Florida Gators: No One Should Be Rejoicing Right Now—Yet!
Alas, the Gators go home with a loss. Period. Zero satisfaction in a loss, no matter at whose hands.
By CARLTON REESE
To have heroically saved five of six people from a burning building is not a victory – it is a time to mourn.
In the end, the 31-29 loss Saturday cannot be blamed on a superior team bullying the Gators around for four quarters, but on a couple costly offensive mistakes, a questionable 2-point conversion play, a missed PAT kick and… ahem (cue the violins), a fairly bad whistle when the Gators could least afford it.
Had Florida State come within a score of Wake Forest Saturday, THAT would have been a moral victory for a program sinking to the depths of the Darrel Mudra era. Close losses to Alabama that likely should be victories signal only one thing if you’re happy about it: You are content to be merely good and not among the college football elite.
The elites? They would be Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State (a few weeks ago) which seem to pour everything including the schools’ endowments into football. None of those three are exactly climbing the U.S. News’ list of top academic universities, so choose your battles wisely. And all three right now show signs of vulnerability on the field, as well.
The energy exuded Saturday in The Swamp did signal that Florida is at least in the conversation with the elites. That is, until next Saturday night if Mullen’s boys bring no emotion and prove that a miserable Vols team actually belongs in a conversation with the Gators. Thus, the importance of trouncing Tennessee and pinning them in their rightful class along with programs such as Miami, Nebraska and FSU.
Just as now is not the time to start congratulating players who fought valiantly in defeat, neither is it the time to sulk, mired in self-pity; so here is a look at the bright side:
Emory Jones is a very good, confident quarterback. He is good enough to beat Alabama and absolutely no one thought this before the game or when Florida trailed 21-3 in the second quarter. Everyone in the The Swamp waited with breathless anticipation Florida’s third series of the game so they could see their new superhero, Anthony Richardson. When No. 5 trotted out onto the field, you would have thought the theatre announcer had announced Bette Midler was being replaced by a stand-in for the evening’s Broadway show.
Jones likely won back many of the doubters with his play Saturday despite several moments in the first half that drew gasps from the home crowd, all knowing his thrown ball was headed for the confines of a crimson jersey. But on 3rd-and-9 with the Gators down 28-16, Jones’ beautiful back-shoulder throw to Xzavier Henderson for a first down at the Bama 5 smelled like Tom Brady. That play was crucial during an astounding 99-yard drive for a score.
Also of note was Florida’s offensive line, which many saw as a question mark before the season. After giving Jones enough time to complete his calculus homework every time he dropped back and opening holes for running backs that could have made a star of Shane Wabberson, this looks like the sort of line every championship team requires.
Defensively, the Gators held Alabama in check about as well as any team could be asked. After Bama’s first three drives that looked eerily similar to the last two times these teams met in the SEC Championship game, the Gators actually looked like a championship-caliber defense. This included forcing the Alabama offense into three straight 3-and-out possessions at one point that would have been four of five possessions if not for a head-scratching pass interference call on the Tide’s second offensive series of the game.
Nice quarterback play, a stout offensive line, a stingy defense – so why a loss? Here’s why: 21-3. At that point, everyone braced for the blowout and an entire week of “I told you so” from obnoxious Tide fans on the Paul Finebaum Show. Then, Florida outscored Alabama 26-10 and finished the game with 440 yards compared to the Tide’s 331. These weren’t numbers rolled up in a late comeback against a defense playing soft – the numbers were an accurate reflection of which team dominated in the trenches.
Still, it was 21-3. Down by 18 points against the No.1 team in the nation several things absolutely cannot happen in order to pull out a victory. Among them are missing a PAT kick, the same thing that cost UF a win over Alabama in 1999 in Gainesville. Another is a holding call after pushing into Alabama territory and spoiling critical offensive momentum. Another is dropping a sure interception over the middle, keeping a drive alive and allowing Alabama to hold serve with another touchdown a few plays later. Another is a pass interference call on a big third down when it seems an Alabama drive has stalled.
For the University of Florida football program, there are no moral victories, only losses that hurt more than the previous one.
Aside from a few wearing jorts and orange tank-tops Saturday, no one in the world believed the Gators belonged on the field with Alabama. Not only did they belong on the field with the Tide, they belonged in the win column as well. Alas, the Gators go home with a loss. Period. Zero satisfaction in a loss, no matter at whose hands.
So no, there should be no rejoicing in a close loss to Alabama. This should have been a win and should be sticking in the craw of all Gator players, hungry to come out next weekend and spit this bad taste out of their collective mouths.
At the same time, it feels nice to know you belong. It’s nice to know your team isn’t in Coral Gables, Lincoln or Tallahassee.
Mullen has to win a big one like this. So far he hasn’t. That’s a worry.