Well, while still very ugly on defense, at least we had a pulse on offense this past weekend. Going into the bye week, we can hopefully get guys healthy and work on changing our scheme on defense. I think UCF comes into the game with the #1 rushing offense in the country. We need to stack 8 in the box and commit to stopping the run. If they can beat us in the air, then so be it, but I will lose my mind if we go zone and think our 3 or 4 DL's will stop their running game. Something has to give on defense. We have good athletes so it is either heart and effort or coaching.
On offense, looks like we went back to letting Mertz be Mertz. Hit short passes and let the athletes extend the plays. This is his strength and also doesn't make the OL hold their blocks very long. It can also open up the run game. Bringing in DJ will then allow us to keep them honest with defending the long ball which he is better at and can also scramble if needed.
I am still way down on Billy but I still want my Gators to win. The UCF game is going to be challenging and probably a high scoring game. If we can get a win, at least it can give the players hope.
On offense, looks like we went back to letting Mertz be Mertz. Hit short passes and let the athletes extend the plays. This is his strength and also doesn't make the OL hold their blocks very long. It can also open up the run game. Bringing in DJ will then allow us to keep them honest with defending the long ball which he is better at and can also scramble if needed.
I am still way down on Billy but I still want my Gators to win. The UCF game is going to be challenging and probably a high scoring game. If we can get a win, at least it can give the players hope.
