Gators Better Since Losing, Go Figure.

They say that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. 

After the loss to Ole Miss the Timbow told the Gator Nation that they would never see another player play and practice as hard as he and his team would. The team's character is being revealed-- and everyone's talking about it.

Ever since the home loss the Gators' offense has outscored opponents 201-43 with Timbow running for 6 td's and throwing 8. His passer rating is a 162.7 (cool web thing that computes the rating for you). His 2 picks places the Gators as the league's 2nd best in interception percentage with a 1.05, behind Penn St (2 picks, but a .79%, go figure) who hasn't even actually played a men's football team this season. The Gators' scoring offense ranks 7th in the NCAA and shows now sign on letting up. 

Everyone else around the Timbow is playing better too. Since Ole Miss the 1,2,3 Boys have been straight killing it. Percy has ran the ball for 2 td's and caught 5. Demps has logged 3 td's on the ground and 1 in the air. Rainey has one score on the ground but has had defenses going crazy trying to keep up with him allowing the Timbow to distribute the ball to his other weapons.

The offense makes the ESPN highlight reel, but the defense wins the game. Florida's defense has been nothing short of stifling. Spikes and the D have held opponents to under an average of 10.75 points a game since the Ole Miss loss. It's all about turnovers and capitalizing on them. 

The Gators are first in the NCAA in turnover margin with a 1.75. The Gators have forced 20 turnovers and given up only 6. The big story is the play of the secondary. Gone are the days of the secondary being the weakness on defense, now it's their strength. The Gators are 10th in passing defense efficiency. Ahmad Black has 4 picks, 2 returned for td's and Spikes has 1. Freshmen Janoris Jenkins has played beyond the expectations of even his biggest proponents. The Gators' new 3 safety rotation of Hill, Black, and Wright has proved to be fruitful.  Every player on the secondary is playing at a higher level every game, especially Joe "Cool" Haden who had 10 tackles, 7 solo, and 1 pick against the pups.

But it's a team effort. The Gators' defense is ranked 5th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing 11.6 points per game. The general, Brandon Spikes, leads the team with 59 tackles. Haden is second with 50. The Gators have held some of the league's most explosive offenses to less than 6 yds. per pass. Probably most impressively, the D has smothered opponents in keeping them to under 11.63 points per game-- that's under two touchdowns, and it's 5th in the NCAA. 

The special teams have been just that-- special. The Gators are 2nd in the league with punt return average of 20.14 yards-- and that's when teams actually punt to James. James has two punt returns for td's and has several tackles on special teams too. Meyer's logic of making players earn their time by placing them on special teams has yielded some of the most positive returns for the Gators yet. Demps is a singular example blocking something like 2 punts in addition to being the resident badass in the backfield. Field goal defense has been good. And of course, punt coverage is second to none in the league.

Would the Gators be better off without the loss to Ole Miss? Uh, yeah. But they might not have been able to beat the big teams that they have had they not faced the adversity of losing at home and having the Timbow make promises that the Gators' asses have cashed. 

One thing remains clear: The Timbow keeps his word. 

"And one admiral's daughter!" - Name that movie.

Go Gators.