I truly believe that unless the Gators get back the PASSION they had last year
in the SECCG, we will not win this game!!! The PASSION is what brought them
from trailing in the 4th quarter to win both the SECCG and the NCG.
Wanda
----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: gatortalk googlegroups
Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 2:42 PM
Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [espn.com] Maisel: Coaches: Tebow is the
difference
I agree. Tebow is in their minds. They are convinced that they can't beat
Tebow. They are convinced that next year - the Gators will suck because Tebow
will be gone.
In huge games - I agree that Tebow is a difference maker. But next year I
expect our offense to be better. Better passing QB and better use of all those
weapons.
Alabama is not some second rate team. Even if Florida is better - Alabama
could still win if Florida turns the ball over.
Remember all those ugly wins we had this year?
Urban Meyer has been planning and practicing for this game all year. Protect
the football - at all costs - on offense, use the special teams to control
field position, and expect the defense to play lights out.
I hated those games as much as anyone. But going into the biggest game of
the year - I'm feeling confident.
We got some big uglies up on the OL that can wall out mount cody. We got some
play makers that can take it to the house whenever they touch the ball. We've
got a mismatch TE - sometimes FB, sometimes wideout that could be our most
potent weapon. We have so much depth that a first round NFL draft pick is
ineligible, our star running back has a high ankle sprain, one of our leading
receivers (Carl Moore) is out, our next Percy (Debose) is out, plus I think it
is Hobbs, Monroe, and several other players out or with injuries - and its no
big deal.
But just in case we lose - I'll stop by Home Depot and pick up some wall
patch repair stuff.
This game is too close to call. It will be a game that everyone talks about
for decades.
Thank god superman is on our side.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [gatornews] [espn.com] Maisel: Coaches: Tebow is the
difference
From: Badrish <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, December 03, 2009 3:19 pm
To: [email protected]
Originally Published: December 2, 2009
Coaches: Tebow is the difference
By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com
Archive
The four Southeastern Conference coaches ESPN.com surveyed to analyze the
league championship game Saturday between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama have
one thing in common: All four went 0-2 against the Gators and the Crimson Tide
this season.
[+] Enlarge Don McPeak/US PresswireIf there was any team that knew Tim
Tebow, it was Dan Mullen's Mississippi State squad.
They have one other thing in common, that is, with the fans and the media:
They didn't stop talking about Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow. But on that
topic, the coaches' mileage did vary.
There was the conventional stance of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, who
said, "If it wasn't for Tebow, it's easy. Alabama wins the game."
There lies the conundrum of defending against Florida. The coaches also
said the key to stopping the Gators' offense is to put the ball in Tebow's
hands. Well, not in so many words. Let them explain.
Tebow will make plays, as the saying goes. But he doesn't make big plays.
"They don't have the quick-strike capability they had with [Percy] Harvin
and [Louis] Murphy," South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said,
referring to the star wideouts of the 2008 team. "The teams that played them
early didn't realize it. They've got real good receivers, but not like Harvin
and Murphy. They are a little more blue-collar."
Mississippi State tried to make Tebow and the Gators' offense execute long
drives. The strategy of head coach Dan Mullen, Tebow's offensive coordinator
for the quarterback's first three seasons, worked well. Florida scored only two
offensive touchdowns, only one of which came on a drive that began in Florida
territory.
"We really encouraged them to run Tim Tebow," Mullen said. "One thing with
Tim is he will wear you down but he will not beat you with the big play. They
moved the ball on us, but we stopped them in the red zone."
How They Fared ...
• Oct. 3: Alabama 38, Kentucky 20
• Oct. 17: Alabama 20, So. Carolina 6
• Oct. 24: Alabama 12, Tennessee 10
• Nov. 14: Alabama 31, Mississippi St. 3
• Sept. 19: Florida 23, Tennessee 13
• Sept. 26: Florida 41, Kentucky 7
• Oct. 24: Florida 29, Mississippi St. 19
• Nov. 14: Florida 24, South Carolina 14
Tebow has rushed for 796 yards on 193 carries this season. But he has only
six rushes of more than 20 yards. His rushing totals are skewed by sacks, which
is another issue. Florida has allowed 28 sacks, 10th in the SEC.
Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks thinks Tebow took a step back after the
Wildcats' 41-7 loss to the Gators on Sept. 26. Kentucky defensive end Taylor
Wyndham's full-speed sack of Tebow ended in a concussion for the quarterback.
"He isn't doing it like he was doing it earlier," Brooks said. "He's been
sacked a whole bunch of times. They are one of the worst teams in terms of
protecting. He looks a little indecisive in the passing game. ... He goes away
from the first read and gets indecisive and starts running around and gets
sacked."
Unless he doesn't. The problem with putting the ball in Tebow's hands is
that you're putting the ball in Tebow's hands. No one is better at converting
third downs. Kiffin summed up a defense's dilemma well.
"People are coming free versus Florida," Kiffin said. "But Tebow is so hard
to tackle."
If stopping the Florida offense means taking away the big play, stopping
Alabama is the polar opposite.
"With Florida, let's see you execute 14 plays," Mullen said. "That's what
Alabama wants to do. You want to force Alabama to take shots."
Alas, the Crimson Tide cruised to a 31-3 victory over the Bulldogs.
"We wanted to force them into making big plays," Mullen said. "They made
four of them."
Greg McElroy threw touchdown passes of 45 and 48 yards in that game, while
tailback Mark Ingram ran 70 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Ingram took
over the fourth quarter against South Carolina as well, getting all 68 rushing
yards on the final touchdown drive to finish with a career-high 246 yards in a
20-6 victory.
[+] Enlarge Marvin Gentry/US PresswireCan quarterback Greg McElroy make
enough plays for Alabama?
"A lot of our game plan was predicated on getting to the quarterback,"
Johnson said. "I got greedy and allowed Ingram to break out of the box. ... The
quarterback is a very limited kid. He's had some good drives. You can't rattle
him mentally. Our pressure package was totally focusing on making that
quarterback make mistakes."
Johnson put it simply: "If Alabama can run the ball, they'll beat Florida."
That is not easy to do. The Gators allow 89.9 rushing yards per game,
second in the SEC to Alabama (77.1). The coaches admire both defenses. To a
man, they raved about the speed and athleticism of the Gators, especially in
the secondary. None would venture a guess at the effect of the suspension of
defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Brooks said it's hard to gauge the inner dynamics
of a team.
"They could rally and say, 'We're not a one-man team,'" Brooks said. "Or it
could be a major distraction, this close to the biggest game of the year."
The Alabama defense drew admiration for head coach Nick Saban's ability to
take very talented players and concoct a scheme to confound the opposing
quarterback.
"They are so schematically sound," Kiffin said. "If you do start to beat
them, Nick and Kirby [Smart, the defensive coordinator] are so good. They
adjust. They are an NFL staff. NFL offenses will expose you, but can you
adjust?"
Kiffin called Saban's Crimson Tide "the best-coached team in the country.
They have few penalties. They allow few sacks. They're very disciplined. They
don't give up big plays."
And yet, the Crimson Tide don't have a quarterback who has started 22
consecutive victories, has won a national championship and a Heisman, and is
34-5 overall as a starter. Alabama doesn't have Tebow.
"The biggest difference, when Florida has the ball, when you get to the big
game, is experience at the quarterback position when the game is on the line,"
Mullen said. "Not that Alabama can't do it. The guy did it last week. It's the
experience. Maybe he'll do it in the big game. Tebow plays his best in the
biggest games."
Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com and hosts the ESPNU College
Football podcast. Send your questions and comments to Ivan at
[email protected].
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
