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Henderson column: Simply Put, Gators Just Not Good Enough

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Joe Henderson/The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 28, 2007

Updated: 10/28/2007 12:33 am

JACKSONVILLE - Say it with feeling, Gators.

Helloooo, Atlanta!

One small detail though.

If the Florida Gators actually play a football game in Atlanta before this season is done, it almost certainly won't be for the SEC championship. From what we hear, though, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl there is a lovely experience. Better hope so, anyway. It's probably the best thing the Gators can hope to salvage from a season that is suddenly swirling the drain.

Now, stop typing that protest e-mail. No one needs to hear about all the mathematical possibilities that remain in play for these Gators, who clinically are alive in the conference race. Put away your calculator and take a look at what's happening on the field, because if we learned anything from the 42-30 whoopin' Georgia laid on them here Saturday, it is this:

They aren't good enough.

The moist eyes of Tim Tebow - he was real, real close to an Urban Crier moment after this one - confirmed that simple truth. They had a dozen chances to win that game and couldn't do it. It's hard to believe this team was once ranked in the top five, even in a season as whacked-out as this one.

They couldn't stop Georgia redshirt freshman running back Knowshon Moreno, who scorched them for 188 yards and three touchdowns.

They couldn't keep Tebow upright. He was sacked six times; the Gators had allowed only five sacks all season prior to this game.

They couldn't keep Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford from burning them with big plays, including an 84-yard touchdown pass.

They couldn't keep their wits at key times, opting for dazzle plays such as a reverse on fourth-and-2 from the Georgia 25 with 11:50 to play. The Gators trailed 28-24 at that point, but the play blew up and resulted in a 3-yard loss. Two plays and 72 yards later, the Bulldogs were in the end zone.

They are 5-3, which is thoroughly average. They have lost three SEC games.

They have lost a rivalry game for the first time in Meyer's tenure.

'It feels awful,' he said.

It looked that way, too.

Tebow Was Limited

Tebow's bruised right shoulder will probably limit him for the rest of this season, much as it did Saturday. Meyer acknowledged that he called a different offensive game, limiting the planned carries for Tebow to save wear on that tender body part. But that's not what beat the Gators.

They got a tremendous game out of Percy Harvin - 10 rushes, 97 yards - and Tebow threw for 236 yards and a touchdown. They scored 30 points. That should be enough.

But this team can't stop anyone. Kentucky ran all over the Gators last weekend in Lexington, and Georgia just did the same. You couldn't be sure that Herschel Walker hadn't materialized out of a time machine to take over Moreno's body. The last time Herschel played the Gators, he tore them up for 192 yards. Moreno almost matched that.

'Knowshon was awesome tonight,' Georgia coach Mark Richt said, 'but it wasn't just Knowshon.'

No, it wasn't. Florida had a lot to do with Georgia's success, too.

The Gators covered poorly and tackled poorly, when they tackled at all. On one touchdown run by the Dawgs, Meyer counted 'at least three missed tackles.'

And we haven't even gotten into the penalties. The Gators had seven for 68 yards and they always seemed to come at horrible times. Or just stupid times, like when cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis did a showboat somersault into the end zone after returning an interception for a touchdown. That drew a flag.

'I'm very disappointed it happened. Really, really disappointed. Shocked,' Meyer said.

A Rivalry Renewed

Florida had won 15 of the last 17 between these two, but now it's 'Game On' again for a rivalry that had grown cold. Georgia even rubbed its first touchdown in the Gators' face, sending the whole bench out on the field to celebrate even though it meant an automatic penalty.

'It was awesome,' Stafford said.

It also showed one thing: Watching the Bulldogs hoot 'n' holler on that play like they had just won the conference title, it was clear who really wanted this game more. Georgia ran harder, answered every Florida charge, and generally played like a team that had its fill of Gator nonsense over the years and was ready to make amends.

But what about the Gators? Meyer talked about having the corners play tighter on opposing receivers and other such technical adjustments, but the truth is the defense was always suspect. The mania over Tebow masked a lot of problems in that unit that have now been exposed for all to see.

Tebow acknowledged that when someone asked him afterward about what it would take for the Gators to get back in the SEC race.

'We don't need to worry about that,' he said. 'We just need to work on getting better.'

Someone else had asked Tebow about the sting of losing to Georgia. He appeared to search for words. Depending on your angle in the room, you might have picked up a glint of moisture reflecting in his eyes. The question hung in the air for several seconds without an answer.

It was an oddly fitting moment, though. These Gators have so often had the answer before, but there's really nothing to say now beyond what we already know.

They just aren't good enough.

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