- Jun 12, 2014
- 8,951
- 32,411
Founding Member
Great win...but WHEW! We looked poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory only to snatch victory from jaws of...overtime? Seriously, I was fearful that as gassed as the D was, overtime would have been tough to pull off. But that's irrelevant for now. Mac thankfully was able to keep the home streak against the Vols alive. But it might be as appropriate to give Butch some credit, too. He had a few head-scratchers where decisions were concerned ( more on that later). Very glad, again, for the victory and some improvements, but still much, much to work on. Let's talk specifics, shall we...
*I'll start with the OL. Some better and the stat line (which I've not looked at) might make them look a little improved, as well. But there are still some negatives to critique. One thing that jumps out is that any running play that calls for a G Scheme, a log, or a cut-off involving lateral movement by the OL usually results in an unblocked man or two blowing the play up or stretching it to the sidelines for little to no gain. Our guys are S-L-O-W! They just can't get there. Run blocking may have been a hair better, but if you take away Malik Davis' long run and a couple of decent carries by Perrine and Thompson, we still didn't get a great push. The backs, Thompson in particular, got some good YAC to probably help inflate the rushing totals. Pass pro was ok I guess, though Ivey had a couple of noticeable struggles. Tough to see a guy so heralded out of HS struggle as he has. Don't know if it's because he came from a run heavy Single Wing offense, poor collegiate coaching, or just slow to develop, but I hope he can become more consistent soon.
*Take away Townsend and Eddy and Special teams aren't real special. We don't block or cover very well at all. Somebody *ahem* must not stress the hustle, pride, and want to that is required for these units to be a force and team strength. Or if they stress it, they don't reinforce it consistently. I'm afraid we'll get hurt buy these units at some point. Eddy saves the Kick Cover bunch, so really don't know how well they complete their tasks.
*Defense started out very well. The DL stood their ground some better and they were able to null the rush a bit in the first half. Secondary had some shakey moments early on, but as a whole, the entire group looked good, bent but didn't break, and looked poised to dominate the entirety of the game. I will say CJ Henderson scares me most out of the young DBs, despite his pick six. He is terrible in run support and that must be corrected. Once again, the ghost of offensive futility and a string of short rests in the second half caught up with the D. We started missing a ton of tackles (again) and we screwed up some coverages. LBs, who were adequate with a few pretty good plays in the first half, were exposed in the second with cut offs, bad angles, and slow pursuit. The back-ups tried, but really aren't SEC-caliber players. Still, Reese has a promising look and Joseph will be solid as he accumulates reps. Still this group showed improvement.
*Franks was certainly better. Showed some poise, threw some good balls, and managed the offense. His TD pass on the final play required him to scramble, find the receiver, set his feet, and execute a 65 yard throw. He did all pretty well! Very pleased to see the strides he made physically and mentally. Leadership is coming on. I think he'll be a keeper based on what he showed us today.
*Kadarius Toney...keep finding ways to get him the ball. As was noted in the Spring game, the kid is electric. If he'd have hung on to the pass in the end zone, he'd have had a really spectacular night. The best is in front of him. Would hope we'll also see him return kicks at some point.
*Play calls remain enigmatic for the most part. When we play not to lose, it seems to backfire quite a bit. Our best offense, or the best flow, seems to always be early. Scripts ? But at least we finally put a couple of offensive scores on the board, even if the last one screwed up the plan to go to overtime! I think Law termed this "Butterluck" in another thread!
*Duke Dawson had a great two-play sequence! I believe he played pretty well overall and seems to be developing into a good leader. Gardner, on the other hand, didn't look very consistent and made some noticeable mistakes, particularly missed tackles. You aren't there yet, kid. Need to forget the HS hype and step it up a notch. You've got the tools.
*c2 Jr. read me a Twitter exchange that started with a Vol fan saying just after Cleveland's TD grab that "There's not a God!" A Gator fan replied "Yes there is, but one of you guys pissed on him!" Classic.
*Butch...first and goal from the nine very late in the game. A TD gives you a four point lead. Your RB was gashing us. But you chose to throw it three times? But at least, as one of our players tweeted, Townsend I think, "You're still Champions of Life!" I hope you soon get a lifetime contract.
*Davis and Perine just can't fumble like they did. Thompson, on the other hand, has looked ok and has held on to the ball so far. Still not as good a group without Scarlett.
*One thing that strikes me about this team is that we really don't do many of the technique and fundamental things correctly on a consistent basis (e.g. refer to the OL critique earlier). Poor angles defensively and offensively stand out. Youth and inexperience are culprits, but it is the responsibility of the coaches to affect a change.
*Shannon still remains a little to conservative on pass D where blitzing is concerned. Third and long you can about guarantee we will rush four and get little to no pressure with a soft man on the corners or quarters coverage, which we f**k up about every time. Come on, man. Be a little creative. Of course you've got to demand more from your kids, but if you do it right, they'll play up to them.
So Gators, we live to fight another day. Played some better, but we've still got a lot of work in front of us. The O can't continue to put as many reps on the D as they do. This is probably job one, but it has been a constant under Mac and is a killer against the better teams, which I don't believe UT is one of. Big job up next against UK. Can we keep that streak alive? Depends on how well we correct the mistakes that still linger. Again, glad to have a W and offensive TDs. Let's hear what you think.
Go Gators
*I'll start with the OL. Some better and the stat line (which I've not looked at) might make them look a little improved, as well. But there are still some negatives to critique. One thing that jumps out is that any running play that calls for a G Scheme, a log, or a cut-off involving lateral movement by the OL usually results in an unblocked man or two blowing the play up or stretching it to the sidelines for little to no gain. Our guys are S-L-O-W! They just can't get there. Run blocking may have been a hair better, but if you take away Malik Davis' long run and a couple of decent carries by Perrine and Thompson, we still didn't get a great push. The backs, Thompson in particular, got some good YAC to probably help inflate the rushing totals. Pass pro was ok I guess, though Ivey had a couple of noticeable struggles. Tough to see a guy so heralded out of HS struggle as he has. Don't know if it's because he came from a run heavy Single Wing offense, poor collegiate coaching, or just slow to develop, but I hope he can become more consistent soon.
*Take away Townsend and Eddy and Special teams aren't real special. We don't block or cover very well at all. Somebody *ahem* must not stress the hustle, pride, and want to that is required for these units to be a force and team strength. Or if they stress it, they don't reinforce it consistently. I'm afraid we'll get hurt buy these units at some point. Eddy saves the Kick Cover bunch, so really don't know how well they complete their tasks.
*Defense started out very well. The DL stood their ground some better and they were able to null the rush a bit in the first half. Secondary had some shakey moments early on, but as a whole, the entire group looked good, bent but didn't break, and looked poised to dominate the entirety of the game. I will say CJ Henderson scares me most out of the young DBs, despite his pick six. He is terrible in run support and that must be corrected. Once again, the ghost of offensive futility and a string of short rests in the second half caught up with the D. We started missing a ton of tackles (again) and we screwed up some coverages. LBs, who were adequate with a few pretty good plays in the first half, were exposed in the second with cut offs, bad angles, and slow pursuit. The back-ups tried, but really aren't SEC-caliber players. Still, Reese has a promising look and Joseph will be solid as he accumulates reps. Still this group showed improvement.
*Franks was certainly better. Showed some poise, threw some good balls, and managed the offense. His TD pass on the final play required him to scramble, find the receiver, set his feet, and execute a 65 yard throw. He did all pretty well! Very pleased to see the strides he made physically and mentally. Leadership is coming on. I think he'll be a keeper based on what he showed us today.
*Kadarius Toney...keep finding ways to get him the ball. As was noted in the Spring game, the kid is electric. If he'd have hung on to the pass in the end zone, he'd have had a really spectacular night. The best is in front of him. Would hope we'll also see him return kicks at some point.
*Play calls remain enigmatic for the most part. When we play not to lose, it seems to backfire quite a bit. Our best offense, or the best flow, seems to always be early. Scripts ? But at least we finally put a couple of offensive scores on the board, even if the last one screwed up the plan to go to overtime! I think Law termed this "Butterluck" in another thread!
*Duke Dawson had a great two-play sequence! I believe he played pretty well overall and seems to be developing into a good leader. Gardner, on the other hand, didn't look very consistent and made some noticeable mistakes, particularly missed tackles. You aren't there yet, kid. Need to forget the HS hype and step it up a notch. You've got the tools.
*c2 Jr. read me a Twitter exchange that started with a Vol fan saying just after Cleveland's TD grab that "There's not a God!" A Gator fan replied "Yes there is, but one of you guys pissed on him!" Classic.
*Butch...first and goal from the nine very late in the game. A TD gives you a four point lead. Your RB was gashing us. But you chose to throw it three times? But at least, as one of our players tweeted, Townsend I think, "You're still Champions of Life!" I hope you soon get a lifetime contract.
*Davis and Perine just can't fumble like they did. Thompson, on the other hand, has looked ok and has held on to the ball so far. Still not as good a group without Scarlett.
*One thing that strikes me about this team is that we really don't do many of the technique and fundamental things correctly on a consistent basis (e.g. refer to the OL critique earlier). Poor angles defensively and offensively stand out. Youth and inexperience are culprits, but it is the responsibility of the coaches to affect a change.
*Shannon still remains a little to conservative on pass D where blitzing is concerned. Third and long you can about guarantee we will rush four and get little to no pressure with a soft man on the corners or quarters coverage, which we f**k up about every time. Come on, man. Be a little creative. Of course you've got to demand more from your kids, but if you do it right, they'll play up to them.
So Gators, we live to fight another day. Played some better, but we've still got a lot of work in front of us. The O can't continue to put as many reps on the D as they do. This is probably job one, but it has been a constant under Mac and is a killer against the better teams, which I don't believe UT is one of. Big job up next against UK. Can we keep that streak alive? Depends on how well we correct the mistakes that still linger. Again, glad to have a W and offensive TDs. Let's hear what you think.
Go Gators