- Oct 5, 2017
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Originally, this was going to be subtitled after Tennessee's QB "Beating a Hooker", but too many people would think I'm making commentary on things other than the game. He did end up laid out, unable to finish after the Gators defense gave him quite the pounding. I do hope he gets better, I'm not sure as a Tennessee QB he was prepared for how quickly our defensive line would come.
The Gators offense and defense appeared to start fast with great opening possessions. The defense began the game with a three and out while the offense went 66 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. For the second straight game the defense would end up with both multiple three and outs and allowing touchdowns due to poor open field tackling and busted coverages. In the end, Florida actually covered the spread (though it took until the last play to ensure that), and beat the Vols 38-14 in front of a raucous, but not capacity, crowd.
A 24 point victory is nothing to be upset over and should be something to be ecstatic over when it comes to beating a rival at home. However, at times there just seemed to be something missing from the game. As a law school buddy of mine put on the twitter machine, it just didn't pass the eye test, but cannot put a finger on it as to the why.
On offense, the running backs continued to show their quality with each back averaging over 4 yards per carry. After being at the bottom of ypc last week, Pierce was the top RB at 7.8 ypc against Tennessee. He also was the only running back not to get into the endzone. He did have a shot later in the game, but his feet let him down. Wright had a nice touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Gators the lead back after losing his footing on a cut earlier in the drive that would've been a long touchdown had he not fallen.
The offensive line had a pretty good game. They only allowed one sack and blocked well enough for 283 yards on the ground. Now, a decent amount was from EJ scrambling, but EJ was doing what many have wanted him to do for weeks and that's him find his first and/or second option and take off if it isn't open. The line blocked well enough that most scramble yards were from that as opposed to running from a collapsed pocket. I hope Kingsley Eguakun is healthy as he has been key to the nation's #3 rushing attack.
The receivers did fine with what they were given. Outside of the opening drive of the second half we didn't try to have much of a vertical threat. Copeland, Henderson, and Shorter averaged over 10 yards per reception while Copeland's 9 yard TD catch brought his average to a 9.8. Pretty equal distribution as the top 3 receivers caught 3 balls a piece with the exception being Wells with 4 receptions. Gamble added in three receptions including his 13 yard TD from Whittemore. When I see distribution this equal, it tells me Mullen is drawing up easy plays for EJ to hit each of these guys as opposed to last year when if we saw such distribution it was Trask finding open guys. This is a key distinction and it speaks to good work on Mullen's part because EJ mostly only throws to reads one or two. By making different guys the first read it negates the defenses ability to hamstring the offense by double teaming Copeland the whole game (if, for example, he was always the first read). Another way to put it, it makes the defense guess about which read they have to take away to slow EJ down instead of knowing it is always a particular guy.
EJ played a good game. Some people would consider 21 of 27, for 209 with 2 TD's, 0 INT's and 144 yards rushing to be great. I think the 144 yards on the ground was great, but the 21 completions for 209 yards is not quite great. Of the 21 yard completions, I believe only 5 were passes that went at least 10 yards down the field. 2 of which were in one drive to start the second half. He had another where Henderson was underthrown and got a great gain, but had he surveyed the field, there was another go route with no one around. Receivers, Tight Ends, and Running Backs making people miss and running for 15 yards doesn't make a QB great. It shows the QB is still somewhat limited. I will repeat this part every week, I think we can beat teams we are supposed to beat with EJ, but I am not sure we can win a big game. This is a questionable Tennessee team that lost to a Pitt team that lost to Western Michigan, there has to be some context. He has improved. It was a good game, but not a game that makes me say any QB debate when AR15 is fully healthy is over.
On that topic, I am on team sit AR if we do not need him if he is not 100%. Against an overmatched UT team, I agree with not playing him. Being cleared and being 100% are not the same. I would rather not risk it and lose long term in a game he's not needed in. I also want to address a conversation I had last night with a buddy of mine I've known since kindergarten at the game that represents a lot of Gator Nation thoughts. People say they want to see AR15 get full drives before making a decision. I'm not sure how clear to make this, AR 15 has gotten several full drives. When he's not trying to force the ball the a 3rd generation Jackson, he really hasn't been stopped. A 75-yard bomb to Copeland against USF is a full 1 play drive. It's not a gadget play, but a good throw and catch. A 80-yard read option against USF is not a gadget play, but a full drive. Hitting a tight window to Copeland for 41 yards while getting hit is not a gadget play, but he didn't get a full drive because his helmet came off. There are people who believe we've only seen gadget plays with AR. Unless you count the rocker step TD to Copeland against USF that I haven't mentioned, name one. The dude runs the offense, it's just his full drives have taken less plays at this point.
As for the defense, I can't say for certain whether missing Kaiir Elam was the reason Tennessee hit two long TD passes. One was poor open field tackling where we probably lined up improperly to cover the route and the other was a young safety coming downhill to quickly and getting beat deep. I can say it didn't help the defense.
Going into the game, my big worry was that the defense would have issues getting lined up as Tennessee has the "Play Fast" mindset. I actually like the offensive theory behind this and sure enough, we had issues getting lined up throughout the game. In the third quarter, the defense was saved by a false start right before the ball was snapped because when the ball was snapped, the defensive line was 5 yards off of the ball. These are not player issues. This is coaching. I can't say without being on the field whether it is taking to long to get a play in or what, but maybe have a few base plays, like a cover 2 that your personnel lines up in and then adjust from there when facing teams like this.
The defensive line caused issues for Tennessee all night. Florida ended the night with 3 sacks and seven tackles for loss along with several no gain or minimal gain on scramble plays. Cox and Carter continue to book end one of the best D-Lines at UF in the last few years. Cox with 2.5 tackles for loss and Carter with a tackle for loss and a sack.
The linebacker play was questionable. Any time the opposing offense runs for 148 and passes for 275 I'm asking questions starting with this level. It was Burney who either lined up wrong, took a bad angle, or both to allow the first 47 yard touchdown pass. Some of the issues were the hurry up nature of UT's offense that we will not see with many other teams, but they do need to do better. A little caveat though, despite the 148 yards given up, Tennessee only average 4 yards per carry.
The secondary had a decent night despite my disdain for 275 passing yards. 122 yards came on two passing plays and 54 yards came on the final drive. Obviously, McDaniel being caught looking for the 75 yard TD pass is nothing you want to see moving forward, but sometimes young guys don't learn to fix bad habits unless something like that happens. Outside of two big plays and the back ups in on the last drive, UF only allowed 101 passing yards. I think that is good without Elam. Again, I never want to see that many yards, but there is some context and learning to it.
Giving up 423 yards to Tennessee is bad. Heupel is also a great offensive mind. There can't be the mistakes we saw. There were some good things and bad things. Basically, this was a Grantham defense. It's what we've come to know and by now, we just have to wait out the season and see what happens.
On special teams, not much to note other than Crawshaw looks like he might be the next in a long line of great UF punters. A 45.8 average on three punts with at least one pooch there.
Wasn't the best game, wasn't the worth. UF covered and beat a rival by multiple scores at home. Plenty to clean up, but still enjoyable to win without too much stress. Now on to Lexington where UF needed an all-time UK team in 2007 to avoid a night game. Yep, that 3:30 kick was the last time we played in Lexington with a kick earlier than 6. I have to point that out because UF fans sure whined about the kick time like it hasn't been the same for over a decade in Lexington.
Go Gators!
The Gators offense and defense appeared to start fast with great opening possessions. The defense began the game with a three and out while the offense went 66 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. For the second straight game the defense would end up with both multiple three and outs and allowing touchdowns due to poor open field tackling and busted coverages. In the end, Florida actually covered the spread (though it took until the last play to ensure that), and beat the Vols 38-14 in front of a raucous, but not capacity, crowd.
A 24 point victory is nothing to be upset over and should be something to be ecstatic over when it comes to beating a rival at home. However, at times there just seemed to be something missing from the game. As a law school buddy of mine put on the twitter machine, it just didn't pass the eye test, but cannot put a finger on it as to the why.
On offense, the running backs continued to show their quality with each back averaging over 4 yards per carry. After being at the bottom of ypc last week, Pierce was the top RB at 7.8 ypc against Tennessee. He also was the only running back not to get into the endzone. He did have a shot later in the game, but his feet let him down. Wright had a nice touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Gators the lead back after losing his footing on a cut earlier in the drive that would've been a long touchdown had he not fallen.
The offensive line had a pretty good game. They only allowed one sack and blocked well enough for 283 yards on the ground. Now, a decent amount was from EJ scrambling, but EJ was doing what many have wanted him to do for weeks and that's him find his first and/or second option and take off if it isn't open. The line blocked well enough that most scramble yards were from that as opposed to running from a collapsed pocket. I hope Kingsley Eguakun is healthy as he has been key to the nation's #3 rushing attack.
The receivers did fine with what they were given. Outside of the opening drive of the second half we didn't try to have much of a vertical threat. Copeland, Henderson, and Shorter averaged over 10 yards per reception while Copeland's 9 yard TD catch brought his average to a 9.8. Pretty equal distribution as the top 3 receivers caught 3 balls a piece with the exception being Wells with 4 receptions. Gamble added in three receptions including his 13 yard TD from Whittemore. When I see distribution this equal, it tells me Mullen is drawing up easy plays for EJ to hit each of these guys as opposed to last year when if we saw such distribution it was Trask finding open guys. This is a key distinction and it speaks to good work on Mullen's part because EJ mostly only throws to reads one or two. By making different guys the first read it negates the defenses ability to hamstring the offense by double teaming Copeland the whole game (if, for example, he was always the first read). Another way to put it, it makes the defense guess about which read they have to take away to slow EJ down instead of knowing it is always a particular guy.
EJ played a good game. Some people would consider 21 of 27, for 209 with 2 TD's, 0 INT's and 144 yards rushing to be great. I think the 144 yards on the ground was great, but the 21 completions for 209 yards is not quite great. Of the 21 yard completions, I believe only 5 were passes that went at least 10 yards down the field. 2 of which were in one drive to start the second half. He had another where Henderson was underthrown and got a great gain, but had he surveyed the field, there was another go route with no one around. Receivers, Tight Ends, and Running Backs making people miss and running for 15 yards doesn't make a QB great. It shows the QB is still somewhat limited. I will repeat this part every week, I think we can beat teams we are supposed to beat with EJ, but I am not sure we can win a big game. This is a questionable Tennessee team that lost to a Pitt team that lost to Western Michigan, there has to be some context. He has improved. It was a good game, but not a game that makes me say any QB debate when AR15 is fully healthy is over.
On that topic, I am on team sit AR if we do not need him if he is not 100%. Against an overmatched UT team, I agree with not playing him. Being cleared and being 100% are not the same. I would rather not risk it and lose long term in a game he's not needed in. I also want to address a conversation I had last night with a buddy of mine I've known since kindergarten at the game that represents a lot of Gator Nation thoughts. People say they want to see AR15 get full drives before making a decision. I'm not sure how clear to make this, AR 15 has gotten several full drives. When he's not trying to force the ball the a 3rd generation Jackson, he really hasn't been stopped. A 75-yard bomb to Copeland against USF is a full 1 play drive. It's not a gadget play, but a good throw and catch. A 80-yard read option against USF is not a gadget play, but a full drive. Hitting a tight window to Copeland for 41 yards while getting hit is not a gadget play, but he didn't get a full drive because his helmet came off. There are people who believe we've only seen gadget plays with AR. Unless you count the rocker step TD to Copeland against USF that I haven't mentioned, name one. The dude runs the offense, it's just his full drives have taken less plays at this point.
As for the defense, I can't say for certain whether missing Kaiir Elam was the reason Tennessee hit two long TD passes. One was poor open field tackling where we probably lined up improperly to cover the route and the other was a young safety coming downhill to quickly and getting beat deep. I can say it didn't help the defense.
Going into the game, my big worry was that the defense would have issues getting lined up as Tennessee has the "Play Fast" mindset. I actually like the offensive theory behind this and sure enough, we had issues getting lined up throughout the game. In the third quarter, the defense was saved by a false start right before the ball was snapped because when the ball was snapped, the defensive line was 5 yards off of the ball. These are not player issues. This is coaching. I can't say without being on the field whether it is taking to long to get a play in or what, but maybe have a few base plays, like a cover 2 that your personnel lines up in and then adjust from there when facing teams like this.
The defensive line caused issues for Tennessee all night. Florida ended the night with 3 sacks and seven tackles for loss along with several no gain or minimal gain on scramble plays. Cox and Carter continue to book end one of the best D-Lines at UF in the last few years. Cox with 2.5 tackles for loss and Carter with a tackle for loss and a sack.
The linebacker play was questionable. Any time the opposing offense runs for 148 and passes for 275 I'm asking questions starting with this level. It was Burney who either lined up wrong, took a bad angle, or both to allow the first 47 yard touchdown pass. Some of the issues were the hurry up nature of UT's offense that we will not see with many other teams, but they do need to do better. A little caveat though, despite the 148 yards given up, Tennessee only average 4 yards per carry.
The secondary had a decent night despite my disdain for 275 passing yards. 122 yards came on two passing plays and 54 yards came on the final drive. Obviously, McDaniel being caught looking for the 75 yard TD pass is nothing you want to see moving forward, but sometimes young guys don't learn to fix bad habits unless something like that happens. Outside of two big plays and the back ups in on the last drive, UF only allowed 101 passing yards. I think that is good without Elam. Again, I never want to see that many yards, but there is some context and learning to it.
Giving up 423 yards to Tennessee is bad. Heupel is also a great offensive mind. There can't be the mistakes we saw. There were some good things and bad things. Basically, this was a Grantham defense. It's what we've come to know and by now, we just have to wait out the season and see what happens.
On special teams, not much to note other than Crawshaw looks like he might be the next in a long line of great UF punters. A 45.8 average on three punts with at least one pooch there.
- Always good to see the 95 and 96 UF teams. Controversial take, but I agree with Spurrier that Danny is the best UF QB of all-time.
- Drum Noises- "O AND FOUR, O AND FOUR, O AND FOUR, O AND FOUR"
- Anyone know the difference between Clemson and Oklahoma this year? Oklahoma's opponents have thrown the game away while Clemson's haven't
- Next week could set up tons of SEC Drama. Imagine if you will, Arkansas (who is a good team, did you see Texas drop 70 on Tech yesterday?) beats UGA at Noon, and my Ole Miss beating Bama prediction comes true? That puts Ole Miss in the driver's seat, UF/UGA in the same position, and Arky set to play Ole Miss for 1st in the west a week later. College football is the best sport.
- Anyone see where a Ohio State LB quit mid game?
- I can't tell you anyone who will be in the playoffs other than Oregon, barring a shocker the Ducks are going undefeated in a bad, BAD Pac-12.
- WHO rushes the field for beating Mizzou? Also, Mizzou's kicker is the size of a DL, but his girth gives him the power to drill a 56-yarder as time expires. Take notes for the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Wasn't the best game, wasn't the worth. UF covered and beat a rival by multiple scores at home. Plenty to clean up, but still enjoyable to win without too much stress. Now on to Lexington where UF needed an all-time UK team in 2007 to avoid a night game. Yep, that 3:30 kick was the last time we played in Lexington with a kick earlier than 6. I have to point that out because UF fans sure whined about the kick time like it hasn't been the same for over a decade in Lexington.
Go Gators!
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