Theater of Operations, Florida Vs. Florida State: Reviewing Florida's Defensive Performance
by FlaGators on Nov 29, 2011 10:30 AM EST
in Florida Football Analysis
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There is no denying the fact, that the 2011 edition of the Florida-Florida State game was a decidedly defensive affair. While both defenses played outstanding, unfortunately for the Gators, they weren't the ones who "created" the turnovers needed to dictate the outcome.
Without looking at the turnover aspect, because lets face it, this Gator defense just doesn't create turnovers. The Gator defense held the Seminole offense to under 100-yards of offense. Under 100-yards! I'm not going to fault the defense on this one, because they did nearly everything right. They were put into bad positions by the offense (and special teams) numerous times and that is something that they can't control.
Jelani Jenkins (who also lead the team in tackles), Ronald Powell and Jaye Howard each had a full sack, while Dominique Easley and Lerentee McCray combined for another. The defense combined, forced four fumbles, but only recovered one. They also had something like ten tackles for loss as well. Yeah, those are some outstanding numbers, but because of the Gators offense, all this game will be remembered as, is a loss to the Florida State Seminoles...
...and Matt Elam's complete decimation of Jermaine Thomas.
Play No. 1: E.J. Manuel is sacked by Dominique Easley and Lerentee McCray:
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
If there was an offensive line this season worse than the offensive line of the Florida Gators, the Seminole offensive line was it. For the Gators on this play, Ronald Powell (top yellow circle) comes off the edge as a blitzing linebacker and Dominique Easley (bottom yellow circle) is just going to rush the quarterback. For the Seminoles on this play, the tight end (top green circle) is just going to run a route down the field, while the right tackle and right guard (middle and bottom green circles) block their man and get confused respectively.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Powell (top yellow circle) is going to be blocked out of the rush by the right tackle (top green circle). The right guard for the Seminoles (bottom green circle) gets confused for a moment and proceeds to help out the center on a double team. This mistake allows Easley (bottom yellow circle) to burst through the line very quickly.
From another angle:
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Yeah, that's a massive hole that Easley (yellow square) gets to run through.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
At this moment, quarterback E.J. Manuel (green circle) knows he is in trouble. He will attempt a quick turnaround and run, but McCray (yellow square) will enter the picture.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
At the moment that Manuel attempts to make that turn (yellow square) he is caught by both Easley and McCray. Also, note that Jelani Jenkins has the running back covered even though he probably knows by this point that the play is over.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
As noted at the beginning of the article, Easley and McCray each get half credit for the sack.
Play No. 2: Ronald Powell's sack on E.J. Manuel:
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Ronald Powell (yellow circle) gets credit for the sack, but he gets a huge assist by the defensive backs on this play as they do a great job covering their men.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
At the moment that Powell is engaged with his blocker (yellow square), E.J. Manuel isn't quite ready to get rid of the ball. His only open target at the moment is his wide receiver (green circle) but Jelani Jenkins (yellow circle) is lurking.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Manuel (green circle) at this time gives a quick look to the receiver out in the flat, and will then step up into the pocket. Meanwhile, Powell (yellow square) is slowly gaining the upper hand on his blocker.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Powell (yellow square) has now gained the inside advantage on his blocker, while Manuel (green circle) continues to look downfield for someone to throw to.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Manuel runs out of time as Powell catches him (yellow square) and gets the sack.
Play No. 3: Jaye Howard's sack on E.J. Manuel:
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
On this play, the Seminoles will attempt a play-action pass play in which the wide receiver that is in motion pre-snap (green circle) will get the fake handoff. Jaye Howard (yellow circle) doesn't fall for the fake.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
At the moment the play-action occurs, Howard (yellow circle) has already beaten his man.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
The play begins to develop at this moment. Manuel (right green circle) is obviously trying to pass the ball to the running back (left green circle), but he is covered by Ronald Powell (bottom yellow circle). Howard (top yellow circle) at this time, is now running free at Manuel.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Manuel (right green circle) is still waiting for the running back (left green circle) to get open. Powell (left yellow circle) is making sure that doesn't happen, and he's even got help on top in the form of Jon Bostic. Howard (right yellow circle) is still chasing Manuel.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
At the moment that Manuel (right green circle) decides that he is going to run with the ball, Powell (bottom middle yellow circle) decides that he is going to break off coverage on the running back and head towards Manuel. Bostic meanwhile, takes over coverage duties on the running back just in case. Howard (right yellow circle) and Jelani Jenkins (top middle yellow circle) both continue to converge on Manuel.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
Howard just beats Jenkins and Powell to get the sack (yellow square).
Play No. 4: Michael Taylor causes running back Jermaine Thomas to fumble, and Jaye Howard recovers it. Which of course leads to a touchdown for the Gators and their shut-out streak stays intact:
(Photo courtesy of the SEC Digital Network)
This play is all about linebacker Michael Taylor (yellow circle). He is going to just absolutely destroy the fullback (right green circle) who attempts to block him, and then knock the ball out of the hands of Jermaine Thomas (left green circle) causing a fumble.
(Photo courtesy of the SEC Digital Network)
This is the moment in which Taylor (yellow square) levels the fullback.
(Photo courtesy of the SEC Digital Network)
Taylor (yellow square) is then going to use his left arm to know the ball out of Thomas' hands.
(Photo courtesy of the SEC Digital Network)
After Taylor (yellow square) knocks the ball out (red circle), Jaye Howard takes advantage.
(Photo courtesy of the SEC Digital Network)
Howard recovers the fumble (yellow square) and returns it to the Seminole 21-yardline.
So I guess when you think about it, this game will be remember as three things instead of just two. Not getting shut-out at home is a really big deal. Just ask the Seminoles about it.
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Powell
I think next year is when he will really come into his own. He has so much talent and is built like a machine. I love me some Powell and I expect next year to be the coming out party for him similar to Elam this year. I know he has made some really boneheaded decisions this season(reads, penalties, etc.) but that should get corrected.
IMO Easley, Powell, and Elam are going to be the leaders of this team next season and will be everyone’s favorite Gators.
MATT freakin ELAM!
One would hope that stuff (reads … etc.) would get better with experience. Powell is really starting to play his role really well. When watching the video you can literally see the play developing in his head.
Like on play No. 3 for example. You can see, that he has two options on the play. Rush the pocket or defend the running back. He takes like four or five steps in, before realizing the back is going out for a pass. But because he is a freak of an athlete he is able to recover and get in the proper position to defend the play.
Just amazing. I can’t remember a player we’ve had that could do that so easily since Jevon Kearse.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Kearse was 6’4" 265.
Powell is 6’4" 248.
I’m almost okay with calling him “The Freak-Lite”
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
by FlaGators on Nov 29, 2011 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Haha. Yes. This.
And Easley….just Wow. I play him at Fullback on NCAA 12…pretty good stuff.
MATT freakin ELAM!
Hmmm. I haven’t tried Easley at FB. That sounds very intriguing.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Elam at RB, Easley at FB, and Debose running the Wild Gator package. It surprisingly works even on higher difficulty.
MATT freakin ELAM!
Maybe Charlie Weis should give that a go on the real field
It can’t work worse than what he has been doing.
Still a Gator, even if we're FSU's bitches.
I'll rec to that
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
You're really going to brag about Elam's "decimation" of JT
After you were complaining about TN using a picture of Brantley down on an incidental hit that caused a concussion to both Brantley and our NFL bound DE?
Elam’s hit was illegal, he could have pushed JT out. He picked up JT 2-3 yards out, and threw him so that he landed another 2-3 yards past that.
Just a little bit hypocritical.
And as you’ll notice, I didn’t post any pictures of the Elam play.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Fair enough
But if that was in the ACC, and Elam was an FSU player, he’d probably have been ejected, banned from ACC play, and convicted guilty of manslaughter.
It was nice to play in a relatively well-called game.
Haha, this is so true. I went on TN after the Miami game and even said that the ejection was ridiculous. I just don’t know how in the heck y’all put up with that all season. Especially after the moving forward of the ball against Wake.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
FSU hasn't lost a game this year.
ACC referees were the cause of all 4 of their losses.
And they are back. Nevermind that 3rd place finish in the Atlantic division of the tough ACC. They beat UF(6-6) and Miami(6-6) this year, so things are are looking up.
by PullingGuardGator on Nov 29, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
Please don’t compare the two. FSU’s hit was much better, and thus it deserved front-page billing.
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by Bud Elliott on Nov 29, 2011 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
better?
You may have to enlighten me on the better aspect of a hit that caused a player to exit the game?
contributing author - Alligator Army
Yeah, so you would say the same thing if Powell took Manual out of the game…Right? Right? No you wouldn’t. You would’ve done the same thing FlaGators did only you would’ve came over here and you would’ve been treated a little better than he was over in your parts.
Having a picture of a player that was knocked out with a CONCUSSION on that very play is classless, especially coming from someone who runs the blog. A Concussion is no joke. You do realize that just weeks ago a player had a seizure a day after having one, right?
MATT freakin ELAM!
If there is any team/fan base well aware of the damage of concussions
it’s FSU. We’ve been decimated by concussions this year.
what's your point?
So because FSU has had a lot of concussions, it’s not a big deal for someone else? Or becuase FSU has had a lot of concussions, it makes celebrating a hit which caused on for someone else OK?
contributing author - Alligator Army
HOLY SHIT!
Bud, you need to beat it! I just saw that post on TN and putting a pic on the main post of John Brantley laid out and concussed is so dollar store cheap, it’s a joke!
On top of it, those weak nole fans post the pic of Tebow crying after the ’09 SECCG pic on their. Funny they get pleasure out of what bama did since their team could only get their asses torched by Tebow year after year.
There are a few good nole fans out there but this guy is a clown…
by GoGators82 on Nov 29, 2011 2:14 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
As a matter of fact, you’ve given me inspiration for my new signature, once this bet is over.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Go get ’em, friend. The way they talked shit to you too after how nice you were about it was pretty awesome too. I would have invented new cuss words for that BS.
You’d think with their cat-piss-grade offense, there would be a bit less dickheadedness there…
by GoGators82 on Nov 29, 2011 3:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, I haven’t been back to TN since. I usually check TN once or twice daily, but yeah, that’s probably never gonna happen again.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of the posters there and have had some good conversations with a lot of them in the past … but seeing that picture up there, and then their BS excuses for it, was just … it’s time to take a break.
I especially liked how when the couple of comments came up from TN users (Nole fans) who agreed with me that the picture was a little much, they got largely (pretty much completely) ignored.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Hard to avoid situations like this sometimes
When you are passionate about what you believe in. I think it was unavoidable that tempers would flare after such a brutal game.
I can honestly see both sides to the Brantley pic being up there.
I can also see both sides of concern for the Elam roll-over-judo-toss on Jermaine Thomas.
Anyways, I always enjoy talking to you FlaGators. Hope you change your mind and come back every now and again. We love having you.
'Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football.' John Heisman
Miss you at TN
For the most part, I lurk at TN but have (almost) always appreciated your insights. You and like-minded Gators are the reason I now root for them in every game save one. With respect to the instant controversy, I agree with the bright line rule that it is always in bad taste to post the picture of an injured player, unless the accompanying article is about the injury. Elam’s hit looked OOB to me live but it was not an egregious foul- just a bad, frustration induced decision. From the many other plays I saw, he made showed excellent judgment and great skill.
Also, do you care if I use your username in my new signature? Or would you rather I not?
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Bud is a douche bag. Not an ounce of respect for him anymore….or hardly any of those morons. There are a couple that post over here now and then that are okay tho.
I don’t blame you for being done with them over there. I’ve seen your post over there and they are always clean and in good taste. F them. And ban Bud from here.
MATT freakin ELAM!
To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the picture.
I would have loved a picture of Brantley’s duck into quadruple coverage, or Bradham holding up the gator head after the game.
Lot of great picture oppotunities for that game, and you’re right, absolutely none from our offense.
Even Powell being pulled away while trying to collect sod.
But you’re going to run into 100’s of dickheaded fans after a rivalry game… You should have seen Miami fans BEFORE our game, it was ridiculous.
2-3 yards is pushing it
it was more like 1 and he rolled like 2-3 yards from where he threw hm
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Bullshitt
Watch the play again, JT was cutting back trying to stay in bounds.
FWIW, I have no problem with the flag, because the slam was “unnecessary” but JT wasn’t running out of bounds.
by PullingGuardGator on Nov 29, 2011 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
bar Gaffney? ;-)
Though he did do the Gator Chomp against Seattle on Sunday after catching a TD pass. Which was overturned because he stepped out of bounds before catching the ball.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Always nice to see people no longer associated with the program still rock the Chomp…See Noah.
MATT freakin ELAM!
by Gators1 on Nov 29, 2011 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
insta rec deserves
rec
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Jaye Howard appeared to finally show up for a game
He was finally getting some presence inside.
That being said, he still isn’t a nose tackle, and until we get one, this defensive scheme still won’t play to our talent as well as it could.
Yeah, Howard’s season was a disappointment. We’ll get our nose-tackle.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
only a matter of time
actually Feb 4 I belive is signing day, am I right?
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Something like that
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Can Hunter play Nose next season?
I thought he wasn’t that bad this year.
by PullingGuardGator on Nov 29, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
If he stays (though I can’t imagine him heading to the draft) … I’d like to see him in the rotation.
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Yeah he’ll stay, and he’s got the frame for it, so I’m sure Muschamp wants to use him in that role and put Easley and Floyd more at end, since that’s where they should be.
Tim Brando: Let's head to Gainesville with Coach Will Muschamp who's live on the scene with an exclusive. Coach Boom?
Boom: Gator Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Whiz... Weis is inside right now. I tried to set up an offense with him, but they said you can't do that he's a live walrus, he will literally rip your face off.
[to the walrus]
Coach Boom: Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out here, Walrus Weis!
Tim Brando: Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Unfortunately
that kind of position takes a while to develop as very, very few guys come out of high school at the size necessary to play nose tackle. Realistically, we need a high quality JuCo to come in and fill the gap if Hunter can’t get to the size and strength to handle it.
Congrats on avoiding the shutout at home.
Something to chalk up in the win column I guess…
Matt Elam: 0-2 against the Seminoles.
We couldn’t end the season with the pure silver – silver lining (beating the ’Noles) … so we had to find a silver plated – silver lining (not getting shut-out at home).
FSU back-2-back state champs!! 52-14
Haha, I appreciate the analogy.
Matt Elam: 0-2 against the Seminoles.
Congrats on being "back"!
Chalk that up as a win despite 4 losses!
by GoGators82 on Nov 30, 2011 1:00 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Difference being, I didn't brag about being back,
This article made it a point that it was a very big deal to not get shutout at home, it boasted about your precious “avoid getting shutout streak” which is a silver plated lining as so nicely put above.
Did I think we were “back” earlier in the season? Sure, but I certainly am not bragging about our 8-4 season with pathetic losses to Wake and UVA.
Matt Elam: 0-2 against the Seminoles.
by Tyler@FSU on Nov 30, 2011 2:50 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Considering you're new to this neck of the woods...
…there is plenty sarcasm slopped on to a lot of these posts like mayonnaise on Weis’ hero sandwich. The avoiding the shutout at home remark is sarcasm in the fact we were terrible and would have been shutout if fsu had tried to put the nails in. You really think this fan base is celebrating a single TD in a loss?
by GoGators82 on Dec 1, 2011 1:13 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
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