Other than a Gators victory, here's what we want to see tomorrow at the Florida-Georgia game. All of these are the wishes of a 23 year old who just happens to have a blog. So leave your suggestions or insults about my level of intelligence in the comments.
1. Eight players get offensive touches.
One of the great things to come out of the Kentucky game was the fact that seven Gators had catches and Jarred Fayson had a chance to carry the ball. When you have so many weapons, it's impossible for the defense to stop you. We love watching this offense fire at all cylinders because this is what we expected when Urban Meyer got to Gainesville; a damn track squad that can catch the ball too. But that also means...
2. Bubba stays healthy.
Despite not being 100%, Andre Caldwell had eight touches for 93 yards and a TD catch against UK. It's true `absence makes the heart grow fonder' and we realized how much we missed the kid from Tampa. Plus, Bubba freed up Percy Harvin to run like hell. You can't stop both of them.
3. Tebow gets less than 20 carries.
Tim Tebow had 20 carries against UK, which is two over his average. I understand the arguments that Tebow is a runner and limiting hurts the offense. But, he should be treated as a luxury. Running him on 2nd and 4 in the first half doesn't help us because it convinces defenses that he is the feature option. At this stage of the season, we should know that Kestahn Moore is legit and Fayson could be a poor man's Harvin. Put the ball in someone else's belly.
4. Force mistakes.
Georgia protects the ball (their five turnovers are the fewest in the SEC) and has the second fewest penalty yards per game. They've also scored 23 of 24 times in the red zone (95.8%, tops in SEC) with 17 TDs. In a worst case scenario, you have to assume all this will continue against the UF defense. And as we saw last week, not even six sacks can slow a team down. It may take another six sacks to beat UGA, plus turnovers. If UF can get to Matt Stafford and force turnovers or three-and-outs early, the game will be over before the second half.
5. Kyle Jackson as Johnny Fontane.
If you don't get `The Godfather' reference, I feel horrible for you.
Meyer: [shouts] You can act like a man!
[Meyer slaps Jackson]
Meyer: What's the matter with you? Is this how you turned out? A senior that cries like a woman.
[Meyer imitates Jackson sobbing]
Meyer: What can I do?
[camera pans to Charlie Strong who is laughing]
Meyer: What can I do? What is that nonsense. Ridiculous.
Of course, Johnny Fontane got that big part in the Woltz picture and shot to the top. Hopefully, it won't take a horse head in someone's bed to get Jackson back on track in the Georgia game. It'd be nice if his buddy Tony Joiner helped out too.
6. The streak continues.
We said this last week too, so we're bringing it back for good luck. While UGA looked like trash against Tennessee and Vandy, UF's defense has looked like trash for four consecutive weeks. Plus, the Bulldogs come into this game after a bye, which could prove to be significant.
Only Auburn's defense has stopped UF, so we're assuming that the Gator offense will be at least moderately successful. So, can the Gators stop UGA's attack? Georgia gets 6.5 yards per catch and 4.4 yards per run. UF will face a big dose of Knowshon Moreno running, but also coming out of the backfield to catch. Our worst nightmare is that Stafford can exploit the short game and UGA's receivers can take off. And there are plenty of Dawgs who can catch the ball; they have eight different players with TD catches and seven with double digit catches this season.
7. Everyone stays safe.
My brother is in Jacksonville along with our boy Tim C. (who was in Baton Rouge this season) and the lovely Miss Sarah. Not only do we hope they bring Championship Mode and Good Karma, but they also come back in one piece. As we've seen the past three years, there is the potential for trouble. With some calling for a venue change Jacksonville says they are making things safer.
It's not even an issue of fans getting in fights (that will happen everywhere and Tom Brown was killed by local thugs) it's the uncontrollable atmosphere that Jacksonville allows. Rather than worry about how to keep people from dying, they are more concerned with keeping the game in town. Even the safety zone is garbage because if you are able to walk to a predetermined place, you're probably not drunk. To actually go through crowds and help kids or clear out places packed tight with people would be too much work. When the contract expires in 2010, both schools should take a hard look at Jacksonville's ability to host the game.