Bits & Pieces: Florida vs FSU

[Detroitgator]

 

[cover2]

 

[Gatorbait25]

I feel for our guys . They deserve better than to be coached by this pitiful excuse of a leader. Stricklin should apologize to everyone in that locker room and resign immediately. He failed anyone who ever out on a gator uniform .

 

[MidwestChomp]

This was the first full game I watched all year. Its clear Napier is not a good game day manager. Would we have won with Mertz? Maybe, but we had a lot to play for.

I know some coaches can call plays and be HC, but some just can't. I'm a firm believer if you are HC you gotta step aside and get someone to be OC and call plays.

It's like getting a promotion to Executive Director and telling everyone you still want to run the program you were leading or if you were the COO and moving up to CEO and telling everyone you still want to lead operations.

It's really difficult to do if not impossible.

 

[revgator]

The spitting was not acceptable but at the very least I could understand the frustration.

This is unacceptable. Evidence that even the "behind the scenes foundation" is a lie. Billy has no control and all that crap about character was exposed last night.

 

[NVAGATOR86]

Cover.
Great job this season.
Ever since the Arkansas debacle I have tried to be unavailable during Gator football. Sort of like being unavailable for the old Freshmen" C" course auditorium classes.
I have used your summaries as the" Cliff Notes" to get me up to speed on how we managed to crap the bed in our latest loss. The Semi game is especially depressing when they beat us at home.
We were at a dinner that was conveniently arranged to miss most of the game. The 12-0 score looked great on line, but even without the in person optics it looked like it would not last.
I for one am very thankful that the season is over. No bowl game is a blessing. With our luck we would end up playing Miami or UCF, have half the team enter the transfer portal, and then get crushed.
Just like a root canal all I want is the pain to end.

Again thanks for reporting on the "Hindenburg" disaster which was our season.

 

[RiverRat]

Hard not to be disappointed. Not necessarily that we lost but why we lost. The spitting incident ranks up there with the now famous throwing of the shoe and the double reverse flea flicker qb pass as it turned out was just a terrible call.
I think we all know Napier isnt getting fired but his fate past next year lies in his ability to rebuild, reorganized and generally get his chit together.
Even pumpers like myself have a limit. I’m hoping he can hold whats left of this recruiting class together , hit the portal hard and make some coaching changes .
This job is too big for him to remain as offensive coordinator. Give it up and concentrate on being a good head coach, something that alluding him right now.

 

[Gatorraid81]

Thanks cover , he gets canned next season after we go sub 500 again

Can’t see him making it past UGAy next year honestly.

 

[MooseSmack]

Thank you Cover! I so look forward to your write up on each game good or bad. Sorry it’s been mostly bad. I find myself in mutual agreement with everything you post. I appreciate the effort you put into it under your current situation. Gods speed on your recovery. Thoughts and prayers. Go Gators!

 

[fischerwood]

Durty, only a medieval midwife or a degenerate such as myself would use “a coat hanger abortion of a game” as a descriptor! You are hereby awarded a “c2 Pulitzer” for this insight! Kudos my man! This was a high point!

I''ll stick with my Music Man analogy...

 

[Spurdog98]

The spitting was not acceptable but at the very least I could understand the frustration.

This is unacceptable. Evidence that even the "behind the scenes foundation" is a lie. Billy has no control and all that crap about character was exposed last night.

Thats Dave Doeker, a GA. Let's don't get carried away with our guys showing some emotion after what should have probably been an unnecessary roughness penalty.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

@cover2 nice write up. Thanks for taking the time to do this every week. I agree with you that the penalties they called on us were for the most part warranted. My issue with the officiating is it didn’t seem to be balanced on both sides. I saw several instances where Nole players should have been flagged for PF penalties but the officials let it slide. Also saw what appeared to be a blatant hold on a big run by Rodemaker late in the 4th that wasn’t called.

Anyway, at the end of day, this loss falls squarely on Billy. He just flat out sucks, plain & simple. He has no feel for the game in real time, he doesn’t understand the importance of momentum, no passion, no disciplining of players when they fcvk up. Just look at the response he & the staff gave our player after he spit & got ejected. Saban and Kirby would have gone ape shyt crazy on their player if he did that. Not Billy…give the kid a quiet little talk, a pat on the azz and a lollipop if he behaves in time out for 5 minutes. He‘s a bozo and until he is shown the door, we’ll continue to suck wind.

 

[Born2beagator]

7 total takeaways all season. Even a mediocre Gator defense should be averaging over 1 per game, and we have 7 total for the entire year. If you're wondering how bad that is, there is only one team in the entire 133 team FBS that has fewer takeaways. Probably the most unbelievably bad stat from another unbelievably bad year.

This. I was waiting for that one turnover to staunch the bleeding last night. Never came. Teams don't seem to make big mistakes against us and we don't create them

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

A few other things I forgot to mention. 1) A good point I heard from Chris Doering I believe is why were we having Brown drop back and try to be a pocket passer when that’s not his style? He‘s not Mertz, he’s a running QB but instead of playing to his strengths, we try to make him something he’s not and we got chewed up by their pass rush.

Secondly, while this next issue had no impact on the game whatsoever, I found it annoying as fcvk. First half of the game I believe, we had the ball in our own territory, fourth down, maybe 4-5 yards to go, and Sun Belt Billy leaves the offense out there as if we’re going to go for it. Thankfully we didn’t go for it but I believe we ended up burning a timeout as the play clock wound close to zero, I get he was trying to draw them offsides but for God’s sake, he fooled no one and wasted a TO. Enough with the stupid gimmicks, just punt the ball and just coach football. Save that trying to draw them offsides stuff when you’re on their side of the field and might legitimately go for it on 4th down. Your riverboat gambler act is really stale.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

He's all scared money. And stupid money.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

Sidebar/question, and this one did have an impact on the game. As I watched the flea flicker play and the subsequent intentional grounding penalty unfold, my thought was intentional grounding didn’t apply & should not have been called. Once the ball leaves the QB’s hands and is handed or tossed to the first ball carrier (the WR that was running in the backfield), anything goes and the ball can be carried, pitched, thrown at will, and if it happens to end back in the QB’s hands, he’s free to heave it as he sees fit. I’m pretty sure I’m correct on this. It doesn’t excuse Billy’s stupidity in calling this play but I am curious about whether the penalty should have applied.

Anybody know how the rule reads?

 

[Altitude Gator]

Sidebar/question, and this one did have an impact on the game. As I watched the flea flicker play and the subsequent intentional grounding penalty unfold, my thought was intentional grounding didn’t apply & should not have been called. Once the ball leaves the QB’s hands and is handed or tossed to the first ball carrier (the WR that was running in the backfield), anything goes and the ball can be carried, pitched, thrown at will, and if it happens to end back in the QB’s hands, he’s free to heave it as he sees fit. I’m pretty sure I’m correct on this. It doesn’t excuse Billy’s stupidity in calling this play but I am curious about whether the penalty should have applied.

Anybody know how the rule reads?

The exception to grounding to avoid a sack (out of the tackle box, past the line of scrimmage) only applies to the player that takes the snap and only as long as he maintains constant possession of the ball until the throw away.

Once the QB delivers the ball to anyone else, the exception no longer applies even if the QB gets the ball back.

 

[Mr2Bits]

Yep!

 

[AugustaGator]

The spitting was not acceptable but at the very least I could understand the frustration.

This is unacceptable. Evidence that even the "behind the scenes foundation" is a lie. Billy has no control and all that crap about character was exposed last night.

I think he got kicked in the head.

 

[Yankeetown]

That's about as positive a spin on what can only be referred to as a coat hanger abortion of a game and plan by simple bill and his ridiculous band of idiots.

I can't agree with "can only be referred to as a coat hanger abortion of a game and plan by simple bill..."

Take away 2 stupid penalties on the players, that gave FSU 1st downs that led to TDs, we probably win that game. Billy had the one excruciatingly bad play call on the reverse, Kicker missed 2 field goals. Overall, we were very competitive. Probably the defense's best game of the year in terms of effort and execution. Tackling still an issue.

But there are no do-overs. We're a 5-7 team, and as somebody said, you are what your record says you are.

We really, really, really, really desperately need two quality experienced OTs from the portal.