- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
As an old John Wayne movie buff, the heart-breaking if not really unsurprising conclusion of our Gators’ 33-31 last second loss to Missouri brought to mind the ending of “Big Jake” and a line uttered by villain John Fain (Richard Boone) to Big Jake McCandles (John Wayne) where upon he told him “You came close, Mister, but no cigar!” I can’t tell you how that line resonated for several hours until sleep finally overtook. Ironically, in the movie, Big Jake got the last laugh as Fain and his band of outlaws were killed, Big Jake’s kidnapped grandson rescued, and he and his other two sons rode for home as heroes once again. Sadly in Columbia, Billy and Co. were no metaphors for Big Jake and the rest of the McCandles and our “movie” ended abruptly with the “Close, but no Cigar” Field Goal with 5 seconds remaining. The loss leaves us spinning at 5-6, more questions still than answers, and a remaining home game with the undefeated Noles of F$U and the chance of finishing 6-6 with guaranteed bowl eligibility. Good gosh, how our once expected standards have fallen!
Billy has been widely panned by our fans and much of the media for his coaching foibles and the deficiencies that are and continue to be on display weekly, and deservedly so. Last night, in cruel fashion, we played well enough in spurts to take the lead with 01:36 remaining in the game. Still a lot of time left for the Tigers with a timeout in their pocket. But the defense found something and held Mizzou on three downs and forced a timeout at 4th and 17. Could this be the turning point that Billy, his staff, the players, and the fans, as skeptical and cynical as we have become, had been looking for? NO! NO CIGAR! Bracketed by not two, but by four Gator DBs, one in front, one behind, and two on either side, QB Brady Cook launched a strike to top receiver Luther Burden, who made the catch, without contest from any of the four nearby DBs mind you, beyond the sticks. First Down! The rest became our all too familiar history of late. Hope was vanquished yet again. And the final sight that sticks was of the pudgy Tiger Kicker waddling off of the field, doing the Chomp in a most mocking fashion.
To add to our misery, QB Graham Mertz, who in my opinion has been a bright spot and defied the wails of many when he was the best that Billy could bring to Gainesville from the portal, was lost for the remainder of the game (and maybe the season, haven’t heard an injury report yet). Mertz showed a lot of heart by getting behind his pads to convert a third down as the pocket collapsed, but banging up his collar bone and exiting to the locker room in the process. Thrown into the fray, Max Brown, looked shakey in spots, fumbling once that led to a Tiger score and struggling on a couple of mesh points on run plays that disrupted the timing, one critically on the last FG drive that led to Etienne going out of bounds and preserving a Mizzou time out that they would use to set up the 4th and 17 conversion that led to the winning FG. But Brown steadied enough to throw a couple of nice completions and run for two first downs. At this stage, his legs are better than his arm. And I really thought that on our last drive that even though Billy was following the cook book and playing for the go-ahead FG with the clock winding down, I couldn’t help but feel like our defense, despite playing better in spurts, would have a better chance with less time left (if possible) and maybe a lead larger than the margin a FG would provide. Thus, my hope was that instead of the final three handoffs to Etienne, at some point in the sequence, Brown would at least pull it once and maybe find a crease and the opportunity to convert a first down and take us well inside a minute remaining AND cause Mizzou to use that final timeout that ultimately helped them. Or heck, maybe even score a TD? But safety was the plan. And it almost worked. Almost.
Instead, we find ourself in another movie metaphorically speaking. It’s “Ground Hog Day” yet again and this miserable loop continues. Hope, even if just a glimmer, is still hanging around though, as the Seminoles will be without their QB and leader Jordan Travis, who suffered a terrible ankle injury and will surely miss our regular season matchup in the Swamp. Their defense is pretty stout, however, and if we’re without Mertz and our weak OL plays at what is their consistent season level, the odds even at home will not be in our favor. Likewise with the Defense, again even though they played well in spurts, still gave up 500 total yds, 261 rushing and 239 passing, and folded on the final drive to surrender the lead and the game and gave up the aforementioned 4th and 17. “Abysmal“ has been used to describe that unit, and it is unfortunately accurate. Seeing Burden make the uncontested conversion catch amid our four defenders, who seemingly waited on somebody else to step up and make a play, was truly abysmal. Ground Hog Day…again.
Maybe we find enough next week to make a game of it. We’re at home, last chance to avoid a losing regular season record (even though 6-6 is well below Gator standards) and guarantee a bowl, and Lord knows we need the practice, though I feel like it needs to be maybe more focused than what we’ve been doing up to this point so far! But all of this might be a moot point. By this I mean that Billy has a couple of critical jobs to do between the conclusion of this season and the next: first, he’s got to knock it out of the park in the portal, especially where OL, LBs, and DL are concerned. Hell, let’s extend that to include a couple of seasoned DBs; and second, he’s got to find a way to keep his recruiting class from leaking at best or disintegrating at worst. Finding a way against F$U might be critical in regard to number two. Sadly at this point, it likely will take an odds-defying performance and that has not been our forte! But there’s still a game, so there’s still a chance. I’ve got my cigar on standby, just in case. Go Gators! Dammit! Go Gators!
Billy has been widely panned by our fans and much of the media for his coaching foibles and the deficiencies that are and continue to be on display weekly, and deservedly so. Last night, in cruel fashion, we played well enough in spurts to take the lead with 01:36 remaining in the game. Still a lot of time left for the Tigers with a timeout in their pocket. But the defense found something and held Mizzou on three downs and forced a timeout at 4th and 17. Could this be the turning point that Billy, his staff, the players, and the fans, as skeptical and cynical as we have become, had been looking for? NO! NO CIGAR! Bracketed by not two, but by four Gator DBs, one in front, one behind, and two on either side, QB Brady Cook launched a strike to top receiver Luther Burden, who made the catch, without contest from any of the four nearby DBs mind you, beyond the sticks. First Down! The rest became our all too familiar history of late. Hope was vanquished yet again. And the final sight that sticks was of the pudgy Tiger Kicker waddling off of the field, doing the Chomp in a most mocking fashion.
To add to our misery, QB Graham Mertz, who in my opinion has been a bright spot and defied the wails of many when he was the best that Billy could bring to Gainesville from the portal, was lost for the remainder of the game (and maybe the season, haven’t heard an injury report yet). Mertz showed a lot of heart by getting behind his pads to convert a third down as the pocket collapsed, but banging up his collar bone and exiting to the locker room in the process. Thrown into the fray, Max Brown, looked shakey in spots, fumbling once that led to a Tiger score and struggling on a couple of mesh points on run plays that disrupted the timing, one critically on the last FG drive that led to Etienne going out of bounds and preserving a Mizzou time out that they would use to set up the 4th and 17 conversion that led to the winning FG. But Brown steadied enough to throw a couple of nice completions and run for two first downs. At this stage, his legs are better than his arm. And I really thought that on our last drive that even though Billy was following the cook book and playing for the go-ahead FG with the clock winding down, I couldn’t help but feel like our defense, despite playing better in spurts, would have a better chance with less time left (if possible) and maybe a lead larger than the margin a FG would provide. Thus, my hope was that instead of the final three handoffs to Etienne, at some point in the sequence, Brown would at least pull it once and maybe find a crease and the opportunity to convert a first down and take us well inside a minute remaining AND cause Mizzou to use that final timeout that ultimately helped them. Or heck, maybe even score a TD? But safety was the plan. And it almost worked. Almost.
Instead, we find ourself in another movie metaphorically speaking. It’s “Ground Hog Day” yet again and this miserable loop continues. Hope, even if just a glimmer, is still hanging around though, as the Seminoles will be without their QB and leader Jordan Travis, who suffered a terrible ankle injury and will surely miss our regular season matchup in the Swamp. Their defense is pretty stout, however, and if we’re without Mertz and our weak OL plays at what is their consistent season level, the odds even at home will not be in our favor. Likewise with the Defense, again even though they played well in spurts, still gave up 500 total yds, 261 rushing and 239 passing, and folded on the final drive to surrender the lead and the game and gave up the aforementioned 4th and 17. “Abysmal“ has been used to describe that unit, and it is unfortunately accurate. Seeing Burden make the uncontested conversion catch amid our four defenders, who seemingly waited on somebody else to step up and make a play, was truly abysmal. Ground Hog Day…again.
Maybe we find enough next week to make a game of it. We’re at home, last chance to avoid a losing regular season record (even though 6-6 is well below Gator standards) and guarantee a bowl, and Lord knows we need the practice, though I feel like it needs to be maybe more focused than what we’ve been doing up to this point so far! But all of this might be a moot point. By this I mean that Billy has a couple of critical jobs to do between the conclusion of this season and the next: first, he’s got to knock it out of the park in the portal, especially where OL, LBs, and DL are concerned. Hell, let’s extend that to include a couple of seasoned DBs; and second, he’s got to find a way to keep his recruiting class from leaking at best or disintegrating at worst. Finding a way against F$U might be critical in regard to number two. Sadly at this point, it likely will take an odds-defying performance and that has not been our forte! But there’s still a game, so there’s still a chance. I’ve got my cigar on standby, just in case. Go Gators! Dammit! Go Gators!
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