Now or Never for the Gators

Missouri’s weaknesses present an opportunity for a Gator team that desperately needs one. If Driskel and Harris perform well together, the sky is the limit for the this Gator team. If they don’t, the sky will be falling.

The Gators need a win in many ways when they take the field Saturday night in the Swamp to face SEC East rival Missouri. Not only would beating Mizzou potentially help the Gators save their season, the game could ultimately end up saving head coach Will Muschamp’s job.

The Gators (3-2, 2-2 SEC) are still in a commanding position to control their fate in the SEC East race and make it to the championship. But they must win the rest of their East games, starting with Missouri. (And also wait for a loss from Kentucky, of all teams.) The Gators are 5 1/2 point favorites against a Missouri (4-2,1-1 SEC), coming off a decisive loss to Georgia last week.

Measuring Stick

Fans can use this game as a measuring stick, as the Gators should handle a Missouri team that looks weaker each game:

If the Gators lose, the echo of last season will ring loud for fans. GoDaddy will be selling a ton of new domain names in Gainesville, as calls for the Muschamp’s firing will increase substantially, both in volume and in numbers.

However, if the defense continues to sack, create turnovers and maintain coverage, they can get a win with just modest improvement in the offense. That might be good for us, but not good enough for Georgia, clearly the East’s best team this season.

What Gator fans want to see — what Gator fans NEED to see — is the two-headed quarterback system excel. If the playmakers cut out the mistakes and utilize their athletic ability, Florida can start putting points on the board, like Gators are supposed to do.

Saturday’s game is a chance for the Gators to re-establish some confidence and work on offensive improvements going into a bye week before a key matchup with Georgia. If the Gators struggle or even lose to the Tigers, the Gators not only effectively drop out of the SEC East race, their hopes for a winning season may be in jeopardy too.

Gators Are Close

Sep 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Matt Jones (24) runs past Eastern Michigan Eagles defensive lineman Jeremiah Harris (90) for a 40 yard run for a touchdown during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Even though the Gators latest loss to LSU looks bleak for a team that hasn’t put up a dominant win a while, it’s a team that is starting to put together its pieces. Yes, the Gators made mistakes, as a defensive lapse on third-and-25, a dropped pass in the end-zone and a forced ball into double coverage all proved to be crucial errors. Take any one of those plays away and Florida could very well win. Take all three away and the Gators are cruising to victory over a preseason top 20 team.

The Gators defense is racking up sacks and the secondary is improving. It had a lock down performance at Tennessee and kept LSU’s downfield passing threats at bay for most of the game. Plus, even though the Gators defense had trouble with LSU throughout the second and third quarters, and let up on a few big pass plays, they did get the Tigers offense off the field in crucial situations at the end of the game.

New Look Offense for the Gators

The Gators offense has struggled mightily this season. Midway through the third quarter, Florida’s nine-point deficit at Tennessee might as well have been 90 points the way the Gators were moving the ball.

But in came freshman spark-plug Treon Harris who reignited the sluggish Gators and moved the ball down the field. He’ll be getting another chance on Saturday. Lost in the critique of this team is the fact that the Gators have had offensive production this season, even with the maligned quarterback Jeff Driskel. In fact, the Gators have better offensive production than Mizzou this season, which is not a compliment.

Driskel made several big plays on offense against LSU on Saturday, including hitting the deep pass that he can’t hit when he connected with receiver Demarcus Robinson streaking down the field for a 4th quarter, 73 yard pass play. He moves the ball with his legs too, making key plays with his legs too, picking up key first downs rushing against LSU and running for a touchdown too.

Oct 4, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Treon Harris (3) prepares to throw the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. The Gators won 10-9 Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Bringing in the freshman is a move that can take offense coordinator Kurt Roper back to his comfort zone. He ran a two-QB system at Duke last year to great effect. But that team subbed in two fairly experienced quarterbacks.With a rotation of Driskel and Harris, Roper will be choosing between a struggling but experienced player and a talented but unproven rookie. Both quarterbacks will have to use both passing and their legs to help loosen up a pretty stingy defense.

What’s the game plan? Muschamp said the “hot hand” is what will decide which QB gets the call during the game.

In the end, the difference between whether the Gators offense excels or stumbles on Saturday versus Missouri will be a matter of whether the receivers and tight ends catch the ball and make plays. Florida will also have to focus on reestablishing the running game, which struggled when starter Matt Jones sat with an injury against LSU, but will be back in the lineup on Saturday.

Mizzou is Reeling

Oct 19, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk (7) motions on the line during the first half of the game against the Florida Gators at Faurot Field. Missouri won 36-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri was last year’s surprise team, winning the East in only their second season. Mizzou came into the season with big expectations and an experienced quarterback in sophomore Maty Mauk. But of all teams, the Indiana Hoosiers exposed weaknesses in the Tigers. Those weaknesses were masked some in their road win at South Carolina, when Mauk marched the Tigers for late scores to win. But the good feelings were short lived, as Georgia shone a spotlight on Mizzou’s troubles with a 34-0 thrashing.

Missouri was awful against Georgia, Indiana and even South Carolina, a game where only thing that could spark the Tigers offense was their desperation. The Tigers can move the ball when Mauk is rolling out.However, the Tigers have solid defense. While the Tigers gave up 34 points to Georgia, they made the Bulldogs earn it, allowing an average of just 4.4 yards a play, with the longest being only 18 yards.

Bottom Line

Missouri’s weaknesses present an opportunity for a Gator team that desperately needs one. If Driskel and Harris perform well together, the sky is the limit for the this Gator team. If they don’t, the sky will be falling.