- Oct 5, 2017
- 2,315
- 6,288
Well, that was something to start the season. It wasn't smooth, it could be frustrating, but at the end of the day Gators football is back. The students were there early in numbers for the first time in forever, a legitimate 86,000 crowd, and 553 total yards, including 400 rushing. The crowd was hot to begin, slowed down, but after a number filed out it got electrified to again, which I will touch upon in just a bit. It was a nice day to see the crowd sway to We Are The Boys, the cell phone flashlights to I Won't Back Down, and even a halftime of the crowd singing Sweet Caroline. There are many reasons to be just happy to be there. There are positives, negatives, and of course, the QB issue that I believe was coached into.
Offense
The offensive line still has some issues, but you can't argue with 400 rushing yards when you can say they have improved. If the offensive gameplan was as vanilla as some would have you believe, this is an awesome number. Yes, 160 of it was one QB, but we all know that is Dan Mullen's plan.
The good was having 5 different backs averaging over 5 yards per carry. Lead by Richardson's ridiculous 22.9 ypc over 7 carries. Malik Davis lead the running backs with 7.4 yards per carry, ran for over 100, 1 TD and a long of 31 yards. Davis ran hard and so did Pierce. Bowman had 4 carries for 20 yards. Did the line miss some blocks? Yes. Can the line play better? Probably. Did they do what they needed to do and set a foundation to build upon? Yes. I think there are better running plays in the future. I do think the run game was pretty vanilla. We did, however, see at least one triple option (with a bad decision in my opinion) stemming from Emory at QB and two running backs in the backfield with him. I am looking forward to see how the running game grows and improves over the coming weeks.
The bad was definitely the passing game. We all knew we were taking a step back, but there's a step back and then there is what we saw. 153 passing yards is not good. There is no doubt, play-calling and one QB shoulders most of the blame here and I will get to that. I do believe there are some numbers that are deceiving and I believe there are numbers that are telling. What we saw will lead to a long season because there are some things that are issues that are not explained or fixed through vanilla or creative play-calling. I will get into that below.
Let's talk Emory vs. AR15, its the elephant in the room. Before we do, I want to say that I want them both to succeed. After Emory had three straight drives of -2 yards, pick, and 11 yards I saw Richardson with his helmet on and immediately told my brother and others around that unless you want a QB controversy that will split the fans and possibly the team, do not put Richardson in at that point in the game. Well, guess what? I was right. The post game call in show, Jordan Rodgers on the telecast, and Twitter are all I need to know that's exactly what happened. I'm not a psychic, but I know that if a guy has struggled and you put in a new guy who comes in and electrifies the crowd, it is asking for a QB controversy discussion.
I thought about bringing the pass chart I did in year's past back, but decided against it for now. What I can say is that while Jones was a decent 62.2% passing (17-27), some of those completions and incompletions were poor throws. Many were low, one caused Shorter to take a knee and get a loss on the play. The first completion to Copeland was high and a great snag by him to pull it in. Whittemore arguably dropped a bullet that was low over the middle he dove outstretched for. Emory also only completed 3 passes beyond 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. He completed 4 more beyond the line of scrimmage, but 5 or less yards deep, but one was (I believe) a great pass to lead Whittemore forward who then ran for an 18 yard gain. That leaves 10 completions that were screen or swing passes. That won't get the job done much in the SEC. He threw other intermediate routes, but many were low, behind, broken up (his last pass was behind and broken up) or intercepted. Jones might be a better passer than this, but looking at his completions it does give me pause.
AR15 came in and lead two TD drives when put on the field. He started 3 for 3. Two screen/swing passes and the longest pass of the night for 36 yards that could have been better. He did complete the ball though and the trajectory of the ball was nice. He then for the rest of the game went 0 for 5. Now, this is where I think a number might be somewhat deceiving. In those 5 throws two were drops, all on the last "drive" that began with 1:32 left in the game. After his electrifying 73-yard TD run, my family and I moved down to section C which looks down the far hash from the TV cam. He hits Fraziars outside shoulder, chest height, away from the defender and Fraziars dropped it. Bowman dropped a swing route. The other three included an overthrow of a deep route to Fraziars (we thought he slowed running mid route live and tried speeding back up, but couldn't see the whole route on the replay to tell if we just perceived it wrong), and two deep routes overthrown to walk on Kahliel Jackson...who I think we were trying to force a feel good moment to since his grandfather was honored earlier in the night. So yes, 5 incompletions are 5 incompletions, however, I'd say they are different than grounded balls, throwing behind receivers, etc. I'd like to see him get more of the full offense.
Both ran pretty well. However, last night there was no question in that game that AR15 was the more electric runner. We saw him stiff arm a defender into oblivion, break tackles on a 3rd and 20 run for a first down, hurdle another defender for a first down, and of course, have the longest QB TD run possibly ever. Depending on if you count Trey Burton in the wildcat of course. On that TD run he showed top end speed that you cannot teach. The crowd was louder those last three drives than they had since the game began. That is how you coach into a QB controversy.
Defense
There is a context to this defense. This is a Taggart defense with Perry at QB. That shouldn't scare many. We did hold them to under 220 yards of offense until their last two garbage time drives when we had a lot of back ups and/or younger guys playing. Even on those, we could have maintained the shut out if not for some stupid penalties like roughing the passer or late hit out of bounds.
The good is what I can say about the tackling department. We were tackling at a higher rate than I believe we've seen for years. Were there some missed tackles? Yes, it happens, but nothing like the epidemic we've seen recently. Hopper had a terrific tackle midway throough the game where he wrapped up a running back who takes it 70 yards for a TD if he doesn't make the stop. We also got off the field on third downs due to our play more than I realized when I re-watched the game. The biggest issue for this game was giving up three first downs due to dumb penalties. The first one was a PI by Marshall, though I'd argue it was uncatchable landing over the Gators sideline, but it is what it is. Blades negated a sack with a facemask on a receiver that happened as Perry was going down. The final one was the aforementioned roughing the passer call where Powell needlessly shoved Perry.
We got six sacks on the day which will bolster the defensive front. The question is, can we do it against the big dawgs of the SEC.
The bad of what I saw was coaching strategies we've seen bite us in the past like playing 10 yards off of a receiver on 3rd and 5. We did allow several 8-9 yards up the middle we tackled well, but against better talent it could become 15 or more yards. There were still some communication issues with the D, but not as many as in past years. On a particular run to the right by FAU we were aided by Perry not paying attention. I saw our DB's who were on the left side of the offensive formation still signaling to each other when the ball was snapped. Better QB's might recognize it and go after that.
I believed the defense showed improvement, but it is hard to gauge how much since this is a Taggart offense with Perry at QB. If this was the Lane Train they had a few years ago, this might've been a game. I don't know if we cycle as many players during the meat of our schedule, but a lot of guys got a lot of reps which I believe is a good thing. We certainly have things to clean up, but after the disaster that was last season, this is a step in the right direction. We won't know much about this defense for two weeks, but there are small things that we can take from what we do see.
Special Teams
These guys did what they had to do. Mullen had to talk to Crawshaw about pooch punting, but it's game one and touchbacks happen. In my opinion, the most exciting thing I saw was Henderson returning punts. He actually returned three times with different results. I believe a few were in a row for the first time in a long time. The one concern I do have is kickoffs. I almost would rather kick it out of bounds and let the other team have it at the 35 than to keep allowing these returnable balls. FAU almost broke one and I am sure that someone will if we keep doing it. I could be overly negative on that, but in a game rigged so much towards not returning kickoffs, to see us give returnable balls like we did (not as much air to allow defenders to get down the field), raises a concern.
Extra Points
Overall, it was a night with some fun plays and some frustration. Let's take this game for what it was and move on. We face a bad USF team that was blanked by NC State last week. I expect multiple sacks and a big win. It won't teach us much, but what to look for is ball placement by the QB(s). Is it in the upper body? Is it at the feet? Can we run for 400 yards again? Will someone take the QB job by the reigns heading into Bama? Whatever happens, it will be worth a watch.
Go Gators!
Offense
The offensive line still has some issues, but you can't argue with 400 rushing yards when you can say they have improved. If the offensive gameplan was as vanilla as some would have you believe, this is an awesome number. Yes, 160 of it was one QB, but we all know that is Dan Mullen's plan.
The good was having 5 different backs averaging over 5 yards per carry. Lead by Richardson's ridiculous 22.9 ypc over 7 carries. Malik Davis lead the running backs with 7.4 yards per carry, ran for over 100, 1 TD and a long of 31 yards. Davis ran hard and so did Pierce. Bowman had 4 carries for 20 yards. Did the line miss some blocks? Yes. Can the line play better? Probably. Did they do what they needed to do and set a foundation to build upon? Yes. I think there are better running plays in the future. I do think the run game was pretty vanilla. We did, however, see at least one triple option (with a bad decision in my opinion) stemming from Emory at QB and two running backs in the backfield with him. I am looking forward to see how the running game grows and improves over the coming weeks.
The bad was definitely the passing game. We all knew we were taking a step back, but there's a step back and then there is what we saw. 153 passing yards is not good. There is no doubt, play-calling and one QB shoulders most of the blame here and I will get to that. I do believe there are some numbers that are deceiving and I believe there are numbers that are telling. What we saw will lead to a long season because there are some things that are issues that are not explained or fixed through vanilla or creative play-calling. I will get into that below.
Let's talk Emory vs. AR15, its the elephant in the room. Before we do, I want to say that I want them both to succeed. After Emory had three straight drives of -2 yards, pick, and 11 yards I saw Richardson with his helmet on and immediately told my brother and others around that unless you want a QB controversy that will split the fans and possibly the team, do not put Richardson in at that point in the game. Well, guess what? I was right. The post game call in show, Jordan Rodgers on the telecast, and Twitter are all I need to know that's exactly what happened. I'm not a psychic, but I know that if a guy has struggled and you put in a new guy who comes in and electrifies the crowd, it is asking for a QB controversy discussion.
I thought about bringing the pass chart I did in year's past back, but decided against it for now. What I can say is that while Jones was a decent 62.2% passing (17-27), some of those completions and incompletions were poor throws. Many were low, one caused Shorter to take a knee and get a loss on the play. The first completion to Copeland was high and a great snag by him to pull it in. Whittemore arguably dropped a bullet that was low over the middle he dove outstretched for. Emory also only completed 3 passes beyond 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. He completed 4 more beyond the line of scrimmage, but 5 or less yards deep, but one was (I believe) a great pass to lead Whittemore forward who then ran for an 18 yard gain. That leaves 10 completions that were screen or swing passes. That won't get the job done much in the SEC. He threw other intermediate routes, but many were low, behind, broken up (his last pass was behind and broken up) or intercepted. Jones might be a better passer than this, but looking at his completions it does give me pause.
AR15 came in and lead two TD drives when put on the field. He started 3 for 3. Two screen/swing passes and the longest pass of the night for 36 yards that could have been better. He did complete the ball though and the trajectory of the ball was nice. He then for the rest of the game went 0 for 5. Now, this is where I think a number might be somewhat deceiving. In those 5 throws two were drops, all on the last "drive" that began with 1:32 left in the game. After his electrifying 73-yard TD run, my family and I moved down to section C which looks down the far hash from the TV cam. He hits Fraziars outside shoulder, chest height, away from the defender and Fraziars dropped it. Bowman dropped a swing route. The other three included an overthrow of a deep route to Fraziars (we thought he slowed running mid route live and tried speeding back up, but couldn't see the whole route on the replay to tell if we just perceived it wrong), and two deep routes overthrown to walk on Kahliel Jackson...who I think we were trying to force a feel good moment to since his grandfather was honored earlier in the night. So yes, 5 incompletions are 5 incompletions, however, I'd say they are different than grounded balls, throwing behind receivers, etc. I'd like to see him get more of the full offense.
Both ran pretty well. However, last night there was no question in that game that AR15 was the more electric runner. We saw him stiff arm a defender into oblivion, break tackles on a 3rd and 20 run for a first down, hurdle another defender for a first down, and of course, have the longest QB TD run possibly ever. Depending on if you count Trey Burton in the wildcat of course. On that TD run he showed top end speed that you cannot teach. The crowd was louder those last three drives than they had since the game began. That is how you coach into a QB controversy.
Defense
There is a context to this defense. This is a Taggart defense with Perry at QB. That shouldn't scare many. We did hold them to under 220 yards of offense until their last two garbage time drives when we had a lot of back ups and/or younger guys playing. Even on those, we could have maintained the shut out if not for some stupid penalties like roughing the passer or late hit out of bounds.
The good is what I can say about the tackling department. We were tackling at a higher rate than I believe we've seen for years. Were there some missed tackles? Yes, it happens, but nothing like the epidemic we've seen recently. Hopper had a terrific tackle midway throough the game where he wrapped up a running back who takes it 70 yards for a TD if he doesn't make the stop. We also got off the field on third downs due to our play more than I realized when I re-watched the game. The biggest issue for this game was giving up three first downs due to dumb penalties. The first one was a PI by Marshall, though I'd argue it was uncatchable landing over the Gators sideline, but it is what it is. Blades negated a sack with a facemask on a receiver that happened as Perry was going down. The final one was the aforementioned roughing the passer call where Powell needlessly shoved Perry.
We got six sacks on the day which will bolster the defensive front. The question is, can we do it against the big dawgs of the SEC.
The bad of what I saw was coaching strategies we've seen bite us in the past like playing 10 yards off of a receiver on 3rd and 5. We did allow several 8-9 yards up the middle we tackled well, but against better talent it could become 15 or more yards. There were still some communication issues with the D, but not as many as in past years. On a particular run to the right by FAU we were aided by Perry not paying attention. I saw our DB's who were on the left side of the offensive formation still signaling to each other when the ball was snapped. Better QB's might recognize it and go after that.
I believed the defense showed improvement, but it is hard to gauge how much since this is a Taggart offense with Perry at QB. If this was the Lane Train they had a few years ago, this might've been a game. I don't know if we cycle as many players during the meat of our schedule, but a lot of guys got a lot of reps which I believe is a good thing. We certainly have things to clean up, but after the disaster that was last season, this is a step in the right direction. We won't know much about this defense for two weeks, but there are small things that we can take from what we do see.
Special Teams
These guys did what they had to do. Mullen had to talk to Crawshaw about pooch punting, but it's game one and touchbacks happen. In my opinion, the most exciting thing I saw was Henderson returning punts. He actually returned three times with different results. I believe a few were in a row for the first time in a long time. The one concern I do have is kickoffs. I almost would rather kick it out of bounds and let the other team have it at the 35 than to keep allowing these returnable balls. FAU almost broke one and I am sure that someone will if we keep doing it. I could be overly negative on that, but in a game rigged so much towards not returning kickoffs, to see us give returnable balls like we did (not as much air to allow defenders to get down the field), raises a concern.
Extra Points
- Good to see both Lingard and Bowman get some time when the game still mattered.
- Watson is a monster. He will plug some gaps for us.
- Zach Carter does appear to be back with a vengeance.
- UCLA seems to be climbing from the no talent pit it was in, also Ed O may be who I thought he was.
- Lots of top 25 struggled and some lost. We did better comparatively, but we will see how it shakes out.
- We will move up by virtue of NC and Wisconsin losing.
Overall, it was a night with some fun plays and some frustration. Let's take this game for what it was and move on. We face a bad USF team that was blanked by NC State last week. I expect multiple sacks and a big win. It won't teach us much, but what to look for is ball placement by the QB(s). Is it in the upper body? Is it at the feet? Can we run for 400 yards again? Will someone take the QB job by the reigns heading into Bama? Whatever happens, it will be worth a watch.
Go Gators!
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