Sunday Morning Quarterback :: SMQ Bowl Blitz: Championship Breakdown, Part Three

24 hours to go.

Utter joy or complete devastation to follow.

Sunday Morning Quarterback :: SMQ Bowl Blitz: Championship Breakdown, Part Three: "Today: When Florida has the ball.
Chris Leak's last stand.

Basics: In general, it seems to SMQ (who could be wrong) Florida has earned a reputation as a talented but inconsistent bunch that frustrates by alternating flashes of brilliance with bouts of lax execution and an overreliance on gimmicks, but to the extent that perception exists it stems largely from the standard set by Steve Spurrier's old Fun `N Gun absurdities and expectations that followed Urban Meyer's explosive success at usually lo-flow Utah - the numbers actually reveal the Gators to be an offense that's run and passed at the same clip as Ohio State's vaunted unit and turned in more 'explosive' plays (compare UF's runs of 10/20 yards and passes of 15/25 as well as plays resulting in first downs here to Ohio State's here). Skill-wise, the overall speed and receiver depth matches any school's anywhere; the only apparent cause for the lag in scroeboard production - where Florida failed to crack 30 in-conference until the SEC Championship and OSU averages more than a touchdown better per game - is turnovers, mistakes that cost the Gators 19 times in nine SEC games.

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