RELAX...IT'S JUST A SPRING SCRIMMAGE

GATOR GRIDIRON
ROGER FRANKLIN WILLIAMS


In the aftermath of a 13-10 2011 Spring Game where the defense clearly outplayed the offense, not to mention another less that stellar performance by projected starting QB John Brantley---4-14, no TD passes, a few......alright,a lot....of Gator fans will, no doubt, feel the urge to hit the panic button.

In the area of most interest to Gator fans--the offense and especially the QB position--these are the highlights:

 Orange (second team offense) QB Tyler Murphy was the leading passer with 68 yards on 7-11 passing and 1 TD pass. Murphy also had 6 rushes. The "star" of the game was Blue QB Christian Provancha (???) who hit WR Robert Clark for a late TD to seal a win for the Blue.....Unfortunately, Gator Fan, you read that right---the two most productive QB's Saturday were a scholarship guy most Gator fans have never heard of and a walk-on. On top of that, the leading RB was another walk-on, Malcolm Jones--15 carries for 63 yards, who started the Spring as a DB.

No wonder the confidence of some Gator fans is getting a little shaky....

Gator Gridiron urges restraint.

The aforementioned statistics represent the very reason that this Gator stopped going to the Orange and Blue game decades ago....because, despite the great anticipation and enthusiasm of Gator fans, the game is nothing more than a scrimmage with uniforms and live crowd noise. In fact, it is a scrimmage where unknown Gators often shine, only to never be heard from again.

Add to that the fact that in the early stages defense almost always is ahead of offense and large numbers of prominent Gators missed Spring practice due to injury and what you have is the bottom line that the Spring Game is meaningless.

Now, of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the Gators will be good next year, either.......