Nearly everything about Florida’s game against Ole Miss was the polar opposite of what happened through the first three games of the year.
I have not gone through my recording for a full analysis; ideally that will come tomorrow. For now though, just consider these things.
Third Downs
Florida entered the game first in the SEC in third-down conversions, at 53.85 percent. Against Ole Miss, they were just 1-of-11 on third downs.
Turnovers
Florida came into the game +9 in turnover margin and had yet to turn the ball over. While Tim Tebow’s school-record streak of pass attempts without an interception is still alive, the Gators fumbled five times, losing three, and finished -2 in turnover margin against the Rebels.
Preventing Big Plays
You can question the competencies of the offenses UF had faced so far, but the Gator D had been doing well in preventing big plays. The longest pass play allowed to Hawai’i, Miami, and Tennessee was 26 yards, and the longest run play was 16 yards.
Ole Miss gained 169 of its 325 yards on four plays. One of those four plays was a 40-yard touchdown run by Dexter McCluster, and another was Jevan Snead’s 86-yard touchdown pass to Shay Hodge. Both of those plays came within 16 minutes of the end of the game.
On the Rebels’ 59 other plays, they managed just 156 yards, or 2.64 yards per play.
Tebow’s Production
Coming into the game, Tim Tebow had played a relatively limited role in the offense compared to 2007. His 311 total yards against Miami were by far his highest, and 256 of those were passing. He had yet to score a rushing touchdown.
Against Ole Miss he had 319 yards of passing alone, and he had two rushing touchdowns.
Harvin’s Production
Partially due to injuries, Percy Harvin had played a very limited role in the first three games of the year. His largest involvement was against Tennessee, where he had eight touches for 80 yards.
Against Ole Miss, he surpassed that mark in both rushing and receiving. He had 10 rushes for 82 yards, and 13 catches for 186 yards. He was far and away the best player on the field.
Taking a Lead
Florida had not trailed in a game yet this season. Ole Miss scored first, ending that streak with 3:12 to go in the first quarter.
UF would take the lead back with 12:26 to go in the first half, but the Gators would lose the lead for good with 10:32 to go in the third quarter when Ole Miss tied the game 17-17.
Special Teams
Brandon James was largely held in check thanks to some occasionally suspect blocking by Florida, but mainly good kick and punt coverage by Ole Miss. Saturday’s game was also the first game of the year in which the Gators’ special teams did not score.
The final margin of the game was made possible by Ole Miss’ special teams, who blocked Florida’s final extra-point attempt.
Overall
“We didn’t play Florida football.”
Those words fro
10 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Carson Howell 9 months ago
Hopefully this game will be a wake-up call, and many loose ends can be evaluated, and fixed, before UF plays against the tigers and the dawgs.
I personally think UF has some of the best offensive talent in the country but I feel the problem(besides the costly fumbles this game), in it's entirety, lies at the feet of the offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen. His play call is frustrating to watch, and it has been extremely lackluster and sluggish at times. In the final couple minutes Tebow and company had an efficient drive for a TD, where more of UF's weapons where used, it was the only drive which was consistent and looked Gator-like, in my opinion.
What do you think?
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David Wunderlich 9 months ago
I haven't done the play-by-play analysis yet. Until I do, I don't know.
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Mitch at sportschatplace.com 9 months ago
If you can't run the ball effectively you can't win consistently in the SEC or anywhere for that matter. Florida has chosen to ignore the problem and address it with "gimmicky" plays instead of going with power run blocking and it shows against the teams built to play SEC football. WHile the Gators can beat anyone on any given day as they have some of the best talent in the country no one considers them "tough", and that's what it takes to win some days.
With that being said I'll go watch the film again of North Carolina coming from way back to beat my Canes at home (though it sure doesn't look like home to me)
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David Wunderlich 9 months ago
In 2006, Florida averaged 160 yards of rushing per game (4.71 per carry) and won the national championship.
In 2007, Florida averaged 200 yards of rushing per game (5.34 per carry) and went 9-4.
There's more to football than just the running game. This game was won and lost by turnovers, plain and simple. The Gators fumbled in their own territory on the first two possessions of the second half, leading to 10 Ole Miss points that brought it to a 17-17 tie.
From there on out, the teams played evenly except for a blocked PAT. If Florida doesn't fumble on those drives and even just punts, Ole Miss would not have driven all the way down the field to get those scores (given the way the teams were playing at the time) and the Florida wins.
If you're really that concerned about Florida's running game, I'm surprised you didn't note that UF found its power running back in Emmanuel Moody last week and he went out injured after just three carries. Or the fact that LG Jim Tartt went out injured after the first drive and the guy who got beat all day by Miami played the rest of the game, occasionally getting beat badly.
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Michael Devivero 9 months ago
I don't have any problem with the "Tebow and Harvin show." No one who has seen those guys play expects to see either one of them fumble. If those fumbles don't happen, the Gators probably win. I think Tebow and Harvin were such a big part of the offense simply because Ole Miss did a terrible job defending Harvin. I don't think Meyer planned on Harvin having 23 touches. It was just a matter of taking what the defense gave us. Things could be totally different next game, although Tebow will probably have a similar number of opportunities.
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David Wunderlich 9 months ago
It's fine usually, but I'd like to see other guys get involved. It kills me that Moody went out so early because he was exactly the hard interior runner that they needed to control the clock better. I agree though; no turnovers, no loss.
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Lou Vozza 9 months ago
Hi David, nice article. Check out my blog, where I give my take on the game.
http://bleacherreport.com/users/37782-Daryl1-Suretow
Even though Florida was a 23 point favorite, every top team faces at least one challenge during the year from an underdog like Ole Miss. Tebow's passing touch was off yesterday and the ball bounced the wrong way at the end. We're not out of the NC race. Can't lose another game though. Wins against Georgia and LSU probably get us back in the top 5, then you have to hope an SEC Champ victory gets us into the top 2.
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Brian Smith 9 months ago
Moody was fighting for extra yards and the crowd was starting to do a little chant for him after he carried the ball. I noticed his absense as soon as he went into the tunnel below me as we pretty much abandoned that run. It's sad to lose Tartt again. With that nagging shoulder, who knows how much more of him we will see this year. Then is backup goes down as well.
I agree with the article that "we didn't play Florida Football." We weren't getting the same excitement from James and the short field and limiting big plays and converting 3rd downs and getting that ONE YARD that Tebow gets 99% of the time. Maybe we should have spread the field and tried something different. A jump pass from midfield maybe? Get Hernandez running down the field with nobody around and the crowd going wild? haha A perimeter play would have done the trick as well.
With the pressure Tebow is facing from D-lines and linebackers, I am shocked we don't do screens over the middle like any other team would do to make teams pay for bringing the heat. We don't have to do that shotgun run/QB keeper play as often either. I would love to see a more well rounded offense that is not limited by the "spread". If Moody could stay healthy, I would love to see Tebow under center with I-formation plays that could create playaction pass opportunities as well. Everyone and their mother knows what's coming from most of our formations. The fact that we were able to successfully run the same crossing route in the 4th quarter over and over shocked me.
I don't know. An eye opener may be what we need to get past the stubborn playcalling and to make sure we tackle well in the secondary and don't give up anymore big plays. There's no reason Jenkins or Haden shouldn't have been all over that receiver like they had been all game. Just a busted coverage. Turnovers will be corrected because Tebow and Harvin don't traditionally fumble, and the handoff exchange problem was unfortunate. With the Dawgs getting completely rolled by the Tide at home and knowing that only Vandy and Kentucky are undefeated in SEC play, I am still confident in our ability to reach our goals. Alabama will be scary in Atlanta though (if we get there).
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Brian Smith 9 months ago
Oh, and I hope when Tebow said that nobody else would play harder than he would and everything, that he also meant he would run like he did last season. He has looked incredibly slow on runs this season. He appeared to be jogging on his 20 something yard run, and he did not attack the line quick enough or try to get outside or find another hole on that 4th and one.
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Michael Oleszek 9 months ago
Its not the end of the world, or the season. Florida still has a ton at stake, and a ton to play for. Win out and they're in Atlanta in December for the SEC Championship. Forget the individual awards, the nonsense about the BCS, just play football and things will fall into place.
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