatest TE in the country and its not just Gators fans and writers saying that. This guy is a nightmare and match up problem for opposing defenses. I think Mullen is using the bye week to scheme getting him the ball more. Why the B? Well, Pitts isn't the only TE though he seems like it. Also, our TE's have been an issue with run blocking. So for all the good the last few weeks with Pitts, the group as a whole could do better.
OL- C-
Some might find this grade as generous. You'd probably be right. The offensive line has overall been downright pitiful when it comes to run blocking. Even on the Auburn TD run Heggie was late getting over to the LB, but Perine broke the tackle, the run, and the hearts of Auburn fans. It is also true that the O-line has faced the best front sevens it will face in the regular season, possibly UGA will be up there. The reason I didn't go lower is two fold. One, the running game has started looking better over the past few weeks. And two, the pass blocking, with a few very noticeable exceptions, has been pretty good. These guys do deserve some credit for the passing renaissance we've craved for so long as Gators fans.
Defense
DL-A
When healthy this group is one of the best in the nation. Greenard and Zuniga are the best DE duo in the nation. Hopefully they are healthy for UGA. I can't blame these guys much for LSU because of injuries and because of the sheer lack of any integrity on display by the SEC officials whenever LSU holds. Yesterday was bad, so was our game in Baton Rouge. Of course, we also decided to let the offense have the slant all day in Baton Rouge meaning the ball got out quickly all the time too. We do probably need to step up some at DT, but I would also argue that sometimes the LB's are missing gaps that the DL creates for the LB to get in a wreak havoc in the backfield or at the line. A healthy DL would put fear in the rest of our schedule.
LB-B
There's good, there's bad, there's everything in between with this group. David Reese continues to be an All-SEC caliber player, but behind him is a bag of mixed emotion. These guys will go well against Auburn's rushing attack to turnaround and let LSU and Carolina break some long ones. Some of that may be the lack of double teams to get Zuniga or Greenard, but missing gap assignments is all on you. Burney is pretty good in coverage, where Reese fails, but he should be moved to another position IMO.
CB/Star-A
These guys have done well. Even the young back ups have done well when Hendo was out. Some mistakes have happened, but no player is perfect. The line behind them has made them look bad a few times as well.
Safeties-C+
There is not a worse safety in the modern era of Florida football than Donovan Stiner in my opinion. And yet, there is not a luckier safety with the blind squirrel/nut situation than Donovan Stiner. This guy will miss tons of tackles, allow big plays, and then have Bo Nix throw a ball right at him so he doesn't even have to take a step to get to the ball for a pick. Taylor, best description of him is the EPIC whiff on a big Miami receiver to allow a TD. Even Sports Illustrated has come out and said they need to stop rotating in, but Grantham and English are going to ride this train until they can't anymore.
Stewart and Davis have been solid, but unspectacular. They did blow some plays this season as well. However, there is a noticeable difference most of the time when these two are on the field as opposed to the other two. The open field tackling needs to get better as it has allowed too many big plays when the safety has been in position and just failed. Being in better position helps out the CB/Star positions. The LB's knowing the safeties can tackle behind them allows them to think less and play more because if the RB somehow bounces out of the gap they just filled, the back won't go forever and a day further.
Special Teams
Punting- A
Don't think there's a better punter than Townsend, he also was rarely used in the first 6 games, so there's that.
Kicking- A
McPherson continues his march to what I hope is the all-time leading scorer ending.
Return Games (All)-F
It's called Return, not fielding. Make some plays. Hell, just make a return where it even looks slightly dangerous, but nothing much was gained because of a shoestring tackle, something...
Around the Nation
Anyways, next week is for the season. We beat UGA and the chances of Atlanta are well over 90% in my opinion. For us not to go, we would have to lose to Mizzou and/or Vandy and Mizzou would have to win out. I don't see much, if any of that happening if we win next week.
Go Gators!
This is the best start to the season since last year, but in many ways is a better beginning than last year. So far, we have seen the Gators get 1/8 of their all-time total in runs of 75 yards or more, we've seen the best passing season in over a decade, we've dominated Tennessee in ways we haven't in 25 years, and when healthy, we've seen the best statistical pass rush that perhaps we've ever seen. All this without having a fully healthy defense one time, missing our most dynamic offensive weapon in 6 of 8 games, and facing multiple top 50 defenses. Has it all been perfect? No. We've seen massive safety failures, we've had receivers drop balls, we've had questionable playcalling at times, QB's have missed throws, but we know the best is yet to come when we have a fully available team for the first time this entire season.
It's also been fun watching FSU continue to fail, even in a couple wins, UT fail, Muschamp fail, Butters overall fail, and having a few good Bye Weeks with plenty to watch. BTW, WTF has Chip Kelly done to turn it around the last few weeks? Kicking the crap out of ASU...a top 25 team...wut?
Offense
QB's- A-
When you're having one of the best passing seasons in over a decade it's hard to grade lower than this. However, some of the negatives of the season can be contributed to either the overall lack of coaching Franks had in his life, the lack of starting experience for Trask, the O-line, and/or playcalling putting them in the wrong position at times. Overall, we had 7 straight games with 250+ passing yards, the 8th game had 4 passing TD's, and that is nothing to be upset over. What Trask has done in the context of not playing much for 7 years is ridiculous and he will only get better. I feel bad for Franks, but I don't think many are arguing this is Trask's team as long as he wants it to be.
RB's-B+
I cannot fault the running backs for the poor play of the O-line. They have missed some holes. They have also set a record for most 75+ yard runs (ok, one was Hammond, but still we have time) in a season, showing that when they are given an opening, they can break a long run at any point. Over the last few weeks we have seen their production increase against Auburn, LSU, and USCe. Not exactly the part of the schedule you would expect to see them start getting it going with the line. We also have seen very few mistakes in pass protection from the group as a whole. At one point, Perine was our leading receiver and still is #3 in receptions with 22 catches (Swain and Hammond both have 21). If the Gators continue to improve in the run blocking aspect of the game, I expect the numbers for our running backs to take an extreme incline up.
WR-A
These guys have been solid. A few drops that shouldn't have happened. A few where people say "WeLl it WOulD Be a DiFFiCuLt CatCH" (yes, that is to mock that crap), most difficult catch drops are still catchable, you're at UF, not FIU, I expect some difficult catches. Heck we've see some nice ones. One of my favorites so far? Freddie Swain's diving TD at USCe. Heck Copeland has dropped two probable TD's, but made up for it in Columbia with a great catch and run for a score. The emergence of Trask has also helped these guys produce. As Trask grows and the O-line grows, so will these guys. Heck, if our running game grows and defenses have to respect it again, look out, these guys might really put up some numbers. And all of this has happened without Toney, wait until you have one more guy out there to keep an eye on.
TE-B
Kyle Pitts may be the greatest TE in the country and its not just Gators fans and writers saying that. This guy is a nightmare and match up problem for opposing defenses. I think Mullen is using the bye week to scheme getting him the ball more. Why the B? Well, Pitts isn't the only TE though he seems like it. Also, our TE's have been an issue with run blocking. So for all the good the last few weeks with Pitts, the group as a whole could do better.
OL- C-
Some might find this grade as generous. You'd probably be right. The offensive line has overall been downright pitiful when it comes to run blocking. Even on the Auburn TD run Heggie was late getting over to the LB, but Perine broke the tackle, the run, and the hearts of Auburn fans. It is also true that the O-line has faced the best front sevens it will face in the regular season, possibly UGA will be up there. The reason I didn't go lower is two fold. One, the running game has started looking better over the past few weeks. And two, the pass blocking, with a few very noticeable exceptions, has been pretty good. These guys do deserve some credit for the passing renaissance we've craved for so long as Gators fans.
Defense
DL-A
When healthy this group is one of the best in the nation. Greenard and Zuniga are the best DE duo in the nation. Hopefully they are healthy for UGA. I can't blame these guys much for LSU because of injuries and because of the sheer lack of any integrity on display by the SEC officials whenever LSU holds. Yesterday was bad, so was our game in Baton Rouge. Of course, we also decided to let the offense have the slant all day in Baton Rouge meaning the ball got out quickly all the time too. We do probably need to step up some at DT, but I would also argue that sometimes the LB's are missing gaps that the DL creates for the LB to get in a wreak havoc in the backfield or at the line. A healthy DL would put fear in the rest of our schedule.
LB-B
There's good, there's bad, there's everything in between with this group. David Reese continues to be an All-SEC caliber player, but behind him is a bag of mixed emotion. These guys will go well against Auburn's rushing attack to turnaround and let LSU and Carolina break some long ones. Some of that may be the lack of double teams to get Zuniga or Greenard, but missing gap assignments is all on you. Burney is pretty good in coverage, where Reese fails, but he should be moved to another position IMO.
CB/Star-A
These guys have done well. Even the young back ups have done well when Hendo was out. Some mistakes have happened, but no player is perfect. The line behind them has made them look bad a few times as well.
Safeties-C+
There is not a worse safety in the modern era of Florida football than Donovan Stiner in my opinion. And yet, there is not a luckier safety with the blind squirrel/nut situation than Donovan Stiner. This guy will miss tons of tackles, allow big plays, and then have Bo Nix throw a ball right at him so he doesn't even have to take a step to get to the ball for a pick. Taylor, best description of him is the EPIC whiff on a big Miami receiver to allow a TD. Even Sports Illustrated has come out and said they need to stop rotating in, but Grantham and English are going to ride this train until they can't anymore.
Stewart and Davis have been solid, but unspectacular. They did blow some plays this season as well. However, there is a noticeable difference most of the time when these two are on the field as opposed to the other two. The open field tackling needs to get better as it has allowed too many big plays when the safety has been in position and just failed. Being in better position helps out the CB/Star positions. The LB's knowing the safeties can tackle behind them allows them to think less and play more because if the RB somehow bounces out of the gap they just filled, the back won't go forever and a day further.
Special Teams
Punting- A
Don't think there's a better punter than Townsend, he also was rarely used in the first 6 games, so there's that.
Kicking- A
McPherson continues his march to what I hope is the all-time leading scorer ending.
Return Games (All)-F
It's called Return, not fielding. Make some plays. Hell, just make a return where it even looks slightly dangerous, but nothing much was gained because of a shoestring tackle, something...
Around the Nation
- I have K-State family members, my brother's in-laws live in Manhattan, KS and are K-State people, and he even had K-State pants on yesterday. Happy for them.
- Speaking of the State of Kansas, if you haven't seen the ending of the Jayhawks game yesterday go out of your way to see it. It's truly unbelievable.
- Speaking of the Jayhawks, remember that before yesterday one of their 2 wins was doing to Addazio what he did the Florida's offense. Yet, ACC Network and possibly ESPN were hyping BC as if they were a threat to Clemson.
- Speaking of Clemson, they recently did to FSU what FSU did to Syracuse. Everyone try to help me get #ExtendYourWillie trending on twitter for FSU.
- Speaking of Cocks, wondering what Muschamp will use as an excuse this week after blaming the refs last week. Could he be fired two weeks after upsetting UGA? Where have I heard that before? As a side note, I love the mutually assured destruction in this game. By winning, UT and Carolina are now 3-5 and can only lose one the rest of the way. Tennessee has 6-1 UAB, Kentucky, Mizzou, and even Vandy left while Carolina has Vandy, Undefeated App State, a trip to College Station, and finishes with Clemson. Neither team should go bowling or at least qualify at 6-6.
- Speaking of blaming the officials, Auburn may have a case. However, remember at the end of the first half, they break a run into field goal territory only to have a pick thrown by the best QB to ever step onto the field instead of getting 3 points...what was the margin of the game?
- Speaking of overhyped QB's, not even sure which QB I'm referring to here as there are multiple selections, but boy did I enjoy watching Michigan end any debate about a one loss ND for the season.
- Speaking of programs that are done for the year, Texas continues to show why they still aren't there.
- Speaking of loss to unranked teams, Chip Kelly gets a win over Herm Edwards decent ASU team. Chip has somehow upset Wazzu and ASU this season, maybe a year 3 twist happens? Probably not.
- Seriously though, how great would it be to see #ExtendYourWillie trending on Twitter?
Anyways, next week is for the season. We beat UGA and the chances of Atlanta are well over 90% in my opinion. For us not to go, we would have to lose to Mizzou and/or Vandy and Mizzou would have to win out. I don't see much, if any of that happening if we win next week.
Go Gators!