Thoughts of the Day: September 14, 2022

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

TWO GAMES IN, THESE ARE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE GATORS Two games in, there are questions about the Florida Gators in year one of the Billy Napier era. That would be true if the Gators were 2-0 instead of the 1-1 they are heading into Saturday’s non-conference matchup with South Florida at The Swamp. This team is a work in progress with a long way to go before the Gators are playing at the standard Napier wants and expects. They may or may not get there this year, but if they don’t it won’t be for a lack of effort.

What we’ve learned in two games is that the Gators have a potentially explosive running game when Anthony Richardson can get loose to complement Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson. We’ve also learned that the passing game can be good like it was against Utah, and really bad like it was in game two when Richardson was overshooting open receivers far too often. Defensively, we’ve learned the Gators are capable of making some big plays, but they still make mistakes and that has to change.

Napier admitted after the Utah win that the Gators had a way to go. He didn’t have to say the Gators were way off after the Kentucky game, but it should be noted that the Gators were capable of winning the football game despite playing ugly. That they didn’t has everything to do with four mistakes that counted for 23 of Kentucky’s 26 points.

So, here are a few of the questions that have to be answered for UF, the sooner the better.

1. Second half run defense: Through two games, the Gators have allowed 300 rushing yards, most of it in the second half and a good bit of that in the fourth quarter. Obviously, Florida’s lack of depth at defensive tackle has plenty to do with that but the coaching staff is going to have to get some of the younger players like Jaelin Humphries and Chris McClellan ready to contribute more.

2. Better decision making by Richardson: Richardson had a bad game throwing the football against Kentucky, a problem that will have to be resolved, but maybe the bigger issue is his decision making. More specifically, understanding that there are times when it’s far better to tuck the ball and take the four or five positive yards than holding the ball and waiting for receivers to get open against a team dropping seven into a zone like we saw consistently in the second half against Kentucky. Kentucky geared its defense around stopping Richardson and did a good job of throttling the passing game. There were, however, many opportunities for Richardson to get positive yards and move the chains. The improved decision making will come with more experience, but somehow, this has to be fast tracked if the Gators are going to get to the eight or nine-win level this season.

3. Shutting down the tight ends!: In their first two games, the Gators have allowed 35 pass completions for 418 yards and two touchdowns. Of those 35 completions 16 for 208 yards and a TD have gone to tight ends. It seems that every time opponents get in third-and-long situations, they simply dial up a pass play to a tight end and the chains move. That has to change. The Gators are fortunate that the next five opponents don’t use their tight ends very much, but wait until the Gators face Georgia, which isn’t afraid to run three tight end sets with stud athletes who can wear opponents out.

4. Consistency in the pass rush: The Gators didn’t register a sack in the Utah game. They had three in the first half against Kentucky, but the Wildcats kept the UF pass rush from getting to Will Levis in the second half. Brenton Cox Jr. is getting doubled every snap and until someone else can emerge as a consistent pass rusher, the double teams on Cox will continue.

5. Converting third downs to keep the chains moving: One way to compensate for the lack of depth on the D-line is to keep the defense off the field. That puts a premium on converting third downs. Right now the Gators are tied for ninth in the SEC at 39.29 percent (11-28). The Gators were good against Utah (7-12 for 58.33 percent), but they were terrible against Kentucky (4-16, 25 percent). When you control the football and move the chains, you are effectively playing defense with the offense. Some of that has to do with Richardson understanding that he’s got to pull the ball down and run with it when he’s got first down yardage within easy reach rather than trying to force the ball into coverage. Something else, the Gators need to do a better job of getting into third-and-short situations.

6. Taking more deep shots down the field in the passing game: If there is no threat of the deep ball, then there is no incentive for opposing defensive coordinators to loosen things up. Until the Gators are willing to take their shots downfield, they’re going to see a lot of eight in the box dropping into zones. Ricky Pearsall has the speed to get deep, but he’s not the only one. Both Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson can do it. It wouldn’t hurt to get the tight end involved in the middle of the field, either.

UF Volleyball: Gators sweep FSU

The 16th-ranked Gators tuned up for their weekend match against 4th-ranked Wisconsin Tuesday night with a straight set (25-19, 27-22, 25-22) shutout of Florida State at the O-Dome. Merritt Beason (13 kills) and Marina Markova (12 kills) paced the Florida attack. Freshman setter Alexis Stuckey had 41 assists, the best 3-set numbers of her career.

SEC football

The biggest question marks for each SEC team so far #2 Alabama (2-0): There are two, the offensive line and the lack of quarterback pressure. Here’s the proof with the O-line. Bryce Young is averaging only 6.1 yards per pass attempt, down from 8.9 last year. He’s having to unload the ball in a hurry because the O-line can’t pass protect. The Tide has only gotten to the quarterback three times. Will Anderson has one sack … Alabama is a whopping 49-point favorite at home against Louisiana-Monroe.

#10 Arkansas (2-0, 1-0 SEC): Quarterback KJ Jefferson has already run 37 times in two games. He’s taken a lot of hits and the Hogs haven’t even gotten to the meat of the schedule.

Auburn (2-0): The defense has yet to record a turnover against two cupcake opponents. Over on offense, quarterbacks TJ Finley and Robby Ashford have combined for one TDP and four interceptions … Penn State is only favored by 2.5 points this Saturday in Auburn.

#1 Georgia (2-0): The Bulldogs are being called the most complete team in America, but they’ve only played a vastly overrated Oregon team and D1AA Samford. There isn’t a game that should be competitive until the gauntlet of Florida, Tennessee, at Mississippi State and at Kentucky so it’s anybody’s guess how good they are until the last week of October … The Bulldogs are 24-point favorites on the road at South Carolina.

#9 Kentucky (2-0, 1-0 SEC): There are serious concerns about the offensive line. The Wildcats are averaging only 1.88 per carry in the running game and quarterback Will Levis has been sacked seven times already.

LSU (1-1): There are all sorts of concerns, but it starts on both lines of scrimmage. QB Jayden Daniels has been sacked six times and most of his rushing yardage is the result of running for his life. Over on the D-line, the Tigers gave up 201 rushing yards to D1AA Southern U last week … LSU is a 2-point home underdog to Mississippi State.

Mississippi State (2-0): The Bulldogs have turned the ball over five times in two games, which should be alarming to Mike Leach. Over on the defensive side of the ball, MSU has only three sacks in two games … The Bulldogs are slight 2-point favorites on the road in Baton Rouge.

Missouri (1-1): Quarterbacks Brady Cook and Jack Abraham have combined to throw five interceptions and they’re averaging just 6.0 yards per pass attempt. Over on defense they have been unable to generate much of a pass rush.

#20 Ole Miss (2-0): Ole Miss is scoring points (43.5 per game) with a very balanced offense (249.5 on the ground, 222 through the air) but there is still no definitive number one QB. Lane Kiffin needs to decide on a starter before the Rebels get into the SEC portion of the schedule … The Rebels are 16-point favorites against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

South Carolina (1-1, 0-1 SEC): The biggest concern has to be the injury bug. Two key defensive players are out for the season and there are five questionable for the Georgia game including stud corner Cam Smith. Injuries have been a problem ever since fall camp began … The Bulldogs are 24-point home underdogs to Georgia.

#15 Tennessee (2-0): Both Ball State and Pitt threw the ball consistently well against the UT secondary. That has to tighten up. Over on the offensive side of the ball, QB Hendon Hooker has been sacked four times and he’s had to scramble way too much. Of his 20 rushing attempts, most have come on scrambles … The Vols are 47.5-point favorites at home against Akron.

#24 Texas A&M (1-1): The quarterback issue is huge. Haynes King averaged only 4.9 yards per pass attempt against an App. State secondary that was inept the week before against UNC. The O-line can’t run block … Despite their poor showing in a loss to Appalachian State last week, the Aggies are a 5.5-point favorite at home against 13th-ranked Miami.

Vanderbilt (2-1): Even before the Commodores were boatraced by Wake Forest Gump, their defense was struggling. They’re dead last in the SEC and it’s only going to get worse … Vanderbilt is a 2.5-point underdog on the road at Northern Illinois.

Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 #6 Oklahoma (2-0): We may have to wait until the Sooners play Texas on October 8 before we know how good the Sooners are. The only thing so far that raises eyebrows is the five sacks allowed against two bad teams in the first two games of the season … Oklahoma is an 11.5-point favorite on the road against Nebraska.

#21 Texas (1-1): Quinn Ewers looked good in his first two starts, then he was injured in the Bama game. He’s out at least until October 8. The O-line has given up six sacks in two games. They better do a better job blocking for Hudson Card because the dropoff to the third-team QB is enormous … Texas is an 11-point home favorite against Texas-San Antonio.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Jimbo Fisher is under contract with Texas A&M until 2031. He got a contract extension in the offseason, raising his pay from $7.5 million to $9 million with $100,000 a year increases, all of it guaranteed. It sounded like the deal of the century to Aggie fans who bought into the hype of Jimbo’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class that some have gone so far as to call “generational.” The recruiting class may or may not pan out. A lot of people were saying the same thing about Urban Meyer’s final recruiting class at Florida in 2010, which was also ranked No. 1. Hope for a championship for that recruiting class died when Jordan Reid fumbled at the Georgia 5-yard line with 2:05 left in the 2012 game.

The Aggies haven’t played a single SEC game this year so there is time for Jimbo to right a listing ship but if you saw how inept they were offensively against an Appalachian State defense that gave up 63 points just a week before, then you know there are boosters asking each other “what in the ever lovin’ hell were we thinking when we extended Jimbo’s contract?”

Many more Aggie boosters may be asking that question on October 8 when they complete a 4-game gauntlet of No. 13 Miami, No. 10 Arkansas, at Mississippi State, which will probably be ranked by the time they play them, and at Alabama. It is entirely possible the Aggies, who were picked sixth in the preseason AP poll, will be 1-5 after the Bama game if their inept offense doesn’t improve.

In the Lone Star State they say only God and the Longhorns have more money than the Aggies. If the Aggies are 1-5 after the Bama game, will those same boosters who agreed to pony up the big bucks for Jimbo’s contract stay behind their man?