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Game Day (11/15/14): 'Cocks in The Swamp

Escambia94

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There are rumors that Steven Orr Spurrier is considering retirement. He is 4-5 against the Gators all time, and is 4-5 this season. It is time for the Gators to take back the Swamp, and to do it against the man gave the nickname "The Swamp" to Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
 

DRU2012

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Really just wanted an excuse to say that.
Correct title more along lines of, "Here We Go Again", or "Same Ol' Same Old".
And once again, I can only say that I truly resent being put in the position of a part of me (too large a part of me, growing each week with the renewed talk of a "renewed Gator squad" and "renewed chances of Muschamp's saving his job") HOPING we lay another one of our rotten-egg-performances out there today and END this ridiculous dance with (slow) death we're doing with our overmatched Head Coach--and, by extension, any hope of our true "renewal" anytime soon. Like in the next five years or so.
OK, covered THAT (by now weekly) little piece of business.
As for the game itself, well--all I can say is that if there's one defense in the SEC that even this Muschamp/Roper-"designed" (more like, "scribbled on the back of a candy wrapper during the 5 minutes someone apparently set aside to consider it") offense can roll up some points on, it's this one. On the other hand, if there's one offense that the 'Cocks can stop, it is ours. This one should be a masterpiece all around, a real work of art.
However, all things taken into account, our "Jones-plus" running game, plus Treon actually given a chance to throw the ball now and then (or at the very least TAKING a few audible-called shots, like last week), plus our very decent D given SOME rest along the way therefore able to mostly contain THEIR offense for more than a half, all adds up to a pretty good chance at having a lead in the 4th...then just a matter of holding on? On the other hand, we go out there and pull one of our stumble/bumble/fumble-fests, we can lose to ANYBODY, let alone a still-potent Spurrier-coached offensive team--no matter HOW disappointed/deflated with their season so far.
I don't know...I am trying not to descend into my usual Muschamp-Gator-fueled depression, not dwell on that conflict between my instincts as a lifelong Gator fan, to see us win, the bigger the better, on the one hand, and my aforementioned inclination to see us screw up hugely (for the sake of change and our future--I believe I have mentioned this once or twice before)--but that's how it's gonna be I guess until this is all truly resolved. It's an early game, anyway--at least we don't have to burn a whole Saturday, whatever happens. Rah rah rah.
 

DRU2012

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@Escambia94,
OOOps--sorry...Guess I was writing mine same time as you were putting THIS up. Go ahead and combine 'em, if you like--BUT I really DO like my title more!
 

DRU2012

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...also, I'm sorry, but it is just really hard for me to go with the whole "renewal" theme here, as I talk about in MY "intro".
 

DRU2012

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Um, looks like Escambia94 put up another "Game Day"-thread here while I was preparing MY weekly offering...Didn't know 'til AFTER I finally hit the "Post Thread" button on mine (I was eating breakfast and watching ESPN while typing it out, SLOWLY and haltingly over eggs'n'bacon and a half-naked girlfriend walkin' around; Hey, I consider it highly responsible that I got it out at ALL before kickoff!).
Look, I'm not a fan of censorship of ANY kind, so I won't take down either, but the idea of "dueling threads" is almost as unappealing--and pretty silly, too, especially considering the maybe 1/2 dozen or so of us that are our "regulars" for these. And anyway, as I noted a moment ago on "the other one", I LIKE my title...and this is my "intro", such as it is: I doubt I am the only one who comes into this game--more and more with these games each week, but ESPECIALLY with this one--with some misgivings, feelings more complicated than the usual "nervous at a tough opponent" and/OR "we need to beat this SS-led team" stuff. Oh, there's no doubt who we'll be rooting for, how badly we'll want to simply "kick their buts" once the ball is kicked and it's for real. All the rest (thankfully) tends to get swept away in the excitement and gut-level "Go Gators!" habits-of-a-lifetime. But sooner or later, in-game or after, all that will come back, will come up again, no matter what the outcome. Guess I just don't see any way that things'll "all turn out OK after all", that we'll just "right the ship", move on and become a winner now.
OK, last time I say it until this one's decided: From my POV, if something has to happen "sooner or later" for us to get ON that road, to truly be able to embrace "HOPE" again, then I wanna start, think/feel we NEED to start "SOONER". Yeah. I choose "sooner".
 

DRU2012

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(Watching SEC Network and "Muschamp in the Filmroom"-segment...Kinda a bad joke, hearing him try and "knowledgeably explain" Treon's audible-called long pass-for-TD. "He sees it and hits him, throws it accurately..." to finish his comments amounts to the only part that really applies. The rest, well, pretty damn clear he knew about the same as any of US about it before it happened--and not a whole lot more NOW, except for the last part, the result. Just continues to show that when it comes to offense, our Head Coach has very little clue, and aside from "What happened?" and "Way to go!", should stick to defense. PERIOD.)
 

DRU2012

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More silly stuff--least far as I see it:
The ESPN Gameday crew are previewing the early games, and the way they intro'd ours against the 'Cocks was with a shot of SS walkin' onto the filed during warm-ups and saying over it, "Is this the last time we'll see Steve Spurrier leading a Gamecock squad onto the field? There are a lot of stories circulating that he might be coming back here, return to Florida after this season...". Then moved on to the usual stuff, shots of Treon warming up, all of 'em talkin' bout how he "could have a BIG game against this defense", how "the Gators are just playing with more CONFIDENCE around him", and so on, the usual stuff... But I just gotta say it again: I just don't see ANY way SS comes back to us as a COACH...Now, there HAS been talk lately that he may step aside as Head Coach of the Gamecocks, and (not to violate a promise to my friend inside the Gator program, hint hint, but) I HAVE mentioned the possibility and various discussions of J. Foley's eventual replacement, HOWEVER that happens ("eventually" or otherwise, won't get into all THAT here), but friends, no matter HOW much some may LONG for that "repeat of history" (a somewhat imperfect one, again in my view, for all kinds of reasons), I just see no way that happens--mainly from everything SS himself has had to say about it, along with all the reports of those close to him then, meanwhile, and even pretty recently.
OK, back over on SEC Network, game is ON, and they are talking about Muschamp "staying the course,", how they are "peaking at the right time", "still vying for the SEC East title", and that it "all turned with Muschamp's making the change at quarterback". I just don't know where to start picking apart all that, and meanwhile SC is moving the ball on their 1st drive here, a 30-yd pass here to get into Gator territory--and once again we are starting slow, even on defense. Been the pattern. Umpire makes our best "stop" on a pass-play so far. Wide OPEWN on 3rd and long, and we are bout to be scored on again to start things. Muschamp NEVER seems to have his own damn defense "ready to play" when they start: We win the toss, defer, then give up the long drive. Yeah, we are "PEAKING". And wearing the defense...There it is, another wide-open play, this one the run untouched 20 yds to the endzone.
Place is QUIET. Cold there. Cold here in S. TX too. Clod where YOU are? Yeah. Like an icicle thru' the heart.
No matter HOW much I try to prepare for it, rationalize how maybe there might be all these "good" things, well, maybe not good but "necessary" things about a Gator-loss, the actual event just SUCKS, always hurts no matter the circumstances. When the game is on, I just want a Gator win more than anything else--will turn back to all that other stuff if/when this one gets away from us. Don't know how much of a stinkarama I can stomach first hand here, though. Let's see how they respond...but if we can't at least control the ball here for awhile, move it down the field and let our D rest, get back in this thing (they DO get stronger--before they finally wear OUT from being out there TOO much)...but no, 3-and-out.
First buig moment coming: Either WE get it back FAST, somehow, pick, fumble, 3-and-out for them, or this one could get away from us early. It's easy to forget how BAD this team has played at times, how we've managed to lose games we shoulda won and lose BIG games we were in despite our best "efforts" to give 'em away. Last coupla weeks we had "little to lose", played loose and hence played relatively well, at least for parts of 'em. Now, you can SEE it: We're tight again. Bad signs all around.
 

DRU2012

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...Sorry--will keep it shorter here. Trying to "prepare myself" for what I'm starting to sense is starting to develop here...
 

DRU2012

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Dumb call by SS--but Gators may have bailed them out with facemask--Yep. Had 'em stopped already, and Fowler just partly caught it AFTER the play...
 

DRU2012

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(Sigh--that was one of those "hidden later" turning points...we had 'em DONE, ball back in their territory--but that barely-a-facemask call will end up costing US points instead iof giving us a chance to get back in it. TD here might be it, or damn close.)
 

DRU2012

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OK, here's my "Bummer Forecast":
With the Gators "playing on their heels" this way, I'm gonna put "it", the PNR ("point of no return") at 17-0--They get us to 17-0 by midway in the 2nd qrtr, and we will lose this one in a steadily-deteriorating uglyfest.
 

miltongator

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Since our D isn't playing today, our chances aren't looking good. So far SC has run about 23 plays and we've run 3. Sounds familiar.
 

DRU2012

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Well, "held" 'em to 3...but 'Cocks still on schedule for that "PNR". We have barely showed up, so far.
 

DRU2012

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...and here comes the "stumble/bumble/fumble" game we regularly revert to this season, it seems--this time as soon as we touch the ball a 2nd time--on the KICKOFF! Let;s see: Only gave up a FG, then GOT BACK OUR FUMBLE on the subsequent kick. We are ROLLING!
 

DRU2012

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Hey--that Muschamp team of a few weeks back woulda gave up the TD, then LOST that one deep on the KO...They're right! We've turned it around!
 

DRU2012

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OK--now that fine SC defense is gonna add another 15 yds to a QB scramble. If they make as many mistakes as us, we could get BACK in this one. 'Course, when you spot 'em 10 points, "playin' 'em even" the rest of the way just ain't gonna quite "get it DONE".
 

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