UF V. OLE MISS: NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT?

 Things are awfully quiet in Gville this week as Gator backers, at least most of them, are content after feeding on the Vols and are (apparently) greeting this week’s game laconically, to say the least. In fact, the preponderance of the talk-radio banter in Gainesville omits in its entirety any reference to the Rebs and focuses instead on the perceived inadequacies of the 4th ranked Gators’ offense.  

Proctored by the marginally talented talkradio hosts and fueled by the jobless callers, this debate has produced two equally meritless camps, one trumpeting the ”what’s wrong with the offense” mantra based on the statisitical dropoff as compared to last year’s Gators, and one rebutting with equal fervor the wooden “a win is a win,”  which ranks just above “it is what it is” in the meaningless phrase category.   

The scope of this debate, which is banal at best, has been pointlessly discussed in concentric circles such that it has now devolved into a “how will Florida’s lack of offensive numbers impact next year’s recruiting?” angle.  The resulting product is irredeemable on so many levels that jumping in on either side surely makes SNL part of the problem.  Even so, this ridiculous debate shows no signs of ending anytime soon.   Let’s hope Urban’s troops aren’t as complacent as the overfed fans because guess what people, Ole Miss is good and, recruiting after 3 games?  Are you ^&*(ing kidding???

What you need to know: For starters, Ole Miss won in The Swamp in ‘04.  True, this loss was suffered under the hapless and unpredictable Zooker-regime, but remains a part of history nonetheless.  Let’s also accept that Florida’s baby-Gator secondary made a less talented Ole Miss club look like Texas Tech last year, getting burned for almost 400 yards through the air. Today…

the new look Rebs are good enough to be 4-0.  However, they are 2-2, having lost to likely ACC champ Wake Forest on the road by 3 in a game that was statistically a dead heat.  The Rebs loss to Vandy at home by 6, which likely kept the Rebs from entering the top-25 this week, is somewhat misleading as Ole Miss turned the ball over 6 times (which is 6 times more than the Gators have turned it over all year) and outgained Vandy by nearly 200 yards.  Even so, losing to 23rd-ranked Vandy is no longer like losing a fistfight with your little sister, its more like losing a fistfight to your little brother who dresses in drag.

On offense, the Rebs are wide open-Javon Snead is a true talent at QB who will stretch the field using a pair of Gazelles that almost every team in the talent-rich SEC manages to field nowadays.  The running game is solid and includes the Ole Miss version of the “Wild Hog” formation Nutt popularized at Arkansas.  While moving the ball has not been a problem for the Rebs, holding onto it has as Ole Miss has turned the ball over 11 times in 4 games.

All things considered, Ole Miss should pose the most significant scoring threat of any of the offenses faced by the Gators to date.  Ole Miss averages over 200 yards a game rushing and passing and Nutt, like his namesake, is willing to call everything from fake punts to flea flickers from anywhere on the field. 

On Defense, Ole Miss is very slightly above average, with a relatively strong defenseive line and not much else.  The linebackers and secondary likely rate as “competent,” but there’s nobody on this side of the ball outside of DT that would make the Gators’ wish list. 

Conclusion:  This game should be much closer to the “shock and awe” Florida fans envisioned coming into the season.  Urban is stoic and will never admit it, but he is as frustrated by the lack of E-SPIN highlights produced through 3 games as the fans, and will make every effort to atone by unleashing the hounds this Saturday. 

Ole Miss will also move the ball but likely struggle to score TD’s in the redzone against a very disciplined Florida D.  Still, there will be a few “white knuckle” moments produced when Snead scrambles and completes a 16 yard pass on 3rd and 9.  At the end of the day, its Gators 38-21.

-So Sayeth the Shepherd