Only a few penalties to clean up nd we win this thing, right? We’ve heard this before and it is certainly a lack of acceptance. (Not pointing to CBN) The strength of our O is our backs, but we couldn’t get them into the game. Year two of everyone running a stacked box against us. OL is not good enough to block into it, nor pass deep. Scheme or plays to help relieve the burden? If we have speed, use it! Slow and methodical only works if you can execute to perfection on every play. Mertz looked great and terrible. Lack of touch and accuracy on the lay ups was maddening, but then he threw a lot of nice intermediate routes. He waited too long on the long ball to RP. It was a touchdown. The D, I still don’t know. Biggest concern is I thought we looked slow. Damn play calling still coming in late and disorganized. Do we just not have any studs? The lack of push on either line….. ewwww…. Go Gators, time to climb on the tractor.
Napier sadly is Zook 2.0, great recruiter but awful coach. He should fire himself as OC and get a real one or yes, we will compete with Vandy as the SEC's worst team. We had how many rushing yards with argubly the best running back duo in college football? Yes, it was due to stacking the box, but this is Game 1 and they were able to school us, basically said let's force them to beat us through the air. This is the key point here - every opposing defense is going to use this scheme for the remainder of the year. If we can't scare teams through the air, we won't win 3 games.
Which 7? Even on paper we are only better than maybe 4 of our opponents. CBN is going to outscheme/outcoach 3 others?
Too many new players to expect cohesion out of the gate. Defense played a pretty good second half. Besides the 1st play, and short fields given to Utah, I can live that this. O-line scares me, I'd say this was the 5th best def. line(at best) we are going to face...and the penalties. being 10-20 yards out, need to figure out how to score.
Can anyone answer why we have a 30 year old defensive coordinator at the university of Florida? Was he DC at Alabama and won 4 national titles? Was he made in a lab from DNA of Buddy Ryan, Bill Belichick, and Dick LeBeau? Like what outstanding qualifications or experience does he have to take over the defense at UF?
I like that you're staying even keel, but Utah could go through this same what if and come to the conclusion that they should have won by 30.
Around the end of the third quarter, I commented that there wasn't a single facet of the team that looked good. We got pushed around on both sides of the ball, had zero running game (which was expected to be our strength), the defense looked slow and disorganized and were getting pushed around, the special teams were making all kinds of mistakes, the coaches looked lost and were making stupid mistakes (the penalty for 2 #3s was unacceptable) ... there was literally nothing we could even build from. It felt like the Oregon State game. But in the 4th quarter I saw a couple of things. I saw some fight from our players. I saw the young wide receivers step up and make some plays. Maybe there is something to build on.
Agree - very few positive things in the first 3 quarters. I don't equate any 4th quarter success to things being better, Utah had the upper hand the entire game, mentally they will start to slip and ease up a bit. This team is in trouble, this coaching staff is in more trouble. the penalty on the punt is inexcusable, 45 coaches on the sideline, 125 players and somebody has to call timeout when they see that. That changed the game and from their on it went downhill even more. mistake after mistake after mistake. That's on the coaches. Bad play calling followed up by extremely poor execution.
A key difference with Zook was Zook knew how to delegate and hire assistants. We would all kill for a young Charlie Strong and Larry Fedora on this staff.
100% this! Remove as many variables as possible when game planning, especially kids having to make any sort of in game sideline decisions. Coaching 101.
CBN has the potential to be a very good HC. He made the move quickly on D and I think we are headed in the right direction on D. He seems to enjoy being involved in the O, but IMO it's not working. He needs a professional which he can give the O to and then CBN can move into the CEO role. (Even Smart has Chump) My question with CBN's tenure is whether he will be willing to make that move