In the run up to Saturday's game we came up with a wish list of what we wanted to see against LSU. Let's see how the team did.
1. CI Baby gets five catches for 75 yards.
Umm, not even close. Technically he was thrown at four times, and he had a drop and was smacked in the head by Tebow's four seam fastball which became the interception. Two catches for 43 yards is a nice average, and he broke free on his 37 yard TD. Also, we would like to welcome CBS color commentator Gary Danielson to the `CI Baby Bandwagon' who called CI Baby a "freak". My name is mlmintampa, and I drive this bandwagon. Please find a seat and buckle in.
2. Lou Murphy and Bubba become legit threats on the edge.
Murphy and Bubba had four catches for 36 yards. What I was hoping for when I wrote this was Lou and Bubba could start attracting attention, to free Percy. But, LSU limited the Gators' shots down field. Also, Bubba may have been 100%, but he wasn't quite ready for a game like this. That's not a knock on him. That's just the way it is. If you include Moore's two catches for 21 yards and a TD, UF gets a passing grade on this.
3. Tebow runs as the closer.
Tebow had 16 rushes but several of them were escaping from the pocket and not designed. Moore, minus the turnover, had 12 carries for 79 yards which is decent. Florida was only able to run five plays with the lead in the fourth quarter, so we cannot judge this.
4. No slow play in the first quarter.
The Gators scored 3 points in the first quarter and started a TD drive, but did have a three and out after the Joe Haden INT. And while we called it slow play, it was in reference to the style of poker. In reality, it was slow play and it worked well. UF's official time of possession in the first was 10:36.
5. Disciplined linebackers.
Doe played well, Spikes was decent, and A.J. Jones keeps breaking the hearts of Tampa Gators. Ryan Stamper almost single handedly won the game as he cut through and grabbed Jacob Hester ankles on the last 4&1. Hopefully he'll be getting more playing time.
6. More blitzing.
Guess how many sacks UF had. NONE! However, you can't blitz when the opponent runs 52 times. If there was any positive in terms of pressure it was that Cunningham was fantastic and, as mentioned earlier, Haden and Wright are the real deal.
7. Our man Timmy C. stays safe.
As of 9:00pm, we do not know where he is.
As a whole, not quite a complete game, but damn close. I'm going to start calling hospitals along I-10 for Timmy.