Game Day Week Five: Road Test

[DRU2012]

If there were EVER a season where we actually DID "take it one game at a time" and DIDN'T get worked up about the overall picture, how things are shaping up or how well we match up with teams later on in our schedule, this HAS to be that season. Even I'm catching that feeling, starting to really just "go with it".
I'm pretty sure that's how our Coach has them thinking in the locker room and on the practice field. Next week's opponent sure looks to be our toughest so far, but stopping their seemingly "unstoppable" guy appears to be the key: Get that done somehow, and the rest looks doable by our guys. Yeah, it's a tall order, but Mac & Co. WILL have a plan--and this Gator team will be ready, willing and able to give it a go.
I'm gonna just relax and enjoy where we're at, what we've accomplished, how far we've come as we find ourselves here at the reg season's midpoint. Whatever else happens from here, we are basically fit and humming along, learning, growing and achieiving beyond all expectation as we "make the turn for home". EVERYTHING is still in our own hands. After 6 games. Amazing.

 

[DRU2012]

@awebbf5,
What point in the game did you get to before you knew we had it, the win was certain and you looked over here to see how WE reacted to it all? I'm interested... I didn't truly "relax" until the Pick 6 by Jabor--though I was pretty certain it was ours to lose by the time we were up 14-3 in the first half.

 

[miltongator]

I'm more skeptical. It took me until there was about 9 minutes to go. Now we're 6-0, bowl eligible and should be in the top 10. No way I saw this coming. The cherry on top would have been for Miami to pull the upset over that team from Tallytown. Their Dalvin Cook reminds me of Percy.

 

[Escambia94]

I watched the FSU-Miami game just to get preview of our final opponent. FSU has a very simple game plan that they execute well. Dalvin Cook is a stud. I would not say he is as good as Percy Harvin, but he is good enough to run all over Florida. To think he almost committed to the Gators. We could use his playmaking ability, but not his attitude and propensity for trouble. The Nole passing attack is simple enough to defeat, but Golson did flash amazing accuracy. That being said, Miami is horrible despite the praises they had before this game.

LSU has the best player in the country in Leonard Fournette, and Florida lacks the healthy linebackers to contain him. I like this kid. LSU also has two more running backs that will kill Florida's linebackers. I do not foresee a Gator 7th win in the next game.

South Carolina looks as bad as the 2013 Gators with injuries and skill drain. Unless they pull off an upset, the best they will be in 4-8. Only Vanderbilt and Citadel look winnable without additional magic. Spurrier is old enough to retire, and might consider doing so after this season.

Georgia has depth issues at running back, but they have a hot hand at quarterback. Florida has some cushion and could still lose to Georgia and still take the East, but I would definitely prefer to beat our biggest rival.

The Gators are bowl eligible, and look better than the 2012 team that went 12-1; however, there is more football to play before we start looking for bowl tickets.

 

[miltongator]

Using a reality check, we'll probably lose to LSU and FSU. The rest should be winnable. Assuming no major injuries.

 

[DRU2012]

Lots jumps to mind in response to all the above, but in keeping with my new found sense of perspective (or at least my effort to find and hold it), gonna try and keep it pretty simple.
First, that Miami/FSU game presented a bit of a dilemma: I tended to feel as you do, mg, wanted to see FSU go down, but can just NOT, in the end, bring myself to root for Miami (whole personal experience AND general social geo-political State of Florida thing--don't get me started! Lol). My dad's line, "Hope they both lose." kept coming back to me; finally decided that it was OK both that U gave em a game, revealed some info for our coaches later, but that FSU won, ultimately...We get to play 'em, either way, and it's best if they are highly ranked at that point. Won't cry if they LOSE meanwhile, by any means (still root against them, big time, every week), but they are what they are, we will be whatever we will be, and this Gator team, healthy and continuing to grow, is knocking on the door to college football's biggest party. Beat the assumed "Big Boys", and well, by their own rules, we'll be one of those Big Boys too.
Yes, my weird superstitions keep me sorta talkin' AROUND what I'm ALMOST ready to confront, but I just won't GO "there" until...Hell, maybe not until after an SEC Championship Game we not only participate in, but win.
As for all the rest, I appreciate the deep analysis, the cold, hard facing "reality" square from y'all--but as I keep coming back to, this seems a season where everything is either misleading or unreliable or at the very least irrelevant once the ball is kicked. A lot of strengths and weaknesses have somehow come and gone, surfaced or disappeared in a fur ball of chaos--not to mention coaching brilliance and/or failure.
If I return to my customary "hopeful despite cynical pessimism", then I am totally on board with your analyses. But then there's, "What a crazy, amazing, completely impossible but happening ANYWAY season!"
Know what I mean?
So I will enjoy this one more day (undistracted by the No Fun League, which in my world has steadily diminished itself to mainly background "former Gator monitoring"), then, like our Coaches and hopefully their young charges,we'll all turn our attention fully to that team in the bayou and their seeming Heisman shoe-in.

 

[Escambia94]

...
If I return to my customary "hopeful despite cynical pessimism", then I am totally on board with your analyses. But then there's, "What a crazy, amazing, completely impossible but happening ANYWAY season!"
Know what I mean?

I can understand your cynical pessimism, but I would argue that Will Muschamp is responsible for that. I cannot believe that I supported the guy, but allow me to go on a tangent here.

1. Muschamp inherited a lot of good players in year 1 (2011, 7-6/3-5 record), but he lost a lot due to the NFL Draft and a lot of players jumping ship during the coaching transition. The loss of key coaching assistants at the end of the Meyer era also contributed to the decline. Regardless of these factors, the Gators were stacked with good players, but lacked depth.
2. Muschamp recruited lots of good defense, but little or no offense in year 2 (2012, 11-2/7-1 record). The Gators were stacked on defense, had a few remaining playmakers on offense, but no depth on offense.
3. Muschamp created a disaster (2013, 4-8/3-5) with no depth anywhere on the roster, to include special teams. Even his bread and butter defense lost too much to injury and the NFL. Again, good players, lack of depth.
4. We all waited with baited breath for Muschamp to turn things around in year 4 (2014, 7-5/4-4), but more turnover on offense and some injuries on defense, along with a thin roster all around led to another disappointing season. Once again, few playmakers, lack of depth.

Coach Mac recognized the problem early on--Florida has lots of talent, but is thin with regards to depth. Coach Mac will succeed where Chump failed--by understanding that he can work with what he has and will adjust the game plan as players get hurt or get suspended. Even Meyer failed to understand the concept of backing up the star player with a suitable replacement. Spurrier fully grasped the concept of taking care of talent and depth. He identified walk-ons like Chris Doering who would fill in key spots on the roster, or Brian Shottenheimer who would rarely play, but would provide sideline and locker room leadership. Mac keeps players like Treon Harris not only as capable backups, but also as locker room leaders (assuming he stays away from girls in compromising positions and lays off the marijuana).

Mac will do well in 2015, and will improve in 2016. The question will be how well will he do once key assistants start grabbing head coaching positions elsewhere? What will Mac do differently to protect the roster from injury depletion? How will Mac control offseason behavior issues?

 

[DRU2012]

So much to what E- raises above--but I'll just focus mainly on two points here:
Among the many things I am already seeing Mac "doing better" than Chump (love that--well-earned, too, and I also am totally converted by now to the view that Muschamp himself was a problem, even THE problem, and now wonder somewhat as to my staunch support), I anticipate this multiplying and intensifying on every level as he recruits his own classes in years ahead. We're gonna get better and better. It's likely to be exciting as hell.
The other thing is that I wanna make sure I'm clear bout where I'm at emotionally with this team and program now: I'm trying hard NOT to revert to my "customary hopeful cynicism" at the moment. This is all so unexpected, our season so far a kind of "extended gift" among rollicking chaos on an e-ticket ride, that a kind of zen-calm, a will to just "ride the ride", has descended on me. I am (mostly) just trying to enjoy it, accept its crazed uncertainties, see where it all goes.
So here comes ANOTHER seemingly overwhelming challenge, against a team that LOOKS from way out here "WAY ahead of poor l'il ol' us". I hesitate to say ANYTHING...Hey, when it comes to streaks, you NEVER mess with "routine". But I'll chance this much by saying: Do not assume any obvious limits to THIS Gator team.
But maybe thay's not what I should be saying, hoping for. Maybe it SHOULD be more along the lines of, Oh YEAH, go ahead and tell EVERYONE. far and wide, this is a game we CANNOT win, all the reasons that THIS is beyond these young Gators. Love the results so far.
We'll turn to LSU tomorrow (Monday), start a thread specifically looking towards that next game, how we match up (or fail to)--and the "800 lb. gorilla" that's in the room the moment we do (you know, the one who they'll be handing the ball to over and over again to win).

 

[miltongator]

I figure that 800 pounder is just like one Tim Tebow. Everyone knows what's coming, but damn if you can stop it. And, lord knows, we've been there before with LSU.