While you were celebrating Tim Tebow surviving Baton Rouge and toasting the group of badasses on Florida's defense, Alabama was sliding into the AP's second spot after an efficient beatdown of the Ole Miss Frauds. With five SEC games left for each team, the Gators and Alabama will be favored by at least a touchdown until December. Each team has games against their blood rivals remaining, but the fates seem to aim for Alabama-Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
The Gators and Tide are making their living with dominating defense, as they are 1 and 2 in SEC scoring and total defense. Bama does not have the highlighted names Florida has on defense, but their five turnovers and harassment of Jevon Snead Saturday was a masterpiece. Bama is +9 turnover margin, a number helped from the Ole Miss game but a credit to Greg McElroy, who has only 1 pick in 153 attempts. Bama is leaning on their running game, but Julio Jones provides an outlet at receiver that Florida doesn't have; a fast guy the quarterback can trust.
Florida's elephant in the room this season has been the play of Tim Tebow. Not just because he was concussed, but because Steve Addazio's offense is a Saturn Vue when we expect an Abrams Tank. Like Bama, the running game has picked up the slack, with Florida getting 6.4 ypc and about 285 ypg. Meanwhile, Tebow is not the same quarterback. A look at ESPN's projections are glaring, with Tebow's production dropping by about a third this season. You can rip his fluttering duck of a ball and bad mechanics, but Tebow is still around 65% completions. It comes down to play calling, not personnel. Florida has guys like Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper and running backs who can catch the ball. It is up to Addazio to put them in positions and Addazio is not doing that.
That's not to say Florida has stuff to worry about and Bama has none. Florida has games remaining against South Carolina, Georgia and FSU, and only the Gamecocks have a defense to worry about. Bama gets South Carolina this weekend, Tennessee, LSU and at Auburn. McElroy has not played in a rough environment and won't until Auburn. How will he react under the psychological pressure Tebow can fight off? At this point each team only has a few speed bumps.
0 recs | 10 comments
Addazio is bad
He’s been very, very bad. Mullen was bad for long stretches too, so maybe he can turn it around. I doubt it though.
I wasn’t quite ready to hang him until the playcall that led to Tebow’s INT. That was the stupidest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I absolutely could not believe it. You run roughly 89 dive plays all game, and with a good deal of success, and then you call deep pass (for once) up by 10, in LSU’s half, with like 4 minutes to go?
I was flabbergasted. Dumbfounded. Maybe it’s Tebow’s fault for throwing a route that Addazio didn’t intend. Maybe it was Cooper’s fault for running the wrong route. I don’t know, and I don’t care. All that I can think about is the fact that this season looks exponentially more like 2006 than 2008, and I don’t understand why.
We can ride this defense to and undefeated regular season. I believe that. However, we’re going to need to score against Bama to beat them. We’re going to have to score in the BCSCG if we get there. LSU’s defense is good, but nowhere near Bama’s.
The passing game concerns do not register with me nearly as much as the redzone awfulness. We got plenty of yards, but couldn’t turn them into points. We’re lucky that Jefferson is apparently unaware of what 4th down means.
Giant Catfish - October 12, 2009
Looking back, I don’t know if Mullen was bad, but needed strange play calls to make that play successful later. Kind of like how Lebron will be 1-13 from three-point range but the 1 is a 30-footer at the buzzer.
mlmintampa - October 12, 2009
Mullen had some downright abysmal games
He was great last year, but 2007 (despite the stats) was not good. We relied so much on Tebow we got him hurt. Remember the “UF Playcalling Wheel” thing Mr. 2Cents made? We only had 6 plays, and each one involved either Tebow or Harvin. 2006 was so hodgepodge in terms of personnel that I can’t fault him too much.
Giant Catfish - October 12, 2009
Correct!
I though Mullen was bad because he would take a quarter of a season to get his head out of his butt, but then he would also call crazy trick plays at all the wrong time.
I know Addozio is bad. I realize we have had bumps and bruises, sick players and concussions, but he is a hyper focused offensive line coach who has no clue other than calling a running game and being conservative. They are tiptoeing on offense right now and they are playing not to lose, just like Ron Zook always did, only difference is this defense can hold it down.
Why are we running these scat backs up the middle, especially James? James is a slot back at best, he does not run those PR/KR back because he is running out of traffic??? Every time they give Demps or Rainey the ball off tackle or to the outside, they break loose! Every time they give the ball to Moody he gets loose!! So why send the pipsqueaks up the middle? Moody and Tebow are the only ones who can handle that!!
At least Mullen had a hard on for getting the ball down the field. It seems this has totally regressed to Tebow run and run and run and do not worry about finding the three receivers open down field all day. Addazzio wants to run!! Now it is Tebow all the time and our team is suffering, At least with Brantley next year, he can not run and can throw. I hate to say it, but Tim has gotten worse at throwing each year.
Okay now we get to the BCSNC and play like this, Texas will score more points than we will. Adozzio SUCKS!!
AligatorJr - October 12, 2009
What recievers?
I feel the same way, but you have to wonder…is that becuase of stevo, or we dont have a deep threat like we have always had.
Hook85 - October 13, 2009
Harvin
Made Mullen look tons better than he actuall was. Dan should send Percy a thank-you note.
I still think the problem this season with our passing game is that Cooper is our #1 WR. That is an awfully scary thought. What was he last year? Option #4?
skigator93 - October 12, 2009
exactly. hernadez is awesome, but hes not a deep threat. maybe they should split rainey out in the slot more, hes small but so was jaquez green. demps seems to have the slight edge over rainey as a runner, might as well get use our of rainey some how.
Hook85 - October 13, 2009
cooper
his name up until this year was dingaling fingers cooper, he never caught anything thrown his way, and he has been the reciever on many of tebow’s int’s. no kidding, just watch the tape, at least half of them … he sucks!!
AligatorJr - October 13, 2009
The thing I dont get is
His underclass years everyone said he has blazing speed, like a 4.4 or somthing. Seems more like a 4.6-4.7 guy to me, he doesnt have any agility either.
Hook85 - October 13, 2009
an opposing viewpoint
i’ll have to disagree with mcelroy not playing in a rough environment. despite the fact that the virginia tech game was on a neutral field, it was the biggest game in the glaring national spotlight, the opening game of the season, and mcelroy’s first collegiate start after riding the bench for years. it was kind of a high profile stage to introduce yourself to the world.
everyone had jitters at first, and it showed in his first round of passes against a decently talented, aggressive, and jacked up defense. but as the game progressed, his poise stabilized and his confidence increased enough to have what, overall, was a pretty stellar debut.
something tells me if he can collect and steady himself under those circumstances, a hostile opponent stadium’s not going to phase him much. i guess you could say the ole miss atmosphere was hostile, and he did have his first less than impressive performance that game, but you would have to blame that on a puzzling offensive game plan (akin to the bafflement you gators have expressed about some of your offensive playcalling) than any road game pressures.
i’m as worried about playing in auburn about as much as you guys were playing in tiger stadium. when your team’s better than the other by such a margin, things like home field advantage are negated. (that being said, it’s the iron bowl, and it has a way of defying logical expectations, so don’t take my comments as anything approaching a prediction of a win—i’m just stating my opinion that the venue won’t have much influence on our QB.)
ideally our teams will meet in atlanta undefeated. that last one we had was one for the ages, and the only game in my memory where the pain of the loss was significantly lessened by the joy of having witnessed the playing of some pretty awesome football. here’s to many more battles, and the hope that this year’s edition lives up to its potential to top 2008.
clarence - October 16, 2009
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Alligator Army to post a comment.