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By John L. Crawford
SouthernPigskin.com Contributor
Fernandina News-Leader
SouthernPigskin.com Contributor John L. Crawford analyzes the Florida Gators and FSU Seminoles..
OK Florida fans, it’s time to stop setting yourselves up for disappointment on Saturdays and for ridicule on Mondays. Seriously, stop engaging in those water cooler conversations with your Gator Hater buddies that end with you saying, “The offense is gonna have a breakout game on Saturday.” Because it probably ain’t happening in 2009. Well, maybe it will against FIU in a few weeks, but you get my point.
As cliché is it may sound, this Florida football team is what it is and that is a defensive juggernaut that spends its Saturdays making amends for an average, mistake-prone offense that can’t score touchdowns in the red zone. And you know what? It still might be enough to win championships. How? Well, how are the Gators 7-0?
Answer: The Florida defense has given up four touchdowns in seven games. As unimpressive as the Gator offense has been, the 11 guys on the other side of the ball have been equally dominant.
When Tim Tebow made the announcement that he would return for his senior season, the general expectation was that the Florida offense would pick up where it left off in 2008. But it’s evident now that losing Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and, maybe most importantly, offensive coordinator Dan Mullen from last year’s national championship team has taken a toll. As hard of a pill as it is to swallow, this Gator offense might be incapable of dominance. But fans should take solace in knowing that the defense is not.
The buzzword right now when referring to the Florida football team is “ugly,” much to the chagrin of Gator fans. Maybe it’s time to counter that sentiment with one word: “Scoreboard.” Because when everything is said and done, that’s all that matters anyway…
With all the above said, it’s not like the Florida offense is completely inept. Take away Mississippi State’s two interception returns for touchdowns and give the Gators two more field goals when they got into the red zone and the score would have been 35-6 last Saturday. Of course those plays can’t be erased but the point is that Florida’s offensive problems seem to be concentrated around turnovers. Hold onto the ball, kick field goals when the opportunities are there and this Florida offense could be a nice complement to the dominating defense…
How this Saturday’s Florida-Georgia game turns out might depend on which Georgia offense shows up, as the Bulldogs have looked like two different squads at times in 2009. If the Bulldogs who posted 399 yards against Vanderbilt’s 22nd-ranked defense show up, we might have a game. But if the offense that put up just 241 total yards and 13 first downs against Tennessee comes to play, well, “17-of-20” might be uttered a few zillion times between now and next week’s column, if you get my drift...
Speaking of schizophrenic teams, Florida State fans not only have to wonder which team will show up from week to week, but from half to half. The Seminoles appeared absolutely harrowing in the first half against North Carolina last Thursday night before completely dominating the second half on both sides of the ball. It must be nerve-racking to be a FSU fan these days. One minute your team looks like the best in its division, the next minute it scores seven points at home. Many contend that the latest victory might have secured a winning season. But I find it hard to believe that Florida State fans are comfortable with that notion, especially with trips to Clemson and Gainesville looming.
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Crawford of the Fernandina News-Leader, a veteran journalist in the Sunshine State and a high school football coach, has joined the SouthernPigskin.com Staff. His opinions will include college football but other sports as well. Share your thoughts on the SouthernPigskin.com Message Boards or email John at
Stories written by SouthernPigskin.com columnists are done independently. Views do not always coincide with those of the remainder of the staff or the ownership of SouthernPigskin.com.
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