Was I a little too hard on the Vols? My father thinks so. He points out that the Vols actually totaled 258 yards to the Gators’ 243, won the time of possession battle (barely) and threatened to score in the red zone twice. The game could have been much closer, he says, and save for a few critical miscues (which seem to be emblematic of modern-day Tennessee football) Tennessee played decently well.

Dad, you’re a great guy and I love ya, but I don’t agree. Watching the replay, Florida dominated Tennessee defensively and were efficient on offense. Brandon James consistently gave the Gators great field position, and Tennessee’s punts from within their own territory contributed to Florida’s short drives (and low overall yardage). Finally, the new clock rules (blast them!) robbed us of a great deal of football.

Florida’s drives:

Drive 1: starts at UT 44, TD
Drive 2: starts at UT 23 after UT fumble, FG
Drive 3: punt return for TD
Drive 4: starts at UF 3 after UT fumble, FG
Drive 5: kneel-down after intercepting Crompton in endzone with :02 remaining in 1H
Drive 6: starts at UF 9, punt
Drive 7: starts at UT 47, TD
Drive 8: starts at UF 38, FG
Drive 9: starts at UF 46, turnover on downs — Meyer elects not to score at UT 10 (game is over)
Drive 10: kneel-down, victory formation

As you can see, Florida started only three of their drives from within their own territory, and one of those were at the Gators’ 38-yard line. Throw in three meaningless possessions (drives 5, 9, and 10) and you have only seven meaningful offensive possessions. Of those seven, Florida failed to score on only one of them (drive 6) and at that point the defense had already proved they could stop Tennessee’s offense. Meyer had shifted into field position mode by that point.

Now, to put a further positive spin on things, Tennessee should consider themselves fortunate that the score was only 30-6. Florida’s fourth drive came down to a 4th-and-3 which saw the coaching staff electing to go for the conversion at Tennessee’s 18-yard line. Tennessee jumped offsides (twice, actually) and caused barely a ripple along Florida’s o-line. Without a doubt it was a defensive penalty, yet UF was called for a false start. All the more maddening was the fact that the officials had called Florida for an offsides (correctly) just moments earlier. Of course Tebow completed his pass to Aaron Hernandez which would have resulted in a first down.

All the yards in the world between the 20s don’t mean a lick if you can’t score points. Great special teams play, great defense, and very good offense production put this game under Gator control early on and the good guys never relinquished their grasp. Florida’s coaching staff created a solid gameplan, executed it well, and Tennessee was soundly beaten. By no stretch should anyone believe that these Vols could beat the ‘08 Gators even once out of ten attempts.

Things that stood out

Yes, there is a reason everyone thought he was good: Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have found our starting running back, and his name is Emmanuel Moody. Moody had some great runs in this game, showing a combination of elusiveness and power we haven’t seen at the position since Ciatrick Fason in 2004. He’s also deceptively fast. Moody’s cuts and downhill running contributed to Florida holding the ball for long stretches in the 3rd and 4th quarters, and I didn’t see any issues with ball security. High and tight, my man, high and tight. Moody had nine carries for 55 yards, a 6.1 YPC average. Grade: B+

Don’t take that play off: Florida’s special teams, particularly the punt, punt return and kick return units, were outstanding. Brandon James is the star, and he gets credit for being otherworldly when it comes to making tacklers miss, but look at how aggressive these units block, tackle, and put hats on the ball carrier. Also worthy of praise is punter Chas Henry, who has been superlative in his three outings this year. Henry boomed a 50+ yarder and flipped the field on the Vols in the third quarter thanks to his massive leg. Meyer calls him the best punter in the country, and we all know that Coach isn’t prone to freebie compliments. I expect special things both when Florida punts and returns, and that expectation is often rewarded. Grade: A+

4-14 is a distant memory: Chris Hetland salved his legacy when he nailed those 40-yard FGs in the ‘06 championship game, but it was a rocky road getting to that point. You’ll recall the championship Gator kicker made only 4 of 14 attempts in his senior season. Two years later, Jonathan Phillips has shown that he can calmly step up in a pressure-packed situation and drill a 40-yard field goal, on the road, right between the uprights, time and time again. 106,000 screaming Vol fans? No matter. The importance of a reliable kicker cannot be overstated in the SEC, and we have one (so far.) Grade: A

Don’t go for it on 4th-down: Florida’s defense punished Tennessee for both of their fourth down attempts. One of those was critical as the stop squad held UT to zero points despite enjoying 1st-and-goal the 4 yard line. Florida was +3 in turnover margin, forced a fumble and picked off Jonathan Crompton. Had there not been 12 men on the field (how’d that happen?) earlier on that drive, Haden’s interception of Crompton’s horribly thrown pass would have given the Gators the ball back at their own 40-yard line with several minutes remaining in the half. Throw in a B.S. sideline interference call and at least two questionable pass interference calls on the Gator, and this one really could have been much uglier. Grade: A

Swagger: You want your top-rated SEC defense to have some swagger, some attitude, and this group has it in spades. You also want your guys on D to be a little bit nasty, aggressive, and confident. The Gators’ D played like they believed they wanted and deserved the ball more than the Vol offense, swarming the ball carrier, putting lots of hat on the receiver, and making the quarterback pay for every extra second he bought in the pocket. Sometimes the Gators were a tad too aggressive; at least two pass interference calls were obviously in the Vols’ favor. But better too aggressive than too passive in this league. Florida held the Vols to 36.3% on 3rd-down conversions and only allowed 96 yards on the ground. Grade: A

Becoming a game manager: Florida’s offense seemed a bit stagnant at times but when you really look at the numbers, look at what was accomplished on those 7 meaningful drives (as described above), they were quite good. Tim Tebow is becoming an effective game manager. While some have pointed to his “quiet” stats so far this year, I believe they primarily reflect good adherence to the offensive gameplan, distributing the ball, and eliminating turnovers. (Florida has yet to turn the ball over so far this season.) Tebow will have some big games this year, but so far, we haven’t needed them from him. This is, without a doubt, a good thing. Grade: B+

Cornelius Who? Of course we all wish we had #7 back, but I’m really impressed with our new number one TE, Aaron Hernandez. This guy can block, he can run, he can catch. He is supremely athletic and powerful, and surprisingly quick for his size. And such soft hands! This guy doesn’t drop anything thrown his way. He made a critical play on an inside shovel pass from Tebow in the first half, a play which looked doomed to failure, but his speed and power dug the Gators out of a 3rd-and-long hole. Hernandez has the chance to be a special player for the Gators. He is a fearsome weapon in the arsenal and should be utilized early and often. Grade: B+

Offensive playcalling: If I had to pick one nit, my biggest gripe is Dan Mullen’s insistence on mixing in large amounts of option against speedy defenses who can meet your attack at the perimeter with consistency. We had good success pounding the ball, and we had receivers open all day, so why not go to the well until the opponent is forced to adjust? Doing so will open up the option attack. Sometimes Mullen’s playcalling seems entirely random, but then again we did win 30-6. Grade: B-

Overall, this team is on the right track. It’s got to be a scary thought to SEC DCs that Florida’s offense still hasn’t totally shifted into high gear yet, but we’re still blowing our opponents away. This team has a chance to be truly special and right now the dreams of a championship are very much alive.