***OFFICIAL SECCG THREAD: UF vs. TidePods***

[rogdochar]

It's Grantham's scheme to keep Bama's punter off the field ... neutralize him altogether.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

You know old saying: “Lies, damn lies, and statistics.”

 

[78]

All kidding aside, where do you see where have an advantage? Pitts is a match-up nightmare for anyone, including these guys. But he's one guy. We couldn't move a horrible Tennessee defense off the line of scrimmage to run the ball. Our defense has been shredded by far worse and we've been extremely slow starters this season. If recent history holds, we could be down 21-0 before anyone's jocks get sweaty.

Sorry, man. I am not a board doom-n-gloomer and I really hope I'm wrong. But based on how we've played since Arky - and they scored 5 TDs on us at home - and based on how Bammer has played since Ole Miss.............

Not gonna argue. Beating Bama will be a tall task. But in a certain odd way I love these kind of wildly uneven matchups for the uncertainty they bring. I recall the feeling going into the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Few gave us a chance against Ohio State. We know what happened there.

Our guys will be sky high. We’ve got the best quarterback in America. A few big plays and fortunate bounces here and there, and you never know what might happen. I doubt it, too, but we can hope.

 

[Traskman]

The main thing we need to do against Alabama is shorten the game. If we try to get into a high speed shootout with them, we won’t win. Our offense is already not a high tempo system, so as long as we can sustain long scoring drives and keep their offense off the field, that’ll give us the best chance to win. I think we are more than capable of doing that. Alabama hasn’t faced a good offense since Ole Miss, and our offense is better than theirs.

Our defense won’t be able to stop them with any kind of consistency, so in this game the best defense is a ball control offense. And we honestly wouldn’t have to run the ball that well to do it. We can utilize short passes and screens as our running game if we can’t move them off the ball.

 

[soflagator]

The main thing we need to do against Alabama is shorten the game. If we try to get into a high speed shootout with them, we won’t win. Our offense is already not a high tempo system, so as long as we can sustain long scoring drives and keep their offense off the field, that’ll give us the best chance to win. I think we are more than capable of doing that. Alabama hasn’t faced a good offense since Ole Miss, and our offense is better than theirs.

Our defense won’t be able to stop them with any kind of consistency, so in this game the best defense is a ball control offense. And we honestly wouldn’t have to run the ball that well to do it. We can utilize short passes and screens as our running game if we can’t move them off the ball.

Wow. Interesting take. I actually couldn’t disagree more though, and think Alabama may be more inclined to revert back to more ball control to shorten the game with us. They have the running back to do so, it’s worked with several of our opponents and I still think Saban in a championship setting will try to go back to the formula he most associates with winning titles. We on the other hand, I feel, have no choice but to try and score on every possession and maybe—just maybe—get them out of their comfort zone with a stop or two. Every team that has beaten Alabama(outside of 6-3)has done so with dynamic offense and scoring. Even this year, the closest team to pulling the upset was OM with like 50 points. We aren’t beating them if we’re held under 35, imo.

The part that sucks is that in many respects, at worst, Saban gets two shots at beating us and so can kind of experiment in Atl.

 

[78]

Yeah, you can’t take the stripes off a tiger, nor should you try. We’re not a ball control offense. We’re pretty much the opposite when you consider how little the running game contributes to our drives.

The middle of the field will be crucial. A lot of our big gainers begin there. The main thing is, don’t take your foot off the gas. Be aggressive from the outset. Take it to them. Keep taking it to them. See how they respond.

 

[Traskman]

Wow. Interesting take. I actually couldn’t disagree more though, and think Alabama may be more inclined to revert back to more ball control to shorten the game with us. They have the running back to do so, it’s worked with several of our opponents and I still think Saban in a championship setting will try to go back to the formula he most associates with winning titles. We on the other hand, I feel, have no choice but to try and score on every possession and maybe—just maybe—get them out of their comfort zone with a stop or two. Every team that has beaten Alabama(outside of 6-3)has done so with dynamic offense and scoring. Even this year, the closest team to pulling the upset was OM with like 50 points. We aren’t beating them if we’re held under 35, imo.

The part that sucks is that in many respects, at worst, Saban gets two shots at beating us and so can kind of experiment in Atl.

I think Saban sees four one play scoring drives with our defensive backs chasing Davonta Smith into the end zone. Our run defense isn’t the stoutest, but he would be playing to our relative strength if he tried to give the ball to Harris 30 times.

 

[GatorJ]

I sure as hell hope we don't go into that game as psyche-phukked as some on this board obviously are. I don't expect miracles and Bama is clearly one scary-assed FB team, but the roll over and play dead BS is for the birds. Will we win? Probably not. Do we have a slugger's chance? Absolutely.

We don’t have a chance if we can’t run the ball. Mullen has been trying like hell to get the running game going. We’re only going to win by throwing the ball but we need to run the ball when necessary to prevent 3rd and longs.

In addition, we know we typically start slow. Mullen is great with 2nd half adjustments. So I’d expect us to be down by a score or 2 going into half time.

We have not trailed going into the 4th quarter this year.

The defense has gotten much better since a couple weeks back. I’d suspect that Mullen wants to get the lead going into the 4th quarter and rely on the running game and defense to ice it.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

The main thing we need to do against Alabama is shorten the game. If we try to get into a high speed shootout with them, we won’t win. .

Ive watched our OCs try to win TOP and shorten the game since 2009. If Dan does his run run pass, it means Trash has to be absolutely perfect, #15 and #8 cant drop their usual 2 passes a game each, and every WR must block the WR screen perfectly on those 3rd and 8 WR screens.

It wont help our pathetic DC at all, who will be lucky to force a punt at all. You can bet Trailerbammer's cast of 100ish quality assistants no very well what our safeties and LBs cannot do (cover basically anything).

If we do that instead of striking as quickly and often as possible we will lose huge again. This is exactly the recipe for another Butteresque 41-14 loss.

My bet would be 52-20.

 

[Traskman]

Ive watched our OCs try to win TOP and shorten the game since 2009. If Dan does his run run pass, it means Trash has to be absolutely perfect, #15 and #8 cant drop their usual 2 passes a game each, and every WR must block the WR screen perfectly on those 3rd and 8 WR screens.

It wont help our pathetic DC at all, who will be lucky to force a punt at all. You can bet Trailerbammer's cast of 100ish quality assistants no very well what our safeties and LBs cannot do (cover basically anything).

If we do that instead of striking as quickly and often as possible we will lose huge again. This is exactly the recipe for another Butteresque 41-14 loss.

My bet would be 52-20.

Regardless of how we do it, we’ll have to play a perfect game to win. That’s how championships are won. :)

 

[Swamp Donkey]

. We’re only going to win by throwing the ball but we need to run the ball when necessary to prevent 3rd and longs.

Wrong. Running the ball is exactly what CAUSES 3rd and long. Period. And it will have us in third and long all night.

I can assure you that Alabama has watched the game tape. Theire unblocked defensive end will absolutely crush the running back in the backfield and won't give a second thought to Trash keeping the ball. You guys will blame the tackkes for Mullinz playcalling, as always.

We dont have a chance to run the ball without EJ taking the snaps instead of Trash. If we do that to shorten the game outside of some odd 3rd and short, we will lose huge.

I fully expect us to do what we normally do and run the option and QB keeper consistently. This will be the game when the gap between Mullens and Grantham and elite coaching staffs will he painfully obvious.

 

[lizardbreath]

We don’t have a chance if we can’t run the ball. Mullen has been trying like hell to get the running game going. We’re only going to win by throwing the ball but we need to run the ball when necessary to prevent 3rd and longs.

In addition, we know we typically start slow. Mullen is great with 2nd half adjustments. So I’d expect us to be down by a score or 2 going into half time.

We have not trailed going into the 4th quarter this year.

The defense has gotten much better since a couple weeks back. I’d suspect that Mullen wants to get the lead going into the 4th quarter and rely on the running game and defense to ice it.

Respectfully disagree. Protecting Trask and holding on to the damn ball is the key to this game. Piddling around with "small change" O concepts will get us totally phukking hammered. If we can avoid 3rd and long as much as possible with the medium-depth passing game, we can forego the 1-3 yard run BS, sustain drives and set up the downfield passing game. The thing about "we can't win if we don't suddenly find a way to do something we haven't done well for 2 years" is a recipe for a pre-programmed schytt-fest disaster. It wasn't the running game that got us into the SECCG, and it won't be the running game that wins for us either. I say dance with the one that brung you - Kyle, Kyle, Toney & associates.

 

[Gatorbait25]

I don't know why but even on 3rd and long we seldom play 6 DB. This usually leads to someone like Burney or Miller
in a mismatch, and a simple conversion. In this game I think you just have to live with their OL versus our 6 and play
3 deep when they have the ball on their side of the field. Harris is a great back, but the more carries he gets is one less opportunity
to roast Marco or embarrass Stiner. Crossing the 50 is when you can get creative with pressures
and different personnel groupings. More Diabate, Miller/Houston at the Mike and less Burney optimizes our chances
of getting a stop. Also it would be great if Fat Todd would stop sending these stupid secondary pressures while playing
10 yards off the ball. It never gets there in time.

 

[soflagator]

Another way of looking at it is with common opponents. We have 6, so it's a decent sample size. The total point difference is 15(150 vs 135). They narrowly edged us in every contest, except A&M where they were much better, and OM where they were slightly worse. Still, a difference of about 2 points a game.

*14 points included against our defense were pick-6's. I have no idea if there were any such scores with Alabama, so I didn't break it out. If, by chance, there aren't any, then in 6 comp games were are dead even in points allowed(-1). And ftr, this disparity could be greatly altered by Sunday if we don't show up against Lsu and/or they dismantle Franks and the Hogs.

None of this ultimately matters all that much. It will be Sark against Grantham and us vs Saban. We'll have to see how it plays out. But as has been stated, the signature difference in this game as opposed to the last 3 in Atlanta(yes, including '09) is that we can actually score points. I doubt Saban even gave the '15 and '16 games any real specific preparation. If only due to the Kyles, we'll have his attention this time.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I don't know why but even on 3rd and long we seldom play 6 DB. This usually leads to someone like Burney or Miller.

I agree but when we line up on 3rd and 6 with a safety playing "man" from 12-15 yards deep, switching to a dime wouldnt matter.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

Now, see, there you go! Bringing facts in to a GC discussion.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

Ive watched our OCs try to win TOP and shorten the game since 2009. If Dan does his run run pass, it means Trash has to be absolutely perfect, #15 and #8 cant drop their usual 2 passes a game each, and every WR must block the WR screen perfectly on those 3rd and 8 WR screens.

It wont help our pathetic DC at all, who will be lucky to force a punt at all. You can bet Trailerbammer's cast of 100ish quality assistants no very well what our safeties and LBs cannot do (cover basically anything).

If we do that instead of striking as quickly and often as possible we will lose huge again. This is exactly the recipe for another Butteresque 41-14 loss.

My bet would be 52-20.

I appreciate your optimism, but I can't see us winning by 32.

 

[Gatorbreath]

Not gonna argue. Beating Bama will be a tall task. But in a certain odd way I love these kind of wildly uneven matchups for the uncertainty they bring. I recall the feeling going into the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Few gave us a chance against Ohio State. We know what happened there.

Our guys will be sky high. We’ve got the best quarterback in America. A few big plays and fortunate bounces here and there, and you never know what might happen. I doubt it, too, but we can hope.

Perfectly stated and I agree completely.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I appreciate your optimism, but I can't see us winning by 32.

Weird, neither do I.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Now, see, there you go! Bringing facts in to a GC discussion.

The fact is Trailerbammers DC will be fired in a few weeks.

Ours will be lauded and called best in America by Dorky Dan.