Florida at #14 Utah - 8:00 PM ESPN

[LouderVol]

You don't consider that many of those players transferred/left. I would say Utah has more talent right now. I didn't keep up with where Florida finished in 2022 but apparently Dan Mullen left the cupboard pretty bare for Napier. I don't think Napier is a great coach but he was left with a bag of crap. Kind of reminds me of what Dooley left Butch Jones.

247 does a composite talent ranking that looks at the actual make up of the actual roster. Including transfers in/out, JUCOs, etc.

2023 College Football Team Talent Composite

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

 

[LouderVol]

This isn't sour grapes, but the scariest thing for me tonight is that I don't think Utah is very good.

I really don't.

They didn't look very sharp. Florida had several chances they just couldn't capitalize on.

 

[Sarms58]

Florida made many mistakes but Utah still only had about 350 yards offense So I do think their D is better this year. On the offensive side Florida wasn’t able to run and gave up four or five sacks so their OL isn’t where they want to be.
Im optimistic about our chances in the swamp but it will be a war - that’s a tough place to play and they always get up to play us.

 

[LouderVol]

I have no idea what your team is trying to accomplish on offense. There seems to be zero continuity in the game plan.

I have been saying it for a while. Florida doesn't have their usual talent, but their coaching is making what they have look worse. Its clear Florida has some play makers that are finding some success despite the coaching/scheme.

Its everything about the coaching. Prep, gameplan, play calling, even basic logistics. I still think the game is over when Utah was punting and Florida had two #3's out on the field that gave Utah a first down and they went and scored. It was never in question afterwards. Thats purely a coaching thing, even at half time they were talking about it as a coaching problem.

But they weren't prepped for the running QB.
I still don't think they had a real gameplan, unless it was to try every scheme in the playbook with no rhyme or reason.
Play calling looked pretty good at moments, but then you would get real head scratchers.
The coaching just never let the team get settled. I still think Florida is a better team than we saw, coaching just consistently got in the way. Its almost like Napier was out there to prove he was the smartest guy on the field, and that he knew better than anyone else with all the shifts in the play calling.

 

[Septic]

Florida wins handily, VN freaks out before our matchup down there. Tale as old as time

derp.

 

[Septic]

I have been saying it for a while. Florida doesn't have their usual talent, but their coaching is making what they have look worse. Its clear Florida has some play makers that are finding some success despite the coaching/scheme.

Its everything about the coaching. Prep, gameplan, play calling, even basic logistics. I still think the game is over when Utah was punting and Florida had two #3's out on the field that gave Utah a first down and they went and scored. It was never in question afterwards. Thats purely a coaching thing, even at half time they were talking about it as a coaching problem.

But they weren't prepped for the running QB.
I still don't think they had a real gameplan, unless it was to try every scheme in the playbook with no rhyme or reason.
Play calling looked pretty good at moments, but then you would get real head scratchers.
The coaching just never let the team get settled. I still think Florida is a better team than we saw, coaching just consistently got in the way. Its almost like Napier was out there to prove he was the smartest guy on the field, and that he knew better than anyone else with all the shifts in the play calling.

Sunbelt Billy isn't the answer for them, I hope he stays around for a while.

 

[ptcarter]

Florida doing something we used to do. Bite off more than we could chew on the first game while everyone else played cupcakes. They looked bad, but a road game to top 15 team is not a good recipe, even if you are good. Crowd looked "into it". Altitude thing might have been a bit of a factor - they kept showing those throw away Oxygen bottles. Didn't I see where they left Gainesville early to skip the hurricane? They stayed in Texas, a state not known for it's altitude. Why not hang in Denver for a couple of days instead to acclimate?

Gators just might be better than we saw, but I still think we got 'em by 3 touchdowns this trip.

 

[LouderVol]

Florida doing something we used to do. Bite off more than we could chew on the first game while everyone else played cupcakes. They looked bad, but a road game to top 15 team is not a good recipe, even if you are good. Crowd looked "into it". Altitude thing might have been a bit of a factor - they kept showing those throw away Oxygen bottles. Didn't I see where they left Gainesville early to skip the hurricane? They stayed in Texas, a state not known for it's altitude. Why not hang in Denver for a couple of days instead to acclimate?

Gators just might be better than we saw, but I still think we got 'em by 3 touchdowns this trip.

eh because its Florida I don't think it will be 3 touchdowns. The strangest things will happen in the favor of Florida. Joe will probably launch one, just as some bird dips down into the stadium, deflecting the pass into the waiting hands of a Florida defender who gave up on the play, who is able to take it back for a touchdown. Or a field goal deflects off the front of the goal posts a Florida player catches it and returns that for a TD. Or Mertz will trip on his own feet, throw the ball deep down field towards 6 of our defenders and their worst WR, and somehow the WR will catch it and turn it into a big play.

 

[Redleg68]

This isn't sour grapes, but the scariest thing for me tonight is that I don't think Utah is very good.

I really don't.

Don't sleep on Utah. With whom they had out last night, they would have added 21 more points with those guys abilities and game savvy.

 

[Delmar]

You guys probably felt this for a while, but it's really annoying to suck and someone claims that a victory over your team is a statement win. Florida has had two losing seasons in a row.

Not exactly a statement win for Utah.

We had that feeling for about 15 years….but especially when Cornbread lost to Georgia State. Embarrassing to give Georgia State a “statement win”.

 

[ETV]

There are 31 million reasons that Napier is there another year.

 

[butchna]

Think FL is about to have their own Dooley era. My guess is though ur university doesn’t go full blown tard like ours did and keep hiring idiot after idiot. Think your next hire will be much better. Not gonna lie though. I hope I’m wrong.

Haven’t we heard that EVERY HIRE since Urban?

 

[volbound1700]

The thing to worry about with Florida is that their QB did look competent at times and our issue seems to be passing defense. Florida won't run the ball on us but they may try to throw it and go for it a lot like they did last year and may get lucky. They almost beat us last year with the crazy play calling, luck they got at the end, and going for it on 4th down.

 

[Pepe_Silvia]

The thing to worry about with Florida is that their QB did look competent at times and our issue seems to be passing defense. Florida won't run the ball on us but they may try to throw it and go for it a lot like they did last year and may get lucky. They almost beat us last year with the crazy play calling, luck they got at the end, and going for it on 4th down.

He put up impressive numbers but much of it came from screen passes.

 

[gobravesvols16]

Think FL is about to have their own Dooley era. My guess is though ur university doesn’t go full blown tard like ours did and keep hiring idiot after idiot. Think your next hire will be much better. Not gonna lie though. I hope I’m wrong.

I’m telling you guys and you can save this post for future reference or whatever but if Deion turns Colorado around like I think he will he will get one of the big 3 Florida jobs. I don’t think it will be FSU so that leaves the U and UF. If he gets the UF job it could be trouble

 

[LouderVol]

The thing to worry about with Florida is that their QB did look competent at times and our issue seems to be passing defense. Florida won't run the ball on us but they may try to throw it and go for it a lot like they did last year and may get lucky. They almost beat us last year with the crazy play calling, luck they got at the end, and going for it on 4th down.

Yeah, that was the strange thing for me. There were times where the play calling was helping, then it would disappear. They were mixing it up and keeping Utah out of balance, and then they would go bland as all get out.

 

[Pepe_Silvia]

I’m telling you guys and you can save this post for future reference or whatever but if Deion turns Colorado around like I think he will he will get one of the big 3 Florida jobs. I don’t think it will be FSU so that leaves the U and UF. If he gets the UF job it could be trouble

That's a heaping pile of conjecture. Deionized hasn't even coached a game in major college football.

 

[AthensVol2007]

I mentioned in another thread that our floor is much lower than Florida due to the sheer amount of talented players in the state, but this reminds me of the time Butch Jones spent a year running the zone read with a dynamic athlete like Justin Worley at qb.

The fact he thought it would ever fool anyone when Worley NEVER kept it was comical. The “read” is pointless if it’s always a handoff to the RB.

 

[vavolfan6]

The thing to worry about with Florida is that their QB did look competent at times and our issue seems to be passing defense. Florida won't run the ball on us but they may try to throw it and go for it a lot like they did last year and may get lucky. They almost beat us last year with the crazy play calling, luck they got at the end, and going for it on 4th down.

I thought he played as well considering his circumstances. He had no run game, a collapsing pocket, and not many weapons at receiver. He may get his team in the redzone, but I don't see them having the weapons to score TDs consistently. At least not enough to keep up tic for tac with our offense. We will be trading TDs with FGs.

 

[DC_Vol]

I thought he played as well considering his circumstances. He had no run game, a collapsing pocket, and not many weapons at receiver. He may get his team in the redzone, but I don't see them having the weapons to score TDs consistently. At least not enough to keep up tic for tac with our offense. We will be trading TDs with FGs.

Unfortunately this all sounds very familiar.

 

[volbound1700]

Yeah, that was the strange thing for me. There were times where the play calling was helping, then it would disappear. They were mixing it up and keeping Utah out of balance, and then they would go bland as all get out.

My fear is that last year, Napier kept rolling the dice against us and it was working out every time. Sure the odds are against him and it will eventually bite him but it is a scare though. How many 4th and longs did they convert against us last year that would have allowed us to beat them soundly had we stopped them?

Looks like their team is somewhat equipped to be that way this year and we will be in their stadium.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

Florida fans keep pointing towards Napier's recruiting as a reason for some hope for a 2024 and 2025 turnaround, but the recruiting will take a hit if they don't show improvement this season from 2022. The other issue is roster retention with the existence of the portal. Good young players aren't going to stick around if the future isn't getting brighter. Napier has to improve this team to around 6-6 to stay credible to recruits and current players.

 

[ptcarter]

My fear is that last year, Napier kept rolling the dice against us and it was working out every time. Sure the odds are against him and it will eventually bite him but it is a scare though. How many 4th and longs did they convert against us last year that would have allowed us to beat them soundly had we stopped them?

Looks like their team is somewhat equipped to be that way this year and we will be in their stadium.

They sucked on 4th down against the Utes. Stuff happens for Florida against the Vols that doesn’t work against others. Kentucky beating them in the swamp before us- didn’t see that coming. It’s like Auburn occasionally getting wins against Bama, but it takes us 15 years

 

[LouderVol]

My fear is that last year, Napier kept rolling the dice against us and it was working out every time. Sure the odds are against him and it will eventually bite him but it is a scare though. How many 4th and longs did they convert against us last year that would have allowed us to beat them soundly had we stopped them?

Looks like their team is somewhat equipped to be that way this year and we will be in their stadium.

thats fair. I have had similar worries. I think a lot will come down to how our offense looks. If we don't have much of a drop off, I could see Napier trying it. But if have returned to earth a good bit, probably not as much.

Being the smartest guy in the room works if you win, once you start losing you can't get away with thinking you know more than everyone else.

 

[Delmar]

My fear is that last year, Napier kept rolling the dice against us and it was working out every time. Sure the odds are against him and it will eventually bite him but it is a scare though. How many 4th and longs did they convert against us last year that would have allowed us to beat them soundly had we stopped them?

Looks like their team is somewhat equipped to be that way this year and we will be in their stadium.

Two things. One, they had a QB named Anthony Richardson last year who carried them by himself. He ain’t there anymore. Second, I am really hoping our defense against the pass is better this year but I’m withholding judgement on that. I want to see the DB’s we put on the field before saying much. I know our LB’s are better this year. I think we’ll be stout against the run.