Florida Gators 2012 -- Week # 8

Once again my one word reaction to the game is "Wow!" Who saw a 44-11 beatdown of "The Ol' Ball Coach"'s Gamecocks?! The defense was its typically stout self, the special teams dominated (minus one play) and once the offense turned it on, the rout was on.

Let's begin this week talking about the special teams. Recovering fumbles on a punt at SC's 29 and a kickoff at their 1, set up two short TD drives in the first half. And that was after the defense recovered a fumble on SC's first play from scrimmage at the 2-yard line. Sharif Floyd blocked a FG attempt and Kyle Christy dominated once again from the punter position. It was nice to hear Christy finally get some love from announcers. The one mishap on ST came after the Gators' 4th TD, which came in the 3rd quarter. The PAT was blocked and returned for a 2-point conversion. A small thing in this game.

First half offense was quite hot 'n cold. The Gators racked up 32 yards for their 3 first half TDs. Props for turning those TOs into 7s but all other first half drives netted -5 yards! UF's first 1st down came with about 3:30 left in the 2nd quarter. All-American DE Jadeveon Clowney was wreaking havoc on the O-line. Enter halftime and the various adjustments made by the coaches. Without any turnovers until late in the 4th, the Gators managed 164 total yards and 23 points in the second half! I barely recognized the offense. Play calling was creative -- Boise State-esque -- and Burton took quite a few snaps at wildcat QB. I am guaranteeing that Burton will throw from the wildcat this week vs. Georgia. And what a shame that Omarius Hines' spectacular catch was called back. Here's another angle.

The defense... ahhhh, the defense! Simply dominating. In a move quite familiar to UF fans, Spurrier pulled his starting QB after halftime due to ineffectiveness. Shaw's reliever didn't stand a chance either. Combined, the QBs completed just 17 of 40 attempts. Add 36 rushing yards, 3 of 14 on 3rd down, 4 TOs and you have a recipe for futility. The only downer was SC's first drive that was helped along by TWO 15-yard personal fouls.

This week is "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" (3:30 PM, CBS). Florida's longest running rival should give the Gators a good test even though (10) Georgia hasn't had much success against UF since 1990 (UF leads 18-4). UGA has plenty of playmakers and a balanced offense ranked 30th nationally in both rushing yards and passing yards while averaging 39.6 points per game. On defense they rank 50th in points allowed per game (24.1). Having said that, unless the Gators make an inordinate number of big mistakes, I can't see UGA beating UF. Georgia's only loss so far, was a 35-7 beating @ South Carolina. With a win clinching the SEC East for the Gators, look for a score in the vicinity of 30-17 for the good guys.

GO GATORS!


Just Joe