I told Victor I was not worried. I told him I was confident about Florida beating OK in the big game this Thursday. But I don't want to jinx The Gators. I don't want to tempt the gods of football. So, to set the record straight, and keep up long tradition, I hereby declare: I'm worried. I'm worried because:
- Alabama laid a big egg losing to Utah in the Sugar Bowl and embarrassing the SEC. At least Ole Miss shut Texas Tech up and spanked them good. Way to go Rebels! But Alabama laid a big egg and took some luster off the Gator's victory over 'Bama in the SEC title game.
- Florida has not faced an offense as prolific and as fast-paced as Oklahoma this season. And Florida has not faced a quarterback as good as Sam Bradford all season... or an O-line as good as Oklahoma's. Will we be able to pressure Sam Bradford? Will Spikes be able to blow through their O-line and get some grass stains on Bradford's jersey?
- How healthy is Percy Harvin? Will he be able to go full strength the whole game?
- Florida lost it's offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, who took the head coaching job at Miss State after the SEC title game. Mullen says he'll call the title game but he'll be distracted and cannot be 100% focused. He has one foot in Florida and one foot in Miss State. Also in the interim we upgraded our offensive line coach Steve Addazio to offensive coordinator. Addazio is a good man but there has to be some hard feelings on the part of our receivers coach, Billy Gonzalez, who was also up for the offensive coordinator position. Also there has to be some friction in philosophies. When Mullen first announced he was leaving Meyer said that the game would be called by a committee of Addazio (O-line coach), Billy Gonzalez (Receiver's coach) and Urban himself. Now we have Mullen (originally a quarterbacks coach) saying he will call the game. It seems like a recipe for confusion and too many cooks in the kitchen.
- Oklahoma has had a string of losses in bowl games recently and have been embarrassed. They have to be motivated and angry and their luck is bound to change.
- Speaking of luck, Sam Bradford is a Cherokee and Native Americans around the country have embraced him as a source of pride. Even as we speak, war dances are going on around the country invoking powerful magic.
- Also, the last time Florida faced a Big 12 team in a title game (Nebraska, 1995, National Championship game) Florida was favored and Nebraska utterly clobbered us.
- I want to approach Thursday's game in all humility and, in doing so, hope to avoid the wrath of the football gods. So, to paraphrase my letter to Juan on the eve of our 2006 National Championship Game: I don't know what team will emerge victorious. That's why they invented championships. What I do know is when the Gators come out of that tunnel at full speed, smiling, bursting with confidence and defiance, flying our colors under the big Miami moon, all my pride, all my feelings, all my memories will take the field with them.
9 comments:
Primo,
You are sounding wishy-washy now. You were not worried, in the least, when we spoke. Now, in order to not displease the "Football Gods", you are switching.
Come on. Stay strong.
Got to run. Adios,
Victor
I'm sorry I cannot join you in the worry. I dare say I've been watching the Gators (football and basketball) play for a good number of years now; on good years, you get a pretty good team that wins most of their games. On great seasons, you get a force of athletic nature that really runs circles around everyone they play. Lets check the available data - since the ole miss awakening, UF humiliated every major SEC power on the way to the championship in ATL. The clash with the the late season, young, hungry, healthy, then-unanimous #1 Alamaba, was practically won by the sheer determination of Tebow alone. My logic: this same gator team is going in healthy and freshly-taunted against a Sooners team whose big games were Texas and Texas Tech. They lost against Texas. Texas just finished their season with a last second gasp against the pitiful, field goal mongering Buckeyes. The Sooners did beat Texas Tech soundly - the team that just lost to Ole Miss, the only team this season to (barely) beat the Gators - at the beginning of the season, before we woke up.
I hope I don't jinx anything - I'll just leave it at I feel good about our chances.
Guys,
The only dent in your armour is your over-confidence. It almost did in Texas. It did in:
Alabama
Texas Tech
Boise State
Just to name a few of the bowl casualties by teams that were favored to win and did not think they needed to do anything but show up and they would be granted a win.
I hope your over-confidence is not passed onto your beloved Gators. If so, watch out!
Take care,
Victor
Good point, Victor. Rob, you know I love our Gators and they are incredible in every way. Being in The Swamp or the O-Dome and watching such amazing athletes take it to the limit is one of the greatest things. I know Victor feels the same way about his Trojans. The problem with top-level programs is that sometimes they get over-confident and get tripped up. The same thing happens to the fans of great programs who are used to winning all the time. So when a big game is on the horizon, it's almost a superstitious thing with me. I intentionally start thinking about all the things that could go wrong. So when things go right it's more enjoyable. I think our team is great and should be ready and primed for the big game in Miami. Go Gators!
Is it possible to pretend to be the starry eyed underdog? If so, is it an extra arrow in the quiver? Maybe, maybe not. But out of respect, for my elders, I shall withdraw my boast ;-)
Go Gators!
Joaq and Rob,
You guys are fantastic. A little more than 24 hours to go in the biggest game of the year...and you guys are sweating.
Cool. In such a big game, expect the unexpected. A few miscues by one team can send them reeling; unable to recover.
Strange penalties. Turnovers. So many things can go wrong. Funny bounces. Punters. Kickers. Major emotion. Strange beginnings.
Look at Alabama. After they erased most of a 21 point deficit, they still could not right the ship. Utah was much tougher than they expected.
For the Gators, since most people think that their offense can run all over a supposed soft Sooner defense...what if Oklahoma's defense is tougher (for whatever reason) and the Gators cannot advance the ball on the ground with ease. As it gets tougher to gain yards and make first downs, doubt creeps in...it may be tougher than you all think.
Sure, the Gators have a high flying offense. But...what if?
This is why they play the game.
Most pundits think the Gators can run at will on the Sooners. Well, what if?
A stumble here, a fumble there...
I am not trying to jinx you guys because I love you all too much. I have seen so many games...and this bowl season especially tells me to expect the unexpected. These are young college kids. Literally, anything can happen.
Alabama should have crushed Utah. All the experts (point spreads, Vegas, ESPN) all said that the Utes had never played against such a big, fast team. There D-Line was giving up an average of 30-40 lbs per man. Alabama was going to churn up ground yardage like it has never been seen.
Well, you guys saw it. The Utes pushed 'Bama all over the field. It was a mismatch, all right...in Utah's favor!!!
Barry Switzer (an authority on football, both college and professional) said on the air before the game, that 'Bama would crush Utah. No contest. Man, did he have to eat his words.
The Sooner D has been so lambasted during the pre-game hype that they may just rise to the occasion. Or, more acutely, the Gators will start to believe the hype and try to mail it in. I hope, for your sake, this does not happen.
Anyways, the game is tomorrow and everybody here is talking about it. Tons of stuff in all the papers.
Texas was supposed to crush the Buckeyes and, look...the Buckeyes came within just a few seconds of pulling the upset.
Well, got to run. Hope I have not worried Joaq unnecessarily.
Victor
Victor, your comments are always wise and highly appreciated. The truth is that both Florida and Oklahoma are great teams and either could win tomorrow. One thing is for sure, they both have explosive high-scoring offenses (as do the Trojans). In fact, that explosiveness is the quality that I love most about the Gators both under Meyer and for a long time under Spurrier. Sitting at a game I have always relished the tought that at any given moment we are one play away from the end-zone. It drives me crazy to watch slow, plodding, non-explosive teams who seem to take forever to score. They get to the red-zone and just sort of bog down and end up settling for a field goal. Oklahoma, USC, Florida... and Utah are the exact opposite of that. They can score in the blinking of an eye and, if they are in the red-zone, you might as well go and grab a drink because they have already scored. I think tomorrow's game will be high scoring. It should be a shootout. I don't think that Florida's defense will be able to slow Oklahoma's offense that much. Although we probably will do better than some of the Big Twelve D's, I still think Oklahoma will score a lot. Unless we can bring on big time pressure on Bradford, which our linebackers (specially Spikes)are fully capable of bringing. By the same token, I think Florida, with so many speedy weapons at our disposal and Tebow's incredible powers will be able to score a bunch of points. So it comes down to the intangibles like Victor said. A momentum-changing fumble or pick. A blown call. Maybe one team or the other has listened to too many pundits or drank too much cool-aid. Maybe the Gators are overconfident and actually think the Oklahoma D can't touch them. Maybe Oklahoma actually thinks Tebow "can't pass" and he will pick apart their secondary. (News flash: Tebow can throw incredibly accurate laser beams and is rarely picked... don't tell Oklahoma). Who knows what will happen??? That's why they invented championships. I guess the truth is that although I have real concerns about Oklahoma and Bradford, I truly think Tebow will pull it off in the end by the sheer power of his will and his considerable athletic skills. Looking forward to a great game. GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Victor, your analysis was right on! Oklahoma's defense was amazing. Yet, incredibly, the Gators defense was even more stingy. We came out with a win, but it was very close and was a handful of big plays from getting away from us. At any rate, USC and UF finished the year at the top, carrying the CTCSC banner like the Tigers last year!
Rob,
Right on!! I was talking to your dad earlier today. How fun and special for father and son to share the experience. Last night, your dad was drained after the game. Today, he was high as a kite.
Many stories to follow, but, as you mention and I alluded to your dad, how amazing that our fun blog has as its core members fans of the #1 and #2 BCS teams. If there were a playoff, our dreams would have come true with the Gators and Trojans squaring off on the gridiron.
Glad you guys took the flag. Congrats to the Frax and Gator Nations.
It is truly great to be a Florida Gator!!!!!!!
Victor
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