- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
The misery that is the 2021 Florida football season continued Saturday in Columbia, Missouri as “Steely Dan” Mullen (and this isn’t a Becker and Fagan reference) led the spiraling Gators to their sixth loss in overtime, 24-23, to the lightly-regarded Tigers, who by the way became bowl eligible. Those fond of “moral victories,” which at this point likely includes only Mullen, Stricklin, and Fuchs, can point to an overall statistical advantage by the Gators (total yds, passing yds, time of possession, etc.), but the reality was that Mizzou stuffed our run game and made plays in the second half and at the end to secure the victory.
A telling comparison of the two head coaches could be made at the end of the game and in overtime. After the Tigers’ stellar kicker shoved the potential game-winning FG to the right, the Gators got the ball with a little more than a minute remaining to try and position themselves for a chance to steal it late. Instead, Steely Dan opted to try and run out the clock and take his chances in overtime. Conversely, Coach Drinkwitz went for the victory by successfully going for two after matching the Gators’ initial TD. Simply put, Mullen thought he could win; Drinkwitz knew it.
*Defensively, we probably played well enough to win, with an offense that had a pulse, up until the second half when the Tigers’ RB started gashing us and in OT. We’ve been roundly characterized as a “soft” team that talks more than it walks and that seemed to hold true in the latter stages of the game.
*Offensively, we could not block the Tigers and they pretty much destroyed our running game and kept Emory under pressure. The OL was just a mess. I’m guessing there wasn’t much to dance about in the locker room afterwards.
*Saturdays Down South is reporting that Anthony Richardson has taken down all mention of the Florida Gators from his Twitter profile after Saturday’s loss. Shocker. Not only can Mullen not recruit, but the one high profile guy that he has looks to be cutting ties, something we’ve pretty much known for a while now. “Smartest guy in the room?” Nope. Laziest and most arrogant definitely.
*When Missouri opted to go for two after their quick response overtime touchdown, that should have been the ultimate challenge to bring out our competitive spirit and pride. Instead, it was Missouri’s that came to the forefront and with the exception of Vandy, the Gators plummeted to the bottom of the SEC. It is hard to let that sink in.
*F$U, on the other hand, squeezed out a W on the road against Boston College. Despite my desire to see Mullen, Stricklin, Fuchs, et al in the road, I cannot fathom a loss at home to the Noles. Yet it is looming pretty large right now. In terms of constituent confidence, Steely Dan < Brandon and even Kacklin’ Kamala is poised to throw him in the cellar.
I know I’m not alone when I say that I am beyond ready for this era of Gator football, which mirrors the nation’s political turmoil in my opinion, to end. Gator football has been a lifelong passion and something to be excited about. That is, until this last decade plus and particularly these last two seasons. Nothing short of a house cleaning will pave the way for us to start the climb back. It’s past time. Go Gators!
A telling comparison of the two head coaches could be made at the end of the game and in overtime. After the Tigers’ stellar kicker shoved the potential game-winning FG to the right, the Gators got the ball with a little more than a minute remaining to try and position themselves for a chance to steal it late. Instead, Steely Dan opted to try and run out the clock and take his chances in overtime. Conversely, Coach Drinkwitz went for the victory by successfully going for two after matching the Gators’ initial TD. Simply put, Mullen thought he could win; Drinkwitz knew it.
*Defensively, we probably played well enough to win, with an offense that had a pulse, up until the second half when the Tigers’ RB started gashing us and in OT. We’ve been roundly characterized as a “soft” team that talks more than it walks and that seemed to hold true in the latter stages of the game.
*Offensively, we could not block the Tigers and they pretty much destroyed our running game and kept Emory under pressure. The OL was just a mess. I’m guessing there wasn’t much to dance about in the locker room afterwards.
*Saturdays Down South is reporting that Anthony Richardson has taken down all mention of the Florida Gators from his Twitter profile after Saturday’s loss. Shocker. Not only can Mullen not recruit, but the one high profile guy that he has looks to be cutting ties, something we’ve pretty much known for a while now. “Smartest guy in the room?” Nope. Laziest and most arrogant definitely.
*When Missouri opted to go for two after their quick response overtime touchdown, that should have been the ultimate challenge to bring out our competitive spirit and pride. Instead, it was Missouri’s that came to the forefront and with the exception of Vandy, the Gators plummeted to the bottom of the SEC. It is hard to let that sink in.
*F$U, on the other hand, squeezed out a W on the road against Boston College. Despite my desire to see Mullen, Stricklin, Fuchs, et al in the road, I cannot fathom a loss at home to the Noles. Yet it is looming pretty large right now. In terms of constituent confidence, Steely Dan < Brandon and even Kacklin’ Kamala is poised to throw him in the cellar.
I know I’m not alone when I say that I am beyond ready for this era of Gator football, which mirrors the nation’s political turmoil in my opinion, to end. Gator football has been a lifelong passion and something to be excited about. That is, until this last decade plus and particularly these last two seasons. Nothing short of a house cleaning will pave the way for us to start the climb back. It’s past time. Go Gators!
