Time to Figure It Out Offensively

Defense wins championships. For the Florida Gators, that statement remains to be seen, but without a doubt – it’s certainly the reason they are still undefeated.  Florida fans can thank the defense for wins over Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi St. Without their effort, three out of the four games are probably losses.

So what happens if the defensive side of the ball decides to have a bad day and not show up like its offensive counterpart? All these ugly performances are going to turn into losses, and Florida will get knocked back down to reality.

By now, I would have predicted the Florida offense would be clicking on all cylinders and racking up points with relative ease. Instead, the Gators look great driving down the field until they enter the red zone. Their play calling seizes up and all Florida can do is run it straight up the middle. In SEC wins over the Vols, Tigers, Razorbacks and Bulldogs, the Gators have scored just seven offensive touchdowns.

Tim Tebow is not the same player he was pre-concussion. His decision making seems to be suffering. I cannot believe that each time he steps back to pass, receivers are so covered that Tebow is forced to run. In fact, Deonte Thompson was open on at least two plays down the field Saturday night, and Tebow didn’t see him.

We keep hearing the Gators are waiting for another receiver to step up and help Cooper and Hernandez carry the load, but how can that happen if they aren’t getting the ball thrown their way? Thompson and David Nelson both seem like viable options, if ever given the chance.

Urban Meyer attributes some of the poor play to mentally not being able to live up to the pressure of being ranked at the top of the polls every week. As defending national champions, the coaching staff needed to do a better job preparing their players for the upcoming season and all the pressure that comes along with being ranked number one.

Two things can happen with the rest of the season. The Gator offense finally starts executing and the ball gets spread around to truly exhibit what this team is capable of. Or…Florida ends up playing against a team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, catches are made, fourth downs are converted and the Gators are left sitting on the sideline wondering what happened to their perfect season. Either way, it won’t get any easier. Every team Florida plays will want to knock them off their pedestal atop college football. Get it fixed Gators.

They don’t ask how, they ask who!

If you are a Florida Gator fan, the game earlier today was not only painful but stressful.  I found myself nearing a record breaking 4 heart attacks in a span of 4 hours.  I have my legal team filing suit against UF for my newly developed case of tourettes after watching the game today. I had to switch from my big flat screen to my little box TV as preventive measure to not break my good tv.  But they don’t ask how, they ask who!

As a fan stated on our live game feed discussion on Facebook: What’s a Gator’s favorite snack?  Butterfingers.  This was the recurring theme in todays game.  Fumble after fumble after fumble after fumble.  That’s right 4 fumbles.  The mere fact that Florida was always within 1 score was a miracle in and of itself.  All the fumbles at crucial times during the drive that halted the Gator offense in their tracks.

Thank God that the defense came to play.  Even with Spikes re-aggrevating his groin injury that happened earlier this week and being out of the game after the first drive, the defense was here to play (for the most part).  They prevented Arkansas from capatalizing off these fumbles and keeping it within striking distance.

Until the near end of the game, Arkansas simply could not convert on 3rd downs and Florida won the field position game.  However, 3rd downs weren’t Florida’s best friend either.  Florida came into the game only allowing 7 sacks all season and gave up 6 sacks with 4 coming on big 3rd down plays for Florida.

The offensive line simply could not give enough protection to allow the WR’s to run their routes.  The one time we did get Tim the protection he needed, he found Deonte Thompson wide open for a touchdown.  There were several times that the WR’s were wide open down the field but Tebow couldn’t hit them because he was busy scrambling from unblocked blitzes.

In the end though, Florida was able to drive down the field after a wide left FG by Arkansas and put together a winning drive for a FG by Sturgis leaving just 9 seconds left to go in the game.  The resulting Hook ‘n Lateral play after the squib kick from Arkansas failed and the Gators went on to win the game.

It was sloppy.  It was painful.  It was stressful.  But dag gummit we won.  Final score 23 – 20 Gators.

Next Three Games Can Be Special for Tebow

Tim Tebow has a chance to make a statistical statement over the next three games. The Gators will be facing the three worst defenses in the SEC when the match up against Arkansas, Mississippi State and Georgia. If there was ever a time where Tebow could put up some touchdowns, it’s right now.

Tebow is already just one touchdown run away from tying Herschel Walkers SEC record for career rushing touchdowns. Breaking the record will add another line to his already impressive football resume and will most certainly boost his Heisman chances.

But it’s time the wide receivers and Tebow get on the same page. No more dropped passes.  Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez have shown glimpses of greatness, but we still wait to see who will emerge as the go-to receiver.

Throwing the ball has always been the knock on Tebow throughout his career. He’s too slow in getting the ball off. He’s doesn’t throw an accurate ball. For Tebow, if he wants his second Heisman Tropy, he’ll have to prove his critics wrong again. Start connecting on your pass plays and the Heisman speculation can end.

Remember, it’s about the best college football player – not the best quarterback. Tim Tebow exemplifies what the Heisman Trophy represents. He will go down as one of the greatest college football players of all time. Tebow should embrace these next three games and put the speculation to rest.