The best part of Saturday's game was that the team came out and executed a business as usual ass kicking. It wasn't hyped up or emotional, it was controlled, physical, and methodical. With that said, this will be a longer GBU because there is a good bit to talk bout with the game and around the SEC. So, for those who hate long posts, this was the warning....
OFFENSE
The Good...
First half game plan
As you know if you read old posts on here, I often get irritated by the game plan that Bama goes with at times because it is often too cute and sometimes has issues with consistency. This week's 1st half game plan was really really well thought out and did a great job of keeping Florida's defense back peddling. They didn't execute perfectly, but they did score at will early on and each play lead to a future play. There was great balance and good execution as they scored on all of their first 4 drives of the game.
Amazing play
The one thing I often wanted to see when Bama went to the "Wildcat" was a pass. After 18 games of it, it finally came on the 19th tried. Maze has a ton of talent and has matured a lot from the Sugar Bowl to now, and I really wish they would get him more involved in the game plan because he's got the ability to make big plays every time he gets the ball. The thing that now happens with Maze's pass to Williams is that it will make defenses finally back off the line. Florida was stacking 8 and 9 when Bama went cat Saturday, and they did on that play and they even released Williams selling out on the run. It was also nice to see them continue to incorporate Williams and Dial into the offense.
Combined rushing effort...
Ingram and Richardson had ok nights individually as Mark had the TDs and TR had the yards, but together they had a very nice night with 22 carries for over 100 yards and 2 scores. The Gators spent a lot of time making sure they weren't going to be posterized by Ingram the way they were 10 months ago. Instead they let Richardson do it with some of his big runs. The shotgun off tackle play was a great execution on Florida's nickel formation and Richardson hit the 2nd gear and flipped the field. Ingram's first TD was a great effort by Fluker and Dial and Ingram to have the patience to let everything happen. I see so many running backs rush the lane and try to create before the moment is there when I watch games on Saturdays, and to see Ingram just let the play happen even with the game playing as fast as it does, he slows it down and makes a 4 yard play into an 8 or more play with ease.
McElroy leads the way
I'll be honest. I am getting pretty damn tired of reading threads and opinions about how "poorly" McElroy is playing. Perhaps I missed the game those folks saw???? He didn't have a great 2nd half, but he didn't turn it over, he kept the offense out of trouble, and for all his flaws that some can point to, there are 2 things he'll bring that nobody in America can: First, he is just a winner. Second, he is so smart and such a coach in the huddle, it is rare that he makes mistakes and when it does occur, they don't kill the team the way most QBs do. Saturday, that was the status quo. He plays to his strengths and the game plan was simple. They were going to play short on the passes and make quick passes to keep the pressure on Florida and not the OL or McElroy. His first 3 drives were very nice drives, and he moved the offense up and down the field with very few glitches. As a whole, he played well, hit the passes he needed to, got rid of it when he needed to, scrambled and made things happen (Florida got frustrated each time he made a dash for it and made a first down). I get it that folks want the QB to throw for 200 plus and have 3 TDs and all the ESPN fantasy football stats, but with Ingram and Richardson and the style that this OL has, that's not who they really are going to be this year. He can do it, but they don't have to ask him to do it because they have great weapons that are safe options in Saban's mind.
The Bad...
Too tight playcalling in the 2nd half....
I was disappointed that they took the foot off the gas at the half. I thought when Saban started talking about 60 minutes and such, they would keep pushing the gas and control the time of possession. Instead, they got tight and didn't do much of anything the rest of the night. The best plays that occurred for the offense were off McElroy's hustle. In fact, the only 10 plus yard plays Bama had were McElroy runs. That's not what anyone wants to see because those are guaranteed busted plays or poor plays. Some will fuss because they wanna talk about the complete win. This wasn't a complete win. This was a 30 minute win and 30 minute go through the motions.
The Ugly...
The return of Julio Drops...
Fans want Jones to be the best in the SEC and you can go out on the Internets and find a thread here there and yonder that argues that. Saturday was not that day for those proponents. He had two or 3 plays where he just flat dropped passes he has to catch and the rest of the night he let Florida's corner just shut him down. Here's the part where the proponents wanna say the knee. Bullshit, he just flat got beat back again. Julio will get a 1st round pick because he's freakishly talented, but he needs to start showing the concentration and capacity to make plays consistently before he even deserves "best" monikers. Right now, I wouldn't put him as best on the team. Hanks probably is their best through 5 games. Argue away there....
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good...
Funny how pressure makes them look better
When Bama plays man and plays with a mix of blitz and pressure packages, they look like a different team than the team that hee hawed through the first 3 and a half games. This defense isn't going to be as good as last year's, but they can win 14 games too. Bama is starting to get full speed finally with Upshaw and Dareus getting close to healthy, and Nico and Square's emergence have helped round the defense out. Hightower looked a lot more like the Hightower of old because he wasn't having to bark plays and get everyone in position. Nico made probably the key play of the game on 4th and goal because he is more comfortable in the Mike position getting folks in position and looking for tips on the play pre-snap. As a result, Bama could go with Square/Murphy/Chapman/Gentry and Dareus in the middle and putting Upshaw and Hightower/Stinson at the ends. These down four created a lot of pressure and kept Brantley uncomfortable all night.
Great efforts
I thought this was Upshaw's best game of his career. He played with purpose and looked like the guy that fans have imagined. Dareus looks much more comfortable playing inside than he does at rush end, and played inside most of the night. Dre Kirkpatrick also had his best night yet. He had been abused by Arkansas for most of the game, but he returned the favor for the most part Saturday. Even when he gave up a reception, he was on the guy like velcro. Chavis Williams in limited duty had a very nice night on his assignments. His contribution on 4th and goal won't get a lot of mention, but he cut the primary option off on the jump pass and as a result when Burton jumped, he only had 1 play, and it wasn't the right one because Williams had shut him down.
CJ Mosley again is gonna be the next Rolo
Honestly, he's probably gonna be better than McClain if he keeps playing and learning. The thing about Mosley that tells me he's gonna be great isn't that he scored a TD or that he gets x number of tackles, it is that he's always in the right position to make plays. His instincts to the play are just special and it isn't something that can be coached, he's gonna be a coach on the field eventually. I was really surprised that he didn't really play much, if at all, against ARK, but the staff recognized they needed more of him out there so that they can do more of the things with Hightower, Johnson, Dareus, and others.
Great job by specialists
Short of the 1st punt of the night for Bama that was a sorry snap that resulted in a shank, the special teams played pretty well. Jones had a tough night as a WR, but his 41 yard return shocked the Gators who probably had not given up 41 yards in the last 2 years on punt returns. Shelley continues to be money in his range and Foster got his kickoff leg back in line after 3 weeks of Wild Thingesque play. Overall, the special teams got the job done and kept Florida from having anything to work with short of the 3 points they helped with.
The Bad...
Too much junk given up
While in the 1st half, they pretty much shut down Florida's offense after the 1st series, the second half was not as productive. When you are on D, you have kinda a hierarchy of objectives. You wanna create turnovers or get off the field fast and get your O back on the field. Then it drills down to keeping the yards allowed low, not flipping the field, etc. Bama did the 1st a few times, but the second didn't happen. Bama only created 2 short 3 and outs after the half. They also let Florida chew up clock and yards. Bama only had 5 snaps in the 3rd Qtr. and 15 in the 2nd half. Now, that is on the O more than the D, but they did let Florida have 38 snaps in the 2nd half and 21 minutes on the field. It didn't catch up with Bama and it didn't hurt them on the scoreboard thanks to turnovers and red zone miscues on Florida's part, but you don't wanna live that way much.
The other thing that happened too much was Bama went zone or blitzed a corner and nobody covered once the corner released or blitzed. There were 3 or 4 times where that happened and it just kept Florida on the field and feeling like they had a chance. The 1st play of the second half and the 2nd down from the 4 yard line were both situations where that happened. The 2nd down play probably bothers me more because when you have gotten a punt downed at the 1, you don't let them loose like that. You just don't.
It's Millner time.....sure ain't the high life....
He's young and the potential is there, but geez he's gotta start playing right eventually. The holding penalty was silly and was a case where he panicked before he should have. They tried blitzing him and the guard just swatted him like a bug. Now, you are saying "yeah he's a lineman and Millner is a DB", yeah, but if he blitzes from the proper angle, he has a safety. He took a straight b line to the QB instead of executing the right angle and getting from Brantley's backside. If he had gotten to him, it would have been a highlight reel moment decleater probably, but they are rare in occurance because of what happened. I don't mind the pass interference as much because it beats giving up a TD. The Gators picked on him a good bit in the 2nd half, and he best get used to it until he proves to opposing OC's that he isn't the easy target.
The Ugly...NONE
Random Thoughts...
Fourth and Stupid strikes again....well almost....
Les Miles continues to live dangerously and if they had lost, you can bet the Bayou would have started sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches. As is, he survives another week til Florida gets them. While this year's Florida team is not a title contender team, they can beat the snot out of a severe underachiever in LSU. That's really the part that amazes me. They have plenty of talent and plenty of depth, short of QB thanks to the freshman going to the MLB. What they don't have is heart. Everything is a struggle, and everything is confused and unscripted. It is like a bad dinner theatre every Saturday for LSU and that won't fly long with their fans.
With that said, Derek Dooley is a bigger idiot today. You have your goal line D out there, you don't have to sub just cause LSU does. How they get 14 players on the field is beyond me. That's just poor coaching and to out poor coach Miles says something. They had the game won, but the coaches lost it. LSU made a poor move in sending a corpse cold QB out there and ran an option play that was stuffed. LSU panicked and ran out a new set of players and couldn't get set. Hebert had to quick snap and it went to the 30. All stupid on their part minus the center who did the right thing by snapping the ball to make sure they got the play off. However, because UT and the staff were lost in the moment or whatever, they bailed out the Hat again.
Of course, the Vol fans begin their annual recital of the NCAA rule book and bend it worse than a DC Politician. They wanna talk about the officals not letting them get set. Hell, they had 25 seconds and didn't get their guys out there right. How long are they supposed to have? The clock can't run either, I don't think, if the official is over the ball. Two, all the crap about slinging helmets is getting old. If you get a chance to watch the last play again, UT's players slung helmets when they thought they won, plus they were on the field before the play ended....all things the janitor fans missed.....They should take time to pray and give thanks, they could be
The Dawg Nation and their Delusional Drive to Dominance.....
Living here in the midst of Jawga fuuutbawwwwl, I can tell you that Dawgvent is a nice cross sample of how bizzare and lost the GA fans are now a days. The bottom line with the Bulldogs is that they have quit listening to Richt and he's not doing much about it. For those of you who have not paid a lot of mind to them, and rightfully so if you didn't, in the mind of UGA fans the first 3 losses really didn't count because AJ Green didn't play. I guess they are PS3 or XBox people and that whoopin MSU gave them didn't happen. Colorado was where they were gonna turn things around. Oops. Also, they will tell you that their D isn't that bad, it is just that AJ Green hasn't played. I guess he plays DB too and linebacker. Also, the coaching is getting used to the new QB and the 3-4 because AJ Green hasn't played. You get the hint.
Well, now the fans are about where we (the Bama fans) were 3 years ago and 7 years ago. They are starting to divide amongst the loyalist and those who see this turd won't float much longer and it is time to flush. Sound familiar? Looks familiar to that futile 6 and 6 team that didn't show up for Auburn 3 out of 4 years and lost to anyone directional. Feels like those teams that quit on the staff time and time again. The Dawgventers are having grand visions for the future though. The only coaches they haven't tied to the job, that isn't open yet, are Bryant, Rockne, and Landry. They are vastly convinced that Kirby Smart will jump on their opening and is on top of this situation already. More on that soon. If they can't get him because AJ Green hasn't played, Jim Harbaugh will surely leave Stanford for a lesser educational outpost. I can say that, I have a certification from UGA. It ain't Stanford educationally, athletically, and is less of a campus. Now, if either of them aren't up to the challenge, well, Jon Gruden could come because he wants in. Or Muschamp will balk at the millions he'll make and a sure fire job that waits for him at Texas for UGA. Keep in mind, they have never been big on finding big name coaches and botched Dooley's replacement moment by letting Erk Russell go to GA Southern in a snit.
So what happened? Well, this goes back a ways for UGA. When VanGorter (sp?) left for the NFL and other stops, so went the spine that Richt used. The UGA fans and staff are way too loyal to their coaches in a way that makes Shula and Croom look like they have a quick hook. They didn't want to make moves on some of their coaches that weren't SEC caliber like Willy Martinez until it was way too late. So, when they signed Grantham, there was this false optimism that came through the UGA nation. I told UGA fans it took Bama a year and a heck of a recruiting job to get the 3-4 working. Pish posh, this is UGA, they know next year is their year every year. Well, Richt is saintly and a great guy, blah blah blah, so much so that those silly 2 a days that never did nothing for nobody because AJ Green hasn't played, and now here we are. UGA is soft, has 0 drive, 0 leadership, and 0 hope because they skipped 2 a days, and skipped making tough staffing choices in 2005-8. Richt and the Dawgs are gonna be hard pressed to win 5 games right now. They have Vandy and Idaho St as probably wins, but the rest are teams that are either just better, or can run the ball and UGA can't handle the run because AJ Green...ok I now have over used that.
Don't feel bad for them Jawga fuuuutbawwwwl fans, they think they are better than you. Just ask em, Saban is that 4 million dollar jerk who yells and screams at people and is mean to folks on TV. They don't want that. They want a nice guy. That's why they never win. Nice guys suck in football. Visa vi, Georgia sucks.
Ever wonder why ClemPson and Old Piss suck?
Well, they staffed up with every Shula loser and former Bama staff dud you ever saw. Uncle Charlie Harbison................................................................................................................................ok, I edited the long cussing rant about that joke. He's there. Danny Pearman is there, he still can't coach. Brad Scott, who didn't coach on Dubose or Shula's bad staffs, but can ruin a steel ball is there too. Lots of junk on their staff, and when you watch them lose to Auburn the way they did, and lose horribly to the U, it is because they are infected with loser coaches.
Dave Rader is trying to ruin Masoli over in Oxford. Just ask JPW how great it was to get turned around sideways by the insurance salesman. Croyle is still wondering why he plateued after his sophomore year. That staff is full of duds, and they're ruining a guy that I thought was a great young coach in Tyrone Nix. It is what it is, and Houston Nutt is on life support with a staff of losers too.
BCS troubles ahead
Bama's schedule isn't easy. It will be a real testimony of Cochran's 4th Quarter work if they go 12 and 0 again, and to the grit of the players too. If they do, they will join a host of potentials out there that could or will. Boise State more than likely will. Utah and TCU have a date with undefeated again. The winner of that game is going to the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon has pitfalls but they control their destiny. They should be the favorite the rest of the way against Oregon State, UCLA, and USCal. Ohio State controls their destiny, but look like the typical Big 10 team. November will make or break them as they get PSU and Miiiiiichigan at home and go to Iowa. Circle that one. Boise has nothing on their schedule that should be an issue, after all, Fresno is supposed to be a game for them and Ole Miss pimp slapped them. What happens if Nevada beats Boise? Do they go to the BCS bowls like the others have? They have just as good a resume as Boise, Utah, and TCU. As you know, I hate the BCS because it leaves too much error to be made as fact. Bama, Oregon, and Ohio State all could be undefeated and then you have screaming over who should be where. Bama if they win out, they're in, no worries there.
However, what happens if Bama slips but still wins the conference? How can anyone say they aren't better than Ohio State? OSU has yet to play anyone worth mentioning. Miami isn't that special, and I gotta hunch FSU will expose them. Oregon probably is legit as the number 2 team out there in the BCS as is. But, the what ifs are gonna be a problem this fall, I can see that already unless there are some major letdowns ahead.
Looking ahead to USCar
This is the game that has worried me all summer and fall. Lattimore is a really good player and has a great future ahead of him. He's given Spurrier balance in their offense and with their WR core being as physical and tall as they are, they are gonna be trouble. However, if Garcia chokes again, Spurrier will yank him, and throw in a green QB that needs seasoning before he plays a Bama type team. However, as you remember last year, Spurrier can coach against Saban and throw wrinkles that frustrated a veteran D, he can do that and then some to a young but growing D. On the other side, USCar's D isn't anything to sneeze at. You can run on them, Cam Newton is still lumbering on them in their minds. Ingram and Richardson will have to have big nights and silence the crowd early. Colombia is a tough place to play typically too. They will be a louder and more distracting and disorienting crowd than Arkansas was. They also will come after Bama harder than Arkansas did because they can run and can play good D.
I hope to see Bama continue to dial up the heat and not try to protect the secondary so much. I hope to see Bama get Ingram and Richardson going early and get down hill fast like they have most of the year. They will need to get better play from the WRs and safeties than what they got this week, but I don't think the D will have to stretch and play so many assignments this time. I worry about this game because the let down factors are there with a young team, and Spurrier has got the week off and home field advantage for him. However, I can see Bama establishing a tone and controlling this game to a point where folks start talking bout the Iron Bowl being the real SEC Championship too.
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