armchair
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our futility against florida. We simply almost never play well against the gators--home or way, good team or bad; it doesn't matter. We never seem to be ready; we always make more mistakes than florida; it is almost always our worst SEC game of the year. It's uncanny. Come florida week and we turn into Vandy--coaches, players, even band members are dropping their instruments on the field.
Even in the 1990s, when Fulmer had it going, Spurrier was kicking our ass. Even when we had Shuler and Manning--two top of the NFL draft QB picks--while Spurrier had lesser talent at QB, he kicked our ass. Manning's last game at the Swamp, he throws a crucial pick six that decides the game.
One of the few years that florida made more blunders than we did--98--we win the game and the national title. The gators had an uncharacteristic five TOs in that game--including a fumble at our goal line, and missed a FG in OT. They played like we usually play against them. The next year, UT has a team with at least 10! future NFL players, we found a way to lose.
And that is what we do against florida--find a way to lose. I wish it were otherwise, but it wouldn't be September and football season if we weren't stumbling around and getting waxed by the Gators. It simply isn't a real rivalry anymore and hasn't been for a while. We come out today and give up a TD to florida on their first drive, then our best player gets hurt, then we miss a FG, then get a punt blocked....And so it goes.
We'll return a lot of starters next year, play at home, fans will be full of optimism--and we'll behind 14-0 halfway through the first quarter. That's the way it is against florida. I hoped our mojo against florida would turn with a new coach--but no. That lame first quarter was like about 15 florida first quarters under Fulmer. We should play in totally different uniforms for florida--brown and green or somesuch. Might change the voodoo that bedevils us.
Even in the 1990s, when Fulmer had it going, Spurrier was kicking our ass. Even when we had Shuler and Manning--two top of the NFL draft QB picks--while Spurrier had lesser talent at QB, he kicked our ass. Manning's last game at the Swamp, he throws a crucial pick six that decides the game.
One of the few years that florida made more blunders than we did--98--we win the game and the national title. The gators had an uncharacteristic five TOs in that game--including a fumble at our goal line, and missed a FG in OT. They played like we usually play against them. The next year, UT has a team with at least 10! future NFL players, we found a way to lose.
And that is what we do against florida--find a way to lose. I wish it were otherwise, but it wouldn't be September and football season if we weren't stumbling around and getting waxed by the Gators. It simply isn't a real rivalry anymore and hasn't been for a while. We come out today and give up a TD to florida on their first drive, then our best player gets hurt, then we miss a FG, then get a punt blocked....And so it goes.
We'll return a lot of starters next year, play at home, fans will be full of optimism--and we'll behind 14-0 halfway through the first quarter. That's the way it is against florida. I hoped our mojo against florida would turn with a new coach--but no. That lame first quarter was like about 15 florida first quarters under Fulmer. We should play in totally different uniforms for florida--brown and green or somesuch. Might change the voodoo that bedevils us.