Last night’s game against UAB was very similar to last weeks game against FAU. The game was at night, the defense was missing Sharrif Floyd and the offense had the same boring plays called (expect for the fleaflicker). Yes there were a couple bright spots on offense, however what frightens me the most is the lack of depth in the offensive scheme. I know that it is only week two, but there has to be better ways to utilize our star players other than throwing a swing pass into the flats and then watch them take on 4 defenders. Of course I am oversimplifying it. The Pro-Style offense Charlie Weis wants to run is much more complicated and it will take more than the first two weeks to work through some of the kinks and implement new plays, however I just hope they figure out something sooner than later as Tennessee is coming to the Swamp next week and you better believe they are going to be ready for the swing pass.

Out of the first four series of the night, three of them ended with field goals. Caleb Sturgis connected on a 23 yard, 35 yard, and 28 yard field goal in the first half. The Gators looked sloppy on offense. They committed 7 penalties in the first half and couldn’t really convert in the red zone. The score should have been 37 – 0 at halftime, not 25 -0. As Muschamp was interviewed while walking to the locker room at halftime, he had this to say: “This makes me sick”. Needless to say, he was less than thrilled by his team’s performance in the first half.

Now with that being said, lets talk about some of the bright spots. Chris Rainey was in prime form on Saturday night, rushing for 119 yards on 16 carries. He had some more of his trademark spins that eluded defenders and displayed the burst of speed that is unparalleled in the NCAA (except by Jeff Demps). Muschamp said “He does everything you want a football player to do for your team…He is extremely electric with the ball in his hand.” On top of his stellar rushing performance, Rainey also caught three passes for 43 yards. With those two stats, Rainey now leads the team in Rushing (198 Yards) and Receiving (110 yards). Pretty impressive for someone who is listed as 5’9” and 180 pounds in the Gator media guide this year. On the same side of the ball was Gator quarterback John Brantley. He completed 12 of 19 attempts for 195 yards. He had no touchdowns and no interceptions. Although he did throw a good amount of swing passes, there were a couple of longer balls that he threw with precision. It was nice to see the moments of perfection when our QB finally slung a rocket down the field to a crossing Jordan Reed that was timed and placed perfectly.

The defense played pretty well, even without star defensive tackle, Sharrif Floyd, who was forced to sit out a second consecutive game by the NCAA. Good news is Floyd will be ready for Tennessee next week. They held the Blazers to 70 yards rushing on 23 attempts and 140 passing yards. The Gator D recorded their first shutout since 2006. Although the Blazers didn’t have the most potent passing attack in the NCAA, it was clear to see that our young secondary is going to need to step up rather quickly as their were some big holes that opened up last night.

All in all, it was a good tune up game for next week’s matchup against Tennessee. The Gators are going to face their first SEC opponent of the year and need to come out and make a statement. It doesn’t get any easier for the Gators from there. The Gators will be running the gauntlet for the next 8 games as they are all against SEC teams.

This Saturday the Florida Gators will host the UAB Blazers (University of Alabama-Birmingham) in the Swamp. The Gators are coming off of a 41 – 3 victory over FAU in week one which looked impressive. The NCAA recently published their first week power rankings and the Florida Gators are number one. Let me first say that these rankings are solely based on statistics and in no way does these rankings assure another Florida Gator Championship. However, it is nice to see the Florida Defense stepping it up as one of the major factors in this ranking was due ton their performance last Saturday. I will take holding a team to 28 yards rushing every week. It just goes to show you how dominant our front line is, even without one of their biggest play makers (Shariff Floyd, So.) available. Unfortunately the NCAA is investigating Floyd for recruiting violations and they have determined that he will miss a second consecutive game. Look for the defensive line to have an impressive performance against UAB this week. 

The Blazers are opening their season against the Florida Gators and look to improve on their 4 – 8 record in 2010. The Blazers will be playing in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the second time in ten years. They opened their 2002 season in Gainesville. UAB has one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football boasting a combined 118 starts. It will be nice to see how the Florida D- line handles the experience of UAB.  

The Matchup: No. 18 Florida vs. UAB

When: September 10, 2011.

Where: Gainesville, Florida – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Game Time: 7:00 PM

TV: Fox Sports Florida / FS South

Radio: Sirius 220 / XM 199

The Florida Gators jumped 4 spots, from No. 22 to No. 18 on Tuesday in the Associated Press Top 25. Florida wasn’t the only SEC team to make a significant jump. Mississippi State Bulldogs jumped four spots as well from No. 20 to No. 16 (good for Dan Mullen). There were four additional SEC teams that are in the top 25. LSU jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 after they thrashed the Oregon Ducks 40-27. Alabama dropped from No. 2 to No. 3. South Carolina and Arkansas didn’t move in the poll and stayed at No. 12 and No. 14. Two SEC teams ended up being ousted out of the AP Top 25. Georgia and Auburn were dropped from the group after their poor performances. Auburn needed a last minute onside kick and a touchdown to squeak out a victory over Utah State, clearly showing that they are not the same championship team as last year. Georgia lost to No. 4 Boise State 35 – 21, which jumped from No. 5 following their victory.

Yes, it is just week 2 and the Gators only beat FAU. However it is a good start and we witnessed some great strides during that season opener. Looking forward to UAB. GO GATORS!!

Will Muschamp does not hide his feelings well when it comes to his Florida Gators. He wears them on his sleeve and lets everyone know about them. Last week the Florida Gators 2011 squad had one of their final scrimmages before the season gets underway and Muschamp let his team know how they did. Muschamp spoke after the scrimmage last week and let everyone know what was on his mind. He blasted some starters for their lack of consistency and all around effort. He threatened that some starters may even be replaced.  He dissected the offensive line and the secondary. ”We didn’t finish very well. We didn’t play very well from the point of attack,” said Muschamp. He continued to vent his concerns.

Now the question I have is simple: was this a good idea so close to the season opener? I would have to say Yes. Let me first say that I am not a college coach, nor do I have any coaching experience, however lighting a fire under certain athletes is a must, and that is exactly what Muschamp did. He didn’t say that the entire scrimmage was awful. On the contrary, he said, “It’s not everybody. We got a bunch of guys that do it the right way, but not enough. There were not collectively enough guys doing it right.” That statement was perfect. The guys that played poorly know it. Some of them may have even expected to play poorly and get away with it. But Muschamp, the coach that chest bumps his players on the battlefield to show his allegiance and intensity, let them know it.  And he did it the right way.

After the scrimmage the Gators practiced on Thursday and Friday. They had Saturday off and a team Meeting on Sunday. They will continue to practice this week as they prepare for Florida Atlantic University, who will be coming to the swamp to face the Gators a 7:00PM (EST) on September 3, 2011. Cant wait for this new season to kick off. Go Gators!!