Bits & Pieces: Florida vs LSU

[LongTooth]

Agreed. You know, mention has been made about our S&C program and I believe it warrants review at a minimum.

The defense starts to fade in the third quarter every game and neither line gets a push.

S and C is a joke. Fire that bum.

If there isn’t a ruthless house cleaning this off-season Napier is done.

 

[EyeDocGator]

And the word is out: Get to the LOS quickly on offense and the Gators D will be looking to the sideline not sure where to line up. We make football easy for our opponents.

We'd be better off having a defensive captain call the plays. The playcalling may not be as brilliant {/sarcasm} but at least the team would be ready for the snap.

 

[wrpgator]

We'd be better off having a defensive captain call the plays. The playcalling may not be as brilliant {/sarcasm} but at least the team would be ready for the snap.

Yes, and go ahead and let Mertz call his own plays too as on-field OC. Whatever the outcome, it would be an improvement.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Georgia has great players, great coaches, great tradition, and is a state that cares about football and has great high school football. Same for Alabama.

Billy Napier is not going to be fired at the end of this season. UF has too much money and sweat equity invested to throw in the towel now just to hire another head coach and start over with no guarantee that we're going to get it right the next time. The tipping point will become sometime next season. If by then we're not seen to be going forward then that point will be reached, but we're not at that point yet.

Our culture wants instant gratification. After Bear Bryant Alabama had to go through Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike Dubose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, and Joe Lines before they got to another legend, Nick Saban. Legends are hard to come by. They are few and far between. I know the culture doesn't like to talk about hard work and character, but I think that is what you look for. I think Billy Napier has those qualities. I know those qualities don't guarantee wins. They are necessary if not sufficient.

Hope you're feeling better Cover,

 

[Durty South Swamp]

Georgia has great players, great coaches, great tradition, and is a state that cares about football and has great high school football. Same for Alabama.

Billy Napier is not going to be fired at the end of this season. UF has too much money and sweat equity invested to throw in the towel now just to hire another head coach and start over with no guarantee that we're going to get it right the next time. The tipping point will become sometime next season. If by then we're not seen to be going forward then that point will be reached, but we're not at that point yet.

Our culture wants instant gratification. After Bear Bryant Alabama had to go through Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike Dubose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, and Joe Lines before they got to another legend, Nick Saban. Legends are hard to come by. They are few and far between. I know the culture doesn't like to talk about hard work and character, but I think that is what you look for. I think Billy Napier has those qualities. I know those qualities don't guarantee wins. They are necessary if not sufficient.

Hope you're feeling better Cover,

Some of those bums you listed between bear and nick won sec and national championships. And we aren't asking for the next nick saban, we're just asking to not have the next butters.

 

[GatorJ]

Some of those bums you listed between bear and nick won sec and national championships. And we aren't asking for the next nick saban, we're just asking to not have the next butters.

Well, at least Butters was playing in SEC championship games.

 

[cover2]

Well, at least Butters was playing in SEC championship games.

 

[A Gator Looks at Forty]

It’s quite glaring. The consistent things we see defensively are technical (misaligned, receivers left uncovered) and fundamental errors (poor tackling, poor effort). That the same things keep happening over and again tells me that it is not merely a talent or personnel problem, but an inability of the coordinator and staff, all under the supervision of the HC, to make the necessary changes happen. This is not winning football and is unacceptable in my opinion.

Sadly enough it is acceptable.....

 

[MooseSmack]

View attachment 63943

Most football games usually have several subplots, twists and turns, that play out and result in the conclusion. Last night in Baton Rouge, we had our beleaguered Gators, 5-4 and riding a two-game losing streak and having lost at home last week, ingloriously, to hapless Arkansas (who was destroyed 48-10 by Auburn yesterday). We had LSU coming off a beating at the hands of a resurgent Alabama that included knocking dangerous dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels out of the game with a concussion. Even though he was cleared to participate earlier in the week, would his effectiveness be impacted? Then there was our own Billy Napier, starting to come under fire for a lack of success, but maybe more so for the myriad of mistakes being made by both coaches and players in every game. It made for some good theatre leading up to the game.

Once the game started, It quickly became apparent that Daniels was no worse for the wear coming off of the concussion protocol. The slender Tiger QB had an All-American night, passing for 372 yds and 3 TDs and rushing for 234 yds and 2 more scores, leaving the Gator defenders chasing and flailing in his wake. There’s reason to believe Daniels may likely become only the fourth player from a 3-loss team to win the Heisman and his record-setting 616 yds of total offense last night certainly didn’t hurt his chances.

I have to admit that as one who has been critical of Billy‘s seeming lack of attention to the multitude of mistakes as well as an offense that is more ball control than attacking, the Gators O was more potent and attacked vertically, with success, more than we have been. The result was that Mertz was able to throw for 311 yds and a TD and no INTs. We were also able to rush the ball for 177, led by Etienne with 99 yds and 3 TDs on 18 carries. We also took the lead at 28-24 in the 3rd quarter and for a moment looked like a team that was finding it’s pace.

But it wasn’t to be. Daniels just grabbed another gear with a 51 yd TD run and on our next possession, aided by a questionable booth review and overturn of a spectacular Mertz to Kahleil Jackson pass that would have set us up in scoring position, we turned the ball over on downs (I think I’m right on my sequencing here). The rest was academic as LSU scored 3 more times and the final score was 52-38, leaving the Gators at 5-5 with Missouri (8-2) up next on the road and the finale at home in two weeks against an undefeated F$U.

No moral victory, but a couple of positives was a clean up of many of the mistakes that had been plaguing the Gators, particularly with Special Teams, and with the passing game that attacked both vertically and in the middle of the field and was also able to move the ball and score on the ground. 38 points and 488 total yds, on most nights, would be considered respectable and a reason to celebrate.

But not with the defensive performance that was put forth. Granted, Daniels is probably the best player in CFB right now, but great day, I believe we set some kind of record tonight for uncovered receivers and loss of contain, which led to us giving up a whopping 701 yds of offense and 52 pts. We had a few defensive moments, a goal line stand and a couple of sacks, but by and large we were shredded, chewed up and spit out, and all too often our guys were trailing, chasing, watching Daniels and the Tigers run, pass, and catch through us like a hot knife through butter. Make no mistake, even though we showed a pulse tonight offensively, we are abysmal defensively. Part of it is personnel, but having defenders consistently misaligned, out of position, and not playing aggressively is a guarantee that we will lose more than we win, especially in the SEC and during this period of offenses > defenses, and clearly points to coaching and expectations on that side of the ball.

So, the repeating question of “What now?” is asked yet again. Missouri on the road will be no birthday party. The Tigers whipped Tennessee 36-7 yesterday and in the words of HC Eliah Drinkwitz “kicked their defense’s @ss!” To say they will be confident at home and looking to do the same to us is likely an understatement. And until we find some way to become better fundamentally and give great effort EVERY play, barring a spate of turnovers by Mizzou or them uncharacteristically looking past us, they’ll kick our @ss, too. Damn it hurts to say that, but it’s true and underscores another area of concern for Billy to rectify. And that rectification can’t come soon enough.

I’ve always heard that “the sun doesn’t shine on the same dog’s back all the time,” but damn if it doesn’t seem like we’ve been under a cloud forever! Again, we’re reduced to playing for the outside chance (at this point) for bowl eligibility and to stave off a losing season record. A far cry from a Conference Championship and a playoff berth, but a step that’s still before us. Feels “Sisyphean” at this point, but it is our task to perform. Bear up Gators! Let’s roll the rock and look for better days in the not so distant future!

Spot on Cover! I Hope you are healing up and doing better.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Some of those bums you listed between bear and nick won sec and national championships. And we aren't asking for the next nick saban, we're just asking to not have the next butters.

A lot of those names are forgettable, but the internet is great for looking up obscure stuff. Of all of those Gene Stallings rose above bumdom.

 

[Egor's Assistant]

First of all, where did you get that picture of me doing my daily boulder rolls?

Secondly, 11.6 yards per play! Over 10 yards per play! No one can win giving up 10 yards per play. It's just math at that point.

Thirdly, rest easy, brother. We can't handle watching the rest of this sh!tshow without you.

 

[Yankeetown]

The defense starts to fade in the third quarter every game and neither line gets a push.

S and C is a joke. Fire that bum.

If there isn’t a ruthless house cleaning this off-season Napier is done.

I am not qualifed to evaluate the competence and performance of the S&C staff from any kind of a "technical" point of view.

That said, what is irrefutable is that a whole bunch of the people we have on the field for defense are 6 or 18 months out of high school. No matter how highly rated some of them might have been ... as high school players and college prospects .... they ARE .. as oft-accused in these forums ... still weak and soft by SEC standards. And they would be if they were playing for Saban, or Smart, for Urban, or even for Vince ef'ing Lombardi. Strength & conditioning to get to elite levels takes years, not months. You don't see it as much with the speed positions, but definitely do with the strength/power positions.

Not an excuse. Just a small dose of reality.

 

[NVAGATOR86]

Great write up C2. I do not understand why we cannot get a competent DC. AA should be released this week.

I agree on Armstrong . This performance last night alone would warrant action to be taken with the DC and staff. However I am more pissed about the Hogs game especially in view of what happened to them yesterday. They are a very bad team ,and if the using only 6 offensive plays all game rumor is true, Armstrong should have been gone last weekend. In fact if Daniels wins the Heisman he should invite Armstrong to the Ceremony.
I can see Daniels thanking God, his family, his OL, and of course the Gator Defense , represented by our former DC.

What an embarrassment we have become.

 

[FireFoley]

Some of those bums you listed between bear and nick won sec and national championships. And we aren't asking for the next nick saban, we're just asking to not have the next butters.

https://archive.org/download/neil-rogers-show-soundboard/Absolutely-Correct-Sir.mp3

 

[NVAGATOR86]

Cover ,

Great summary.
Napier may not be able to make changes this season. Or he could assign DC responsibilities to another staff person. I assume that would be Spencer the Co / DC? I also hear Mike Peterson's name tossed around.
We never appear to make proper adjustments to counter what is working for the other team . Maybe the other assistants are part of the problem? Or communication from the DC to his staff? Or a lack of oversight by our HC?

 

[Bushmaster]

Imagine a fanbase, if you will, that complains after giving up 700+yards, and not a single complaint yet about an obvious coaching blunder during the game.

As crazy as this is, it was probably Napiers best coached game.

How sad is this??

 

[Tunaboat]

It's hard to say what needs to be done first other than a new coach and staff, but that won't happen due to money. There isn't any aspect of this team that is playing top-level SEC football. Coaching slow with on-field calls, players out of condition, dumb coaching decisions per play, bad lines on both sides of the ball, a defense that is gassed and quits in the 3rd qtr. Napier's amateurism at his job has been a huge letdown, everything seems to be a problem. What to do now? Next year this worm won't turn into a butterfly the coaching essentials just aren't in place

 

[deuce]

Suckage is a given.......

 

[Spurdog98]

Agreed. You know, mention has been made about our S&C program and I believe it warrants review at a minimum.

I am a big believer that a program will reflect it's coach, from players to staff including S&C. My guess is that our program isn't one that is terribly demanding and probably alot of new wave BS instead of the grind that it is supposed be. Built in competitive atmosphere designed to weed out laziness and demand the sort of toughness that will carry over and reflect in our play, particularly late in the game when things are on the line...sorta like last night. I see just the opposite, quitting lack of effort and just a general disinterest....and NO pride which is part, or should be part or the culture change. I see it early but then it just dies completely out and that has to stop.

 

[jdh5484]

I am a big believer that a program will reflect it's coach, from players to staff including S&C. My guess is that our program isn't one that is terribly demanding and probably alot of new wave BS instead of the grind that it is supposed be. Built in competitive atmosphere designed to weed out laziness and demand the sort of toughness that will carry over and reflect in our play, particularly late in the game when things are on the line...sorta like last night. I see just the opposite, quitting lack of effort and just a general disinterest....and NO pride which is part, or should be part or the culture change. I see it early but then it just dies completely out and that has to stop.

Need more competition at each position. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Then hit the portal.