Probably expresses how a lot of folks feel today.
Saturday night's 24-13 victory over,the Knights did not feel like the catapult that Billy Napier needed.
By CARLTON REESE
GatorBaitMedia.com (
http://gatorbaitmedia.com/) Columnist
Six weeks ago, Central Florida owned the ignominious “Trap Game” slot on the Florida schedule. The Gators anticipating at least a 3-1 record coming into the game, the Knights might be taken for granted as the Tennessee Vols loomed the following week, and the hungrier visitors would be there to ruin Florida’s season.
As it turned out, Central Florida evolved into a “Catapult” game for the Gators, reeling with two losses and a head coach on life support. To beat the Knights, what would be the first win in The Swamp this season against a “real” team, could serve as the ipecac to cast out that nauseous feeling in everyone’s gut. A win could spark some new life and confidence into a team that generally plays well at Neyland Stadium, no matter the deficit in talent. An upset at Tennessee followed by a home win over Kentucky might just create a tiny bandwagon in Gainesville.
But Saturday night’s 24-13 win over the Knights did not feel like the catapult for which there was so much potential. Wins are great, and even though this one may have come as a surprise to many, there is no feeling that UF is back and can actually compete next week in Knoxville.
Before the game, we would all have been ecstatic with the notion of a victory. As it played out, it seemed clear Central Florida was not nearly as good as we thought. Several times, the Knights’ jugular pulsated tantalizing close to Napier’s blade, which he sheathed and let his opponent survive into the waning moments when it clearly had no business. The difference between the two teams Saturday night was that of a 38-10 trouncing, yet here we were, white-knuckling for the defense late into the fourth quarter.
As Florida looked good in the first half and Knights coach Gus Malzahn looked like… well, Gus Malzahn, there was an electricity in The Swamp usually reserved for SEC or state rivals sans directional markers in their names. In the second half, though, the Gators crawled back into its tomb of slumber, and combined with Malzahn’s apparent lack of urgency to win this game, the world was treated to a half of football about as tantalizing as Henry Fonda picking blueberries.
When Central Florida scored to close within 24-13 with nearly eight minutes remaining, the game was in doubt. Now was the time for a clearly-superior team to flex its muscles and shove the ball down its opponent’s throat and end this thing. Instead, the Gators went five plays and punt to keep the Knights still within arm’s length of a comeback. This is not the mettle of a team that is ready to challenge in Knoxville.
Thank God for Malzahn’s curious lack of urgency. His best moment came on his team’s first play, in which he’d been salivating all week as certain as Kreskin Florida would bring the house – the screen pass from K.J. Jefferson to Randy Pittman was the perfect call and resulted in a 30-yard play. After that, there was no plan.
But give this Florida defense credit where it is due. Perhaps the Knights weren’t the juggernaut offense we all thought, but the Florida defense rose to the occasion. In holding Central Florida to a field goal on its first possession, it felt like breaking serve as points would surely rain from the sky. There is some hope there… some.
Napier said afterward, “This is a good developmental game” and that seems about right in terms of the coaching philosophy. This should have been a “Bury those guys into oblivion game” based on the absolute fact the Knights were drastically inferior. This team does not step on necks, does not play with its hair on fire – it almost seems like a walk-through with bodies on the other side.
A blowout was in the offing, and the 24-3 halftime lead put that out there on a platter. What was 251 yards of offensive output compared to just 119 for the Knights in the first half was an honest accounting of Florida’s dominance that should have been repeated in the second half. The second half Florida manhandled its way to 108 yards with zero points and failing to penetrate beyond the Knights’ 29-yard line.
A rout was there to be savored this week, but we were treated to a conservative slog in a second half in which the Gators were fortunate the opposing coach had no plan to pull off a comeback victory.
Do not misunderstand, this was a nice victory to bag, but it felt a little dirty, like pretending to enjoy an episode of “Full House” – just a little embarrassing. It’s hard to crow about it when you know in your heart what LSU or Ole Miss would have done to this team.
But, go ahead and celebrate. Congratulate the defense on a job well-done. Next week there will be no “developing,” only revealing the truth of whether this team is ready step out of the SEC mud and into its world of contenders. Consider
this breath not being held.
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