- Jun 12, 2014
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It was by no means a masterpiece. I don’t know anyone on our side that thought it would be, but it wound up as a 24-21 win over F$U and added maybe a wee bit of closure to the Dan Mullen reign. Comparatively, it showed us some things that might have made the season better and also reinforced why we were 5-6 going into the rivalry game with the Clowns. To wit, AR gave us yet another glimpse of what he’s capable of (as long as he stays on the roster) and Pierce confirmed that the head scratching and cursing was justified regarding his token carries. The undisciplined play of the defense, with pockets of IDGAF interspersed, along with poor OL play and the insistence that a Slot Receiver could lead us at QB was a condensed negative seasonal highlight. Yet, the Gators found a way to find enough heart and persevere. Gee, I wonder what was different? ;)
As mad as I found myself over the past two seasons, I never wished anything sinister or deadly on Mullen and Grantham, et al. I wished them gone and I’m glad that has come true. I believe it was apparent to most that Mullen cast an air of pride and hubris that he doubled down on when things began unraveling, using several players (and coaches) as his chess pieces to show everyone just what a grand football mind he had…and they did not. Checkmate, or so he thought. In the end, he wound up conceding his King and scurried away with his fat payoff, leaving the team in the hands of an interim and (most certainly) a lame dog staff. Kudos to them, the players especially, and the fans on hand to watch us deny Norvell and his carnival bowl eligibility.
The talk about who’s next has started and seemingly a forgone conclusion. Hopefully we’ll know for sure by the first of the week. For those that wished we wouldn’t have to endure a lesser bowl, I understand, but the practices, if nothing else, help maintain a CFB post-season schedule for the underclassmen and should be a reward for enduring some of the BS that they all went through. Along these lines, my Christmas wish is for vastly improved attention to recruiting, organization, and accountability. Attention to the vertical passing game would also be appreciated! If we can get this, we’ll be immediately better, maybe not immediately great, but our trajectory would be more aligned to something heading into the heavens rather than the previous handfuls of bottle rockets we’ve put up with. It’s time for better fortune.
*As happy as I know we all were for Dameon, I know many were seething that we never fully utilized him throughout his Gator career. The TD that wasn’t, powering into the end zone with his helmet missing and his eyes full of fury, will no doubt become a recounted legend. Sad that there weren’t more of these. There should have been. Good luck in the draft. Some team should get a good one pretty cheap thanks to Steely Dan.
*Job one for the next guy will most certainly be to try and secure Richardson. Anyone with half a brain knows he’s got “it.” Run and throw with equal threat to the opposition. He should be the next great one here at UF. Should have already had a head start. On the postgame show, Lee remarked that in a prior conversation with Mullen about AR, it was commented about him that “what you don’t see is what he doesn’t know!” Smartest guy in the room said that. What a dildo. We could all see what he could do! Seems like that should have had the knowledge and experience mixed in with the opportunity to put it to better use in more game situations.
*”The Whiff at Ben Griff!” I’m still laughing! With all that was riding on that on side kick, how in the world do you screw it up that badly? I know the interwebz are clogged up with the Lucy and Charlie Brown memes and gifs right now, as they should be.
*The defense has been better without Grantham, though not exactly stellar. As has been mentioned elsewhere, we are still very undisciplined (a ton of offsides penalties) and have some guys who noticeably take plays off, but they were good enough to win last week and hung on today against a pretty nifty QB. Cox is the poster child for this group. Four sacks, but several loafs and offsides. That kind of play points squarely at a lack of accountability required by the staff. Hopefully the new broom sweeps clean.
*Not necessarily a Hevesy fan, though I have been in the past, I can’t tell a ton of difference in the sample size since his departure. We couldn’t run it until later in the game when the Nole$ were gassed. This has got to become a team strength regardless of what our offensive scheme becomes if it is to be consistent and successful. Better recruiting is a starting point.
*For once, we didn’t have the worst Special Teams in the game. Not that ours were marvelous, but F$U’s was worse and no doubt had a hand in their defeat. I fully expect this area to become no threat to us and ideally provide an advantage. I appreciate the walk on, but for heaven’s sake, let’s get somebody that can not only put it through the end zone, but also keep it in bounds.
Not many are overjoyed with how this season played out overall, but I believe everyone is happy with a win over the Nole$. Most have got to be happy with the upcoming coaching change, though some feelings of apprehension about the who are to be expected. I’m pleased that Stricklin (or whoever) pulled the plug, but it might should have been sooner. The job now is twofold…get us a good one and don’t make the same mistake you did with Mullen. That’s not too much to ask. The days ahead will have us “debating” the choice with the gamut ranging from “overjoyed” to “wait and see” to “WTF?!” I’ll take that variance compared to what we are coming out from under (decidedly “WTF” in my opinion). In the meantime, I’m preparing to enjoy a year of recounting knocking the Nole$ from bowl contention and “The Whiff!” A good snifter of Clown Tears was just what the doctor ordered! Go Gators!
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