Once again, a tale of 2 halves ended well for the Gators. Make that "ended very well" for the Gators.
The first half was, again, the worse of the halves. The defense came out committing way too many penalties, allowing way too many yards and probably giving up too many points (although this was a very capable offense they were facing)! On offense, 10 points should have been 14 and the only touchdown came on a short field after an interception.
After getting down 20-13 midway through the third quarter, I feel like Will Muschamp became a little desperate in unnecessarily and unsuccessfully faking a punt. From that point on however, it was great to see big plays return to the offense! The one play, 80 yard drive/run by Burton surprised me. I didn't think Burton had that kind of speed. Then there were two other 3 play drives that led to touchdowns in the second half. One was concluded by a 75 yard catch and run by Frankie Hammond Jr. and the other by a perfectly placed, 23 yard pass to Jordan Reed. The impressive part of the latter play was the throw by Jeff Driskel which was released very early due to heavy pressure... and a crunching hit.
Jeff Driskel showed amazing improvement during this game. I think he may have grown up before our very eyes; anticipating throws, staying in the pocket as long as possible and taking off when needed can all fall under the category of much improved decision-making. Factor in that this was the second of back-to-back road starts in the SEC, at the third largest stadium in the country (102,000+) and it's hard not to be thoroughly impressed with the quarterback's performance.
The Gators held the ball six minutes longer than the Volunteers which is quite impressive when considering those lightning quick scoring drives. Of course, I shudder to think how the game might have ended without those same quick scoring drives.
Did I mention that the defense continued its pattern of essentially shutting down opponents in the second half? Tennessee only mustered 6 points (missed PAT) which came on the first drive. I can't help but wonder why the defense doesn't come out playing so dominantly? It's probably one or more of 3 things: 1. Quality depth allows coaches to rotate players throughout the first half, keeping star players fresh for later on, 2. Strength and conditioning which is another route to having energy filled players in the second half and 3. Coaching adjustments during halftime. Number one is easy to see during the game. Number three can be seen if you're football IQ is way higher than mine. Number two might be wishful thinking but it does make me wonder.
Next week should be interesting. Hosting the 1-2 Kentucky Wildcats (SECNetwork, 12:00 PM) doesn't seem to be a threatening game, especially considering that 25 game win streak Florida currently holds over Kentucky. I do have a feeling that if Florida can get out to an early lead while the defense holds Kentucky down that the coaches may work on a few things to get ready for the next game which is against #2 LSU. For that reason I don't see the score getting out of hand. Maybe something like 30-10. Let's just hope the coaches and players aren't looking past Kentucky the way I am!
Just Joe
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Florida Gators 2012 -- Week #2
This will be relatively short since it is Wednesday and my memory can barely be relied on as I'm already looking forward to the next road test @Tennessee (6:00 PM ESPN).
I feel that the offense actually looked a little better in scoring fewer points this week. The offensive line was a little more consistent on run plays which allowed for a few dominating, time-consuming drives. Initially Texas A&M came out on fire, ready to prove they belong in the SEC. The Aggies' first drive (which would have been a 3-and-out but for a personal foul penalty) went 14 plays over 4:26 and 66 yards for a field goal. The Gators, led by the offensive line, answered with a 13 play, 6:43 drive that covered 75 yards and led to a touchdown! Nine of those plays were rushes. I believe that is the kind of powerful football Coach Muschamp is looking for on offense.
The problem then became the defense. Texas A&M's answer to the Gators answer was a 13 play, 5:12 drive that went 81 yards for a touchdown! The defense was simply picked apart by a very athletic redshirt freshman quarterback, Johnny Manziel. That guy is going to cause some serious problems for some teams. Especially ones who are too aggressive in their pass rush (see First Half versus the Gators). After a quick 5 play drive for the Gators, which saw 3 sacks, they punted back to Texas A&M who, in turn, shredded the defense for 10 plays in just 3:31 for 79 yards and another touchdown. 17-7 and not looking very good.
At this point, points of some kind were essential for the Gators. The team did respond with a 9 play drive for just over five minutes, 37 yards and a field goal. After three drives for each team, the score was 17-10, Texas A&M, I with just 1:49 left in the half. Again, the freshman quarterback was impressive with a 9 play drive that luckily ended with time expiring for the half. There was a key sack in the series by backup linebacker Michael Taylor that pushed Texas A&M back to the Gators' 41 yard line.
Halftime was essential for making defensive adjustments to contain Johnny Manziel. It also felt essential that Florida put some points on the board with their first drive since it felt like a shoot out was coming and they were lucky to be down only one score.
Florida came out and did get 3 points after yet another 10 play drive. After that, the story really became the defense. Texas A&M had 6 drives in the second half. 4 of the first 5 were 3 plays and out for a grand total of 21 yards. The other drive went 4 plays for 6 yards. A&M's final drive went 7 plays but only 22 yards. That's right, 49 yards of second-half offense! Florida's offense wasn't much better after that opening drive field goal, but they were able to put together a quick 4 play drive that took 1:14 and covered 62 yards for a touchdown. That drive was highlighted by a 39 yard pass to Omarius Hines that took the ball from the Gators own 43 yard line deep into Aggies' territory at the 18. That touchdown put the Gators on top, 20-17, with 14:19 left in the game and as I mentioned, the defense made that lead stick.
This was definitely a battle worthy of a conference matchup. Texas A&M took their best shot in the first half which, in some years past might have broken a Gators team. But I do believe some of the toughness that the head coach is trying to instill is actually sticking.
This week might be an even tougher matchup on the road against a would-be rival (if Tennessee had won more games in the past two decades or so), Tennessee. They're young quarterback, Tyler Bray, is the real deal. The defense will have to be both, strong against the run and strong -- possibly stronger -- against the pass. I think Tennessee will score into the 20s which means I'd like to see the Gators get into the 30s. Something like 31-23 ought to suffice. I know, I know... "what makes you think the Gators can score 31 points?" I feel like the coaching staff will expect to NEED more points this week so they may open up a little more aggressively on offense with some play action passing. Fingers crossed!
Just Joe
I feel that the offense actually looked a little better in scoring fewer points this week. The offensive line was a little more consistent on run plays which allowed for a few dominating, time-consuming drives. Initially Texas A&M came out on fire, ready to prove they belong in the SEC. The Aggies' first drive (which would have been a 3-and-out but for a personal foul penalty) went 14 plays over 4:26 and 66 yards for a field goal. The Gators, led by the offensive line, answered with a 13 play, 6:43 drive that covered 75 yards and led to a touchdown! Nine of those plays were rushes. I believe that is the kind of powerful football Coach Muschamp is looking for on offense.
The problem then became the defense. Texas A&M's answer to the Gators answer was a 13 play, 5:12 drive that went 81 yards for a touchdown! The defense was simply picked apart by a very athletic redshirt freshman quarterback, Johnny Manziel. That guy is going to cause some serious problems for some teams. Especially ones who are too aggressive in their pass rush (see First Half versus the Gators). After a quick 5 play drive for the Gators, which saw 3 sacks, they punted back to Texas A&M who, in turn, shredded the defense for 10 plays in just 3:31 for 79 yards and another touchdown. 17-7 and not looking very good.
At this point, points of some kind were essential for the Gators. The team did respond with a 9 play drive for just over five minutes, 37 yards and a field goal. After three drives for each team, the score was 17-10, Texas A&M, I with just 1:49 left in the half. Again, the freshman quarterback was impressive with a 9 play drive that luckily ended with time expiring for the half. There was a key sack in the series by backup linebacker Michael Taylor that pushed Texas A&M back to the Gators' 41 yard line.
Halftime was essential for making defensive adjustments to contain Johnny Manziel. It also felt essential that Florida put some points on the board with their first drive since it felt like a shoot out was coming and they were lucky to be down only one score.
Florida came out and did get 3 points after yet another 10 play drive. After that, the story really became the defense. Texas A&M had 6 drives in the second half. 4 of the first 5 were 3 plays and out for a grand total of 21 yards. The other drive went 4 plays for 6 yards. A&M's final drive went 7 plays but only 22 yards. That's right, 49 yards of second-half offense! Florida's offense wasn't much better after that opening drive field goal, but they were able to put together a quick 4 play drive that took 1:14 and covered 62 yards for a touchdown. That drive was highlighted by a 39 yard pass to Omarius Hines that took the ball from the Gators own 43 yard line deep into Aggies' territory at the 18. That touchdown put the Gators on top, 20-17, with 14:19 left in the game and as I mentioned, the defense made that lead stick.
This was definitely a battle worthy of a conference matchup. Texas A&M took their best shot in the first half which, in some years past might have broken a Gators team. But I do believe some of the toughness that the head coach is trying to instill is actually sticking.
This week might be an even tougher matchup on the road against a would-be rival (if Tennessee had won more games in the past two decades or so), Tennessee. They're young quarterback, Tyler Bray, is the real deal. The defense will have to be both, strong against the run and strong -- possibly stronger -- against the pass. I think Tennessee will score into the 20s which means I'd like to see the Gators get into the 30s. Something like 31-23 ought to suffice. I know, I know... "what makes you think the Gators can score 31 points?" I feel like the coaching staff will expect to NEED more points this week so they may open up a little more aggressively on offense with some play action passing. Fingers crossed!
Just Joe
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Florida Gators 2012 -- Week #1
So obviously I was trying to be optimistic when I predicted 9 wins. But it was ugly yesterday. Had Bowling Green not flat out missed 2 short field goals, you're looking at a seven-point game. The hardest part to determine is how much of this was Muschamp trying to keep schemes up his sleeve and how much of this was total crap.
Other than the second offensive series which went 13 plays (11 of which were running plays) and covered 85 yards in over six minutes, the offensive line run blocked inconsistently. To be a little fair, they saw plenty of 8 and even 9 guys in the box playing run defense. Which begs the question, where were the play action passes? Were the Gators holding that back to spring on Texas A&M next week? Were the Gators running the ball against nine guys to instill toughness? Or was it simple bone headedness? I'd like to think they were holding back but in a game that close nothing can be held back.
27 points isn't much against an overmatched Bowling Green State University but it did fall into the 24-27 point range I said the Gators would need to average throughout the year to pile up wins. Will that same offense be able to put up those points against conference teams? Not if they play the same way. Aside from extra pre-snap motion, the play calling seemed identical to last year; plenty of running plays and passes to the outside of 5 yards or less. Are you telling me that with 9 guys playing up that Jordan Reed couldn't get open deep over the middle? Sheesh. And where was Trey Burton? Mr. Do Everything who has played quarterback, running back, tight end, h-back, fullback -- am I missing any? -- had the ball in his hands twice? Sheesh.
The defense I could plainly see was keeping things simple. I didn't notice a single crazy blitz or coverage. There were about 4 drives during the game when they were picked apart. The most concerning part to me were the times that the defense was gashed in the running game. It can happen from time to time in a game, but it was a little too common during those drives. On the bright side, the defense had several 3 and outs (or is it 3s and out?). There was a stretch in the second quarter where the cornerbacks really tightened up coverage and broke up several passes. They were also exposed at times on slant passes so I would expect to see plenty of those run against the Gators this year.
2 play calls in particular that bugged me. The pooch punt by Driskel was unnecessary and turned out to be terribly executed and on the last drive, 1st & 10, naked bootleg by Driskel. That bootleg could have been used at any other time in the game and it would've been a great call. But after simply pounding the rock all game, why show the bootleg when the game is over? I'd rather have used it when the game was in doubt or not at all. Probably nitpicking but that's what people who have never played usually do.
Here's to hoping that next week is much improved! It'll be the Gators first taste of College Station. What's worse is that Texas A&M's first game was postponed so there isn't any film to watch. Not a huge deal except their new offensive coordinator is in his first year coming over from the prolific Houston passing offense. It would be nice to see a few of their reps. Of course, the flip side is that they haven't run any game reps and may not be sharp. Welcoming the Aggies to the SEC by winning 27-14 will look much more impressive and probably leave Gator Nation a little more comfortable.
Just Joe
*********************EDIT*****************************
I should have mentioned that even with the offensive line's struggles, Mike Gillislee was outstanding, carrying the ball a career-high 24 times for a career-high 148 yards and 2 touchdowns!
I also should have mentioned the poor tackling on defense. In fact cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy's best tackle was on punt returner Andre Debose... that is Gators punt returner, Andre Debose!
Other than the second offensive series which went 13 plays (11 of which were running plays) and covered 85 yards in over six minutes, the offensive line run blocked inconsistently. To be a little fair, they saw plenty of 8 and even 9 guys in the box playing run defense. Which begs the question, where were the play action passes? Were the Gators holding that back to spring on Texas A&M next week? Were the Gators running the ball against nine guys to instill toughness? Or was it simple bone headedness? I'd like to think they were holding back but in a game that close nothing can be held back.
27 points isn't much against an overmatched Bowling Green State University but it did fall into the 24-27 point range I said the Gators would need to average throughout the year to pile up wins. Will that same offense be able to put up those points against conference teams? Not if they play the same way. Aside from extra pre-snap motion, the play calling seemed identical to last year; plenty of running plays and passes to the outside of 5 yards or less. Are you telling me that with 9 guys playing up that Jordan Reed couldn't get open deep over the middle? Sheesh. And where was Trey Burton? Mr. Do Everything who has played quarterback, running back, tight end, h-back, fullback -- am I missing any? -- had the ball in his hands twice? Sheesh.
The defense I could plainly see was keeping things simple. I didn't notice a single crazy blitz or coverage. There were about 4 drives during the game when they were picked apart. The most concerning part to me were the times that the defense was gashed in the running game. It can happen from time to time in a game, but it was a little too common during those drives. On the bright side, the defense had several 3 and outs (or is it 3s and out?). There was a stretch in the second quarter where the cornerbacks really tightened up coverage and broke up several passes. They were also exposed at times on slant passes so I would expect to see plenty of those run against the Gators this year.
2 play calls in particular that bugged me. The pooch punt by Driskel was unnecessary and turned out to be terribly executed and on the last drive, 1st & 10, naked bootleg by Driskel. That bootleg could have been used at any other time in the game and it would've been a great call. But after simply pounding the rock all game, why show the bootleg when the game is over? I'd rather have used it when the game was in doubt or not at all. Probably nitpicking but that's what people who have never played usually do.
Here's to hoping that next week is much improved! It'll be the Gators first taste of College Station. What's worse is that Texas A&M's first game was postponed so there isn't any film to watch. Not a huge deal except their new offensive coordinator is in his first year coming over from the prolific Houston passing offense. It would be nice to see a few of their reps. Of course, the flip side is that they haven't run any game reps and may not be sharp. Welcoming the Aggies to the SEC by winning 27-14 will look much more impressive and probably leave Gator Nation a little more comfortable.
Just Joe
*********************EDIT*****************************
I should have mentioned that even with the offensive line's struggles, Mike Gillislee was outstanding, carrying the ball a career-high 24 times for a career-high 148 yards and 2 touchdowns!
I also should have mentioned the poor tackling on defense. In fact cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy's best tackle was on punt returner Andre Debose... that is Gators punt returner, Andre Debose!
Friday, August 31, 2012
2012 Florida Gators Outlook
Okay, here is the speedy version...
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks -- 2 sophomores with starts last year are battling it out to start this year. One is said to be a slightly better passer and the other is more athletic. The battle still isn't settled and both guys will see meaningful snaps in the opener. I think the saying goes "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one." If either guy can give a consistently average performance, that should be good enough to win some games. See DEFENSE.
Running Backs -- For the first time in four years, the Gators will not have someone named Demps or Rainey at running back. Mike Gillislee is the starter and should be solid. He has shown some big play ability although it was mostly in mop up duty. If he quits putting the ball on the ground, the Gators should be okay here. Depth may be an issue.
Wide Receivers -- Yikes! Normally a kid coming in as an early entry in January and winning a starting spot by the end of spring practice says a lot about that incoming freshmen. Unfortunately it also says a lot about the rest of the receiving corps. Just yikes!
Offensive Line -- If you're going to have a strength on offense, it might as well be the offensive line. A good offense of line will make all of the other positions look better on offense. There have been a lot of injuries on the line but there is good depth and a lot of experience so here's hoping.
DEFENSE
Secondary -- Very deep with young talent. I think you'll see quite a few more plays made this year after having a full year in Muschamp's scheme.
Linebackers -- Have some injuries here. But with some experienced guys holding down positions, they should look pretty good. I think you will see them be more aggressive and instinctual and less calculated and thoughtful... which is a good thing. Hopefully the aggression will lead to more turnovers, especially if Jenkins can hold on to a few more of those 6 interceptions he dropped last year.
Defensive Line -- This is where our boys need to play like men. 3-4 defenses are predicated on having beasts in the front to keep offensive linemen off of the linebackers on running plays while getting pressure on the quarterback on passing plays (which aids the secondary greatly). Similar to offense, if you're going to have a strength on defense, it might as well be along the line.
Overall -- The defense was nearly great last year. With this being the head coach's specialty, and having a full year under the belt, I expect the defense to be outstanding! They should keep the Gators in every game. That's why I think an average offense, just scoring 24-27 points per game, could lead to 9+ wins. The points would have to be scored at the right time in the right games, but I think 9 wins is realistic. Unfortunately, with a new offensive coordinator bringing in a lot of new shifts and motion to the offense, I expect some inconsistency.
Just Joe
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks -- 2 sophomores with starts last year are battling it out to start this year. One is said to be a slightly better passer and the other is more athletic. The battle still isn't settled and both guys will see meaningful snaps in the opener. I think the saying goes "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one." If either guy can give a consistently average performance, that should be good enough to win some games. See DEFENSE.
Running Backs -- For the first time in four years, the Gators will not have someone named Demps or Rainey at running back. Mike Gillislee is the starter and should be solid. He has shown some big play ability although it was mostly in mop up duty. If he quits putting the ball on the ground, the Gators should be okay here. Depth may be an issue.
Wide Receivers -- Yikes! Normally a kid coming in as an early entry in January and winning a starting spot by the end of spring practice says a lot about that incoming freshmen. Unfortunately it also says a lot about the rest of the receiving corps. Just yikes!
Offensive Line -- If you're going to have a strength on offense, it might as well be the offensive line. A good offense of line will make all of the other positions look better on offense. There have been a lot of injuries on the line but there is good depth and a lot of experience so here's hoping.
DEFENSE
Secondary -- Very deep with young talent. I think you'll see quite a few more plays made this year after having a full year in Muschamp's scheme.
Linebackers -- Have some injuries here. But with some experienced guys holding down positions, they should look pretty good. I think you will see them be more aggressive and instinctual and less calculated and thoughtful... which is a good thing. Hopefully the aggression will lead to more turnovers, especially if Jenkins can hold on to a few more of those 6 interceptions he dropped last year.
Defensive Line -- This is where our boys need to play like men. 3-4 defenses are predicated on having beasts in the front to keep offensive linemen off of the linebackers on running plays while getting pressure on the quarterback on passing plays (which aids the secondary greatly). Similar to offense, if you're going to have a strength on defense, it might as well be along the line.
Overall -- The defense was nearly great last year. With this being the head coach's specialty, and having a full year under the belt, I expect the defense to be outstanding! They should keep the Gators in every game. That's why I think an average offense, just scoring 24-27 points per game, could lead to 9+ wins. The points would have to be scored at the right time in the right games, but I think 9 wins is realistic. Unfortunately, with a new offensive coordinator bringing in a lot of new shifts and motion to the offense, I expect some inconsistency.
Just Joe
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
UEFA EURO 2012
Back on June 8, the countries of Europe began competing for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Championship. That's "soccer" to us ignorant Americans. Just yesterday Italy beat England in penalty kicks to advance on to the semi final match against Germany, which is being played in Poland.
Soooo... Italy and Germany are meeting up... in Poland! I wonder if the Pols are as nervous as I am for them?
Just Joe
Soooo... Italy and Germany are meeting up... in Poland! I wonder if the Pols are as nervous as I am for them?
Just Joe
Monday, June 18, 2012
Evolution (of Skin Color)
Human beings are so remarkable that it's difficult to put into words. I could go 1000 different ways with a statement like that, but this time I'm referring to the complexity of our physiology and how it came about.
Dr. Nina Jablonski is an anthropologist who teaches at Penn State University. She wanted to delve into the evolution of skin color. The prevailing convention at the time she started was that dark skin occurred in areas with lots of sun exposure in order to prevent skin cancer. Although the cause of dark skin seemed right, the reasoning didn't. Skin cancer is normally found in people who are beyond ideal reproduction ages, so in a sense, the body isn't even aware of skin cancer before it passes its DNA onto the next generation. Since evolution occurs through the passing down of helpful gene traits, whichever traits seem beneficial up until reproduction are passed along while traits that develop after reproduction aren't really taken into consideration for passing along. (Example: Let's say longer limbs are beneficial to the aged but a hindrance to the young. Because the young'ns are the ones reproducing, limbs will be shorter. Over simplified, yes. But you get the point.)
Dr. Jablonski dug a little deeper and found that there are 2 types of radiation in sunlight, UVA and UVB. Turns out that UVA radiation is what causes melanomas. But Dr. Jablonski figured it had to effect something up to or during the time of pregnancy otherwise cancer-causing UVA exposure would not affect reproduction. Further tests and evaluations proved her correct as UVA penetrates through skin and destroys folates in the bloodstream. The big deal here is that folates are key in maintaining healthy reproductive cells. Therefore, too much UVA exposure before reproducing could mean reproducing either won't happen or could happen with birth defects. So how did the human body adapt to ensure future generations? Yep, by darkening the skin and filtering out more of the sun's light.
Not fascinating enough? Well, the story continues. If keeping out as much UVA as possible is good, why doesn't everyone just have dark skin? The answer turns out to be UVB!
UVB radiation is actually a good thing (in moderation) because, get this, it reacts with a cholesterol in human skin to create vitamin D! And vitamin D is important because it aids in the absorption of calcium into bones and such. Apparently back in 1900s England there was an epidemic of rickets which was eventually determined to be a result of vitamin D deficiencies and led to laws being created mandating that bread be fortified with vitamin D. Back to the story now, as darker skinned humans began migrating to northerly climates with less sun exposure, too much of the UVB radiation was kept out of the bloodstream (likely leading to skeletal problems) so the human body adapted once again by lightening skin color.
There you have it, an incomplete, tip of the iceberg, generalization on the evolution of skin color.
Just Joe
Dr. Nina Jablonski is an anthropologist who teaches at Penn State University. She wanted to delve into the evolution of skin color. The prevailing convention at the time she started was that dark skin occurred in areas with lots of sun exposure in order to prevent skin cancer. Although the cause of dark skin seemed right, the reasoning didn't. Skin cancer is normally found in people who are beyond ideal reproduction ages, so in a sense, the body isn't even aware of skin cancer before it passes its DNA onto the next generation. Since evolution occurs through the passing down of helpful gene traits, whichever traits seem beneficial up until reproduction are passed along while traits that develop after reproduction aren't really taken into consideration for passing along. (Example: Let's say longer limbs are beneficial to the aged but a hindrance to the young. Because the young'ns are the ones reproducing, limbs will be shorter. Over simplified, yes. But you get the point.)
Dr. Jablonski dug a little deeper and found that there are 2 types of radiation in sunlight, UVA and UVB. Turns out that UVA radiation is what causes melanomas. But Dr. Jablonski figured it had to effect something up to or during the time of pregnancy otherwise cancer-causing UVA exposure would not affect reproduction. Further tests and evaluations proved her correct as UVA penetrates through skin and destroys folates in the bloodstream. The big deal here is that folates are key in maintaining healthy reproductive cells. Therefore, too much UVA exposure before reproducing could mean reproducing either won't happen or could happen with birth defects. So how did the human body adapt to ensure future generations? Yep, by darkening the skin and filtering out more of the sun's light.
Not fascinating enough? Well, the story continues. If keeping out as much UVA as possible is good, why doesn't everyone just have dark skin? The answer turns out to be UVB!
UVB radiation is actually a good thing (in moderation) because, get this, it reacts with a cholesterol in human skin to create vitamin D! And vitamin D is important because it aids in the absorption of calcium into bones and such. Apparently back in 1900s England there was an epidemic of rickets which was eventually determined to be a result of vitamin D deficiencies and led to laws being created mandating that bread be fortified with vitamin D. Back to the story now, as darker skinned humans began migrating to northerly climates with less sun exposure, too much of the UVB radiation was kept out of the bloodstream (likely leading to skeletal problems) so the human body adapted once again by lightening skin color.
There you have it, an incomplete, tip of the iceberg, generalization on the evolution of skin color.
Just Joe
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