Recap: Georgia Bulldogs 24 – Florida Gators 20
Not your usual recap. Not your usual streak either. The recap will come in one part this week after Florida dropped its fourth straight for the first time since 1988. The reasoning for the short recap could have to do with yet another loss added to the Gators’ record, but has more to do with another one of those excuses you hear from bloggers. It doesn’t matter what the reason, here’s the recap in all its glory even if the actual game brought none.
The hardest part about losing a blowout is if you were never really truly in it. It’s bad from start to end and you never even have a moment of positivity. Maybe that’s a good thing though. Could it be easier to deal with a game that you’re never really in? I don’t know; it’s hard to say. I do know that losing a game you had every opportunity to win hurts. Being so close only to have something come apart late is as tough as it comes. In the loss to Auburn, Florida’s offense struggled, but the Gators were in the game. Against Georgia, the same could be said.
John Brantley returned and looked good bringing a passing game back to Florida’s offense, in the first half. In the second half, any improvement disappeared. 226 first half passing yards were followed by only 19 in the second frame; only three points came in the second half after 17 were scored early; and a seven-point lead evaporated to turn into a four-point loss. A tale of two sets of 30 minutes; a little Texas A&M if you will. What was looking like 5-3 became 4-4. A fourth-straight loss and a fall out of contention for the SEC East title. No, a title didn’t appear likely before the game, but the defeat meant it was a mathematic impossibility.
The run game continued to have problems and Brantley was pressured throughout the contest. The culprit was easy to discover: inconsistent offensive line play. The unit has yet to find its groove and you have to wonder if it will in 2011. From false starts to mental lapses, the line needs to find…something. What that something is would be anyone’s guess, but let’s start with the coaching staff. Will Muschamp, Charlie Weis, Frank Verducci – take your pick. Someone needs to get through to the line and the line itself needs to become the rock of the offense. We knew that wouldn’t be easy this season, but after eight games, things need to turn around. If the current level of play continues, the offense will struggle throughout the remainder of the season and 2012 will be very much in question.
On the other side of the ball, the defense was far from horrible. Georgia managed three touchdowns. The drives that resulted in those touchdowns totaled 89 yards with no single one going for more than 45. The Bulldogs would also have drives of 67, 61 and 61 yards, but those three would only result in three points total. The Florida defense would actually hold the Georgia offense to nine drives of 25 yards or less. There were two problems with that though. Two of those drives ended in Bulldogs’ touchdowns and the Gators’ offense had 10 drives of 25 yards or less, including their last nine. Even with the defense playing a game to keep Florida in it, the offense couldn’t do that same thing in the second half.
We begrudgingly move ahead. It’s homecoming week and The Bull Gator will be going home. To Gainesville, to Gator Growl, to the game. Georgia is behind us all, so is Auburn, LSU and Alabama. After one loss, it’s easy to look ahead and try to forget the past. After four straight, it’s impossible to do that. You reflect on every detail no matter how big or how small. How can you not? There are too many questions about the future that have too much to do on what happened in the past. Could 4-4 become 4-5? Maybe not, but what about 5-5? Is 6-6 a realistic regular season record to expect now? Bowl game? Those questions are only being asked because of what happened in October. Thankfully the month will soon be over. What November brings is up in the air.