Sorry I wasn't here. Worked til the weehours this morn--then overslept my alarm, woke up in the 2nd half. It was so depressing I just sat here, and in another "first", found I just didn't care that much. True, it was damn near a "MUST win" in order to get into a Bowl and extend our practice time, keep our program's profile out there etc etc etc. Truth is, though, having just run thru a "game-recap" online, I don't know that I could have TAKEN watching that game live, beginning to end: It was a Gator-breaker in every way, right from the start. Against a PROVEN-inferior Missouri squad we came in READY to wilt--and found the usual ways to do so, early and often: That early TD-strike by Malik, called back on an irrelevant holding call by one of our 3rd-or-whatever-string O-linemen (we came IN with whole CHUNKS of every part our team injured, out--and lost a few more in this one). THAT play was emblematic of the current state of our team and program now. This is what Mac hath wrought. But it was a succession of moves, decisions, administrators, ADs, boosters and a whole lotta money has "BUILT" over time.
We went along, hoped for the best, embraced each man who arrived with promises. And that, after all, is essentially "our part". WE'RE not coaches, not big money-men. All we have is our opinions and now, once again, our longtime disappointment and frustration. Maybe we should have been louder, sooner. I suspect all this has been eating at me, and now I wonder: What IS our part, past, present, and most of all, future. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? I have NEVER "overslept my alarm" to miss a Gator game before.
True, I expected this result (well, NOT so much the final score diferential, but that only underlines the overall impression)--but meant to be here in solidarity with y'all. We can analize the details of today's sad fiasco another time, another place (this was the worst example yet of the gathering storm of, even WITH all our injuries, showing all kinds of talent and general superiority over an opponent but somehow, in so many ways, losing the game...BADLY).
NOW we get to likely do it again against the last "bad hire", the last guy we made rich but who'll probably somehow use his "experience" here to motivate his team (and himself--what a joke) to eliminate any chance of a for-us-meaningless-but-still useful bowl season...I'M thinking/hoping that Randy, Malik (despite the score and much of the rest, this QB more or less held his own, I think--he was TERRIBLE to start, but after that horrible early INT steadily improved) and the rest of the practice-squad and walking-wounded will somehow pull it together and surprise everyone (most of all themselves, at this point, and let's face it, US--that sure includes me, truth be told) and maybe eke out a win that gives us a SHOT at bowl eligibility after all. Do we ever need that "hurricane-washout" game after all now.
Thing is, I wouldn't even CARE about that, our landing in some crap-bowl etc, except for the differences in what programs can do or not do "out there", depending on IF they have a bowl game or not. It effectively extends every part of a program's activities when they are "in", and conversely seriously LIMITS activities of everyone else. Presumably this is a big part of why so many such meaningless also-ran games are proliferating--if someone's (with help of local sponsers and chambers of commerce) putting up money, teams will be there...college football's attitude is "GO FOR IT!".
Not sure of the exact details, but pretty sure that includes our efforts out on the recruiting trail.
So there IS a reason to keep playing, somehow finding the fire inside, after all.
Hard to CARE about it, on the surface, but there it is. Certainly Randy and his staff have vested interests...you'de think/HOPE the players do as well. We FANS are watching, even in frustration, sadness and disgust. Oh--and anger too: So let's mention Nussmeyer. I think we ALL can agree, Coach, players and us ignorant people who only FOLLOW the team, foolishly care so damn much about every PART of it, agree on one thing at this point:
Fire Nussmeyer. I'm not even gonna bother with the long lost of reasons why. We are way past that. As Mac was generally responsible, his OC was SPECIFICALLY responsible for the long slide and deepening onfield collapse. He oversees/oversaw the impotent, outright embarrasing rot that has lately otherwise been known as "the Gator offense". Again and again. That one's gotta be a no-brainer, first on the list.
The rest will be step-by-step, a complicated, hard and long road back.
Time to start walking.
