Game Preview: Troy Trojans @ Florida Gators – 12:21
Here are 10 things I’d like to see in today’s
Florida
game against
Troy
. I’d like to say
“here are 10 things you can expect to see,”
but what do I know? I merely read a lot and watch a lot. I’d like to say the Gators will get
John Brantley
into the game early so he can work more with the first-team offense, but I don’t know that for sure. It’s simply what I’d like to see. Speaking of…
1. Get John Brantley into the game early so he can work more with the first-team offense. I don’t want Florida to be in a situation where Brantley is seeing the field over Tim Tebow in important situations, but I do want to see more of what Brantley can do and would like to see that with the first-team offensive line and receivers. Brantley has huge shoes to fill after the season and getting him some time in games like this will be extremely valuable.
2. More than one carry for Chris Rainey. No one can complain about Rainey’s one carry against Charleston Southern. He went 76 yards for a touchdown. But let’s see what he can do with five carries. Rainey and Jeffery Demps are guys that if given 10 carries in a game they could total between 100-125 yards. Let’s get each of them the ball a few more times because Tennessee and the rest of the SEC are right around the corner.
3. Give Mike Gillislee the ball at least five times. There was a running back by the name of Mon Williams a few years ago who got a carry here and there during his freshman season. He ended up with an injury or two and even when healthy never got a real shot at carrying the ball too much. He has since transferred. Gillislee could be one of the most underrated players we’ve seen in quite some time. This is the perfect game for him to get the ball in the 5-10 carry range.
4. Go to Deonte Thompson. Thompson had that famous drop in the season opener and ended up getting shut out in the catch category. Tebow needs to go back to Thompson and get his confidence going for the rest of the season. Thompson is a great athlete and has every capability to be a special receiver.
5. See the offensive line dominate. In terms of raw talent, the Florida offensive line can stand up with any other in the nation. They need to keep taking steps forward to becoming truly dominant. Finish blocks. Hit all assignments. Have a pancake party.
6. Don’t forget about William Green. With Jermaine Cunningham coming back, Green will be shifted down the depth chart. But he should still play. A lot. Florida has talent at defensive end and Green looks like he can be the next star. Get him time and let him use his speed to show how valuable he can be.
7. More Jon Bostic. In case you can’t tell, those of us around here love Bostic. Thanks to One Eyed Willy talking about him early and often during the recruiting process, we became fans of this kid long ago. Watching him in game one and you could see why. Bostic has every tool there is to be an NFL All-Pro one day. Florida is just a rest stop for him. You’ll be hearing his name for years to come.
8. The return of Janoris Jenkins. I won’t get back into bashing a certain cornerback’s lack of skills. We’ve already done that. But thank everything you can that Jenkins is back. Florida missed him in week one. The pass defense was obviously changed without him.
9. Set up in the 4-2-5 from time to time. This may sound like the nickel, but realistically I’m thinking three safeties. Yes, I know Will Hill has lined up as the nickel cover back in many five defensive back situations, but that’s not what I mean. What about a true three-safety scheme? The Gators have three of the nation’s top safeties (if you don’t believe that, you clearly haven’t been paying attention). Let’s get them all on the field more.
10. A fake punt, a fake field goal, a trick something. Let’s see some fun out there. Georgia Tech’s fake field goal on Thursday night was golden. The Gators should take a chance now in case they need something to work for them later in the season. Now’s the time to try those things out.
And that’s that. Enjoy the game and Go Gators!