A Huge Sigh of Relief

That was one of the most nerve-racking games I’ve watched in a long time. In a game where both Georgia and Florida are experiencing mediocre seasons, this game might arguably be one of the best in the series.

I must admit, it’s the best I’ve felt in a quite a while.

Our offense picked up 450 total yards which seems like a million more than we’ve been getting. Both quarterbacks played their roles perfectly.

John Brantley went 16-25 for almost 200 yards while Trey Burton had 110 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

I was wrong.

I didn’t think we could keep running both quarterbacks with split time and be successful. They proved me wrong, however.

The difference maker to me in how both quarterbacks co-existed was the blitz protection. Now, at times, our offensive line lacked continuity and gave up some big hits on Brantley, especially early on.

However, as the game progressed, Brantley was able to have some time in the pocket and do what he does best: wind up and throw the football. His ability to pass the ball during the game and complete the 8 yard throws kept the Georgia defense on its toes and allowed Burton more room to run the ball.

This is going to sound cliché but if our offensive line helps buy time for our quarterbacks we can put up the numbers we did this afternoon.

Good for the offense.

Our defense came up in the clutch again forcing four turnovers. None bigger than Will Hill’s 90 some yard scamper after the interception that help set up the win.

We need to get better at blitzing the quarterback, though. I’ve noticed in the multiple times Brantley has been sacked, how the defense maneuvers its way to pressure the quarterback.

Our defensive line and linebackers need to get better at utilizing various blitz packages to confuse the offensive and open up bigger holes to attack the quarterback.

In the few times we got to Aaron Murray, good things happened for us. If we commit to blitzing and sending pressure non-stop, I think good things will continue to happen for our defense, and the opportunities to create turnovers will increase. We have the best overall secondary in the SEC (with Janoris Jenkins, Ahmad Black, and Will Hill), we can afford to test the offense in one-on-one coverage.

Overall, I’m optimistic heading into next week. I believe we’ll be ready for South Carolina in the Swamp in two weeks.

Good game Gators, and more importantly, good kick Chas Henry.

Recruiting News

This past Tuesday the Gators received a huge commit in RB Mike Blakely (4-star, #7 RB, #34 recruit in Rivals Top 100). Blakely is the Gators 18^th recruit in the 2011 class and their recruiting class ranks third on Rivals.com and fifth on ESPN.

Here is a complete list of the Florida Gator’s recruiting class: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/commitments/2011/Florida-67

My Top Ten

1. Oregon (If they win at USC)

2. Cam Newton

3. Boise State

4. TCU

5. Alabama

6. Oklahoma

7. Ohio State

8. Nebraska

9. Wisconsin

10. Stanford

Heisman Watch

QB Cam Newton (Auburn) 2,441 total yards; 27 total touchdowns, 5 interceptions

RB LaMichael James (Oregon) 971 rushing yards; 12 total touchdowns, 121 receiving yards

QB Kellen Moore (Boise St.) 1,865 passing yards; 18 touchdowns, 2 interceptions

WR Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma St.) 62 receptions, 1,112 receiving yards; 14 touchdowns