Posted Dec 4, 01:15 AM in Gators by Scott Conley

SO. AWESOME.

GARY W GREEN, ORLANDO SENTINEL

The Boys From Old Florida have recaptured the SEC title. It is more than I dared hope from this season, and there was Much Noise in Brooklyn!

And the drama of this game: 17-0, Vintage Big-Game Florida. Then 21-17, consecutive INTs by Arkansas. Fake punt. 24-21, muffed punt. Breathe. 31-21, Percy Harvin shows raw speed and football vision on his 67 yard cutback-and-sprint. Shriek! 31-28, throwback pass. 38-28, Caldwell’s reverse option pass (can Tate Casey even catch a non-gadget TD?).

Stand and cheer your 2006 Southeastern Conference Champions!

What amazed me about this game was that we seemed to be definitively outcoached. All three timeouts used on one drive in the 3rd quarter? Totally blowing the 2 minute drill before halftime with three timeouts in hand? And honestly, I think Arkansas was lucky to have the 28 they got, when you look at it. Let’s look at their 4 TDs and consider how the Gators coaching played a role in each.

(1:50 2Q) 1st and 10 at FLA 48. Casey Dick pass complete to Marcus Monk for 48 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

This one just amazed me. We built a 17-0 lead, stuffing the run and playing to make ‘Dick beat us’ (who really wishes for that, btw?) So now it’s desperation time, two-minute drill. We’ve put them right where we want them, forced to throw.

So we line up in our nine-in-the-box and put single coverage on the corners? Worse, we line the corners up in PRESS, daring them to go deep, which is precisely where they NEED TO GO!! Their best 6’6” WR, lined up against our #2 CB, who we’ve protected all year with deep safety help. And when we know it’s coming, we just give it up.

(11:45 3Q) 2nd and Goal at FLA 2. Darren McFadden pass complete to Felix Jones for 2 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

To style Mick Hubert—oh my. To sit at home and watch Earl Everett actually point out the uncovered receiver then turn his head back to the safeties just as McFadden snaps the ball for the quick throw made me want to claw my own eyes out.

Maybe Everett could cover a WR in the endzone, maybe he couldn’t. Never really got to see Earl’s athleticism there. Somehow the team was either a) caught in a bad formation; or b) should have known who was covering a guy standing 6 feet from your goal line.

Bonus coaching points to the Arkansas defensive squad, who coaxed Leak into the INT that set up this gimme. The LB Dacus showed blitz to Leak (having done so in the first half)- then delayed into coverage.

(8:33 Q3) 1st and 10 at FLA 43. Chris Leak pass intercepted by Antwain Robinson at the Fla 40, returned for 40 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

It’s like our coaches don’t know when there’s no more water in the well. We must have run this shovel-pass-option look about 6 times in the game prior to this play, and it worked pretty well each time. Did we really think that the DE’s would not ever catch on to the shovel pass? Ever?

I suppose we could put this one on Leak, if we must. He seems to sjust short-out whenever he has an actual option read to make, simply going with his preconceived choice, no matter the defensive response. Still, would it be too much to have coached Leak into making sure he actually kept one of those option reads? BEFORE he pitched it to a Hogs DE, I mean?

(12:00 Q4) 1st and 10 at FLA 29. Cedric Washington pass complete to Felix Jones for 29 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Another mindbending breakdown. Nevermind the pass interference on 3rd-and-9 the play before, let’s see if we can guess what Arkansas might call here on a free 1st down deep in UF territory. Down 10- not a lot of time for more unsuccessful, time-expensive running. A very important scoring chance- maybe too risky to let Dick chuck yet another one five yards behind some Hogs WR. HOW ABOUT A GADGET PLAY??

Couldn’t see this one coming. All week long we’ve been studying the “Wildcat” formation, with McFadden tossing TDs and reverses and stuff. So when they blatantly throw a bubble-screen look (they hadn’t run a bubble screen all game, to my recollection) you KNOW it’s a throwback.

I just don’t get how we work so hard to bait them into throwing it, and then just let them throw it.

Anyhow, that’s enough on the game. We won in spite of some crazy playcalling (I didn’t even go into the fake punt call).

Lastly, I must give homage to DT/DE Ray MacDonald, who suffered a heartbreaking and horrible-looking broken arm injury late in the game. Given he’s a redshirt senior and will certainly miss any bowl game The Boys get to, I want to recognize the big fella’s beautiful career as a Gator (pictured here [#95] being savagely held by a South Carolina guard, while teammate Moss gets the game-winning blocked FG)

GARY W GREEN, ORLANDO SENTINEL

He’s been down before (can you say ligament damage to BOTH knees), and built himself back up, consistently delivering when his team needed it. Thanks, RayMac. Good luck landing with a pro team, the wife and I will be pulling for you.

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