Official Game Day Thread: Bowling Green @ Florida Gators: 9/1

Starting to roll via the run--but note that this didn't start until that 3rd down completion by Driskel back deep. (Lotta flags against the Gators again to start this year. That has GOT to change this season.) Whoever is under center, they HAVE to stretch the field from time-to-time to keep this going. Nice drive here, finally, though.
4th and short--GO FOR IT!

Joyer--kinda our present-day Tebow in short yardage situations, ya know? GILLY TD!

Nice power running on that drive. Love it...

Time for the defense to assert itself, let us begin to assert control here.

Well, it took a full quarter for us to wake up and begin to play...Again: sounds familiar, right? That kind of stumbling start, plus penalty-after-penalty all too reminiscent of the 2011 edition. What concerns me so far the most about our "D" has been the missed tackles again: That, AND this failure we're seeing to hold on to potential interceptions, is all too familiar in an otherwise clearly talented Gator defense (nice runback on the punt--into their side of the field)...Here we have the three major complaints about "being close BUT..." from last season, broken tackles (a toughness-question), missed interceptions (concentration question), and mounting penalties throughout the game will absolutely make a difference in our success this season (or lack thereof). Meanwhile, ANOTHER penalty drives us WAY back--absolutely KILLS our field position. Pooch kick--bad idea. Wasted field position--a regular Chinese fire-drill out there. Frankly, I didn't mind the idea of a 2-QB process while we find our if either one is "the Man", or some kind of balance in using them both, but so far it has appeared rather haphazard...and Driskel appears to at least be running the team better--that sling-it-long thing with Brisset wasn't a fair shot, though: he'll get another chance to start the 2nd half, I'm sure.

Our defense is starting to take over (thank God)...and if Driskel can put together another nice drive before the end of the half, he may be close to taking the job unless Brisset rally rises to the occasion to start the 2nd half (for the second time,we almost got to the punt...not a good one anyway)...I gotta agree with awebbf5, though: Brisset has a big arm, but he has yet to show much accuracy...GILLISLEE BREAKS OUT! TOUCHDOWN! Man, that is EXACTLY what we ALL knew he could have, SHOULD have been given the chance to do LAST year!

Big KO for touchback--everyone's getting pumped now. Penalty on KO?!! Offsides, and bacl 5 yds to undo fine kick--geez, this is getting out of hand: we are piling up the sloppy-play penalties even FASTER than last year!
As I was saying, Brisset's big arm has yet to really offer any real advantage...even Driskel's bad miss on his first pass to Dunbar (ANOTHER "near interception" that should have been a pick-off--but 3-and-out) was a "learning experience, and he's been sharp since, in fact that 9 yarder on 3rd down back at the end of the first qrtr began to open things up. Brisset has NOT been able to do much: here's his chance on 3rd down. Fires a strike to Pittman: 1st down. Nice job. An 8 yarder to Dunbar. OK, here comes another 3rd down--bad play-call there with that run...if you want to find out what your QB's worth, you give him a chance to make a play...he might have done well to tuck it and run with the ball himself on that play, but that is Driskel's strength, I guess. ANOTHER penalty here to the Gators, a BIG one, a personal foul away from the play. I'm sorry but this is disgusting--gives them good field position late in the half. Between the penalties (the count already for 1 half is bad for a whole game--10 penalties for about 80 yards! ANOTHER flag! Another off sides...this is a fiasco! take away half the penalties and maybe hold onto ONE of those "near interceptions" and maybe we've already got this game well in hand by now...) Dropped pass by the Bowling Green guy or this game is tied up. Damnit! Missed tackle again by the Gators on 3rd down. ..and Easley's down again--looks like cramps, but this is all WAY too familiar...we are falling apart again now, everything falling apart at the end of the half, like a boxer holding on to make it out of the round. This is a confused, even disorganized Gator squad. Missed short FG saves us here--pathetic to have to say that at the half against Bowling Green.
I don't know what to say about the two "discipline and concentration" issues that are STILL plaguing our team:
When it comes to (1)the secondary's failures at holding onto picks right to 'em, and (2) the absurdly fast and steadily mounting penalties all over the field by both offensive and defensive squads, WE SAID IT ALL LAST YEAR! Man, the first is an individual thing ("Wake up! Take the damn ball--don't fight with it!"), and the second is clearly a team-wide thing ("Snap out of it, ALL of you! You've been playing this game since you were little kids, and you all know the rules!")--and as stated, they're BOTH a matter of both concentration and discipline, and you have to wonder exactly what is broke there, where is the disconnect between the coaches, who WANT disciplined self-control and awareness more than anything among their players, and the players themselves, who appear to be throwing all they've learned and practiced once they're out there in the heat of competition?
Finally, I am ready to say this concerning the "quarterback battle": PICK A GUY. I think it's Driskel, but hell, if y'all (the head Coach and OC) are seeing something I'm not, fine--just put a guy in the role and let him run the team, sink or swim...and if he sinks, you got the other one and at some point, well, he gets another chance. This flirting-with-both is "flirting-with-disaster", it becomes more and more clear. I'm not saying they were wrong to let things play out this far, this late in the process trying to settle the question--between injuries and how close they were in the months leading up to opening week, it looked like the way to go, but it's time to shift gears, pull the trigger. I don't know if they'll give Brisset another series to "be fair", but that's about as far as they can afford to go with this approach, way I see it: I'd just open the 2nd half with Driskel and tell him to go win it...but even if they do give Brisset one more turn, unless he lights it up, you name Driskel the starter and live with it--unless and until he blows it or gets hurt. Anyway, here we go.

Give it to Joyer--OR, fake it and hit the slant?

Great call on 4th down--but bad pass by Driskel. Man, that was one of those "signature plays" he HAS to make. We don't have a decent QB in EITHER of 'em, it starts to seem. Sorry, but THAT was just a sad effort when it counted by Driskel.

Man, fake punt, no one near him, and then the hit WAY out of bounds...TERRIBLE play AND mistake. This is so pathetic a display, all around. they're deep in our territory now...Can our secondary PLEASE come up with a turnover?!!

I am severely disappointed with this team's overall return to the same weaknesses as last year--they may even be worse. Now we give up the TD run, and it's about to be tied in the 2nd half. We could lose this game, folks--a home opener in the Swamp against a MAC team. Can you say "Goodbye Will--we hardly knew ya"???
It wouldn't necessarily be "fair", but it WOULD be "understandable", know what I mean? This team was not ready to play, looks out of sync and choppy on every level, has lacked focus and discipline all the way thru' and has more and more begun to "freelance", ignore training and teamwork and just go their own way in great frustration.
When LSU pulls out another 4th down rabbit-out-of-a-hat against us, that's one thing; but when Bowling Green comes in and does it, well, that is really bad news. I'm afraid this could be a really poor year for us, based on what we've seen here--it doesn't even matter if we pull this out, at this point (lousy play calling again on 3rd-and-short): This appears to be a disorganized Gator squad, one that could EASILY get BLOWN OUT next week at Kyle Field (and that will be a complete and thorough bummer for me personally out here in TX--what with my Aggie neighbors just WAITING to whoop, yell and holler all around me and generally rub it in--on TOP of what it will say about us and our season). Btw--we punted on 4th and short deep in their territory--and it was the right move--against Bowling GREEN. That's what it has come to. Meanwhile, our QB looks to be Driskel, who has proven (to Bowling Green, at least, who have NO fear of him) in 3 tries that he can't hit the wide open man ten yards down the field even when the other team sells out on the run and you have all the time in the world.
Now we have it at their 11, 3rd and 2, and we HAVE to get the TD...THROW THE BALL, JEFF--but no, he runs out of bounds and we're stuck with the FG try. We actually suck. There. I said it.

They definitely look better than we do. They can take this game over unless our defense tightens up--and that defense are actually starting to look tired, while our offense hasn't done much at all--like last year, even our superior defense is getting worn down. I can't get over how poorly BOTH QBs played today. The only thing Driskel did better was run the offense--but he has GOT to go back to doing whatever he did in highschool, stop thinking and start throwing.
Meanwhile, I hate to belabor this, but they are driving the field on us--and may be about to bury us.
I guess I'll just shut up--'cause this is just painful to watch. I think we're going to lose this game...if not, it'll take a big play near the end to steal it. Hard to believe. OK--I leave it to y'all...I won't say anymore unless and until we somehow do some great things to retake the momentum.
(Man--that bad kicker of theirs is the difference here--nothing to cheer about, folks.)

Oh. My. God. (Hines fumble deep in our end)