We have one win over Urban Meyer. The 2008 Capital One Bowl.
How did we do that?
We came out very aggressively and threw it all over the place. We spread the field - Manningham, Arrington, Mathews, even Carson Butler had a big game. And that set up some great draw plays for Mike Hart.
And guess what? We had FOUR TURNOVERS. Oh, the horror. But also 524 yards of offense and 41 points. (And two of the turnovers were Mike Hart goal line fumbles, so maybe we score 55 without those two fumbles).
And we still ran the ball - Hart had 32 carries for 129 yards and 2 scores.
Why did we do this? We never subscribed to the false pretense that we could play great defense and hold Florida down. We knew we had to score 40 to win, and called plays like it.
We need to accept the reality that no matter how good you think your defense is, you will get into 1-2 games a year, and perhaps more, where you need to score big to win.
Why not prepare for that all year? This year, I get it (somewhat). New QB, new offense (a little), we needed the line to improve, etc.
It feels like 1998 with Brady - some moments of brilliance, some struggles, can’t get over against ND and OSU on the road.
But by 1999, Brady (in his second year) was a great passer, and that team could have easily gone undefeated with the 2008 Florida game plan.
That’s what we need next year - Shea unleashed, throwing to Black, DPJ, Gentry,
Collins, Eubanks, etc. Set up the run with the pass. The defense will take a step back, but the offense could be great. QB is back, OL largely intact (and best guys return), and WRs all come back (other than Perry).
Will we do this? Not likely. But that’s how you beat Urban next year. Not with a bunch of second and nine runs up the middle.
How did we do that?
We came out very aggressively and threw it all over the place. We spread the field - Manningham, Arrington, Mathews, even Carson Butler had a big game. And that set up some great draw plays for Mike Hart.
And guess what? We had FOUR TURNOVERS. Oh, the horror. But also 524 yards of offense and 41 points. (And two of the turnovers were Mike Hart goal line fumbles, so maybe we score 55 without those two fumbles).
And we still ran the ball - Hart had 32 carries for 129 yards and 2 scores.
Why did we do this? We never subscribed to the false pretense that we could play great defense and hold Florida down. We knew we had to score 40 to win, and called plays like it.
We need to accept the reality that no matter how good you think your defense is, you will get into 1-2 games a year, and perhaps more, where you need to score big to win.
Why not prepare for that all year? This year, I get it (somewhat). New QB, new offense (a little), we needed the line to improve, etc.
It feels like 1998 with Brady - some moments of brilliance, some struggles, can’t get over against ND and OSU on the road.
But by 1999, Brady (in his second year) was a great passer, and that team could have easily gone undefeated with the 2008 Florida game plan.
That’s what we need next year - Shea unleashed, throwing to Black, DPJ, Gentry,
Collins, Eubanks, etc. Set up the run with the pass. The defense will take a step back, but the offense could be great. QB is back, OL largely intact (and best guys return), and WRs all come back (other than Perry).
Will we do this? Not likely. But that’s how you beat Urban next year. Not with a bunch of second and nine runs up the middle.
