Cannot understand why we lost to the Gators

[basel90]

Emotions aside and all , can we really rationalize why we lost to the Gators and what have we done to make sure that doesn't happen again if we meet them this year.
I am stationed outside the USA and watched the game of tape and still cannot understand the offensive shortfalls during that game. Defensively, the 24 points that Florida scored should not have beaten us , despite the fact i would have liked to see us stop Tebow from rushing at us. It is still a game being played in Miami which is virtually a home game for the Gators.
But what is everyone's take on why we only scored 14 with a great offensive line and all. Is their defense that good ?

Have we adjusted in case we face them again ?
Your input fellow sooners will be appreciated as am sure this was debated a lot more in Oklahoma in detail.
Most of the national media articles i have seen have highlighted how great Tebow was.

Go sooners

[JLEW1818]

I'm so drunk right now, I'll leave a good comment tomorrow

[yermom]

well, what lets me sleep at night is that they returned all 11 starters on their defense. you know, so we won't have to worry about running into them again or anything...

seriously though, they seemingly made changes in the 2nd half and we had some calls on offense i wasn't in love with

Florida was a damn good team last year. all i can say is we at least kept some composure this time

on the field anyway ;)

[basel90]

all 11 returning on Def? wow
I agree with you on their coaching changes at halftime

[East Coast Bias]

We also did not use the no-huddle effectively and when we did it obviously worked. Their defense had no answer for that and we failed to execute. Remember how frustrating that was to watch?

[adoniijahsooner]

Red Zone what killed the beast. If we convert and were up 21-7 at halftime, which leads to Tebow trying to throw to win the game....I'm moving on to next year.

[unbiasedtruth]

I agree about the no-huddle. The last 5-6 games the offense was running another play about 14-17 seconds after the ball was placed down by the line judge. In the OB it was taking around 25 seconds. It seemed to me the offense couldnt get the play in from the sideline. this gave the Gator defense time to get set....

see the ball being slapped at the goal line by the d-lineman of the Gators just as jon cooper was getting to snap it when they were on the 1-2 yard line when they couldnt score running the ball 4 times

[SoonerInFla]

well, what lets me sleep at night is that they returned all 11 starters on their defense. you know, so we won't have to worry about running into them again or anything...

seriously though, they seemingly made changes in the 2nd half and we had some calls on offense i wasn't in love with

Florida was a damn good team last year. all i can say is we at least kept some composure this time

on the field anyway ;)

I think they actually return their entire 2 deep on defense.

They executed when it counted the most. We didn't.

[AlbqSooner]

We played against a helluva good football team. The indecision in getting a play in nullified the advantage of the no-huddle in some critical situations. We had no confidence in our filed goal kicker which took away some options.
They got a break or two that we didn't - not officiating, just breaks ala the Iggy reception that was snatched away.
Mainly We played against a helluva good football team.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

Not have DeMarco Murray was a major factor. Our no-huddle was much more predictable. CBrown is not a threat to line up in the slot like Murray was. Took an enormous amount of pressure off the Gator D. Just my take.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Red Zone what killed the beast. If we convert and were up 21-7 at halftime, which leads to Tebow trying to throw to win the game....I'm moving on to next year.

I believe this to be dead on. Anytime you get to the 1 yard line twice and come away with 0 points, you are going to lose ballgames, I don't care who the other team is.

[gaylordfan1]

Yes, their def was really stout last year... and with them returning all 11 starters and their second string, they will be even stronger than last year... at least on paper. We will have to see how they play. I'm still saying the college football fan base will be sooo sick of hearing about Tebow this year that they lose a bit of their luster. I predict at least one loss for them this season. Hopefully to a no name team.

[oudivesherpa]

I keep harping on this but when teams have more time to prepare (Bowl Games and first games of the season) both teams know the down and distance tendancies and recognize the offenseive formations so there is an advantage for the defense. Both teams played great defense, we just didn't execute in the red zone. Normally, holding Florida to 24 points will get you a win. This year our defense will be even better and by the end of the year our offense should be as good as last year. The kicking game, could be the turning point between a great year and a National Championship year.

[gaylordfan1]

Write this down... OUr special teams will be better this year than last... we have too many new guys fighting for starting jobs against proven players from last year.

[Johnny Utah]

Way to dredge up a sore subject right before the start of a new season ;) . But seriously, IMHO the gators were able to play their game (starting with that initial "illegal" hit on Iglesias). Its defense was able to more or less dominate the nations top offense, and play ball control offense to a 10 minute differential in time of possession. The OU defense played very well until the 4th qtr when it was essentially worn down. The offense's failure to score in the red zone not only once but twice was a big factor in the loss :O .

[boomersooner28]

ARGH!! MAKE IT GO AWAY!!!!

[sooneron]

We lost for one reason, they have sec speed! Bolt has nothing on those guys, even their OLinemen. They are too fast. I could have sworn that when Harvin ran towards the east boundary, 3 seconds actually went back on my watch. What can I say? They're that fast. Don't even get me started on them having the Son of God on their team. It's just not fair.

[soonerspudman]

Their defense came up with two key interceptions, first half goal line and then fourth quarter long ball hits Inglesias in the hands and d- back takes it away.

One of those wierd games (like OU seems to have in BCS games) where it feels like you're running up the side of a sand dune, just cant' seem to get enough momentum to get over the top.

You just have to give Florida's D some credit, they made the big, game-changing plays that you've got to have in a game like that.

[C&CDean]

1. Florida was good.

2. If we score on those red zone possessions in the first half we're up by a couple TDs and we've got all the momentum. We didn't, they took the mo, and the rest is history.

3. Please do not remind me of this **** ever again.

One other thing - pass receiving. If our receivers caught everything that hit them in the hands, we win by a bunch. We managed to set an NCAA record for points - that we could have bettered by a bunch if our receivers were better at the routine catch. I loved Iglesias, and it's hard to bitch about anything about him, but I've watched a lot of games on the DVR where he dropped perfect, or at least very catchable balls over his whole career. He wasn't the only one either. If our guys can hang on to the ball this year, Sam could shatter every QB/offensive record in the book.

[basel90]

I agree about the no-huddle. The last 5-6 games the offense was running another play about 14-17 seconds after the ball was placed down by the line judge. In the OB it was taking around 25 seconds. It seemed to me the offense couldnt get the play in from the sideline. this gave the Gator defense time to get set....

see the ball being slapped at the goal line by the d-lineman of the Gators just as jon cooper was getting to snap it when they were on the 1-2 yard line when they couldnt score running the ball 4 times

Yes i agree with the no huddle not being fast enough , it was slow motion clearly

[BoulderSooner79]

The no huddle is more about match-ups than speed - it stops defensive substitutions. It also stops offensive substitution. During the 2nd half of the season, we had a healthy DM and Gresham and these were two match nightmares that made DC's want to substitute packages of players for different situations. In the title game, we just had Gresham and he scored both TDs. Brown is a very good runner, but doesn't scare anyone moving to the slot. But even without DM, we had our chances.

I have to agree with SoonerInFla - they made the plays when it counted.

I've watch football for 40 years and a big rule I've learned is you have to win the 2nd half in big games. Sure it was frustrating to not execute in the redzone in the 1st half, but the bottom line is the game was tied at half and teams have to forget that and go win the 2nd half. Even if we have a lead, I'm not convinced we win unless we play better. UF would have had a different strategy and clock management if they were behind and teams always seem to catch up if they are playing better and the game is in reach.

[basel90]

thank you all for these replies , i agree on the red zone miscues and no huddle being slow . am just hoping stoops has fixed some of these BCS issues as we don't want another undeserved loss at such a final game at the top of college football.

[starclassic tama]

pretty much everything said in this thread is correct. i think the reason we lost is because florida had a better defense than we did last year. defense wins championships, the tired cliche is true. they weren't much better than we were on defense last year, despite what the media would like us to believe. but they were better by a slim margin which was enough to win the game. one thing i'm excited about is i think florida's team has hit their ceiling. i'm not sure they can be better than they were last year. i think our team has more potential than theirs.

[soonerfan28]

Who cares about the Florida game. It has been 8 months and we are looking forward to a new season and another Big XII and national championship.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

One answer - Offensive co-ordinator. We had FL on their heals with the quick count no huddle and he stopped it and went into 3 or 4 audibles/looksies per play - killed us dead!

[picasso]

don't let the man you're supposed to block get by you into the backfield and blow up a 4th down play.

that would be a start.

At times the Florida d-backs wanted the ball more than our receivers.

[Johnny Utah]

One answer - Offensive co-ordinator. We had FL on their heals with the quick count no huddle and he stopped it and went into 3 or 4 audibles/looksies per play - killed us dead!

yep ... he outcoached himself

[JLEW1818]

play action to Gresham...... still yelling that

[My Opinion Matters]

1. Florida was good.

2. If we score on those red zone possessions in the first half we're up by a couple TDs and we've got all the momentum. We didn't, they took the mo, and the rest is history.

3. Please do not remind me of this **** ever again.

One other thing - pass receiving. If our receivers caught everything that hit them in the hands, we win by a bunch. We managed to set an NCAA record for points - that we could have bettered by a bunch if our receivers were better at the routine catch. I loved Iglesias, and it's hard to bitch about anything about him, but I've watched a lot of games on the DVR where he dropped perfect, or at least very catchable balls over his whole career. He wasn't the only one either. If our guys can hang on to the ball this year, Sam could shatter every QB/offensive record in the book.

Dean's right. We lost because we left 17-21 points on the field. We didn't convert our scoring oppurtunities into points. I just watched this game again for the first time since January. Truthfully, we outplayed Florida for 3 and a half quarters. Chris Brown looked like the second coming of Emmit Smith that night, but we really missed Demarco Murray. Not so much his production as the match-up problems he creates. The versatility of he and Gresham is what gives this offense the ability to shift into different formations without changing personnel. Our wide receivers didn't make any plays.

[Johnny Utah]

play action to Gresham...... still yelling that

you, me and probably millions of other sooner fans ... they didn't appear to have an answer for that matchup

nice blog btw

[KC//CRIMSON]

If our receivers caught everything that hit them in the hands, we win by a bunch. We managed to set an NCAA record for points -

It's amazing how we have all these all word/record setting offenses during the season only to crumble during championship games.

OU has what? like six or so touchdowns in the last four national championship games? Crazy.

[JLEW1818]

it's all about the big layoff i think

giving teams time to prepare for us.....

i really don't know the answer, any ideas?

[Johnny Utah]

it's all about the big layoff i think

giving teams time to prepare for us.....

i really don't know the answer, any ideas?

it's above my paygrade but hopefully the coaches have been working on the answers to make us not as easy to prepare for

[NorCaligator]

Great posts. Red zone plays were huge. Ironically, Torrey Davis who blew up the fourth down play is one of the few UF defenders now gone.

I don't agree that UF has peaked. This is college ball. Return your 2 deep on D and you'll see an improvement. I think there's definitely room to improve on O.

I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch - it would be a good game, given the talent both teams bring. I hope they both stay injury free.

[Okie35]

Red Zone what killed the beast. If we convert and were up 21-7 at halftime, which leads to Tebow trying to throw to win the game....I'm moving on to next year.

Yea I agree ... there's really no sense to carry on about it.

[okcusooner]

Red Zone what killed the beast. If we convert and were up 21-7 at halftime, which leads to Tebow trying to throw to win the game....I'm moving on to next year.


Yep. Leave 14 points on the field inside the ten yard line, and you'll lose to a very good opponent

[CobraKai]

it's all about the big layoff i think

giving teams time to prepare for us.....

i really don't know the answer, any ideas?

A playoff? Beginning a week after the championship games? Football would still go into January, but teams would not have 6 week layoffs.

[SoonerSoph]

1. Demarco Murray 2. Lack of execution in the red zone (see Demarco Murray) 3.
Florida was a dad gum good football team.

[ashley]

If we run the power and not the zone in the red zone. Who can explain what I am talking about?

[ashley]

If we run the power and not the zone in the red zone. Who can explain what I am talking about?

[OUAlumni1990]

I know exactly why they beat us, cause they scored more points! :D

Forget last year, it's the past and we can't change it. :cool:

[Since71ASooner4Life]

It's pretty simple. Usually when there are two strong teams but one has a decided edge on defense and the other a decided edge on offense, the one with the defensive edge wins 7 out of 10. That Florida team probably wins 6 of the next 9 against that Oklahoma team. Nothing to be ashamed of.

This year we probably have less offensive dominance but a stronger defensive, and we're probably a better team while only scoring 40 a game. When two great defensive teams meet as we and Florida may well again, the outcome becomes less predictible.

[Johnny Utah]

It's pretty simple. Usually when there are two strong teams but one has a decided edge on defense and the other a decided edge on offense, the one with the defensive edge wins 7 out of 10.

I don't know about the rest of this forum but I'm ready to be that team.

[picasso]

If we run the power and not the zone in the red zone. Who can explain what I am talking about?


If we run the power and not the zone in the red zone. Who can explain what I am talking about?

so what you're saying is if we run the power and not the zone in the red zone. Who can explain what I am talking about?;)

[ashley]

OK smart guy, tell me the difference.

[Crucifax Autumn]

What are the odds that the coaching staff hasn't considered everything in this thread? I certainly hope they have and I think they have. We are due and if we take it we're the greatest team of the decade.

I think the speed of the no-huddle is a big factor, not only in the BCS game, but all season. We woulda scored even more if it had been quicker.

Red zone is obvious, but if the receivers are as good as I think they will be and the RB combo is as good as we know they are we'll usually score from outside the red zone.

If the defense is as good as their experience indicates and they improve on their disruptive ways of the later part of last season and manage to cut back on the big plays no one will score on us.

I think it's also rather obvious that the kicking game will improve and the few punts we have will be huge. Stevens seems to have more confidence so his ability will not be hampered by the jitters and that will give us better options than going for it on 4th and 5 from the 25.

Overall I really believe that the overall team will be better and I honestly don't see the points on offense fropping off that much. A bunch of guys here thought we'd have less points and yards thanks to Kelly being gone but that didn't happen either.

[picasso]

OK smart guy, tell me the difference.

it was kind of a joke referring to the movie Fletch.

smart guy/girl person.

and thanks for the imaginative private message.

[PhiDeltBeers]

I think it's also rather obvious that the kicking game will improve and the few punts we have will be huge. Stevens seems to have more confidence so his ability will not be hampered by the jitters and that will give us better options than going for it on 4th and 5 from the 25.



Did I hear something about a new punter who runs a 4.4 40? That could be a big threat depending on how many 4th down situations we have.

Also, I'm a little concerned with the receivers (maybe I shouldn't be). Help me out here....Adron Tennell, Ryan Broyles, Gresham @ TE, Madu/Murray in the slot. Don't we have a few other new players (juco maybe?) Who are they and how are they looking? My only concern is...how big are the shoes of Iggy and Johnson and are they filled?

[OUmillenium]

I hate it when points frop.

[MojoRisen]

First off, Dejuan Miller is going to be a threat in the redzone with this height and leaping ability. Same goes for Jaz Reynolds at 6-3 with a 40 inch vertical. Same with Tennel 6-4 big vertical

We are deep at WR, hoping a superstar will emerge from a solid group of Wideouts.

We get our oline performing, we will be really good. I understand Sam Proctor and Q at Saftey can hit and cover.

Game Planning will be good, I wan't no excuses on play calling or being ill prepared or lack of execution if we get back this year. I hate admiting I take some pride in not being blown out in last years game and having many opportunities to win. We are up 17-7 at half and Florida would have been scared - theyre fans were anyway at 7-7.

[PhiDeltBeers]

I forgot about Brandon Caleb as well...and your are right MOJO, hopefully someone will emerge kind of like Broyles did last year. I'm not too concerned. Greshams hands needed a little improvement from last year, but all in all I think they'll be fine. Hopefully the OL can open some holes so the running game can dominate.

[gaylordfan1]

Well, I think C Kenney will see more time at WR than Miller... Just my opinion. I'm going off of coaches comments, watching the live feeds from practice, and how often Kenney runs with the 1st team offense. Tennell, Broyles, and Kenney seem to be the starters as of now. We will see in about two weeks.

[Dan Thompson]

Not in any order.

Sam getting sacked for a 14 yard lost, stopped a drive.

Missed FG

Not coming up with a special play while at the goal line on two plays. Maybe a fake run with Sam do a jump pass to #18 like Tebow does.

Not starting two series with running plays and going 3 and out.

[G8trGr8t]

all 11 returning on Def? wow
I agree with you on their coaching changes at halftime

and their back-ups. Actually 20 out of the 22 two deep on defense.

Watch Carlos Dunlap this year, he has finally started taking it serious. He will be the first DE in the draft this year unless he gets injured.

[JLEW1818]

did he tell u, he was taking it serious this year?

[PhiDeltBeers]

did he tell u, he was taking it serious this year?

Jlew, get a clue...that IS Carlos Dunlap. Geez!

[G8trGr8t]

did he tell u, he was taking it serious this year?

no, the coaches did.

But Dunlap has said the same thing in numerous interviews. That he was a spoiled punk that didn't understand what it took when he got there but does now.

All is good, just saying don't be surprised if he leads the NCAA in sacks this year.

[olevetonahill]

Its pretty simple
We lost cause we were Out coached and Out Played
Plus we Dint have a Kicker that we could trust:P

[ashley]

it was kind of a joke referring to the movie Fletch.

smart guy/girl person.

and thanks for the imaginative private message.

I am 67 and slow. I coached football too long. I get it now.
When he burned his hand on the engine was the best. I still laugh.

[OUinFLA]

Well, also.....

Urban Meyer is one very talented coach.
May become one of the best, being blessed with a great football mind and Florida's recruiting pool.
If you haven't read one of his books on football theory, you're missing a real lesson.

[arcman46]

Great posts. Red zone plays were huge. Ironically, Torrey Davis who blew up the fourth down play is one of the few UF defenders now gone.

I don't agree that UF has peaked. This is college ball. Return your 2 deep on D and you'll see an improvement. I think there's definitely room to improve on O.

I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch - it would be a good game, given the talent both teams bring. I hope they both stay injury free.

I want to see a rematch again too. Then I want to see us give Timtebow and the gators a beatdown of epic proportions.:D

[PLaw]

Red Zone what killed the beast. If we convert and were up 21-7 at halftime, which leads to Tebow trying to throw to win the game....I'm moving on to next year.


BINGO! I think we have a winner!

BOOMER