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Gators are a Fun Team to Watch
-Patrick Hayden
11/1/07
A little change of pace, Gator Nation.
I've been telling everyone all summer and all season long, "this will
be a fun team to watch" and it actually has been. I've also said along
those lines, "The Gator Nation just needs to endure this
year, and all will be well for the future." That statement also includes
our upcoming basketball season.
Before I launch into my diatribe, let me just apologize for not getting anything
out in the electronic medium over the last couple of weeks because I've had
a very limited amount of free time and what I had went to my kids. 'Nuff said
on that.
So, let me expound upon the Gators play and other issues
over with this supplemental. First and foremost, this team has been fun to
watch. You may not like the losses, but in a rare moment in of candor here
(not my Gator Narrator-infused bias), I fully expected this to be a 9-3 or
8-4 team….and we are leaning very
much toward 8-4. With the amount of personnel losses we had last season and
the overall strength of the SEC, it seemed unlikely that a bunch of freshmen
and sophomores would lead us to the title (SEC or National) again. The fact
that we've had an overwhelming amount of injuries this year, while unexpected,
nevertheless contributed to our woes this year. More on that one later.
Still, we have been very creative offensively…and yes, I'm still waiting
for that one running back to step up and produce 90 to 100 yards a game. I
truly never thought Kestahn Moore was that back (hopefully Emanuel Moody will
be). Add his fumble problems in there and I REALLY don't think he is that back,
but he has been solid for most of the season. While the defense has been painful
to watch, the Gator games have been entertaining, after all, we could be losing
our games 10 - 6 or worse, 42 - 6. That would truly be no fun at all. The perspective
I would choose for the remainder of the season is to watch the promise that
many of our freshman will bring to the Gators over the next three seasons.
'Cause face it..we're going to be loaded for some time to come….this
also can include basketball…but I digress...
Kentucky Game:
I was fortunate to be in the stands for this game. We played very well on offense
and were treated to some great offensive highlights. I was also pleased with
the play calling for the most part. The overall problem with the Kentucky
game was that Kentucky's offense was the best we had faced to that date.
They exposed many an issue with our defense…which, in essence, set
the stage for what happened against Georgia. The keys to the win that day
were (in no particular order): 1) We attacked on offense at every occasion;
2) We did not turn the ball over & 3) Defense, at the very least, hit
the QB a bunch of times. While we did not necessarily stop the UK offense
at any point, we did force them into a few situations where they stopped
themselves…unlike Georgia. All in all, a good game coming off the
bye week as far as performance, we did however, have the injury bug hit us
hard this game (Major Wright, Riley Cooper & the Tebow-nator)…and
then hit harder the next week. I find the injury-boggle for the Gators quite
surreal…I'm digressing again…
Georgia Game:
Great article on GatorCountry.com regarding this rivalry. For those who can
only remember Spurrier-through-now, you have no idea how irritating it can
be to watch "Run, Lindsay, freakin' Run' every stinkin' year when this
game is played. FULL DISCLOSURE: I have the 1995 Florida-Georgia game on
tape….and still root for us to score that last touchdown to put us
up 52-10 with less than a minute remaining. I can't stand losing to UGA…and
this one was avoidable. For all the Bulldogs passion, play, blah, blah, blah…we
gave this one to them. Two costly fumbles gave them the points needed to
win. As bad as our defense played….and they played particularly bad…this
one should have been ours. The good news is that this provides some incentive
for the next few years, as I expect some lopsided Gator Victories. Regardless,
of who UGA puts on the field, we should be better. Injury bug knocks Javier
Estopinan out. The Tebow-nator still not sharp and on the mend. We're gonna
have to utilize offensive lineman to fill defensive voids. Not a great recipe
for success. So, where do we go?
Ok, I can't figure out why in the Urban Meyer-era we
have had so many injuries to so many key players? I totally follow the Ol'
Ball Coach's mantra of you gotta play with what you got….but we are getting to the point where
we got nada! Let's face it, of our next four games, Vandy, So Car, Florida
Atlantic & FSU…we're probably going to go down in one, unless our
defense pulls a magic rabbit out of their collective hineys. We will outscore
most….one of them, either Vandy or So Car will put enough defense on
us to win. Lest you think I've gone soft….I'm still expecting to win
all our games, but realistically we need to make some improvements for that
to happen…or our offense will need to perform off the charts. I believe
the latter is more likely than the former.
Despite this…I've enjoyed this season. For those
who do not live in the Central Ohio area, you need to understand how profound
this is. Even after the Gators annihilated OSU in the BCS Championship Game,
we now find ourselves with a 9-0 OSU team and right back where we were last
year. Them on top of the BCS with no one in the Big Ten who can beat them.
I could dissect the Big Ten for several paragraphs about how poor a conference
they are, but the end point is that I still have to listen to the OSU blather
about how great they are....especially when they are not....AND I'M STILL
ENJOYING THIS SEASON! Unfortunately, the stars seem to be aligning for OSU
to go back to the BCSCG and face some team that probably couldn't beat half
the teams in the SEC. Still, I'm very much looking forward to Saturday's
game with Vandy...who I hope to enjoy a Victory over with my local Gator
Club! So, if this season's got you down, be glad that you don't live in Columbus,
Ohio....unless you do, then you probably don't.
We literally, figuratively, ecumenically, grammatically
(and any other adverb you want to throw in)…..just have to weather this year as Gator Fans!
After that, we are loaded for several Championship runs. The future is bright
and it belongs to the Gators! More to follow……
Go Gators!
Patrick Hayden
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