Gator Football Offensive Woes

Saturday's game between the Florida Gators and the Miami University Redhawks turned out to be quite a surprise for those Gator fans (including me) who expected an offensive fireworks display from Florida's vaunted stars like John Brantley, Jeff Demps, and Chris Rainey. The fact that, through three quarters of play, UF only had 25 yards of total offense probably had more to do with the poor performance of the offensive line than anything else. Especially center Mike Pouncey, who suddenly seemed to have forgotten how to hike the football. Also, receivers seemed to have forgotten how to catch the ball and should they actually succeeded in catching it, what they were supposed to do next (which was to run down the field with it, duh). The entire scenario smacked of poor preparation and discipline with this year's edition.

The game was a grand exercise in frustration for Florida, with the only bright moments coming from the defensive team. Early in the fourth quarter, with Florida leading only 21-9 (all three Gator scores having been set up by the defense), Miami was prevented from getting a touchdown and had to settle for their fourth field goal. After that, and to the game's end, the offense woke up and behaved as it should have for all four quarters, coming up with two touchdowns.

Last year Miami University, a relatively minor football school from the obscure Mid-America Conference, went 1-11 with one of the worst (if not the absolute worst) defenses in the NCAA. Maybe they've improved this year, but probably not that much. This performance does not bode well for the Gators. Next week they play a much more highly-regarded opponent in the University of South Florida, which won their opening game with a 59-14 rout. Uh-oh!