Florida 16, Tennessee 7
Great game. Florida played better over time, the special teams were terrific, the offense put together a terrific drive in the fourth quarter, killing 7+ minutes of time, and the defense stopped the run much more effectively in the second half. That trickeration play in the first half was super.
I still dislike the empty-backfield set Urban Meyer uses often, but I like that he never gave up on the run; even though half of the Gators’ running plays were called back or yielded nothing, they kept at it. And that’s what made that clock disappear. Meyer stuck to his game plan, and got Phil Fulmer out of his. 99% of the time, that means victory.
There was a lot of talk about this game being a test for Meyer’s offense. But Meyer’s game plan proved what he’s been saying all along: he hasn’t brought the Utah offense to the SEC unchanged. He’s tweaked it and will continue to do so. No doubt Meyer will clean up the penalties over time, and he’ll gradually unleash Chris Leak as well. The next three opponents won’t roll over and die, but the Gators should take care of Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi State and tie up loose ends (line calls, penalties, etc.) as they do so.
Right now, the Vanderbilt Commodores are #1 in the SEC East. When we moved from Gainesville to Macomb, we drove through Nashville, and I listened to a sports show with Bobby Johnson. I felt sorry for him at the time, playing second millionth fiddle in football to Tennessee, Memphis, and a bunch of high schools. Last year Vandy lost a lot of close games. Now they are winning those close ones. Wonder if they’ll give ole Fulmer and his boys a run for their money?
(updated 9/18)