Bits & Pieces: Florida vs. Towson

cover2

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It seems a little anti-climatic putting this piece up two days after the game. Fitting, perhaps, for a game that was anti-climatic, being the final tune-up for the stretch of games that lies ahead. The easy thing to say is that Towson was a game if out-manned squad that put up a good fight and made us work for the 38-0 second shut out of the season and the third game we've allowed no TD's. But the reality is that they weren't great and probably the best stat of the game was that we escaped injury free. It really should help us to be going into the Auburn game in that state and likely as rested as you can be at this point in the season. First, though, lets look at a few points from the game:

*QB play was very efficient and workman-like. Trask spread the ball around and EJ threw some nice passes to go along with a super run. It's good to see us attack the middle of the field, but something tells me we might have to have a good boundary game against AU. I'm glad Trask had continued success, got to rest some, and that EJ got more reps. He really seemed to be more comfortable in this game than we've seen him. He's still #2, if pressed, he can run the offense.

*Can't say enough about how good the receivers are. And there's a lot of them. Grimes looked strong after the catch. Pitts is really turning into a formidable weapon. Great hands, big, and athletic. His second TD catch showed off that athletic ability and hands. We are blessed not only to have this group, but also to have the new guy come in and distribute it so efficiently. These guys most likely will have to do the bulk of moving the chains and the scoring for us.

*I'm a homer, but I want to see Pierce get more carries. I believe he's our best back and might have the best chance behind our OL to give us a little rushing boost. His long run after he cut back to the left side is indicative of his vision and instincts. He also carries a load to go along with enough speed to take it to the house.

*We don't have the greatest stable of LB's, but they hustle. Yeah, they still make some mistakes on their reads and angles and they can be a liability in coverage, but if we protect them with the calls, they're good enough for us to win with. Our DL should make it easier for them unless they are nulled. Hopefully they continue to take strides forward.

*Not that it was really bad this past game, but I really hope we tackle well. You can execute your alignments and assignments perfectly, but it's all for naught if you can't put the ball carrier on the ground.

*I've got another hunch that the kicking game might be an important factor. Townsend can flip the field and McPherson, though he's not been perfect, is pretty reliable. Just wish he'd put everything in the end zone or at least a mile high if they're going to be fielded inside the 10.

*Twice in a row I will have bragged on Greenard, but the guy continues to make plays and by all accounts is a great leader. Had only 5 assisted tackles, but got an interception on a tipped ball. I'm expecting to see him grill some burgers while the offense is on the field. A pleasure to watch.

*Did something Saturday I haven't done since I was a teenager...listened to the game on the radio (and watched a little on c2 Jr's phone - didn't do that back in the day) while shooting doves in south Georgia. Brought back a lot of memories of going with my granddaddy. No Otis Boggs, though. Had to bone up on the highlights and watch a replay to get the full flavor.

*Would've had this up yesterday, but lost my entire piece just as I was concluding and getting ready to upload. I'm not much of a tech guy, unfortunately. My apologies for my tardiness.

Now about Auburn. We know that their strength is matched against our greatest weakness. Most DC's want to try and take away a part of the offense and make their opponents one-dimensional. I fear that we have provided that edge already with the play of our OL thus far. It was nice to hear Mullen sound off about their poor/inconsistent play, challenging them to be better prepared (seems like we've been missing a lot of assignments :scratchchin:). I'm skeptical as to how much they can improve by Saturday, but if they do, my question becomes why'd it take you so long? No matter, I hate the thought of facing the Tigers with one arm tied behind our backs. As mentioned, I'd like to think giving Pierce more carries might make a difference. It looks to me like he's earned them, but I'm not sure just how much of a boost that gives our anemic rushing attack against these new Monsters of the Midway. Trask and the receivers had better be up to the task.

Defensively, I look forward to having Zuniga back across from Greenard and having Henderson again will help some, though I'm not dissatisfied with the strides that some of our secondary seems to be making. Stopping their rushing attack looked to be job one, that is until Saturday when legacy QB Bo Nix passed for 300 to compliment their ground game. I think we're obviously better than MissSt and the aforementioned DE's, with help from our LB corps, should be able to apply the necessary pressure and keep young Nix from doing so much damage through the air. I feel like our secondary can handle the coverage part and if we get a solid game from this side of the ball, we've got a good chance.

On Saturday, Mac Brown nearly pulled off the upset of Clemson. He gambled for the win by going for two late (and thereby went against the coach's cookbook - go for the win on the road and a tie at home), but was credited for his aggressive, gambling move. Two days later, he's still just a near winner (or close loser). I don't want us to be satisfied with coming close against #7 (or wherever the Tigers are ranked). I don't care about them knowing that they were in a real game after it is over if the final score is in their favor. Victory is what validates your program and we should have no interest in simply giving the tigers all they wanted.

"It's not how you're buried, it's how you're remembered" ~ John Wayne from The Cowboys

Go Gators!
:chomp:
 

T REX

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Thanks C2. That was clearly a lower division team. But hey, UF sponsored their athletics programs for the next year. Yay us.
 

gatormandan

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I agree that EJ is looking better but still a bit behind. I just wish Trask could move around a little when needed. I feel like they will be coming for him this week.
 

SeabeeGator

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Trask needs to improve on his internal clock. He seems to be generally aware in the pocket but he’s got to figure out when to bail. EJ looks so much faster than everyone else and threw some nice balls. I agree that he’s the clear back up and agree he’d be game if called upon. Would certainly be a different look.

I’m definitely nervous about the match up in the trenches. Their DL is highly touted and our OL is... limited, to be nice. Their OL is road grading at the moment and our DL can’t stop the run. At least our DL gets some pressure on the QB and forces mistakes. Turnovers might be our best bet to win this one.
 

GatorJB

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I think Towson would beat ut. I think we were lucky to get the shutout. Good that we have some players back on defense, but slowing down Auburn's run game will be tough. Have to force Bow to try to beat us with his arm and not his legs. I like our chances more if he's unable to do much running the ball.

Agree that Pierce should get the bulk of the carries. Still, the way our running game has been, we need to pass to setup the run. Probably need to be 60ish percent pass to move the ball Saturday, but Mullen's history shows he prefers to be 60% run. It will be interesting to see what kind of game he calls. I do suspect we'll see a wrinkle or two with EJ that we haven't seen before. We'll need to play a smart, disciplined game to come out with the W.

Thanks for the write up.
 

Marine1

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Agree on Pierce. He is our best back but needs carries. He’s the type of back that will thrive with a heavier workload. More importantly, with our OL issues he is the best fit.
 

Gator By Marriage

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Nice write up as always @cover2 , though understandably short. Your late postings have given me the opportunity to try different beverage accompaniments as opposed to coffee. Last week it was a nice Cab, today it was a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Both worked well! Your point about trying to make your opponent one dimensional got me wondering if Auburn dares us to run, selling out to stop our passing game, could we run the ball even in that scenario? And is their line good enough to pressure Trask if they drop 7 or even 8 into coverage? If you haven’t watched AU enough to answer, I can’t exactly blame you. We “pay” you for game analysis, not scouting! I happened to be at the game and my impression was we were kinda flat. It wasn’t a big crowd and there really wasn’t much buzz. If we really were “flat” then I suppose we should be happy with a 38-0 result. The only other player I wanted to mention was Keon Zipperer. He looked like a nice addition to our group of receivers and expect next season he and Pitts could be a real problem for our opposing DCs.
 

cover2

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Would be very interested in your thoughts on Copeland's game. His ups and downs confuse me.
Thanks AR. Even though we're almost halfway through the season, Copeland probably still has a year's worth of rust he's overcoming and it's a pretty crowded house among the receivers, so his game reps are limited. I'd guess he's probably pushing pretty hard and that has a way of affecting consistency. He's certainly fast, strong, and athletic. Best thing he can do right now is compete like hell in practice, know his assignments, routes, and adjustments, and take those successes to the field on Saturdays. The game doesn't just have to slow down for the QB's.

Nice write up as always @cover2 , though understandably short. Your late postings have given me the opportunity to try different beverage accompaniments as opposed to coffee. Last week it was a nice Cab, today it was a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Both worked well! Your point about trying to make your opponent one dimensional got me wondering if Auburn dares us to run, selling out to stop our passing game, could we run the ball even in that scenario? And is their line good enough to pressure Trask if they drop 7 or even 8 into coverage? If you haven’t watched AU enough to answer, I can’t exactly blame you. We “pay” you for game analysis, not scouting! I happened to be at the game and my impression was we were kinda flat. It wasn’t a big crowd and there really wasn’t much buzz. If we really were “flat” then I suppose we should be happy with a 38-0 result. The only other player I wanted to mention was Keon Zipperer. He looked like a nice addition to our group of receivers and expect next season he and Pitts could be a real problem for our opposing DCs.
Thanks GBM. I'm glad you're having an opportunity to enjoy a variety of libations! To your musings about our chances to run, I really hope we pass it well enough that they rush only four. If we can't block a base front, regardless of how good they are, we may as well cancel Christmas. I've only watched AU's highlights, but I'd imagine they feel pretty confident in the front matchup with their DL and our OL. Thus, I believe being able to run some when we need to, convert short runs for first downs or break into levels 2 and 3 when we run the LB's off for example, will be pretty important. I don't think we'll rush for 200, but what we gain needs to be timely. We don't need to lose yards on run plays either. Agreed about Zipperer. He looks promising.

@SeabeeGator I think you're probably right that we need an advantage with turnovers. We've been picking some balls off here lately, so as long as we can force them to get unbalanced in favor of the pass, we've got a chance in that department.
 

cover2

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Instead of shooting doves in Jawja, you should have been shooting leg humpers.
Can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind. As confident as they all seem to be this year, a win by us would have just as good of an effect.
 

neteng

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I am a huge Peirce fan but I am also a huge Perine fan. I also like Davis a whole lot even though he has fumbled a lot since being here. I am still not ready to say Peirce is the better back versus Perine when they both bring great but different things to the table. Against a good DL (not Towson), both have looked the same ... wrapped up in the DL arms never able to get to the 2nd level. Our OL even struggled early against Towson and there has been no real progress seen so far. Very worried about it.

Its also hard to talk bad about the D when they have another shutout but its very easy to see that we have issues that go beyond Grantham playcalling.
 

Marine1

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I am a huge Peirce fan but I am also a huge Perine fan. I also like Davis a whole lot even though he has fumbled a lot since being here. I am still not ready to say Peirce is the better back versus Perine when they both bring great but different things to the table. Against a good DL (not Towson), both have looked the same ... wrapped up in the DL arms never able to get to the 2nd level. Our OL even struggled early against Towson and there has been no real progress seen so far. Very worried about it.

Its also hard to talk bad about the D when they have another shutout but its very easy to see that we have issues that go beyond Grantham playcalling.

I also like all of our backs....even Clement. I just think Pierce is a bit better and I’d like to see what he could do with more carries. No doubt all of our backs are impacted by the OL.
 

rogdochar

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Winning this Auburn game will take all right actions by gators especially Mullen. We gotta have dynamic blocking to succeed.
I liked the Perine of last year when he dodged and didn't fall at first contact. So far his running is a wasted play.
Pierce is effective even behind the poor OL that Perine can't get loose from. We'll have no running threat to keep Auburn's D tentative, if we don't hit them with Pierce and Davis. Using Perine at the beginning will only incentivize Auburn's defensive fierceness.

For this game, at this point all Gators must play epiphany performances. Trask will need to complete 75%+ passes ... and will have to make some 20-25+ yard throws. WRs will have to have breakaway yacs a few times. Our TEs (Pitts) had better outmuscle Auburn's DBs for the ball, for extra yards. Lord, let Zipperer break out. No stupid ineffectual playcalls by DM.

Maybe what these 2 teams have previously done has led to overrating Auburn and under valuing Gators.
Scary game. Grow Gators.
 

neteng

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I also like all of our backs....even Clement. I just think Pierce is a bit better and I’d like to see what he could do with more carries. No doubt all of our backs are impacted by the OL.

Early in the game ... Perine and Pierce have looked exactly the same ... smothered by the DL. I want to see them both so they are both fresh. Solid rotation of the two with a sprinkle of Davis and Clement here and there to really change the feel.
 

CGgater

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I think Pierce deserves a shot and DM needs to use the jet sweep more to stress the D - several fake jet sweeps and actually run it at least once per quarter.
 

GatorAuthor

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Trask needs to improve on his internal clock. He seems to be generally aware in the pocket but he’s got to figure out when to bail.

This could be the key to the game on offense. That internal clock needs to improve (probably only learn that thru experience) or he needs to sense the pressure a bit better. I hope the coaches keep telling him there's nothing wrong with throwing the ball away. Bad things happen when the pocket collapses and those DL are all focused on that right arm and the ball. We won't likely be +3 in TOs if we give it away a couple times.
 

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