FLORIDA FOOTBALL: FOOD FOR A MAN'S SOUL
MeatChicken Musings
Long: good OL. Henne: suspect QB. Hart: mouthy RB.
We’re a good two-and-a-half weeks away from our meeting with the Michigan Wolverines. Perhaps it’s too early to discuss anything. Then again, what do we have to discuss? What can we expect?
For one, I have to admit I’m disappointed we didn’t draw a better team, despite my initial “Oh, Hell Yes” reaction. Michigan didn’t even finish the year inside the Top 25, yet here the 9th-ranked (AP) Florida Gators have drawn them for the Capital One bowl.
I was having a conversation regarding the Michigan fanbase’s dark mood about this matchup with a fellow FanHouse blogger who has ties to the Big 10 conference. He wrote in email:
Michigan fans are worried that they’re losing their place among the elite nationally AND within the conference. Wisconsin has been almost as successful as Michigan over the past few years, and with the way Zook is recruiting, Illinois may be able to keep the ball rolling. Bielema and Alvarez very wisely accepted the Outback bid early to keep from having to face Florida in the Cap One. Penn State did the same thing with the Alamo Bowl. They pretty much forced the Cap One to take Michigan, proving that Michigan’s AD is as behind the times as the Wolverine fan base thinks he is.
That certainly sheds some light on how we drew the Maize and Blue.
And can you really blame Wisky and Penn State? Florida’s a bad matchup for them as well. The Gators are receiving tons of respect for their potent offense; they’re the highest ranked 3-loss team in both the BCS and AP standings; even above two-loss teams like West Virginia and Arizona State. No one wants to play them.
I’m not privy to the inside dealings that go into bowl selections, but this story has a legit feel to it.
Anyway, as for the Wolvies, I just can’t see how we lose. I usually dread that fat and happy, complacent, overconfident feeling and it isn’t a welcome one right now; but even if the Gators have a terrible, turnover-prone, mistake-ridden game, I just don’t see a loss in the cards.
Michigan’s not very inventive on offense. I’m sure Mattison, Strong, Heater, et. al. have been carefully preparing based on many years of tape, which shows a rigid, unimaginative offense which rarely presents any wrinkles. Any number of SEC teams would have presented a far greater challenge to our youthful line and secondary, so it seems hard to believe we can’t contain this attack.
On the offensive side of the ball: will the Gators punt? Michigan’s defense doesn’t like to fight by their opponent’s rules, and Florida’s offense above all others in the nation dictates their own terms. Tebow’s one-man play-action attack will fluster and confuse Michigan’s defense, who were so inept at stopping Oregon and Dennis Dixon that the Ducks began to toy with their opponent, running Statue of Liberty fakes and gadget plays seemingly for the hell of it. Florida’s offense is at least as powerful as the Ducks with a healthy Dixon at QB.
We’ll start breaking down actual numbers and stats in the coming days, but from a high-level perspective, we don’t need to drill down too deeply to arrive at the same conclusion the rest of the college football world has found: it should be Florida in a rout over Michigan.
Loading ...
15 Comments so far
Leave a comment
It should be Florida in a rout over Michigan…
It SHOULD be…
And that’s what scares me to death…
If Hart is fully healthy, he could give the Gator D some fits with a functional running game; as did AUB and UGA; and keep the Wolvies in it…
I think the UF D, as with all three losses this season, will be the key in the end…
By gatorhippy on 12.14.07 7:55 pm
Hart could run on us, but I don’t see Henne/Mallett doing anything special in the air. I don’t see anything too bad, and I’m trying to be realistic.
Dude, my uncle is a UofM grad and even he doesn’t want to go to the game. Reason being: ” We’re going to get our shit pushed in” Gotta love being realistic. Tix are mad expensive for this damn game.
By BurritoBrosShits on 12.14.07 8:44 pm
[…] Orange and Blue Hue » MeatChicken Musings We’re a good two-and-a-half weeks away from our meeting with the Michigan Wolverines. Perhaps it’s too early to discuss anything. Then again, what do we have to discuss? What can we expect? […]
By Michigantailgate.net » Blog Archive » Orange and Blue Hue » MeatChicken Musings on 12.15.07 7:54 am
“Tix are mad expensive for this damn game”…
And I gots 4 of ‘em…
By gatorhippy on 12.15.07 10:03 am
Hey, pride comes before the fall. Haha. MSU’s coach said that about Mich, I love repeating it. Anyway, Michigan fan here, yep, you’re going to kill us. BUT, I’m happy that I don’t have to drink the cool aid and believe we are going to actually win a bowl game. w00t!
By Chris on 12.15.07 10:43 am
Hart and Henne are top players at their position and could give us some trouble (combined with some big time wide receivers). However they just don’t have the horses to run with us for a full 60 minutes. They are like sprinters trying to run a marathon. They may look good early or in spurts but by the end they’ll be far behind.
By Keltic Gator on 12.15.07 12:08 pm
Honestly, has there EVER been an easier pick in a confidence point bowl pool? Tebow’s gonna score at least 6 TDs.
By Brian on 12.15.07 7:05 pm
Gators rule this game 45- 38. Sure Michigan owns the SEC with a 19-5-1 record but their coach is a lameduck and they’ve been banged up all year. Tebow can run against their weak defense or pick apart the secondary.
By carl on 12.16.07 10:18 am
Let’s see, Michigan averages 26oints per game. Tim averages 29 points per game, by himself. 4 Losses - App State, Oregon, Wisconsin, tOsu and coming to the game on a 2 game losing streak with thier coach already gone (although coaching). I don’t know if a team will get fired up about a coach leaving that puts up 4 losses and has been OWNED by tOsu. In my time watching College football, that typically sets up for a blowout.
Heisman’s 52
Bad Helmets 20
By urbanisagod on 12.16.07 10:28 am
I’m pretty confident UF is better than Appy St.
UF 50
UMich 17
By UFGatorDMD on 12.17.07 2:35 pm
I’ve been a Gator for over 40 years, and have heard too often the phrase, “I just can’t see how we lose” followed later by “Wait til next year!”
By Pompano Gator on 12.18.07 10:43 pm
lolololololololol we kicked the living crap out of you GO BLUE! WHO SUCKS NOW! YEAH I DON’T THINK UF IS BETTER THAN APPY STATE! i love how you all trashed michigan and gave them no respect and they went into a pretty much home game for you guys and killed you. If mike hart didn’t fumble twice at the goal line this game isn’t even close.
By joe on 05.06.08 3:07 pm
Dude - 5 months later? What did you just get released from prison or something? Happy Seis de Mayo to you….
By skigator93 on 05.06.08 4:44 pm
It was a great win by Michigan, so if Joe’s exuberant nose-flubbing made him happy, he deserves it.
It’ll take a while to live down that loss. It was humiliating to lose to Michigan.
By GatorPilot on 05.06.08 4:49 pm
how is it embarassing to lose to michigan? michigan is 7-2 against the SEC under lloyd carr. i thought the big 10 was slow? well, just slow enough i guess.
By mike on 06.27.08 5:04 pm
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>