GameDay: Saturday Oct. 6 Gators vs. LSU Tigers (The Swamp)

The hard part, of course, and the thing our guys have to just FORGET about now, is knowing we have otherwise played them even, at LEAST: only dumb mistakes and sloppy play has us down now--less than a TD, but in a game like this one, 6 pts. is huge, and if they get just one TD now, I'm afraid that'll be the game: we have shown ALMOST no sign of being able to score on them (though without that first fumble, Sturges would have banged in an FG from where we already were...and with out the 2nd one down deep in our own end, tht'd have us even at 3-3 and basically starting the game over with us getting the ball 1st). Again: Those 2 fumbles are the difference, they hurt and will haunt us if/when we lose this in a close one, but our players MUST forget them, settle down and start over in the angry, determined frame-of-mind they probably needed in the first place for a game like this, go out there and KNOCK HEADS IN THE TRENCHES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL. It will take a hard-nosed game the rest of the way on our part, at LEAST one grind-it-out drive--AND I figure a pick-six or a return to wipe away their 1st half advantage--both, along with continued great play by our D, to somehow yank this one back in our favor and get the win.

To the "3 tos" Q, well, even tho' I tend to agree, I also am starting to see and expect Muschamp's view: Something like, let's get out of here down less-tha-a-TD, make our adjustments and beat them in the 2nd-half. Gotta admit, it has worked for them before this season, against MY feelings and "recommendation" (ie. screaming at the TV).
As for how poor our offense has looked, let's concede the fact that we ARE facing that "Elite SEC D" today--and they are having just as much trouble with OURS (and ours has been put in worse predicaments by its offense, yet hasn't broken)...However, our offense has done more to help LSU than to help themselves, and THAT'S the difference so far.

I think we DO need some stretch-the-field plays, even if they want to pound it on them, in order to open things up for our playmakers.

I thought they called the Gillesley play again at the wrong time--but he gets the 1st anyway...They still don't seem to have any quick passing plays for JD. Dunbar drops the 1st down catch. He just had to keep coming back, and he would have had an easy 1st down, but no--incomplete when the defender catches up and bangs it out.

You realize that was our big "adjustment series" just now...would have gone 3-and-out except for Gillisley, then DID stall on ineffective passing game. Sigh. We might have won this game, if only we had SOME answer on offense. Think about it: both our failure to score AND their 2nd FG are courtesy if our OFFENSE--otherwise it's 3-3.
Gators give them their first 1st down since the first drive...Aw. STUPID PENALTY OUT-OF-BOUNDS!!!

Here we go again...now the D is getting in on the blow-the-game thing...Our only hope now is a pick-six...

Punt time--but we'll be down deep thanks to those penalties...another fair catch...if only Debose had been in there when they were kicking those wide-open line-drives earlier?
Don't you get the feeling that the way our offense is playing, we are going to be shut out UNLESS the D or Special Teams score? I mean, who even KNOWS what the "Game Plan" was for the offense? How would we know, with all the drops, penalties, and assorted f*ck-ups? Meanwhile, Burton MUST be hurt...I don't care what Muschamp said at the half (Who's he fooling at this point?) Here we are operating a struggling offense without one of our most versatile playmakers--at just the time we really NEED a change-of-pace?

THERE it is...Burton back there, to Hines on the sweep, plus face-mask--and we are in BUSINESS.

That one was TOO tricky--too long developing against this defense...we have GOT to go for the TD here...YES! Hines again! Down to the 11!

TOUCHDOWN GILLY!!!! We have the lead (in a sec)!!!

(SHOULD BE 14-3, damnit...OK--I'LL drop it and shut up)
Anyway, this puts THEM in "push"-mode: maybe OUR D, which is playing really well, can get a turn-over or two. If they continue to play as they have, and our offense can begin to wear them down (as it is showing the first signs of doing), we are still IN this one, obviously...