Reggie Bush defended Florida for its brawl with Mizzou: "These players had every right to respond like this. You hit our quarterback in the face like this, you’re gonna catch hell from us."https://t.co/EtemGbMVE2 pic.twitter.com/Zas7dKr2YY
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 1, 2020
The Good
Grantham’s Defense
Florida finally showed what they are capable of on defense.
The defensive front led by BUCK Jeremiah Moon and NT Tedarrell Slaton sacked Mizzou QB Connor Bazelak three times while coming up with six tackles for a loss.
DE Brenton Cox flashed on a few big plays that were set up by playing more disciplined this week. Cox had been guilty of giving up up the edge at times in previous games. We saw none of that this week. Check out Will Miles’ breakdown for more details.
Freshman DT Jalen Lee forced a fumble and tallied a sack. Five members of the secondary recorded at least one pass breakup: Elam, Stewart, Moorer, Johnson, and Hill. FS Rashod Torrence, another freshman, filled in admirably for senior Shawn Davis.
No double an improved pass rush helped with the play in the secondary. Outside of a dropped deep ball by Mizzou, the secondary did not make the types of mistakes we witnessed in the first three games. Per UF Sports Communications, prior to the Tigers final two drives, Grantham’s defense had only allowed 172 yards and no touchdowns (Mizzou scored on an early pick-six).
If Florida leaned on Trask and the offense to outpace Mizzou, it would not have been a good sign heading into next week’s game against Georgia. The defense needed to build up their confidence and hopefully we’ll point to this game as the turning point. The Gators have a national championship level offense. Can the defense build on Saturday’s performance?
Toney is a freak
Anybody else praying that Toney ends up with Andy Reid or Sean Payton at the next level? Dan Mullen has shown his value as a weapon for a coach who knows how to use him.
The shadows of Trask and Pitts may loom large, but Toney continues to stand out each week. In addition to his unbelievable TD catch-and-run below (slipped a tackle from top-tier NFL prospect LB Nick Bolton), the senior wide receiver added another touchdown through the air and one on the ground.
He’s always had top-end burst and speed, but he’s clearly added strength in the offseason. How many times has Toney gone down after the first point of contact this season?
Can’t stop @0fficialC2N‼️#GoGators 🐊
📺: SEC Network Alternate pic.twitter.com/6zdlBtxQ2B
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 1, 2020
Throwback Uniforms
The throwback uniforms were once again a hit. Since Spurrier arrived and switched back to blue jerseys, Florida has had one of the best looks in the country. My take on Florida’s jerseys: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Why mess with a good thing?
I make an exception for the 1960s throwbacks which have been donned three times now.
Overall, I love what Oregon’s creativity has done for football uniforms in general, but some schools had it right the first time around and have suffered through some bad alternates.
Florida has gone through a few iterations along the way, but thankfully, the Gators seem to have settled in on one of their best alternative looks which debuted in 2006 during the team’s 100th season.
I didn’t love orange shoulder look in 2005.
Nike’s Pro Combat set in 2009 was an interesting change-up, but I don’t think many fans would care if the Gators never wore those again.
I have mixed feelings about the all-orange jerseys which reemerged in 2015, but those feelings have to do more the type of football that was played in said jerseys than the jerseys themselves. I’ve accepted the orange uniforms are here to stay.
It's happening. 🔶🔶🔶 #ECUvsUF #GoGators pic.twitter.com/DjIKhdpjDo
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 12, 2015
The Gatorskin look in 2017 was too far and should never again be allowed to see the light of day.
Back to this year’s throwback. If I’m being picky, I’d give the edge to the white helmet look with the 1960s jerseys, but the blue helmets were cool. Saturday’s look reminded me a bit of Ole Miss when the camera panned out from a distance.
𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯 𝑶𝑼𝑻 it's 9️⃣1️⃣'s birthday🎈
Make sure you wish @HalNo_91 a very happy birthday!🥳#HottyToddy | #BirthdayReb pic.twitter.com/VTHlw6dlj4
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 1, 2020
Mullen’s throwback may have won the night
I'm here for y'all pic.twitter.com/BvNucAV00F
— Kassidy Hill (@KassidyGHill) November 1, 2020
Some will be critical of the choice especially after Mullen’s WWE pump up exit at halftime, but I refuse to discuss a grown man wearing a Darth Vader costume with any level of seriousness. It was Halloween and Mullen was just having some fun after a good win. If you want to complicate it beyond that, have a look at Jacquie Franciulli’s tweet.
Apparently some people are having an issue with #DarthGator.
There are really more pressing issues to be worried about. I'm blaming these hot takes on the full moon.
Here is #Gators head coach Dan Mullen's quote about why he chose to dress as Vader in his presser. pic.twitter.com/qnxH2r3Tnl
— Jacquie Franciulli (@JacquieFran_) November 1, 2020
The Bad
Turnover Prone LSU
Looking at the 48-11 score, you might think Auburn jumped LSU out of the gate. However, it wasn’t until the early part of the second quarter that the wheels came off for the Bayou Bengals. Freshman QB T.J. Finley turned the ball over twice in three possessions and each mistake led to an Auburn touchdown.
In case the 2-3 start wasn’t enough, the defending national champions will host Alabama in two weeks, travel to Arkansas and A&M before wrapping up with Ole Miss and Florida.
Two things have been confirmed after Saturday’s loss to Auburn: 1) Myles Brennan will get his job back and 2) the offseason can’t arrive soon enough for Coach O and the Tigahs.
Big Ten’s COVID Planning
The Big Ten is paying the price for its approach to the COVID pandemic. Instead of working side by side with other Power Five conferences, the Big Ten tried to force everyone’s hand by postponing the 2020 season into the Spring of 2021.
Once the Big Ten realized their error, they scrambled to develop an eight week season with no bye weeks. Better than nothing, right?
Yes and no.
It’s great that the Big Ten reevaluated and admitted their mistake, but their begrudging sign off on a 2020 season still pales in comparison to that of the SEC, ACC, and Big XII. Unlike those three conferences, the Big Ten did not build in any flexibility into their schedule. On top of that, they have the most rigorous standards for competition. Should a player test positive for COVID, the league has mandated a 21-day quarantine. Even the CDC only calls for a 14 day quarantine after exposure.
So, the statement is: “We believe in stricter quarantine standards than the CDC, but we don’t believe in building any flexibility into the scheduling.”
These staggering inconsistencies reek of reluctant participation.
Last week, Wisconsin freshman QB Graham Mertz kicked off the Big Ten season by going 20-21 and tossing five touchdowns. On Tuesday, Mertz tested positive for COVID-19, which means he was set to miss Nebraska (which ended up being cancelled), Purdue, and Michigan. Mertz would be eligible to return Tuesday, November 17…just in time to make it back for the second half of the season.
A Big Ten team must complete at least six games to be eligible for the Big Ten championship game, but if the stubborn league is anything like the rest of the world, I’m guessing that six game requirement may have to be amended.
The UGAly
A swarming Bulldogs defense stuffed an anemic Kentucky offensive attack and a strong running game led by RB Zamir White led UGA to a highlight-less victory in Lexington.
White, the sophomore out of North Carolina, ran for 136 yards on 26 carries and powered through the line for a 22-yard touchdown to open the second half to put the Dawgs up 14-3 in the third quarter.
Georgia only asked QB Stetson Bennett to throw 13 times in the game and yet, he still threw two interceptions. I’ve been calling for a Southern Cal transfer J.T. Daniels sighting and will continue to do so until Smart breaks down and puts in the guy who gives Georgia a better chance against the big boys.
Stetson Bennet is fine. Georgia can win plenty of games with Bennet. But they clearly do not trust him enough to unleash him meaning he is not the guy to bring a title back to Athens. If winning a SEC and national title is not the goal at UGA, then forgive me for harping on this point.
I wrote this in response to Bennett’s performance in the Alabama game and after another performance, my opinion still stands:
Bennett has been one of the better storylines in the early part of the college football season, but we may have witnessed the final chapter. It’s clear that Bennett can play and it’s clear that Georgia can compete with him at the helm, so why move on from a good thing in Bennett?
This team’s ceiling would be higher with J.T. Daniels.
Kirby Smart has won the SEC East, the SEC, and a College Football Playoff game. Kirby Smart has not beaten Alabama. Beating Bama needs to be the number driver behind all of his decisions going forward. Bennett earned his shot last night. To quote 27% of all tattoos in the the state of Georgia, “No Ragrets.”
Aside from the careless interception when down by 10 points late, the case for J.T. Daniels starts at the line of scrimmage. Four of Bennett’s 40 passes were batted down at the line last night (two by DL D.J. Dale and two by DL Christian Barmore), one of which directly resulted in an interception on the opening drive.
There is no doubt Bennett can lead the Dawgs to a nice season. Maybe he gets another shot at Alabama in Atlanta, but if Kirby wants to beat Bama, it may be time to hand the reigns of the offense over to five-star Southern Cal transfer, J.T. Daniels.
Smart has built up a dominant defense, a strong offensive line, and great running game. I can’t understand what is holding him back to make this change. Luckily for the Dawgs, they may not need elite play from the quarterback position thanks to the talent across the rest of the roster. However, if that is the case, why not give Daniels a shot, even you feel Bennett has a better command of the offense?
I am by no means rooting for efficiency within the quarterback room at UGA. I’m just pointing out something that seems to be an obvious deficiency within the offense.
