Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Florida State

[HumbleGator]

Looks like the ref was possessed too

 

[Ancient Reptile]

It's bad enough to hear the extended social observations, but equally bad is ignoring the game. Those of us who actually want to follow the game are frequently thwarted.

 

[NVAGATOR86]

Great summary Cover. Love the Lucy and Charlie reference . That was one of the first things I thought of when the "Whiff" happened.

After a first half of RG3 and his sidekick , I moved the party outside for Mick and Lee. Had my Gator son and almost Gator son in law over and we broke out the Weller and Padron's . I credit that move with being our lucky charm over the Clowns.
Listened to Knox"s post game comments about player accountability being a key to the win. To me that was one thing that was always missing with Mullen. He never took accountability, and that transferred to his coaches and the team. No real leaders who held anyone accountable for their play. So for me our new coach better teach, live, and breathe the "A" word every day.

I liked what I saw from Knox and he should be considered as someone we retain.
It was an entertaining and frustrating game that looked like a microcosm of our season. But we did close down the Clown Show and that is all that mattered.

 

[Marine1]

Everyone now sees how good Pierce is now. It’s just obvious. I was on that train when he was a freshman. Honestly only Cover was all in also probably because he had seen him in HS and knew his capabilities.

There were rumors that he could not block…wrong. That he could not catch….wrong. That he could not hang on to the ball….wrong.

Perine was a good back and deserved his carries….but Pierce did as well. Yet he never complained and averaged 5-6 yards per carry every year.

In the end….everyone but Mullen could see it. What a shame.

 

[NavetG8r]

If a tree falls in the woods and there's nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that whiff was heard around the world and won't be forgotten by Gator Nation anytime soon.

 

[Gator98MD]

Weller and padron is solid . Which Weller ? Blue?

 

[Gatormac2112]

Great write up as always cover! Your posts are legend at this point and I look forward to them win or lose.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Everyone now sees how good...

In the end….everyone but Mullen could see it. What a shame.

I was screaming from the roof tops...TRASK

We all see AR...except Mullen and Steve Russell...oh but he coached before

And it is clear Pierce is a Beast


Mullen..."You don't see what I see"

Yes and we don't get $12mil when we're released...BUT we see it.

What we are all now seeing is...it ain't rocket science and SAT scores...not Coaching, not Teaching and not Politics

 

[NOLAGATOR]

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 NorveLLLL 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!

Spot on AGAIN Cover 2. I always enjoy your take.

The UAA could use your insight.

 

[Mr2Bits]

Does Emory really play that good in practice? If he throws 3 INTs against a bad defense, how many does he throw during the week in practice?

Have you seen the TO ratio with our defense, we’ve had like 2 int’s all season so of course he’s going to look dominant in practice.

Another thing to take note watching Bama last night was finding myself laughing when the commentators were talking about the right guard getting benched for poor performance. I laughed because I couldn’t recall a single time in the last 5-10 years where we benched an o-lineman for performance

 

[RiverRat]

Great job Cover
I,m looking forward to a new begging.
Hope the people here will give the new guy a chance to build a great team.
Gator fans needed that win yesterday it doesn't mean much in the big picture but it sure felt good.
The Whiff at Ben Griff will ecco around the walls of Ben Hill for years to come.

 

[wrpgator]

Thanks folks for the readership and kind remarks. The feeling this morning is akin to Ben Hur escaping from the Roman Galleon, avoiding certain death (some melodrama here), glad to be alive, still not quite certain just where we’re going, but wherever is better than where we’ve been! All this is a good segue into a gripe I had from the game that I left out of the initial post, that is, when I’m watching football, I’d prefer to not have a social awareness lesson nor a protracted pitch for head coaching candidates. I appreciate mention and a reminder of Willie Jackson and others who broke the color barrier in the SEC, very important no doubt, but the extended version would be better as a separate ESPN special. Let’s focus on the game. I don’t think it’s a stretch that a lot of people watch football and sports partially as an escape from societal ills.

Lastly, I was afraid Knox was going to blow his gig by staying with EJ. After the TD pass to Gamble, his early pinnacle, the passing game went nowhere to the tune of three picks. Emory’s a great kid and teammate by all accounts, but Mullen’s dogged “I’ll show you!” insistence on playing him was not fair to the team, the fans, or to Emory. Good luck EJ; good riddance DM.

Mullen was the football equivalent of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. “You get 4 carries, and you get 4 carries…and you, and you. Won’t you be my friend?!”

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Great job Cover
I,m looking forward to a new begging.
Hope the people here will give the new guy a chance to build a great team.
Gator fans needed that win yesterday it doesn't mean much in the big picture but it sure felt good.
The Whiff at Ben Griff will ecco around the walls of Ben Hill for years to come.

Ah yes, Rat still blaming the fans for the coaches sucking.

Somethings never change.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Have you seen the TO ratio with our defense, we’ve had like 2 int’s all season so of course he’s going to look dominant in practice.

Another thing to take note watching Bama last night was finding myself laughing when the commentators were talking about the right guard getting benched for poor performance. I laughed because I couldn’t recall a single time in the last 5-10 years where we benched an o-lineman for performance

And there you have it...no accountability

Fuchs praised Mullen after Samford
Mullen gets a raise in 2020
Grantham does not get fired until the fans force their hand
Alumni are tickled their kids get into UFuchs...full on WOKE...doesn't matter what they are taught...it's the system
Players throw shoes and lose games and are made Captian
Personal Fouls are part of the game
OL double team and allow unblocked LBS waltz into the backfield
Special Teams are a joke

Yet we attack oneanother...go figure

 

[FlyingGator]

Someone help me out here..why wasn’t FSU allowed to re-kick that whiff after a 5 yard penalty? Can’t find a specific rule reference other than blog answers. I thought UF could decline and take ball but a friend thinks they automatically should get a re-kick since it didn’t travel 10 yards.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Someone help me out here..why wasn’t FSU allowed to re-kick that whiff after a 5 yard penalty? Can’t find a specific rule reference other than blog answers. I thought UF could decline and take ball but a friend thinks they automatically should get a re-kick since it didn’t travel 10 yards.

Dead Ball when he touched it..not a real whiff..UF's ball

 

[RiverRat]

Not really Donk
I blame some so call fans for not giving a guy a chance,blasting his ass while he's getting off the plane or before he or she ever calls a play.
People like yourself expect instant Saban like results or you start winning and bitching like the little bitchtardsbtards you are.
Im just saying give them time before you chit your pants over a loss.

Ah yes, Rat still blaming the fans for the coaches sucking.

Somethings never change.

 

[FlyingGator]

Dead Ball when he touched it..not a real whiff..UF's ball

That’s what I thought but how is that different than touching it 7 yards after kick, or is it? Only reference I could find said kicking team takes 5 yard penalty and kicks again. Receiving team can’t decline since it was a dead ball foul. If it happens again they can decline though. Any reference I can quote? Thanks!

 

[oxrageous]

I blame some so call fans for not giving a guy a chance,blasting his ass while he's getting off the plane or before he or she ever calls a play.

Or she? Are there a lot of female playcallers in college football and I'm just not woke enough to have noticed?