Saturday night may have been a perfect storm that hit the Florida Gator program. The Wildcats came to the Swamp looking to get a win and ending nearly three decades of Gators dominance over Kentucky. Instead, it wasn’t the big win that Big Blue Nation had hoped for, but a memorable comeback triple overtime win for the Gators. It was an absolute must win for Will Muschamp and his team showed just enough resolve to get the job done in the end.
This win can be looked at in one of two ways:
A big overtime victory against a much improved Kentucky squad that showed tremendous fight, heart, and determination and may be a real coming of age game for a team that wants to restore their credibility.
OR
Another sign that Will Muschamp just isn’t the guy to lead this Florida program to the top. The defense, which is his specialty, got totally torn up in the second half and almost led to a humiliating early season loss. It was a narrow escape that will eventually lead to the inevitable 5-6, 6-5 season that will ultimately cost Muschamp his job.
Gators Give Reason for Hope in Triple OT Thriller
I tend to sit in the camp of the former, but I can certainly see the side of the later. Muschamp haters are going to jump on any chance to turn up the heat on his job and will use a traditionally awful Kentucky team to do it. They will point to the breakdown in the secondary and the fact that the defense gave up over 300 yards passing to the Wildcats. However, as I pointed out in my week three preview, Kentucky is getting much better. Coach Stoops knows what he is doing, he has recruited in some very skilled athletes the past two seasons, and is turning the Wildcats into the new Vanderbilt. They will likely win seven or eight games this season and will certainly give the rest of the SEC East fits all season.
That said, the Florida defense certainly showed some flaws in the secondary during the second half and overtime. They were flat out burned on Kentucky’s second touchdown, with no defender within ten yards of the Wildcat wide open in the end-zone. However, these are things that they think are correctable going forward. The coaching staff and players are saying it was merely an issue with communication not talent or scheme. It is something they will hope to get fixed in practice this week.
There is no reason to think they won’t be able to. The Gators defense has been ranked near the top of the country during the entire Muschamp era, and have shown what they are capable of at time through the first two games. What happened this week might ultimately be a good thing for this team. The Gators would rather have their young players get exposed in a narrow home victory against Kentucky rather than next week on the road at Alabama. Hopefully this gives Muschamp the ammunition he needs to get this squad focused and ready for the challenge at hand.
The team showed me a lot on Saturday night. They fought, scratched, and clawed their way to a victory. They took everything Kentucky had and found a way to counter and overcome. Each time Kentucky took the lead I watched the Gators march right back down the field and quickly answer. I saw confidence in an offense that has looked completely lost at times the past few seasons. I saw a team that was confident they would win the game. I watched a team that lost seven consecutive games last season stand up and fight for this program.
Quarterback Jeff Driskel shined when it mattered most, dropping back and throwing a beautiful ball on 4th and 7 in overtime, with the Gators down by a touchdown, to tie the game. It would have been easy for the early drops or the early interception to break his confidence, but when the Gators needed him to make a play he did time and time again in the second half and overtime.
The defense, who was giving up big plays in the air, intercepted Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles three times when it mattered the most. They stayed composed, stayed confident, and let their skills take over.
Wideout Demarcus Robinson emerged as the most electrifying weapon on offense the team has seen in years. His 15 catch, 214 yard, 2 touchdown performance shows the fight these kids have had all off-season to get better, as well as the improvement they have made individually and as a team.
Running back Matt Jones put the team on his back and made sure that ball was going to get across the goal-line in triple overtime. Jones is showing that his 2013 injuries are healed and the Gators are ready to roll at full strength. It might not have been pretty, but they were going to do what it took to get the win.
For every negative that I saw on my screen with miscommunication in the secondary or offensive line, lining up on offense a little slower than the team would like, or the coaches getting back into old habits, I saw something positive I can take away from this game. Call me jaded. Call me a four and eighter who is drinking the Muschamp kool-aid. The fact of the matter is, until I see otherwise, I am going to give these kids a chance. I am going to believe in this coach and his staff to get it right. They are saying all the right things. They seem to want to be great. They want to get this program back on track.
I am going to believe this team is motivated to be better. I am going to believe they are hungry for success. Kentucky has a very good defense and looks like they are more than capable on offense. This won’t be the last scare they put into a top level SEC contender. The Gators survived when it would have been easy for them to have flashbacks to last season and crumble under the pressure. It would have been easy for them to fold up and then point the finger. It would have been easy to turn up the heat on Muschamp’s job.
Instead, the players proved they are going to fight for their coach, they are going to fight for each other, and they are going to fight for their program. I am calling for all of my fellow Gator fans to do the same thing. It’s time for fans to stop with the negative attitudes. It’s time to stop calling for the firing of the head coach and athletic director. It’s time for the fans to fight for this team, this coach, and this program. Gator fans need start showing some confidence in theirfootball team and the possibilities that lie ahead this season.
I think they can get their defense corrected and go into Alabama and give their offense fits. It may have been a case of looking past Kentucky and ahead to Bama a bit last week. This week they will have their full attention on the Crimson Tide. They need to get better every week and this week is no different. They need to take the next step and see how much progress they’ve made by going up against the very best. There are reasons for optimism in Gainesville and I invite the rest of you to join me. Until proven otherwise and after the hell that was last season, can we at least give them a little optimism? Isn’t that half the fun of college football? Can’t we at least believe?
I believe. Go Gators.
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