Gators CockBlock to Win

I'm hoarse. I can barely speak.

My hair is, I'm positive, a slightly greyer shade from its vibrant, youthful look.

I'm sweaty. Even inside, in air conditioning. I can't stop.

I'm paranoid. I'm nervous. I keep checking around the corner to see if someone's following me. I'm jittery. My knuckles are white from fists clenched tightly together. My nerves are on edge, my teeth are set, my gut churns continually and I have permanent heartburn. (Tums, please!)

I am suffering from the cumulative, chronic effects of the heart-attack-inducing 2006 Florida Gators football team. I believe at some point this season, they just might kill me.

But they survive, and so do I: 17-16 over Spurrier's 'Cocks, in the Swamp.

I'm not going to be critical of my boys. Not one bit. If you're looking for that, check somewhere else. These guys pulled out a magnificent TEAM win.

And before anyone utters the idiotic phrase "struggled against a 4-loss team... " Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks were playing on a higher level. Having followed the Golden Son's team most of the year, they have been impressive at times and have given tough games to good teams (lost by a TD to Auburn, and by six to the Hogs.) This is the best five-loss team in the country, and Florida might be one of the least-impressive one-loss teams, at least on offense.

But on Saturday night, a group of kids wearing garnet and black played better than their collective abilities should have allowed. I've never seen a coach get so much from such a generally average team in one game. They played almost flawlessly on offense. Blake Mitchell? Uh, the third-stringer that probably couldn't play for any other SEC team? He looked like an All-American the entire night. He was perfect on precision pass after precision pass. Florida couldn't stop the Cocks' inside slants. Couldn't stop Mike Davis from rushing at will between the tackle and the defensive end. Couldn't cover Sydney Rice or Kenny McKinley.

Spurrier's team simply moved the ball at will. But Florida somehow dug deep and found a way to win.

I want to say this again to dispel any comments to the contrary: this South Carolina team, playing at the level they were playing last night, could go glove-to-glove with any team in the country and have a chance to win. Any team. They were a championship-quality opponent for the Gators regardless of their win-loss record or stats. Tough, tough, tough team.

Besides the win, there were some good things in this game for the Gators. First, there were obvious improvements to Florida's offense. Chris Leak looked much sharper, and the Gators moved the ball in chunks of yardage. The low-scoring game had more to do with the fact that Florida only had seven total possessions with which to work than any other factor. Florida's long first drive, which took 10:48 to move the ball 77 yards with six first downs, looked good until Hetland missed (ANOTHER! ANOTHER!) chip shot field goal from the center of the field, 30 yards out. Their second drive took 5:34 and resulted in a punt after Jim Tartt was called for holding, and their third (the last of the first half) was a touchdown.

Scary touchdown, though. Leak underthrew the ball, which went right through the hands of a South Carolina DB before bouncing into Dallas Baker's capable arms. Baker actually fought for the ball a bit, which was the difference.

UF's first drive of the second half (their fourth drive in the game) resulted in an interception. The fifth drive died after a snap which hit Percy Harvin in motion was recovered by Tim Tebow for a massive loss of yardage. The sixth resulted in a Hetland field goal from 22 yards out, which made the score 10-10 at the time. (There was a chorus of boos when Hetland ran onto the field. I felt bad for the kid, but in this case, can you blame the crowd for its frustration?) Florida's final drive resulted in a touchdown -- and proved to be the game winner.

In short, this offense has made some strides. Is it pretty? Nope... not yet. DeShawn Wynn ran the ball 12 times for 91 yards. He should have run more! Meyer agreed in his post-game radio show, saying that he felt the offense was "too cute" at times and that they should have given Wynn the ball more. Still, though, Leak had a very solid night managing the game and played with a lot of toughness. Florida could move the ball in big chunks but thanks to kicking and penalties didn't get but 17 total points for their 401 total yards of offense. Call me crazy, but I think this offense has turned the corner, will look even better after a week of rest and an easy game against Western Carolina.

Besides advancing to 9-1 in Meyer's second year -- while Spurrier's Cocks fall to 5-5 -- and winning the SEC East, the Gators removed a giant albatross from Meyer's back by providing him with a win over his progenitor. I shudder to even imagine having to deal with South Carolina fans had they won the game. They are meek, quiet, and polite today, but I guarantee they would be an altogether different breed had they pulled the upset. (By the way, the fan report from the game was not good. This was not a fanbase which represented itself or South Carolina well in the Swamp. Different story, though.)

Of course, the game-changing moment came when Jarvis Moss elevated like a bullet elevator to the sky and blocked Ryan Succop's game-winning field goal attempt. The sound in the Swamp? Imagine someone flicking a switch which activated a screaming jet engine 5 feet in front of you. It was amazing, it was electric, it was an instant classic and will be talked about forever. I was there. Thank the heavens, I was there.