Awesome experience, minus the game result. Had not been in the SWAMP since 1997 due to work/life commitments. The atmosphere, from tailgating through the end of the game, was electric and addicting. The band, cheerleaders and dance teams were outstanding. I was impressed by the stadium staff's efficiency in getting people in/out of the stadium. Much better than some of the NFL stadiums I've visited. Takeways: - Miami was the much better team yesterday, and well prepared. They basically whipped our butts all day long. If they can sustain that level of play through the season, they will be in the playoff. - The Gators are either not very good/talented enough to compete with ranked teams, OR they were not well prepared for this game. Overall, I saw some of the same tendencies as last year on offense, defense and play calling, ie. running the football on third and long, and drive-extending penalties. - The Gators offense was inept. Other than the MJ run, explosives plays were not existent. The run game did not yield much, unless we ran it on the left side of our OL. - Mertz was inconsistent. He kept throwing the ball (when he had time) in tight windows, and it finally bit him in the third quarter. Get a TD there, and it's a 14 point game, we gain a little momentum, and who knows what would have happened. The INT in the end zone was definitely deflating. Give credit to the MIA defense, they pretty much had their way with our OL, making Mertz run for his life most of the day. Why our OC (whomever that is (chuckle)) does not design plays to move the pocket is beyond me. - DJ Lagway had a very nice drive which resulted in a TD, but don't be fooled, MIA was playing a zone with a 21 point lead, and not giving up the big plays. - Our D is in real trouble. I have no idea why they got manhandled all day, unless we just lack the talent in the front seven, which would be extremely troubling with our schedule. Give credit to Ward, he was making players "whiff" all game long. We just don't have the speed to keep up with good mobile QBs. The secondary was no better, as they got torched most of the game. The injuries to two of our starters in the backfield did not help the cause. And why we did not design some disguised blitzes is very frustrating. AA has his work cut out, that's for sure. Well, that was my experience and takeways. I am not feeling optimistic anymore about the team this season, I hope I am totally wrong. As always, i am grateful for being a GATOR, regardless.
Completely destroyed on both lines of scrimmage. I questioned the seating arrangement in another thread, the students sounded rather disengaged from the start of the game, but I wonder if that was a result of a significant chunk of seating removed from their availability (not blaming the result on fans, to be clear). Fans were not nearly as verbally upset as I thought we'd be; definitely can tell we've been kicked in the gut before. I commented to friends about how the campus was buzzing super early, best I had seen it in a few years. TailGATORing was a lot of fun, and will continue to be no matter what. The atmosphere was guarded; fans were just waiting for something to pounce on to get fully involved. The team was not willing or able to provide it. Pretty disappointing. Fans were ready for a new start to this season. It was not provided. Go GATORS! ,WESGATORS
Glad you had fun, despite the result. The swamp looked electric. BN doesn’t know what he’s got, nor does he care.
You are all correct. 90k fans in the SWAMP ready to get raucous and the team was as flat as an ironing board. Pretty frustrating. I wish Napier was as fiery as Brian Kelly. Kelly was not afraid to call his team out on their attitude.
The West stand fans looked to be at least 50% covered with white apparel. They were in the shade the entire game, so I'm not sure what advantage they gained from wearing white. Miami came to play with all-white jersies and pants. I hope I never see another "whiteout" in the Swamp.
First game of the year is always a big question mark. Is Miami really that good and are the Gators really that bad? I think Miami has all the places in piece to make it to the CFP. They have an electric qb, a bruising running back, good wide receivers, solid players on both lines of scrimmage, athletes everywhere and an easy conference. The Gators on the other hand have some good players, but both lines of scrimmage are mediocre at best. If you can’t put pressure on the quarterback and get some push up front, I don’t care how good your coverage is, it’s going to break down. The SEC is full of Miami type teams. It’s going to be a long season. There is no correcting what we have. We are bad on both lines of scrimmage and will get bullied all year long.
Worst whiteout effort I’ve seen. 50% at best. Fans ignored it and just as many wore blue. Really dumb and kinda negative to have some half ass theme that obviously wasn’t happening.
Until further notice, I am going to call this rendition of Da U a reincarnation of the last 2-3 UK teams. It says WAY more about us than them.
Yeah, the fact that three years into Napier's tenure we are still lousy on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is really troubling. I don't care what plays you call, they aren't going to work with that problem. And I agree that we can't fix that this season. It's going to be a long year.
Why would they even request a white out when the opponent is wearing all white? Does anyone else think that is stupid?
Pretty easy to get out when the stadium is emptying out in the 3rd quarter. Napier mentioned this in his press conference about not having any "explosives". Know what, he doesn't have any designed explosive plays. If one turns into an explosive, it's an accident or luck. On Montrell's long run you can see the Miami backer pick the wrong hole to fill giving him the edge and a clear field in front. Sorry for sounding bitter.
