Truth Takes: #FailState, Is It Fool's Gold?

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Alethea
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Truth Takes: #FailState, Is It Fool's Gold?

New Coach- Check
Highly Regarded team from Mississippi after a win over Tennessee- Check
350ish yards- Check
Sign of good times ahead? It wasn't in 2015, but I honestly believe this win is different. And not just because Franks probably won't be popped for PED's.

In my preview I said the game would come down to three things:
  1. Tackling
  2. Line play on both lines
  3. Creative Play-calling
The first two showed a tale of two halves. Tackling wasn't Kentucky poor in the first half, but wasn't where it should be. The team stepped it up in the second half and it was beautiful. As myself and others have said, forcing Fitz to throw would end the game, it did. This brings me to the line play. I'm still wondering if Heggie, Forsythe, Moore, or anyone can come in for Johnson. He had a better second half, but overall is still not having a great impact on the line. That D-line though. They are starting to get a push and if they treat everyone like they did Fitz in the second half (being sure not to open up holes when attacking the pocket) it could be very dangerous. Jachai Polite going off the last few drives was monumental.

Creative play-calling. How many different ways did we call screens? We saw Toney at the wildcat, direct snaps to Scarlett, that double pass, etc. In my preview, I said screen and then go long taking advantage of a blocker releasing deep...we did that. It was covered and ended with a throwaway, but still more creativity to put into the minds of our opponents. We had 22 completions to 12 different receivers (including 4 TE's and 2 RB's). Did everything work? No, but rarely everything works. We ran when we needed, Franks hit passes, and for the love of everything, the short throws that let our playmakers make plays works. If only someone wrote that in various threads at least once a week. No, I don't need many down field passes if we can catch and run for just as many yards. Soon enough opposing defenses will stop the soft coverage and try to press, that's when you go deep to Grimes, Jefferson (who had 4 catches to tie Grimes for most on the team), and Cleveland.

Speaking of, how many drives were we moving the ball at will only to be killed by penalties? Mostly in the first half, but that pass to Grimes being negated was awful. However, without that holding Franks takes a big loss and loss of down so I'll call it a draw on that one. It sucks, but is what it is. Those false starts though, come on.

Franks was 22 of 31. Let's look:
  1. Franks on 1st and 15, because of course we false start, with a nice 18 yard pass to C'yontai Lewis?????? And I had given up on that guy.
  2. Franks screen to Jefferson, not much to say about it.
  3. Franks screen to Hammond for a first down. Puts the ball in front of Hammond so he could get vertical momentum before the catch.
  4. Franks swing pass to Scarlett, looks like a drop to me.
  5. Franks with a nice throw for a 9 yard gain to Swain in a tight window between two defenders
  6. Franks with a screen to Grimes (fooled me, thought it going to be thrown to Moral Stephens)
  7. Franks with another nice first down pass to Swain over the middle
  8. Franks screen to Cleveland for about 10 yards
  9. Franks throws away before he could get sacked, ends up on the ground.
  10. Franks with a great low throw for a first down to Hammond on 3rd and 8
  11. Franks ball batted, possibly should've been intercepted. Underneath defender comes from opposite side of route (not the last time we will see this)
  12. Franks screen to Jefferson for a first down.
  13. Franks screen to Toney
  14. Franks throws his INT. Cleveland appeared open, but again a defender from opposite the route make a play on the ball causing Cleveland to miss and the ball pops up for an INT. Great D on the play.
  15. Franks swing to Perine for a 9 yard game
  16. Franks with a strike to Perine after escaping the pocket.
  17. Franks screen to Grimes for a first down.
  18. Franks screen to Grimes, not as successful.
  19. Franks with a great throw in a tight window to Kyle Pitts (another TE showing hands)
  20. Franks screen to Jefferson for a first down
  21. Franks ball hits Swain in the chest, forced to release quickly by blitz.
  22. Franks with his best throw of the game. On a rope to Hammond for a big gain in the middle.
  23. Franks throws it away. In my opinion, this is Franks best play of the game and shows a good level of thinking. This is the fake screen, deep ball on a blockers release I wanted to see. It wasn't open, Franks rolls right (unfortunately, a defender on the ground kept him from going right quickly) because he knows if he gets the edge, there should be room to run. However, a defender gets there partially because the extra bit to get around the previously mentioned defender and Franks just throws it away instead of trying to make a play and ending up with a loss.
  24. Franks with a 4 yard hitch to Jefferson.
  25. Franks has a jail break blitz in his face and a d-lineman gets his paw on the ball. Franks had the receiver if he beat the lineman.
  26. Franks with a quick out to Krull for about 6 yards
  27. Franks with a screen to Grimes who runs for about 8 yards and a first down.
  28. Franks with a high pass over Swain. I think it had to do with a DE appearing last minute. Either way, bad pass.
  29. Franks quick in to Cleveland short of a first down.
  30. Franks swing to Pierce for 6. Pierce should've followed the blocks, which would have kept him inbounds.
  31. Franks throws a low pass to Hammond that is deflected.
Also, a few nice decisions to take off and run by Franks.

Quick Hits:
  • Stupid play by Dean. Yes, ball had been out, but it was recovered before Dean dove. However, the helmut to helmut targeting when guys are diving for balls is ridiculous. Your head is down because the ball is on the ground.
  • Thought McWilliams and Stewart were good with the loss of Dean.
  • Good to see Davis back, he played well and will be a boost to the safety position.
  • MVP, Polite. He stepped up huge when we needed it most.
  • Perhaps #FailState knew a loss was coming when Lewis actually caught a pass ( on the first actualy play by UF).
  • The end of the First Half was a time management failure by Mullen. Could have had the ball with 40-50 seconds in good position with timeouts. McPherson from all available information should be able to take a kick of 50+.
  • Getting sick of the predictable inside runs on third and long though

Why this isn't just Ole Miss in 2015 with different paint:
  • Road game at a place Florida hasn't played well since 1990
  • #FailState does have great lines, just a QB who can't throw well
  • Everyone is showing improvement weekly
  • There are actual offensive coaches
  • I won't comment on QB to not put anything into the universe, we know what happened two weeks later

Great win on the road in what will be the harshest environment left on the schedule. With FSU in the state their in, unless something clicks, there is no way in hell it touches tonight. Big game against LSU next week. I think a big LSU win over Ole Miss is in our favor. Remember last year when they came into the Swamp after losing to Troy? I don't want that motivation. I want the overconfidence of beating somewhere in between 10th-13th worst team in the SEC. LSU does look dangerous, but not many teams haven't looked that way against Ole Miss, even when Ole Miss has won.
 
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oxrageous

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Outstanding analysis. I also thought Dean getting ejected for diving for a ball on the ground was preposterous.
 

SGAGator

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Surprised they didn’t try to call targeting on last play ( he didn’t target, led with shoulder), going to get defense players trucked in future and hurt pulling up to avoid hit imo

Great Gator win,
 

BNAG8R

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Outstanding analysis. I also thought Dean getting ejected for diving for a ball on the ground was preposterous.

I said in the box that I think the back judge (behind the play) that threw the flag didn’t see the ball come loose, and Dean hitting a guy that called a fair catch would be a flag. THAT would have clearly been reversed by another ref or review. The problem is that, since it went to review, all of the ridiculousness that is the “targeting rule” existed...he dropped his head, the crown of his helmet hit the other guy’s helmet, and that guy was in a defenseless position. When I saw the replay the first time I knew he was getting tossed, because they clearly aren’t allowed to use common fking sense.

I thought @Zambo was going to pop a blood vessel. :lol:
 

ChiefGator

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Outstanding analysis. I also thought Dean getting ejected for diving for a ball on the ground was preposterous.

The great thing is that it did not create a large hole in our defense, they adapted and won the game.
 

JCTow

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Nov 16, 2017
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Truth Takes: #FailState, Is It Fool's Gold?

New Coach- Check
Highly Regarded team from Mississippi after a win over Tennessee- Check
350ish yards- Check
Sign of good times ahead? It wasn't in 2015, but I honestly believe this win is different. And not just because Franks probably won't be popped for PED's.

In my preview I said the game would come down to three things:
  1. Tackling
  2. Line play on both lines
  3. Creative Play-calling
The first two showed a tale of two halves. Tackling wasn't Kentucky poor in the first half, but wasn't where it should be. The team stepped it up in the second half and it was beautiful. As myself and others have said, forcing Fitz to throw would end the game, it did. This brings me to the line play. I'm still wondering if Heggie, Forsythe, Moore, or anyone can come in for Johnson. He had a better second half, but overall is still not having a great impact on the line. That D-line though. They are starting to get a push and if they treat everyone like they did Fitz in the second half (being sure not to open up holes when attacking the pocket) it could be very dangerous. Jachai Polite going off the last few drives was monumental.

Creative play-calling. How many different ways did we call screens? We saw Toney at the wildcat, direct snaps to Scarlett, that double pass, etc. In my preview, I said screen and then go long taking advantage of a blocker releasing deep...we did that. It was covered and ended with a throwaway, but still more creativity to put into the minds of our opponents. We had 22 completions to 12 different receivers (including 4 TE's and 2 RB's). Did everything work? No, but rarely everything works. We ran when we needed, Franks hit passes, and for the love of everything, the short throws that let our playmakers make plays works. If only someone wrote that in various threads at least once a week. No, I don't need many down field passes if we can catch and run for just as many yards. Soon enough opposing defenses will stop the soft coverage and try to press, that's when you go deep to Grimes, Jefferson (who had 4 catches to tie Grimes for most on the team), and Cleveland.

Speaking of, how many drives were we moving the ball at will only to be killed by penalties? Mostly in the first half, but that pass to Grimes being negated was awful. However, without that holding Franks takes a big loss and loss of down so I'll call it a draw on that one. It sucks, but is what it is. Those false starts though, come on.

Franks was 22 of 31. Let's look:
  1. Franks on 1st and 15, because of course we false start, with a nice 18 yard pass to C'yontai Lewis?????? And I had given up on that guy.
  2. Franks screen to Jefferson, not much to say about it.
  3. Franks screen to Hammond for a first down. Puts the ball in front of Hammond so he could get vertical momentum before the catch.
  4. Franks swing pass to Scarlett, looks like a drop to me.
  5. Franks with a nice throw for a 9 yard gain to Swain in a tight window between two defenders
  6. Franks with a screen to Grimes (fooled me, thought it going to be thrown to Moral Stephens)
  7. Franks with another nice first down pass to Swain over the middle
  8. Franks screen to Cleveland for about 10 yards
  9. Franks throws away before he could get sacked, ends up on the ground.
  10. Franks with a great low throw for a first down to Hammond on 3rd and 8
  11. Franks ball batted, possibly should've been intercepted. Underneath defender comes from opposite side of route (not the last time we will see this)
  12. Franks screen to Jefferson for a first down.
  13. Franks screen to Toney
  14. Franks throws his INT. Cleveland appeared open, but again a defender from opposite the route make a play on the ball causing Cleveland to miss and the ball pops up for an INT. Great D on the play.
  15. Franks swing to Perine for a 9 yard game
  16. Franks with a strike to Perine after escaping the pocket.
  17. Franks screen to Grimes for a first down.
  18. Franks screen to Grimes, not as successful.
  19. Franks with a great throw in a tight window to Kyle Pitts (another TE showing hands)
  20. Franks screen to Jefferson for a first down
  21. Franks ball hits Swain in the chest, forced to release quickly by blitz.
  22. Franks with his best throw of the game. On a rope to Hammond for a big gain in the middle.
  23. Franks throws it away. In my opinion, this is Franks best play of the game and shows a good level of thinking. This is the fake screen, deep ball on a blockers release I wanted to see. It wasn't open, Franks rolls right (unfortunately, a defender on the ground kept him from going right quickly) because he knows if he gets the edge, there should be room to run. However, a defender gets there partially because the extra bit to get around the previously mentioned defender and Franks just throws it away instead of trying to make a play and ending up with a loss.
  24. Franks with a 4 yard hitch to Jefferson.
  25. Franks has a jail break blitz in his face and a d-lineman gets his paw on the ball. Franks had the receiver if he beat the lineman.
  26. Franks with a quick out to Krull for about 6 yards
  27. Franks with a screen to Grimes who runs for about 8 yards and a first down.
  28. Franks with a high pass over Swain. I think it had to do with a DE appearing last minute. Either way, bad pass.
  29. Franks quick in to Cleveland short of a first down.
  30. Franks swing to Pierce for 6. Pierce should've followed the blocks, which would have kept him inbounds.
  31. Franks throws a low pass to Hammond that is deflected.
Also, a few nice decisions to take off and run by Franks.

Quick Hits:
  • Stupid play by Dean. Yes, ball had been out, but it was recovered before Dean dove. However, the helmut to helmut targeting when guys are diving for balls is ridiculous. Your head is down because the ball is on the ground.
  • Thought McWilliams and Stewart were good with the loss of Dean.
  • Good to see Davis back, he played well and will be a boost to the safety position.
  • MVP, Polite. He stepped up huge when we needed it most.
  • Perhaps #FailState knew a loss was coming when Lewis actually caught a pass ( on the first actualy play by UF).
  • The end of the First Half was a time management failure by Mullen. Could have had the ball with 40-50 seconds in good position with timeouts. McPherson from all available information should be able to take a kick of 50+.
  • Getting sick of the predictable inside runs on third and long though

Why this isn't just Ole Miss in 2015 with different paint:
  • Road game at a place Florida hasn't played well since 1990
  • #FailState does have great lines, just a QB who can't throw well
  • Everyone is showing improvement weekly
  • There are actual offensive coaches
  • I won't comment on QB to not put anything into the universe, we know what happened two weeks later

Great win on the road in what will be the harshest environment left on the schedule. With FSU in the state their in, unless something clicks, there is no way in hell it touches tonight. Big game against LSU next week. I think a big LSU win over Ole Miss is in our favor. Remember last year when they came into the Swamp after losing to Troy? I don't want that motivation. I want the overconfidence of beating somewhere in between 10th-13th worst team in the SEC. LSU does look dangerous, but not many teams haven't looked that way against Ole Miss, even when Ole Miss has won.
Geez that was a long post
 

Bama&GatorFan

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Dec 5, 2015
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I think the jury is still out on this team. Kentucky is actually good this year, so that loss doesn't look so bad now. At least it looks like they will make a bowl game. Two things for sure:
1. This team has potential and they are improving (wait is that already two things?).
2. The coach is no longer the problem.
 

BMF

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Truth, I like the passing breakdown. I watched from home the first half (and participated in the chat room for the first time ever during a game)....then went to a bar w/ friends for the second half and couldn't hear anything and got distracted. So, I enjoy that analysis.

One thing I've been saying for the offense to improve was for Franks to improve his completion percentage and that should lead to improved 3rd down conversion rates. That happened last night, happy to see that.

Also, we did not have one 3 and out last night. Unbelievable, considering we only scored 3 times.
 

gardnerwebbgator

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The gameplan by Mullen to compensate for our meh OL and not expose Franks to pressure was brilliant.

We can go back to the bubble screen days of Zaunbrecher...fine by me as long as we win.
 

rogdochar

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The great thing is that it did not create a large hole in our defense, they adapted and won the game.

Seen another way : it created a dire split, these guys & coaches stitched it up.
 

GatorTruth133

Alethea
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Surprised they didn’t try to call targeting on last play ( he didn’t target, led with shoulder), going to get defense players trucked in future and hurt pulling up to avoid hit imo

Great Gator win,

Had they called that, it would be a joke and I think Miss State could potentially score with the momentum.

Truth, I like the passing breakdown. I watched from home the first half (and participated in the chat room for the first time ever during a game)....then went to a bar w/ friends for the second half and couldn't hear anything and got distracted. So, I enjoy that analysis.

One thing I've been saying for the offense to improve was for Franks to improve his completion percentage and that should lead to improved 3rd down conversion rates. That happened last night, happy to see that.

Also, we did not have one 3 and out last night. Unbelievable, considering we only scored 3 times.

I think we score more if we don't have the drive killing penalties and the pick. I think we decided to let #failstate decide the tempo and we worked within it. By burning clock with runs and the short passes and knowing it would put pressure on Fitz to throw, we had a brilliant game plan. It also removed the impact of the D-line and linebackers. I was actually going to do the chat box as well (the wife was out for the weekend with her sisters), but then I had 4 people over for the game so it didn't work out.

The gameplan by Mullen to compensate for our meh OL and not expose Franks to pressure was brilliant.

We can go back to the bubble screen days of Zaunbrecher...fine by me as long as we win.

Been on this train all year. Not just the various types of screens, but the slants, ins, outs, hitches, etc. Pull up most plays, the defense lines up 6+ yards off the receiver because they know we have big speed and don't want to get beat deep. Well, you counter that with the screen and quick plays so they move the DB's up and LB's cheat over to assist. That opens up runs in the middle and the potential to take the top off of the defense. We saw that last night when we started having success running between the tackles in the second half. We have the skill players, just need to get them chances to do things with their skill. We saw that last night.
 

Bait'n Gator

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Outstanding analysis. I also thought Dean getting ejected for diving for a ball on the ground was preposterous.

We may have been lucky that they went ahead and kicked him out of the game, I'm sure he has a few more personal fouls/unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in him. He's uber talented but he's been a dumbass so far this season, maybe this will get his attention.
 

GatorTruth133

Alethea
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We may have been lucky that they went ahead and kicked him out of the game, I'm sure he has a few more personal fouls/unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in him. He's uber talented but he's been a dumbass so far this season, maybe this will get his attention.

Possibly a good thing. Another good thing is it did allow more of our DB's to get in game experience which hopefully will not be necessary, but you never know.
 

BMF

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We may have been lucky that they went ahead and kicked him out of the game, I'm sure he has a few more personal fouls/unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in him. He's uber talented but he's been a dumbass so far this season, maybe this will get his attention.

Agree, he needs to tone it down a bit. I love the aggressiveness, but getting PF's and ejected (although a very questionable call) can cost the team. The players said he's very talented....and one of the best sh*t-talkers on the team, which is good and bad. He's going to be a good one though. Not many 6'3 CB's out there.
 

SavannahGator

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Excellent analysis. One thing struck me late in the game - on 4th down deep in their territory, and we make it. Ballsy call, but making it, and knowing that if necessary MacPherson would add the three on the next series, we burnt two minutes off the clock. Two precious minutes that FailState did not have. Sure, going for it was a risk, and it took an excellent dive by Scarlett out of the wildcat to make the first down. But it was a risk that worked.
 

GatorTruth133

Alethea
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Excellent analysis. One thing struck me late in the game - on 4th down deep in their territory, and we make it. Ballsy call, but making it, and knowing that if necessary MacPherson would add the three on the next series, we burnt two minutes off the clock. Two precious minutes that FailState did not have. Sure, going for it was a risk, and it took an excellent dive by Scarlett out of the wildcat to make the first down. But it was a risk that worked.

It was a good risk. They also went directly at the place Scarlett had a hole the play before that he failed to recognize. I did agree with the field goal later though. I trust our D against Fitz more than I trusted our offense to play hurry up with little time left in case we gave up a touchdown.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Just two games under Mc Elstain. Two games. For someone that some of you tried to portray as an offensive genius and a QB Whisperer.

Next Spurrier. Remember that?
 
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