Game Thread ***OFFICIAL GAME THREAD: UF vs UGA***

[URGatorBait]

I'm not even convinced Pearsall was beyond the line to gain when the pass was supposed to go.

He wasn't, but that's where it was going. But we're he to catch it, he probably would have made it.

At any rate, 22 picking up the block or at least chipping #2 would have made that play quite different. Perhaps even opened room for etn to the run it as a second out.

22 missed the guy, that's my point about the "execution" comment.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

This X1000
Napier took this option away from the players by trying stupid reverses and trick plays and going for it on 4th on our side of the field.
It wouldn't have mattered in the end but would have made the game much more watchable and left a better impression of the team on themselves and us fans.

Yeah, but the analytics card said to go for it…

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

Sorry but he sounds like an *******. 4th and two feet and that was his call. Okay, don’t run up the middle, toss sweep, end around, whatever. But that play had too many moving parts. Anything but that play. Dumb.

Stating the obvious, the play call to make in that situation is…punt the fuching ball.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

I'm not even convinced Pearsall was beyond the line to gain when the pass was supposed to go.

Yeah but that’s a given with Billy Ball.

 

[Silverback Gator]

Stating the obvious, the play call to make in that situation is…punt the fuching ball.

Not against going for it, not at all. Have to play and take some chances, but not that silly play. Saying “execution” is Napier’s way of saying we know what we are doing, but it’s the players. I can’t stand that in a staff.

 

[soflagator]

Auburn had 8 winning seasons from 1990-2001, ranked in 7 of those at season’s end. Hardly qualifying as AIDS, as you put it.

Georgia also had 8 winning seasons from 1990-2001, also ranked in 7 of those at season’s end. Hardly AIDS as you put it.

LSU had 5 winning seasons from 1990-2001, ranked in 5 of those at season’s end. Not great but certainly not Vandy-esq level that Sun Belt Billy lost to last season.

I think you’re also forgetting that for the most part, those were 11 game regular seasons, not 12 like today, so 9 wins then was equivalent to 10 wins today.

You are correct, and I almost qualified my statement with the 9 wins/10 wins part. But I chose to just do the overall winning percentage instead. And I think we can both agree if we win under 60% of our games, it would not be considered a successful year. So I’m not going to give them any more of a pass. As I’ve said before, the SEC was top to bottom worse, but fsu was a behemoth. Those things reversed during Meyer. Now, the SEC is average, not great, the noles seem to be trending and uga is the behemoth, and one unlike we’ve ever seen before.

That’s the whole point I’m making. I’m not taking anything away from those guys, they were great and HOF material. But they inherit very good situations and made them very great. Napier was given a mess and is hopefully pulling us out of it. I have concerns and issues with him, but am willing to not grade him exactly the same as the other two given the circumstances.

 

[Silverback Gator]

Yeah but that’s a given with Billy Ball.

I can’t get past the outlet pass being a player parallel to the QB on the sideline. Why not a delayed swing pass route where he can catch the ball in space? There is always a defender within 10 yards who can close the distance if the QB throws that pass. It’s useless. But yeah, most of the time Mertz completes the pass. Big deal.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

Not against going for it, not at all. Have to play and take some chances, but not that silly play. Saying “execution” is Napier’s way of saying we know what we are doing, but it’s the players. I can’t stand that in a staff.

I agree with you about Napier’s lame excuse, and about taking some chances, but there is no reason to go for it on 4th down in that situation. On our own 34, first play of the second quarter in a 10-7 ball game? That’s just dumb. Save the risk taking when the risk/reward is more favorable.

Scared money don’t make money. Neither do stupid bets when the deck is stacked against you.

 

[78]

Yeah, but the analytics card said to go for it…

The guy is a walking contradiction.

 

[Silverback Gator]

I agree with you about Napier’s lame excuse, and about taking some chances, but there is no reason to go for it on 4th down in that situation. On our own 34, first play of the second quarter in a 10-7 ball game? That’s just dumb. Save the risk taking when the risk/reward is more favorable.

Scared money don’t make money. Neither do stupid bets when the deck is stacked against you.

No doubt Napier would have saved face had we punted. But for once in a fuchen lifetime, just go ahead and hand the ball off on the end around. We always have some poor fool in motion.

 

[URGatorBait]

Not against going for it, not at all. Have to play and take some chances, but not that silly play. Saying “execution” is Napier’s way of saying we know what we are doing, but it’s the players. I can’t stand that in a staff.

You'd have an argument if it wasn't so obvious that there was a missed block on that play.

I don't know how anyone can watch 22 on that play and say he didn't whiff on 2.

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

The guy is a walking contradiction.

He‘s just a plain old walking idiot in my book.

 

[Altitude Gator]

You'd have an argument if it wasn't so obvious that there was a missed block on that play.

I don't know how anyone can watch 22 on that play and say he didn't whiff on 2.

Criticism of 22 is OK, but why put a former walk-on WR in a position to block that guy?

 

[Sec14Gator]

I think we will be a very good team this year, and have said it several times. All predicated on Mertz coming back, but this will be the most complete team we’ve had since 19-20.

Mertz is not Driskel level infuriating, but he can’t make throws that are there to win games and his pocket presence costs us about 2 sacks a game, sometimes more.

With all the discussion about what would happen with switched rosters, that ga team loses at least twice with Mertz at QB. Our ceiling next year might be 7-5 with him at QB. Yet, I’m fairly certain that is why we are getting. What is Mertz going to do other than come back here. Worse, many think he’s good, so we’ll pay him a lot in NIL.

 

[URGatorBait]

Criticism of 22 is OK, but why put a former walk-on WR in a position to block that guy?

What does that have to do with anything? He was blocking. He went to the next level and blocked.
He missed the first guy.

 

[t-gator]

I think the talent gap probably does warrant a 20 point ass whoopin. However, we're not getting the most out of what we have on offense. And it was pretty clear that this game means for to kirby than Billy. I'm not saying Billy doesn't want it but he's gonna have to eventually hire an OC, a good one and match kirbys urgency if we ever stand a chance to win this game.

 

[G8trwood]

Criticism of 22 is OK, but why put a former walk-on WR in a position to block that guy?

This
Had several plays this year blown up in goal situations because we are expecting a back or wr to pick up a backer. That is living on margins for sure

 

[GatorInGeorgia]

You are correct, and I almost qualified my statement with the 9 wins/10 wins part. But I chose to just do the overall winning percentage instead. And I think we can both agree if we win under 60% of our games, it would not be considered a successful year. So I’m not going to give them any more of a pass. As I’ve said before, the SEC was top to bottom worse, but fsu was a behemoth. Those things reversed during Meyer. Now, the SEC is average, not great, the noles seem to be trending and uga is the behemoth, and one unlike we’ve ever seen before.

That’s the whole point I’m making. I’m not taking anything away from those guys, they were great and HOF material. But they inherit very good situations and made them very great. Napier was given a mess and is hopefully pulling us out of it. I have concerns and issues with him, but am willing to not grade him exactly the same as the other two given the circumstances.

Certainly winning less than 60% of our games would not be successful. LSU was approximately a .525 winning %, with UGA & Aub both around a .640 winning % during SOS tenure. So UGA & Aub weren’t horrible dumpster fires. LSU really struggled in the first half of the 90s with coaching issues before turning things around to some degree.

I understand your point but I think you are looking at the situation Spurrier inherited through rose-colored glasses. We were about a .550 winning % in the 4 years prior to Spurrier’s arrival, and we were still reeling from recruiting sanctions because of NCAA probation. Statistically, we were a lot like the 1990s LSU program you referenced above as being AIDS and we didn’t have a plethora of talent relative to our competition.

Billy didn’t inherit a great situation and certainly doesn’t have as much talent as some of our rivals but he didn’t walk in to a situation much different, nor any worse, than Spurrier, IMO. He also has tools to bridge the talent issue that SOS didn’t, namely the portal. Bottom line is Spurrier turned things around immediately because he knew how to coach.

I see nothing about Billy that leads me to believe he’ll ever be anything more than a 8-4 (on average) regular season coach who leads us to a middle of the road bowl game where we stand a good chance of getting beat by some other mediocre team.

 

[Egor's Assistant]

You are correct, and I almost qualified my statement with the 9 wins/10 wins part. But I chose to just do the overall winning percentage instead. And I think we can both agree if we win under 60% of our games, it would not be considered a successful year. So I’m not going to give them any more of a pass. As I’ve said before,....

First of all, get a room you two. Second, neither one of you has mentioned Tenerc.

I know it's hard to believe but we battled UT every damn year for dominance of the East. And then caught Bama on the reg in the SEC championship.

 

[Egor's Assistant]

I think the talent gap probably does warrant a 20 point ass whoopin. However, we're not getting the most out of what we have on offense. And it was pretty clear that this game means for to kirby than Billy. I'm not saying Billy doesn't want it but he's gonna have to eventually hire an OC, a good one and match kirbys urgency if we ever stand a chance to win this game.

Don't underestimate Muschamp's hatred of the Gators.

Hey, Champ, the feeling is mutual. See ya next year, Chump.