December 10, 2009

The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly- 1st Qtr

Since I took a week to get this to you all, I figured I would make it worth the wait, I hope, here is a play by play, drive by drive look at the game. Play results are courtesy of ESPN, and if you wish you can always follow along via http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/default.aspx to see what we'll be talking about.



Opening kickoff- Verne and Gary start out with their awesomeness and pure unadulterated lack of vision because they can't find Javy Arenas and have a real deep discussion about Saban not deferring to the second half. I really pity the spotter for them, there is only so much you can do to make them look good. I also bet the guys in the truck pray to lil baby Jesus every week because it can't help their resume to know that Bama has taken Ball first 3 or 4 times this year, most recently Auburn. As to the game, Florida kicks to the center which is where their coverage is going to, good job by them to contain Arenas and keep the return minimal.

1st & 10- McElroy to Jones for 18 to the Bama 40 1st Down (Good)

Poor Gary pronounces spread before the snap and Verne being in a buzz yelps his best Harry Carey "Wow" faking excitement the way Tiger Woods's side piece fakes it. Anyways, it isn't spread, it is just a trips left shotgun with Peek and Ingram to the right, they called it an empty backfield....Anyways, I'm pleased to see they used my stats from last week's GBU. Florida is in their base defense, the LOLB is shooting through the gap and the safety is creeping up on the right side reading run. Spikes stays at home and plays middle zone, the secondary is in zone as well. Peek is open, but McElroy's reads are Ingram then Jones then Peek. Ingram is covered by Wright, and Jones slips through the coverage to find the soft spot in the zone.

1st & 10- Ingram up middle 6 yards (Good)

Bama lines up trips left slot right, Ingram in the backfield. Florida has now gone nickel from the response to the previous play. Strong's gameplan doesn't look composed already, perhaps interviews got in the way? Bama uses Upchurch in the slot to give Florida a few new wrinkles to deal with. He goes in motion l to r and sets like an H back under LT. Church and Carpenter do a good job of sealing off the run lane and getting Ingram into the open field. Spikes finds him but Ingram finds 4 more yards after contact.

2nd & 4- McElroy scramble for 7 (Good and bad)

Bama again stays in their basic formations with 2 TE (Williams and Peek) going in motion to the left. Maze goes motion right and they fake the reverse option. Ingram is supposed to rub off the defender and be open on the left sideline, but the Gators do a good job of covering and the pass protection is short. The good news is that McElroy doesn't panic, he sees a gap and gets what he can. He needs to learn how to slide though. QBs who dive head first find a short career. However this is the first sign to the Gators, Mc is ready.

1st and 10- Ingram for 2 Bad

Bama this time goes "spread" right with Ingram a step to the left of McElroy. Gator defense reads run based on how he lines up, they have 5 on the line, 2 Lb's and no corners up on the WRs. The snap is low and the Gators clog the middle for a small gain. It wasn't much of a surprise, but it is a play that will lead to others down the road. It also compliments the 1st play of the drive and makes the Gators have to stay honest.

2nd and 8- McElroy to Maze for 9 Good

Bama comes out with the 2 TE, "Ace" set with Ingram behind McElroy. Florida responds with a 4-3 shift left, LB strong right, and walk their left corner and safety up because they read run left. Peek is left Williams right, but if Bama is running they'd be to the right because they run behind Williams or Dial. Maze sees his corner back off and he cuts his slant just right to get between the corner and the ball and gets an easy 9.

1st and 10- McElroy to Peek for 2 Good and Bad

Bama lines up trips left, slot right again. Dial goes in motion and lines up in the backfield. The good part of the play is that Florida gets confused by the two things they see and can't tell which is real and which is not. They see Dial in motion to the left and Peek is on the left, but Davis is tipping his hand by his stance that it is pass. That's the bad part of the play is that the right side where the action is going reads pass on his stance. If you wonder what that means, if you watch the play, watch how the other linemen are down in their stance. Davis is up in his because there is an edge rusher lined up outside him and he has no backside support. If it were a run, that wouldn't matter because they would be running away from it. However if it is a pass he has to get up in his stance to get around on the rush.

2nd and 8- Upchurch for 5 Good

Bama lines up in their double TE, double HB backfield. FL responds with 8 in the box. They did their film study and see Church at FB. They read a run left or play action right. Bama runs a FB dive that gets good yardage and now has FL confused about what Church's role will be.

3rd and 4- incomplete Jones dropped Bad

Bad on a lot of levels. Bad because a good drive stalled on a drop. Bad because they didn't know the play coming out of the huddle. Bad because they really should have burned a timeout. Florida could see the play because of all the confusing in getting everyone in order. As is, the drop killed the drive and squandered a great chance to get FL on their heels.

4th and 4- FG good

It is amazing a guy can hit from 45+ every day, but can't hit an extra point.....

Overall drive nets about 4 and a half minutes, gets points and shows good momentum for the offense building off last week's winning drive. GM has been on target and shown a good grasp of the gameplan and looks like he's played it out a few times in his head.

Kickoff- Tiffin does a good job of getting leg on the ball and drives James to the goal line. Kickoff coverage is good and keeps James inside the 30. It occurs to me that when the FL offense comes out in all white, how virgin, that they look like 11 semen swimming in a stream....

1st and 10- Tebow shovel to Hernandez 2 yards Good

This is the play that killed the Tide last year. Bama looked ready for it and as soon as they stuffed it the play never really came back. Bama comes out in the nickel with Reamer in with Rolo. Florida is in their base spread (3W/1T/1H). It is a read option where Tebow has a pitch option, shovel option or keeper option. Tebow actually misreads the play, his best option was to go to the option left.

2nd and 10- Incomplete pass to Demps Bad

This is a busted cover on Arenas. Arenas is in the Star and has the right flat as his zone assignment but creeps in too far. Demps drops an easy pass that would have made a good 15 plus. If you are wanting to say it was Reamer's, no because Hernandez runs a curl at Reamer. The play is designed to go to Cooper but he is covered, Demps is the 3rd read and wide open.

3rd and 10- incomplete Good

Bama goes dime now with Green in for Reamer. Barron is the money and Woodall slides over to Barron's safety spot and Green to Woodall's. Bama pretty well did this all night on 3rd because Florida on 3rd and longer is all pass and the dime has been their best pass defense all year. Florida goes in motion, and Bama shifts around with Barron following the motion. Bama rushes 5 with the 4 down and Rolo. The pressure from Upshaw and Anders does its job and Tebow has to chuck it.

Chas Henry abuses a football and Bama starts over at the 24. He really is a great punter. Overall the drive is a good one for the defense. They saw their nemesis, contained it, stuffed them, survived a mistake and got a 3 and out. Can't ask for more to start a game.

1st and 10- McElroy to Peek for 19 Good

Bama comes out in the shotgun 2 right, Ingram to the left of McElroy. Bama uses this set a lot in the game with Dial lined up far right, and Florida continues to cover him with a corner. Peek runs an in route from r to l and has a big gap in the secondary to play with. Florida keeps trying to use Wright as a cover but he's not big enough and a major mismatch in Bama's favor. Spikes chucks Peek but releases him signaling zone, so when he's released like that I can't figure out why they would let him free with small safeties covering him. It was a theme later on, Bama kept finding that soft spot when FL let them have it.

1st and 10- Ingram for 7 Good

Dial's in at H back, Bama's going strong right with the WRs and Peek and Dial to the right. FL responds by moving Stamper up on the line to engage Peek, and brings the corners up on the WR. The linebackers stay in middle. The counter play opens up a nice gap that gets Ingram over midfield.

2nd and 3- Ingram for 15 Good

Bama has 2 TEs in and they are in the gun slot right, FL again stays in the 4-3, with 5 on the line, and 2 shading right towards the WRs. The corners and safeties are in as well. The play is a pulling guard hb over LT where Bama gets more of their guys on the outside than FL can contain. The result is a lot of room and Ingram does a good job of showing patience. Last year he rushes it and gets 9 yards, but this year he shows patience and gets an extra few. Needed just one more block to get free for 6.

1st and 10- Richardson for 3 Bad

Richardson has a huge gap to the right, but makes a freshman mistake and goes straight ahead. The blocking is fairly solid, but the read is wrong and the play makes a fair gain but the fruit was plentiful on the right boys and girls. Williams sealed his guy, Peek was down field blocking....

2nd and 7- incomplete

This is another play where Jones has to make the grab, hit or not. Florida is reading run, and Julio has man coverage with a safety coming on. He lets Haden inside him, and as much as Jones likes to get to the inside, that's surprising. Jones has started making a bad habit of trying to catch with his body of late, does it on this play. He needs to catch with his hands and bring it in to the body not catch and trap.

3rd and 7- McElroy to Maze for 14 Good

While Jones is struggling, Maze is finally turning the corner and becoming a real play maker. Bama goes 5 wide and brings Maze across the middle on another in route between the gaps in zone and McElroy does a good job of reading the play pre snap and deciding on him.

1st and 10- Ingram run for 8 Good

Bama comes in with an overload left and runs what really is a student body left. Remember Bama ran a play like this against Ole Miss for a touchdown. This type of play is designed to do 2 things, one run strong to the overload or play action and get a wide open TE or back in the flat as the defense follows the overload. Ingram doesn't have to do much but just follow traffic for an easy 8.

2nd and 2- Illegal procedure, can't get on the line right with the motion Bad

2nd and 7- Florida called for holding Good and Bad

Good because they got an easy first, but bad because Carpenter couldn't get up on the snap and gets whipped.

1st and goal- Ingram over left guard for Touchdown Good

Good job here of Ingram taking a lane and exploding through. Once he's in the open, the linebackers have a hard time of getting position to make a clean tackle and he wins those battles getting the YACs on a regular basis. Of course because Bama did something good, we have to review it for a week and a half....

XP missed Ugly

You could see it coming before the snap, deja vu of the 00 Orange Bowl. The miss will keep me bugged out until about 10 min left in the game. It really kept Florida alive and made the staff have to go for 2 later on when they shouldn't have to consider it. Also, you would think as many games as the Ambiguously Gay Duo have done, they'd know the ball is dead if it hits the pole.

Overall drive is another good one as they get nearly 80 yards in 4 minutes and used a balance of pass and run to keep the defense on its heels. Ingram and McElroy both look like they are ready to take over the game.

Kickoff- Another good kick, James returns it 26 yards but a personal foul on FL backs them up 13 yards.

1st and 10- Rainey run for 9 Bad

Bama gets caught flat footed reading the play wrong. Not the start you want after the offense has given you a 9 point cushion. The front line gets beat and surged for about 4 yards and Rainey does the rest.

2nd and 1-Tebow to Thompson for 18 Bad

Again the defense comes out heeled and in too soft of a zone. Bama sends 4 and drops 7, but the zone is very soft and Reamer and Johnson are out of position and let the WR get an easy catch.

1st and 10- incomplete Good

Bama still in the nickel and still playing zone, but this time they run twists with the down 4 and force Tebow to rush the pass some and McClain does a great job of reading it and breaking up the pass to Cooper. Cooper shows gator arms too as he feared the lick from Reamer and Rolo in the middle.

2nd and 10- Tebow run for 3 Good

This is a message play. Tebow runs a draw play but McClain is playing shadow to Tebow and corals him for 3.

3rd and 7- Tebow to James for 8 Bad

Bama rushes 4 and gets little to no pressure and the secondary again plays off respecting the spead and lets them bleed the field again. When watching live, I kept wondering why they were playing so much containment when it didn't work last year.

1st and 10- Incomplete good

Good because some weeks that play is pass interference even if incidental. Reamer and Hernandez get tangled up and the pass sails. The defense does bite on the hb dive and that doesn't cost them later. The Hernandez v. Reamer matchup was a little surprising to me, I thought Barron would get him more, but Reamer does a really nice job on him most of the night.

2nd and 10- Tebow for 7 Bad

They run the shovel option and Tebow reads it right. Bama covers the TE, covers the pitchman, but nobody is in position to greet him until he gets a head of steam. He carries players down an extra 3 yards. The staff starts to make corrections at this point.

3rd and 3- Tebow to Cooper for 13 Bad

Florida shows a tight formation with the WRs lined up tight to the line. It is a signal for a fade route usually. Tebow fakes the option and draws the defense in and gets Cooper all alone but he can't keep his feet. Good thing too, he scores if he does.

1st and 10- Tebow loss of 1 Good

Jackson makes this play happen even though he isn't on the tackle. The play is the option read again. Jackson sees it and abandons his guy and covers the pitchman, which is what you are taught to do. Tebow has no option and 4 players stop him for a loss. This is probably Jackson's best game of his Bama career.

2nd and 11- Tebow to Nelson loss of 1 Good

The play action is supposed to draw everyone in, but it doesn't. Tebow feels pressure and hits Nelson short of the line of scrimmage where Nico Johnson meets him. Bama went 3-4 on this play and did a few times when in the red zone because the option.

3rd and 12- incomplete Good

Dareus and Upshaw stunt and both disrupt the play and Upshaw gets his shot on him. The dime does the rest and Woodall misses a pick by 2 inches. Dareus got good pressure on Tebow's left side and gets doubled which leaves Upshaw open.

4th down- FG Good Bad

Barron gets lost in space on the sideline and Bama burns a TO for the right situation. Sturgis nails it after the TO. Later on, the halftime show will get confused about this moment. Overall this drive wasn't what they wanted. They had FL on the ropes and a 3 and out may have ended the night then and there. However, they gave the Gators a few more minutes of life with the long drive. 12 plays 5 mins worth of torture. They did make some adjustments late in the drive that start to pay off in the 2nd half.

Kickoff- Arenas makes a good read on the sideline and gets more than he should have but starts the offense out at the 33.

1st and 10- Ingram loses 1 Bad

Bama shows wildcat for the only time of the night and Florida of all teams will know how to play it. They rush off the ends knowing Ingram won't hand off to Jones, and bottle him up before he can make it to the LOS. Not much push from the front 7 either. Neither TE or 5 OL get a good hat on their man. The result is a loss of 1 on Ingrams leg drive

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