It was, once again, not the prettiest of wins, but it was a decisive one. Vandy played hard and picked up a few yards, but never got a shot at more than 3 points.

While the offense showed some of the same drive-killing tendencies it has all year, and the 375 combined yards Tebow & Co. put up was rather a low total against a team of Vandy’s caliber, Tebow’s stats are surprisingly good. Little Timmy completed 15 of 20 for 208 yards and 1 TD, plus ran for another 27 and a rushing TD. His rushing totals would be much higher if he hadn’t been sacked four times. Florida’s pass protection, plus Tebow’s willingness to hold onto the ball for many seconds after it should be launched downfield, were both contributing factors.

Still, UF converted only 4 of 13 3rd downs, and shot themselves in the foot with 9 penalties for a loss of 68 yards. Tebow’s lone TD pass sanguinely bounced off of Riley Cooper’s hands and into David Nelson’s open arms in the end zone — last time that occurred, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State ran it back for six. But hey, we’ll take it.

Let’s sum up the questions with which Gator Nation is tormenting itself:

1) “Why isn’t this offense playing better when we have All-World players?”

2) “Why is Tim Tebow holding on to the ball so long, and looking so hesitant in the pocket?”

3) “If Florida can’t wipe inferior squads off the map, how will they beat teams like Alabama or Texas?”

4) “Why does a 9-0 record and a 19-game school-record winning streak feel so ‘bleah’?”

Now, take the first three of those questions, scrunch them up into a tight little ball of paper, and throw that negativity blob into the trash.

Yes, the offense has issues, and yes, we’d all like to see this unit ring up pinball scores like they did in years past.

Will this offense suddenly explode at this point? Unlikely. What we see is basically what we’ve got. Offensive line play rarely shows dramatic improvement throughout a season, and that’s probably the weakest link on this unit — not the receiver corps. No, I fully expect Florida to continue grinding out close wins against good competition, and slowly pull away from weaker teams like Vandy.

So, I’ve got a suggestion for you: forget about it. Because the answer to 1-3 is: “It doesn’t matter.” Because our defense is that good. Because Caleb Sturgis is starting to fulfill the promise and potential he brought to the Gators’ kicking game. Because we still have the best player in the history of college football lining up under center. Because we have a tough, physical, grind-you-to-dust rushing attack. Because our players expect to own the 4th quarter, and have excelled each and every time the crowd stops swaying to ‘We Are the Boys’. Because we have the best coaches in the business, coaches who have already adjusted our scheme and gameplanning to accentuate Florida’s strengths and minimize its weaknesses.

Because, at the end of the day, Florida is still the best team in the country, warts and all. Which team has clearly proven that they deserve #1 instead of Florida? I’d be happy to acknowledge it if it were true. But if you think Florida’s offensive woes are troubling, it’s far worse at ‘Bama. Texas? Sure, they’re good, and Colt McCoy is a great quarterback, but the college football institution learned a lesson about the value of wins against Big 12 defenses vs. their SEC counterparts at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Florida is undefeated in the nation’s toughest conference, has survived everything from flu, to off-field distractions, to on-field distractions, and has secured a berth in Atlanta.

There’s a lot to be happy about, folks.

We have to let this offensive ennui we’ve collectively endured reach its nadir and then disappear. This is our team. Our team is not perfect. Our team will not reach the offensive heights they did in ‘08. If you’ll recall, our ‘06 team is one of the greatest in Florida history, and that was a team that was far more troubled offensively than this one. Defense wins championships, ladies and gentlemen.

By playing tough. By playing with discipline. By squeezing the life out of our opponents. This is how our team wins games. And I fully expect them to win five more.

The answer to the fourth question? “It’s all in your mind.” So get your mind right, Gator Nation.

One’s first inclination is to breathe a massive sigh of relief after Caleb Sturgis’ 27-yarder sailed true through the uprights. Fact: Arkansas is pretty good. Fact: Florida had no right to win with a -4 turnover margin. Fact: The Gators’ final drive of the game was an example of what a championship-caliber teams do. Florida owns the 4th quarter. Tonight was no exception. Go ahead, breathe. This is another good win — even if our boys made it far more exciting than it needed to be.

It’s the equivalent of last year’s loss to Ole Miss, with a better outcome.

Clearly, Florida’s offense is still findings its identity. While two of the Gators’ 4 turnovers came in somewhat fluky fashion, the bottom line is the ball kept hitting the ground and white jerseys were routinely coming up with the leather. The difficult question is this: is this all we can expect out of the offense, which is generally competent when not turning over the ball, but hardly dominant? Or are we a play or two away from firing on all cylinders?

The corollary question begs asking… can this team win a championship in the same fashion as its 2006 counterpart? Maybe. But the season is played one game at a time.

Congratulations to the Arkansas Razorbacks for playing at a very high level and giving the Gators everything they could handle.

Walking out of Tiger Stadium with a 10-point victory — at night, no less — is a glorious thing. This fact cannot be understated. This was a fine victory and one of the more satisfying I’ve been witness to in the past few years of championship-level Gator football. No. 1 vs. No. 4… hot damn.

Statistically, the Gators were dominant; the kind of dominance that directly translates into Ws if not, in this case, tons of points. Florida’s 327 yards nearly doubled LSU’s 162; the Gators were 5-12 on 3rd down versus the Tigers’ 1-9; time of possession dramatically favored the Gators, at 36:30 to 23:30. LSU was also held to a total of 44 yards in the second half. As we have come to expect from Charlie Strong’s defense, Florida’s half-time adjustments and defensive intensity led to 3rd and 4th quarter clampdowns that kept the Tigers from even contemplating attempting another field goal.

I believe it’s safe to assume several facts in evidence:

1) Florida fields the best defense in the nation, hands down. Holding LSU to 3 points? In Death Valley? At night? YGTBFKM. The best, yes. Not only is this true in a statistical sense, but man, this is a nasty stop squad. LSU’s biggest play, a 26 yard pass from QB Jordan Jefferson to WR Brandon LaFell (the LSU stadium announcer called him ‘Jojo’, by the way) only occurred thanks to a mismatch with sub Markihe Anderson. No way that pass is completed against Joe Haden, who had an awesome outing along with the rest of the defensive starters. The DBs were hitting hard and drawing accurate beads on their targets. It was clear that LSU receivers were hearing footsteps in the second half. It had to be frustrating for Jordan Jefferson to face such a stingy defense.
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If you have access to a copy of the Alligator, you will see all the posts in the sports section, all the questions begging to be answered.

Where are the wideouts? What happened to the production? Who is to blame for the subpar effort against Tennessee? Would a healthy Deonte Thompson have made a difference? Can Florida get by without William Harvin III (yes, that is his real first name) and one Louis Murphy?

First off, some perspective. Florida’s wideouts aren’t going to go up against an Eric Berry-caliber player for the rest of the regular season; that being said, games against Trevard Lindley (Kentucky), Reshad Jones (Georgia), and Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt) are all on the schedule. But even then, those guys likely won’t pose the challenge Berry did. So the SEC opener isn’t a call for doom and gloom in my book, well, at least not yet.

That being said, UT exposed the one cold, hard truth in front of players, fans, and the talking media heads, the one truth that will likely define their season:

If Florida repeats, it will not do so with the same style that won Tebow the Heisman two years ago or the national championship last year.

First off, to be fair, spreads get all the glamour and glitz in college football, and have even gotten that pub in the NFL. We stand and cheer as Tim Tebow takes the snap in the red zone and runs straight forward for the touchdown. We oohed and ahhed while Sam Bradford coordinated the highest scoring offense in college football history, and sat stunned while Colt McCoy completed more than three out of every four pass attempts. We gave Larry Fitzgerald unheralded publicity after a postseason run for the ages in an offense where Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston completed a trio of 1000-yard receivers, and where Kurt Warner turned back the clock ten years. The examples go on and on.

But in all likelihood, Florida is going to have to win with a powerful running game and a defense, with grit instead of glitz. And, I have to admit, I actually kind of like it.

Okay, I don’t like the Tebow-carried-the-ball-24-times part. But Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey are both averaging a first down every time they touch the ball. And if the coaching staff can snap Emmanuel Moody out of whatever funk he’s in, it’s icing on the cake. They get to run behind the Pouncey brothers, who together, are one of the best duos in the conference, if not the country. It’s entirely under the realm of possibility that Florida could go from not having a feature back under Meyer to having two 1000-yard guys in the same season. Well, Tebow came close with 895 in his first year starting, and Harvin took a lot of snaps at wideout. But you need to play to your strengths.

And I’m fascinating watching the dynamic of a defense with as many players returning from a championship season as it did. Even though all 11 starters return, not all 11 guys start because of the glut of talent. The Joker package, when used effectively, capitalizes on one of Florida’s greatest strengths, its trio of start-worthy safeties, while masking its biggest weakness, a lack of depth at defensive tackle. They’re making the slow but sure leap from a defense that ebbs and flows with lots of big plays mixed in with some stinkers (see Ole Miss last year) to one that has more consistency in a good way, particularly with scoring defense.

And Florida has one of the easiest SEC schedules around, which, granted, is kind of like being the least fit cadet at West Point or the least intelligent student at MIT. But the team scheduled seven of twelve games at home (a rarity), not including the neutral site game against UGA. If Florida weathers a stretch of three out of the next four games on the road, they’ll sit pretty with the neutral site game, home contests against Vandy, FIU, and FSU, and a road game at USC East. They’re more likely to trip up in Atlanta than Columbia. And, unless it’s in the SECCG, one loss, while deflating a lot of the hype, wouldn’t be enough to knock them out of Pasadena.

Losing Harvin is what it is, but it doesn’t mean the end of the world. (After, would you rather have Harvin leaving and Tebow staying, or vice versa?)

From Gatorsports.com:

With Thompson out Saturday, the Gators had no down-field passing game to speak of. That was partly due to Tennessee’s zone coverages and partly to conservative play-calling by UF.

Meyer said in retrospect, maybe he should have opened things up a little bit more in the offense. But he said the Vols were making no effort to win the game and there was no reason to take any unnecessary risks.

“I didn’t feel like they were going after the win,” Meyer said. “They wanted to shorten the game. I think that was the plan. There are 10 minutes to go and they’re not in a no-huddle. It’s 23-6 and no urgency (on UT’s part).

“The way we lose a game there is throw an interception. Why put yourself in that position. Let’s find a way to win the game. We’re not trying to impress the pollsters, we’re trying to win the game. A lot of it had to do with the way they were playing. It made our life a little easier.”

This is a very telling quote. Not only do we have a very savvy coaching staff, but Kiffin was coaching for the moral victory from the opening kickoff.

Think about the difference between our fanbases: even in the Zook years, Gator Nation expected to win every game. Can you remember a time you were glad just to avoid the blowout? No? Me neither. You win them all. That is the goal. There is no secondary goal. There are no warm-fuzzies in losing. Unless you’re Lane Kiffin, head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Miami finds an offense with signal caller Jacory Harris. Oklahoma loses theirs, then finds it again with their backup quarterback. BYU gets a marquee win over said Sooners, but goes down to FSU in rout-like fashion. USC loses to Washington, the same team which went winless in 2008, and the same team which LSU handled with reasonable aplomb in their transcontinental season opener. Georgia drops their pants to Oklahoma State, then scores more than 41+ in two consecutive SEC games with a 5th-year senior quarterback who also sat on the bench for most of his collegiate career. Arkansas and South Carolina both go down, but do so swinging, scoring points, and showing promise at the quarterback position for the first time in recent memory. Even Chizik’s Auburn Tigers score 41 on the ‘Eers of West Virginia. ‘Bama scores in multiples of seven with their new starting QB, but they also play good defense.

And of course, the Florida Gators, the preseason alpha dog of college football, wins in workmanlike fashion over the Vols of Tennessee, who lost to UCLA on their home turf one week prior.

What does it all mean?

For starters, we have to be realistic about the fact that the win over Tennessee was uglier in appearance than it truly was. Tennessee’s defense was good enough, and well-coached enough, to force Florida into a ball-control game which was basically won by the 3rd quarter. 23-6, the Vols were reeling and Florida was moving the ball at will until…
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23-13. Didn’t see that one coming, didja? A dinged-up Gators squad played a real football game against a very determined group of Vols, and wound up victorious. Tennessee brought a defensive effort, and rushing intensity, that should certainly ratchet up our level of respect for their game. And despite losing, Lane Kiffin’s SEC coaching debut served as an announcement that he will not be quite the pushover that Phil Fulmer became in his final years.

As emotional, irrational beings (a.k.a. fans) we wanted more. Total annihilation was desired. But what we want — and what we need — are two different things. We needed the victory, and we got it. Our boys are to be commended for getting the job done. Gator Nation thanks you, fellas.

Now that we’ve gotten through the congratulatory portion of the review, it’s time for the hand-wringing that inevitably accompanies a win earned in less-than-blowout fashion. The burning questions are:

1) Have we overestimated our Gators or was the attrition/illness throughout the team wreaking havoc with our ability to get stops and score points?
2) Why was the tackling so terrible?
3) Why can’t our receivers get open?
4) How badly did we miss Deonte Thompson in this game?
5) Have you ever seen so many Vol fans deliriously happy to lose by only ten points?

More on this later, after some reflection and analysis.

… we can start the season in earnest. Tennessee Hate Week begins.

Oh, wait, you want to talk the Fightin’ Trojans? Despite a slow first quarter, the Gators exploded in the second fifteen. Tebow notched 5 TDs, the 2s got some playing time, Deonte dropped another then started catching everything, Demps is gonna be a star this year if he can stay healthy, Phillips missed the uprights once, the Trojans only managed two field goals, and yes, 56 is a multiple of 7. Thank you, Troy, here’s your paycheck.

But that outcome was written months ago; it simply had yet to be transferred from the ink blotter to paper. There was little suspense after the first 15 minutes.

The best part of Saturday? Why, that was watching Lane Kiffin’s rooster strut transformed to nervous consternation… followed by grim resignation. The Mighty Bruins of UCLA waltzed into a raucous SEC stadium and, once again, took advantage of the Vols’ offensive ineptitude. Final: 19-15. For their prize, the victors took a chunk of Big Talker’s Hollywood-tanned hide back to his native land, the Republik of California.

UCLA, people. They had to fight against San Diego State last week (33-14) and won a total of 4 games last year. Give ‘em credit, two of their last five wins have come against the Vols… for what that’s worth. Again, I’m reiterating the fact that UCLA traveled across the country and whipped Kiffin and his ultra-high-paid staff in their new backyard.

Here’s the deal: Jonathan Crompton is a terrible quarterback. Sorry, he might be the greatest guy in the world, but he couldn’t run the scout team at Florida. Crompton should consider himself lucky that he finished his day 13/26 for 93 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs. In reality he threw five picks; one was dropped in the endzone, the other called back for an offsides penalty. Both were criminally bad reads. To add to the misery, his was the last hand to touch the football before it was fumbled on a bad snap and recovered by UCLA.

For Tennessee, it’s not a question of if Nick Stephens starts… it’s when.

Lane Kiffin’s mouth has earned him an unsual type, and amount, of antipathy. The Vol fans themselves are decent people, the program has a storied tradition, and they’ve certainly suffered enough these past years. There’s no reason to wish them misery, at least not directly. But “Coach” Kiffin has purposefully, and without regret, stirred the emotions of Florida fans into a frenzy. Whereas this game could simply have been interesting to watch in the Swamp, it will now be a full-on assault by 92,000+ upon one man, his staff and his players. I have sent my letters in to the UF coaching staff pointing out Kiffin’s various misdeeds and that, on the face of it, no reasonable person could blame Urban Meyer for leaving his first team in for the entire game, no matter how bloody and horrific a scene ensues.

A quick run-through of what we’re dealing with in Mssr. Kiffin:

1) Intends to sing “Rocky Top” all night long in the Swamp at the conclusion of next weekend’s game.
2) Calls the best coach in college football, and one never sanctioned for any misdoing whatsoever, a “cheater”.
3) Did so while making up NCAA rules off the top of his head, earning an NCAA reprimand.
4) Tried to get witty with Steve Spurrier (never wise).
5) Believes that, starting next year, Tennessee will “always be in the pre-season top 5″ every year.
6) Says Tennessee “operates at a championship level in all that [they] do”. Could have fooled me, this afternoon.
7) Looks like a 10-year old kid that needs a paddling.

Kiffin’s arrival has brought a cheap, plastic-like feel to Tennessee football. It’s all talk, no walk. Phil Fulmer might have extended his career at Tennessee just a few seasons too long, and he was unfortunate enough to be on the backside of his coaching powers curve just when Urban Meyer arrived at the height of his own. But he was a good and decent man, who represented Tennessee with class, and earned the respect of friends and foes alike.

It seems unlikely that Kiffin will really change the true fabric of Tennessee football. That basic essence will outlast him, even if his stay in Knoxville is longer than I and many others outside of Tennessee imagine it will probably be. Maybe a humbling loss to the Vols’ arch divisional rival will help Kiffin mature into a true leader; a man with perspective, insight, and true charisma. But that can be quite a painful process for a man who possesses an ego of such massive proportions.

Remember, Coach… there are no aethiests in foxholes. Florida 62, Tennessee 6.

I’ll bet Georgia and Oklahoma fans wouldn’t mind a retroactive swap between Charleston Southern and their relatively stout opponents, eh?

Look, we all know the first game of the season is tough. It’s a time when details both miniscule and gargantuan wreak havoc on the best laid schemes, countless hours of off-season conditioning, and productive fall practices. All that effort, all the blood, sweat and tears spent preparing for a successful season can be wiped out in sixty minutes.

Remember Tennessee’s spectacular implosion of 2008? While the final result may have been pre-destined, you can trace the “beginning of the end” to the staff passing out non-matching wristboards to their players in the Rose Bowl, against lowly UCLA. Georgia will remember that Joe Cox, the “Ginger Ninja” so named by Orson, was suffering from flu-like symptoms and had several chances to connect with receivers — off only by a hair, but still off. And of course, hindsight being 20/20, Oklahoma may have preferred a less… intense… introduction for their new offensive line, which clearly had a hard time finding the same page against BYU.

First game. It’s tough. So many things can go sideways — or if not “wrong”, at least “not right”.

So, Florida started their season in somewhat typical fashion, against a so-called “cream-puff” opponent in Charleston Southern. Well, sure. I guess C.S. indeed does fit that description. But they fought hard, with honor and pride, and managed to get some yards and score 3 against the Mighty Gators. Good for them. They played a clean game and I’m glad they dropped by.

The Gator Haters love to talk about these opponents, but last year UF’s Out-of-Conference schedule included both Florida State and Miami, in the same year. That’s certifiably insane by most OOC-scheduling standards, plus the Gators beat #1 Alabama after the regular season, and still won their third national championship.

Out of conference… sigh. Every year we have FSU. Yes, they’re in a down cycle right now, but part of that is thanks to Florida’s supremacy in the rivalry. No one schedules FSU expecting an easy win. The ‘Noles may suck out loud, but they always have the athletes. Add in a difficult opponent in the SEC Championship game (these are never easy) and we should all be perfectly satisfied that if the Gators make it to Pasadena, they’ll have earned their ticket.

It was great to watch Bama vs. Va Tech on the opening weekend. LSU also played in a great environment out in the rainy northwest. Thanks, but no thanks. We simply don’t need to schedule those kinds of games.

Quick recap of Saturday night’s game: all looks well. Tebow looked great, as expected. The running game looks to be powerful, and will be fun to watch. Deonte Thompson and Brandon James have to reel those passes in. Maybe Moody will get more carries this year? Riley Cooper was reliable, which is always nice — and somewhat surprising — to see. Aaron Hernandez is a beast. Defense played vanilla, but that was on purpose. Not did the offense unveil much, also by design.

Most importantly, the first game is over and done with, there’s no damage done, no injuries, and the team’s confidence has grown.

‘09 can be a great year for the Florida Gators, and this was the right way to start it.

Everybody take a deep breath. Notice how the air seems sweeter, the colors more vivid? That stale hot dog which you’d have spat out just 4 short weeks ago tastes better than the finest sirloin? That simply means that college football has finally, mercifully, arrived.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

In recent years it’s become somewhat of a tradition to watch South Carolina open the season. The Gamecocks typically face off against a) an uncompetitive SEC team, i.e. Mississippi State, or b) a mediocre ACC team. Being an SEC fan, it’s generally good to get a win for the conference, but Florida fans don’t want it to be too good. One certainly doesn’t want a Steve Spurrier-coached team getting any undue confidence, particularly in their offense.

By this standard, South Carolina has performed brilliantly these past few seasons. And your resident patron and host, Gatorpilot, an outspoken anti-Spurs advocate, certainly appreciates yet another uninspiring USC win, one which joyfully beckons to another season of frustration and disappointment for Spur-dog. Anything which hastens the retirement of the former Florida icon, and ends the awkward love-hate phase of this long relationship between fans and coach, is also welcome.

7-3. Seven-to-freakin’-three. Really? Against NC State? The Wolfpack is unlikely to be competitive in the Almost Competitive Conference. No worries, Gamecock fans, there’s no rush to book those tickets to Atlanta. Am I still a bit bitter? Why, yes. I still remember Spurrier smugly proclaiming that his team was good enough to compete for an SEC Championship as recently 2006.

Kiss the rings, fellas. Kiss the rings.

Anyway, tonight was just a tasty little morsel previewing what Gators everywhere hope will be a magnificent season for the boys in orange and blue. The SEC is ours for the taking, ladies and gentlemen.

The opening weekend is full of excellent football. Beyond the obvious Charleston Southern matchup at 7PM on Saturday, we have Georgia taking on Oklahoma State and a prime-time national telecast featuring Alabama vs. Virginia Tech. By the way, kudos to both of these SEC teams for adding to their already difficult slate by scheduling Top 25 opponents. Instead of ‘guarantee’ games we get must-watch TV. Sadly, UF is behind in this regard, but then again, if your goal is to go wire-to-wire wearing the #1 label, why make things any more difficult?

Orange and Blue Hue is back and ready to rock. GO GATORS.