Post-Game Discussion: FLORIDA at Kentucky

I know the DUMBEST thing to do is be an opposing fan coming here after a loss. And you can curse me out and such and I won't care.

But I'm not coming to gloat. I have respect for your program and after a lifetime of you all breaking my heart, I'm celebrating the win.

As I posted on here earlier, Stoops can just get us up for big games. it was a noon game and we had a rocking crowd. First big game of the year. I think we came out early and hit you guys in the mouth. In a game with 2 good teams, these results can happen. I think we came out early ready and you guys got caught off guard and by the time you guys got some things figured out, it was too late and the lead was too big. It might have been different had you guys been in Gainesville.

The difference with this Kentucky team than in the past is that we have more high level talent and depth than usual. We had more experienced guys too that were in this game. We also had confidence we could beat you guys. Stoops does great with the "Us vs. The World" type of motivation and you guys being ranked gave us a bigger reason to get up and go. We have some really talented guys that will be playing on Sundays. Usually we're lucky to have 1 of those guys at a time, but Stoops is recruiting better and we're not having too much turnover in the portal. We have a culture.

Now does this mean you guys are bad? I don't think so. In 2018 you guys finished top 10 when we beat you all, it was just a great Kentucky team in a game where things bounced our way.

But if you look at the talent difference where we've closed the gap...here's the Rivals Team rankings

2020: #21 Ranked Class
2021: #34 Ranked Class
2022: #14 Ranked Class
2023: #27 Ranked Class

And we've really hit well on our portal targets. We've built a solid foundation...not one that can win a title but one that can compete.

I know that once you all get your talent level right...you all could very well go back to beating us regularly...I'll enjoy it now but know it's not going to be forever. We beat UGA in 2006 & 2009...haven't won since. You just never know.

Good luck the rest of the way. And you can take out any anger on me....I know how these losses can be...well as a UK Football fan I know losing better than most lol.

 

13 players on the field is completely emblematic of the general coaching competency category I’d assign to this staff at any given time in-game, which is thus: “we aren’t paying attention here”.

 

Dated her in high school.

 

1. Ray Davis
2. Early Int
3. Penalties

Dug ourself a hole too big to get out of. I'm surprised the score wasn't worse and we actually kept fighting

 

Yeah. AR killed it against Kentucky last year....

 

You don't have to embrace it but you and I aren't driving the train.

 

Mert often put himself under duress by running out of the pocket. I don't think he's comfortable in the pocket. The problem is that he cuts the field in half when he runs out of it or when we run designed roll outs to compensate.

 

Missed passes as well. Mertz has played as he's been asked but he missed a couple early ones that would have opened things up.

 

He's done well, except for showing up to practice drunk.

 

His protection is awful. Mertz is doing great considering the lack of protection.

 

Was it this ugly?
You don’t think he covered up an offense with tons of flaws?

 

You have a winner in Mark Stoops there. Make sure you keep him. If he continues on this trajectory, he will have some big time suitors.

 

You see it your way then, and I will see it my way based on in part what I see and the information I source.

 

That's fine. We'll agree to disagree. I saw the wheels coming off that train loooong before death threat comments. And that game was definitely an indicator for me.

Getting blown out 31-10 by a very average eventual 7-6 Arkansas team? Yeah - we were man handled in that game and the offense had no answers. I knew then that Mac was in trouble.

Doesn't really matter that we won a very weak SEC East. Especially not when you're blown out of Atlanta.

 

Ummm you forgot already? The Kentucky game was uglier for our QB last year.

On any given play ARs ceiling was higher. No one argues against that. Kentucky last year was almost all on AR though. Most other games were on the defense. This year's Kentucky game is almost a complete flip flop. Mertz missed some throws but even you recognize how poor his blocking is. Some of that is the threat of a running qb vs what we have now but I'm guessing losing a lineman to the NFL who is already starting along with two other upperclassmen two transfers is hurting the offensive line right now as well.

And to be clear, I see some big problems with Napier's methodology but either he makes some changes sooner than later or he won't. Constantly chiming in with negativity gets old. I don't like echo chambers but you and a couple others were nearly absent after the Tennessee game.

I say all this and yet I'm probably just as unhappy as a Gator as you are right now.just don't see the point of what amounts to heckling for now.

 

You hit on the portal. We didn’t at your level.

 

takeaways-
1. we have enough evidence to know (despite talent gaps) that their is ZERO flow to this offense. It’s not JUST that they don’t create matchup issues, have a boring route tree, don’t have chunk plays and always become one dimensional either running or throwing- it’s that they don’t know WHEN to call what. They have no feel for the game. I often wonder if they are too bogged down in analytics. They have no feel
2. They have zero emotional bandwidth. It’s one thing to be level headed. Not everyone is Kirby or Urban. But they are just flat. Again, makes me think they have over thought the whole “process “ bit
3. The thing CBN harps on more than ANYTHING Is attention to detail and that’s exactly what we are bad at. That’s troubling
4. It’s not just talent. Easy thought experiment. Take 10-12 other coaches around the country ….( You have a list in your head, I’m sure of it) and replace CBN … with this roster… now…. How do we look?
5. We’ve never been more divided as a fan base. Half of us are watching the game and program and seeing one thing and the other half are yelling at the 1st group and saying “you’re the problem , you’re too negative, you guys are hurting recruiting “ etc. it’s really awful. It’s hard to even have a conversation.

6. I’m concerned from 30,000 foot view that the lack of “all in” we’ve seen time and again from admin and the intention of being “a great all sports/all academic “ school may not let us right the ship …. Ever. The schedule this year & next year is brutal, not sure we can hang on to this recruiting class and it’s already defense heavy … not sure kids want to play in this offense and even if he decides to get an OC…. Not sure who would come and would he let it be someone who had a modern plan? All those factors point to another few years of losing either with Napier or in yet another rebuild in a really difficult SEC. We are heading for Nebraska level tempering of expectations. A once proud program that just cannot seem to get it right. Is that what’s happening here? Are we the boiling frog that turns around in 2025 wondering how we got here?

 

We got manhandled on both sides of the los. That’s everything.

 

Maybe a slow Harbaugh type rebuild? They looking good these last few years.