Pre-Game Discussion: #22 FLORIDA at Kentucky

I know man. We could have lost. We almost didn’t win. If only we hadn’t scored as many points as we did. If only Tennessee had scored more. Damn. Billy ruins everything.

 

I said that last week, this should’ve been the prime slot game on CBS, it’s the best SEC matchup of the week. Instead CBS picked another Georgia game against a weak Auburn team. Georgia is on there 2 of the first 3 weeks CBS has had SEC games. Next week it’s Alabama, again, for the second time. CBS basically shows the same games every year.

 

Won’t have to worry about what games CBS is showing much longer.

 

I feel like turnovers are a default key to a game, a large discrepancy is almost always going to swing a game.

 

Unfortunately, as much as it pains me to admit it, Georgia has the brand that will attract the bigger national audience. And that's ultimately what drives their decisions - what game is gonna get the highest ratings?
Ratings and good games should go hand in hand. Unfortunately one the side effects of the increasing commercialization of college football with the playoff and the NIL. So much of the narrative and attention now is exclusively centered around who makes the playoff. To be fair-this has been a slow erosion since the BCS era introduced the dedicated 1-2 bowl and later the national championship game which guaranteed the top two teams would play each other - decreasing the significance of bowls and polls. The playoff was just another blow.
So the simple truth is until we become a contender, we can expect to get regularly passed over in favor of games which have a narrative that easier to tie to the national/playoff picture and sell in the modern era. I mean, there's a reason that ESPN has adopted the "Greatest story ever told" motto for CFB coverage which replaced "Who's in?". CFB coverage is increasingly narrative-driven and being packaged up as an athletic soap opera.

If UF beats Utah, I think that CBS picks this game up because of the UF as a dark horse CFB playoff/SEC contender angle. With the loss though, that becomes a much harder sell to the non-team fan national audience.

All that said, Im actually very happy this game is at noon. Because it seems like the later the game, the more time UK spends hyping themselves up and the fanbase spends getting liquored up and by kick they're feeding off each other and UK is ready to run through walls. They already circle this game every year. Anything that helps deflate that Im in favor of - even noon kicks.

 

This is almost a must game. I think South Carolina and Missouri are better than Kentucky. If we can't beat them then I can't see beating the other two especially with our history of away games. I feel sorry for Napier because next year's schedule is harder than this years. His third year is going to be a bear. But we are getting better.

 

I do understand your feelings. Both of those, especially with Trask pissed me off. Stoops and his staff have made me a bigger football fan then basketball and that is saying something.

 

Not saying it's great, but Levis was BAD at the end of last year to a point we just couldn't count on him the way we did in 2021.

Leary has looked fine. Not perfect, but the pass protection isn't great either. He's really turned some bad plays into positive yardage. His eye test type plays pass the test for me. I think he's got a much higher floor where Levis had a higher ceiling. We've been really vanilla these first 4 weeks. That's why I brought up the other years where we always have played down to our lower rated opponents...we just always look flat against them and eventually it's going to result in a bad upset.

My opinion is that Leary is like the rest of the team, its very TBD. I don't really judge until I see how we play in the big games. If Leary comes out Saturday and throws 2-3 picks and looks terrible, that's the sign that the season is over. But it's also a possibility that he comes out on fire and hits on all cylinders. It's very hard to project this game as I just don't know what our ceiling is as a team. I've seen you all GET UP for the UT game so I know that we better come ready. I don't judge the other games the same, but in college unless you're a top 5 type team then all games are very dependent on effort and what version of you team shows up.

I mean we were up 21-0 quick on Vandy and it was 24-3 before we gave up a late score. We let them back in and then finally make some big plays and get it back to 45-21 before we call off the dogs. IT is frustrating that we haven't put together a solid 4 quarter effort. Can we be that team that can have long sustained drives and force turnovers all game? Or are we that team that just gets lost? If we're the team that looks lost then you guys will run us off the field.

But Leary does have a track record though, the ACC isn't great but its still P5 and he put up some really good numbers and he's very experienced. My Kentucky-tinted biased glasses hopes that we treated these first 4 games as an extended preseason and now we'll ramp things up for this game. But my battle scars from years past has me thinking we'll choke the game away like we've been known to do.

And for those of you who want to know, I was a baby at the Wuerffel to Doering game and I think it was probably the first game I ever attended. I was at the first start Chris Leak where you all came back from 21-3 to win. I was there for the missed FG in 2017. Trust me, I will never ever ever doubt the Gators and our fan base knows to never overlook or think it's some easy win. We have to bring our A game.

 

LMFAO! Too funny, Smooty.

Your math skills are fantastic too.

 

Their O-line will have no answer for our D-line... Mark that down. This is the type of QB that we need to rush all game long.

 

Way to rub it in their Kentucky faces eastowest.

Putting up an image of a guy with all of his teeth.

 

270, your comment about UK getting UP for the 1st big sec game UF is why you have won a few. Motivated hungry and amped beating middling Gator teams.

Gators have to recognize and be ready to battle. We saw a corner turned vs UT. Bring that intensity and we win.

 

@sierragator must not have heard that CBS lost their rights to broadcast SEC games after this year.

 

This is why I love Coen. He will have a game plan to put our offense in good spots. We have some offensive e firepower unlike other years.

 

This is where you all need to really take it to us to win the game. It's going to be about who makes the least amount of mistakes. Both teams will play hard. Turnovers are key in this game...whether it be forcing them or preventing them. Not making big mistakes and hoping your opponent does. Stoops defense is all about forcing your opponent to make a mistake and not give up a big play. But mistakes can and will happen.



2017: We're up 14-7 and about to make a big stop to end the first half, we don't cover a wide receiver and you all tie the game. Then we go miss a FG before half. 14-14 and could've been 17-7. We dominate the 3rd Q and go up 24-14. You guys throw a pick, but we don't capitalize. Then we stop you all on downs at the start of the 4th Q and it looks like we got the We finally get a FG to go up 27-13. Luke DelRio does his magic. We don't cover another wideout and you all go up 1. We get the ball in good FG range...then a big play setting up a chip shot...but a hold puts us back. Makes it a 56 yarder that falls short. Mistakes cost us and you all played strong and kept composure.

2018: We're down 10-7 and fumble...you all don't score. We come out after half and score on our first 2 drives. You all miss a FG and then throw an INT late 3rd and early 4th. We clock it the rest of the time we have the ball...you all do score. But then we get the late game touchdown to win it.

2019: We're up 14-7 at the half. We throw a bad INT that give you all the FG. We score to go up 21-10 then force another turnover on downs. It's the start of the 4th Q. We have it 4th and 1 and Kyle Trask comes in the game. We choose to go for it instead of kicking...you all take it and score. We stop you all on your next drive....but then we turn around and throw an INT and you all take the lead by 1. We then go miss an easy FG. You all ice it with an 80 yard touchdown

2021: Levis threw a potentially costly interception. You guys should've easily turned a 10-7 lead into 13-7 on a field goal we handed you. But we blocked the kick and took it in for the score, creating a 10 point swing on that 1 play. You guys threw an interception that we took 20 yards into your territory at the start of the 4th quarter that gave us a 20-10 lead. We had 1 turnover, but we turned around and blocked a kick for a TD. You all threw an INT that we turned into a TD. We had 4 penalties for 30 yards and you all had 15 for 115 yards. (yes we paid the refs lol). But the little things won us that game. We did not beat ourselves.

2022: We threw an INT that you all turned to 6 points. THen a bad snap the next drive for us results in a Safety. You guys lead 16-7. Then you all respond by throwing an INT that we take close to the goal line and score right before half and make it 16-13. We have a long drive and you all hold us to a FG, we tie the game 16-16. Then you all throw a pick 6 the next drive. We grind it out and win. Overall a clean game with 5 total flags thrown (we didn't pay the refs this year like 2021) and not much going offensively, but we capitalized on 2 big mistakes to win the game.

 

This guy must write novels for a living.

 

Good thing we an actually play those other games whether we win or lose to uk this Saturday...

 

Just watched this..loved Etienne leading a chant...leadership!