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Wow. Just wow. For the 2nd straight week, we found ourselves in a complete dogfight against an opponent that we should have handled easily. Unlike last week, we were able to gut it out and come up with a big play to seal the win. It was scary. It was ugly. It was a win. With the way things have been going, that’s a good starting point. Hopefully we can use the improved play of the offense under Stafford and that one huge play from the defense as a stepping point and get the confidence they’ll need this week to face the mighty gators. After the way we’ve played these last 3 weeks in Sanford, maybe a change of scenery is what we need.

Looking Back at Week 7

The good: For the third straight week we had excellent weather. The pass protection from our OL was excellent against a DL that can really get after the QB. The offensive game plan with Stafford under center certainly seemed more effective and we looked more focused and dangerous (for lack of a better word). Too many of our good phases of the game Saturday were immediately followed by bad, bad things.

The bad: Once again, lots to pick from here, although this was a better preformance than the Vandy fiasco. First off, we’ve got to do a better job protecting the ball. 5 turnovers in a game is absurd. The defense struggled again getting off the field on 3rd downs, especially in the 2nd half (again). The worst thing coming out of the game was our defense’s inability to tackle. Missed tackles were the norm in the 2nd half, especially on their final 2 TDs. Just bad.

The indifferent: The DL had some big plays, finally getting the sacks we’ve missed for a while now. If they had tackled a little better, they certainly would have gone under the ‘good’ category. Stafford’s play was generally very solid, but you can’t exactly say things went swimmingly if your QB is throwing 3 INTs. All 3 were again products of Stafford trying to make a play downfield, but we can’t afford for those type plays to happen this week. Hopefully he’ll take those INTs and learn from them, adding experience to his formidable talent base.

UF Offense

Urban Meyer scrapped the pure spread offense he was running last season in the off week prior to the UGA game. He came out with a traditional, TE/FB set that UGA was unprepared for and they marched down the field twice, went up big early and were able to hold on for the win. This season, he’s using a hybrid of the two types of offenses, and likely will for the remainder of the season until Leak is gone and Tebow (his ideal QB for the spread) takes over. They’re a good, solid, functional offense, but they’re by no means a juggernaut. Given the way we’ve played on defense lately though, any offense looks formidable.

At QB, UF has one of the top QBs in the country, although he’s operating in an offense that he’s not particularly suited for. Chris Leak enters his 4th season as the starting QB and has compiled some pretty impressive numbers after a prodigious prep school career. While he’s not immobile by any means, he’s the type QB who looks to throw as his first, second and third options. While scrambling, he’s constantly looking downfield. For Meyer’s offense, which features a large portion of QB runs, this makes for a poor fit. Leak doesn’t necessarily like being hit (not many QBs do), and when pressured, he’s shown a propensity to make mistakes. Given time in the pocket, he’ll pick you apart. He’s completing over 60% of his passes on the year and has a nice 15 TDs to 6 INTs. The X-factor of course is Tim Tebow, the media love child. Tebow is the true freshman future of the Gator QB position and he’s perfectly suited to run the true spread offense. On the season he’s come in for spot duty as a change of pace in every game, mostly to run the ball, but working in the occasional pass to great effect also. When running, he’s brutally efficient on the QB draw/single wing thing he runs about 90% of the time, hard to bring down and seemingly difficult to hit squarely. He’ll throw on occasional pass to keep the defense honest, but not as often as you’d think. He’s got a great arm, but isn’t nearly as accurate, intelligent or experienced as Leak.

In the running game, the Gators sport a few different options at the RB spot, not all of which are RBs. DeShawn Wynn emerged from the cluster of RBs to become the lead back. He leads the team in rushes and yardage, averages over 5 ypc and is a load at 5-11, 238. The senior doesn’t get quite the number of touches in the redzone he’d probably like due to the fact that Meyer plugs Tebow and his single-wing thing in during lots of series inside the 10. Tebow thus leads the team in rushing TDs with 4. Wynn, Tebow and backup RB Kestahn Moore each average 5.0 ypc. Meyer’s offense also gets the ball in the hands of his WRs on designed runs a good bit, with true-freshman (and super-prospect) Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell each getting several carries this way. Each is averaging over 10 ypc on the season. Harvin has 14 carries for 158 yards, despite missing large chunks of a few games due to injury. He’ll shift into the TB position a lot.

The Gator WR corps is loaded, especially at the top. Dallas Baker has emerged to lead the team in his final season. He’s currently ranked first in catches, yards, and TDs and is a big, physical WR. Andre Caldwell doesn’t have quite the explosiveness he did before his gruesome leg injury last year, but he is second on the team in catches. Jemalle Cornelius is another experienced threat and averages the most yards per catch of their regular guys. Percy Harvin, as expected, is explosive and has the Gators longest reception of the season. He can absolutely fly. TE Tate Casey rarely factors into the passing game (which probably means he’ll have a career day vs. us).

The UF OL has had the same group of starters for every game (that must be nice) which was a boon for them because they weren’t in any better shape than us from a depth standpoint. They moved several guys around from last year but appear to have figured out where everyone works best. The line consists of 1 senior, 3 juniors and a sophomore, with all weighing in the 305-325 range. This was considered a major obstacle in the preseason but they appear to have gelled nicely.

Bottom Line: After watching us struggle the last few weeks, UF has got to be licking their chops. Much of our problem has been the inability of the offense to hold onto the ball, thus leaving the defense in a bad spot. That’s something we simply can’t afford to do this week. The Gator offense is explosive and has moved the ball well on everyone (including in their lone loss to AU). They are ranked 25th nationally in total offense, averaging just under 400 ypg, a number we’d love to see. We’re going to have to pressure Leak and contain Tebow’s limited touches if we hope to keep within striking distance on Saturday. Our LBs and safeties can’t afford to miss tackles this week, as the Gator skill position guys have the kind of speed that will turn missed tackles into points in a hurry.

Key Matchup to watch when they have the ball: We need pressure from our DEs if we’re going to get to Leak. If we have to blitz to get pressure, Leak will pick us apart if it takes more than half a second or if it’s too obvious. If Johnson and Moses get handled like they did against UT, it could be another long ride back from Jacksonville.