After the first quarter I thought this game was going to be a cakewalk but Bowling Green had me really worried when they pulled within 3 points almost halfway through the 3rd quarter. I think the only thing that saved the game for us was Pulley's touchdown run. If he doesn't get pull off that run we would have completely lost momentum and Bowling Green would have got the ball back in excellent field position.
For the first time I decided to work backup QB Nigel Williams into the game. Each quarterback played one series and then rotated out. The numbers:
Pulley - 7 of 18 for 95 yards and 1 Pick. 4 carries for 103 yards and 1 TD.
Williams - 7 of 16 for 57 yards and 1 Pick.
Pulley had that all important run so he wins the overall battle by default. As far as passing goes, I feel it was a push. Williams did very well in the first half (completed something like 5 of 8). He completely fell apart in the second half though. Pulley was just poor the entire game. With Kentucky moving into the teeth of the SEC schedule I am not going to be rotating quarterbacks every other series, but Williams will see the field more, especially if we get a decent lead.
Game Balls:
- Defensive Front Seven - Major recognition to these guys. They held the Falcons under 30 yards rushing and pilled up a whopping 9 sacks.
- DE Kory Coleman - This guy deserves some individual recognition for just a monster game. 6 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.
- HB Mike Morgan - Had a nice little game in limited use with 17 carries for 93 yards and 2 scores.
- QB Curtis Pulley - The touchdown run lands him here.
Week 5 Sports Illustrated
Next Game:
#4 Florida (3-0) at Kentucky (2-1)
With non-conference games over we jump right into the teeth of our SEC schedule by opening up against the Gators. This was a very close game last season that saw a 19 point lead slip away from the Wildcats in the second half. The Gators are a much better team this season and are sporting what will probably be a top 10 offense all season long.
You would be hard pressed to find a weakness on this Florida offense. The passing game goes through Heisman candidate receiver Nyan Boateng. Boateng is in his fifth season with the Gators and stands at 6'2" 195 lbs. He is the complete package and will pose a matchup problem all game long for the Wildcats. Inbetween passes Florida mixes in a nice 1-2 punch with running back Willie Underwood and speedy quarterback Josh Portis. The Wildcats will have to do an excellent job disguising their blitz packages or else Portis is likely to take off. It should almost go without saying that Florida has an excellent offensive line.
What to do against this defense...the linebackers are too quick and stout to run against and the best free safety in the nation is roaming the middle of the field for the Gators. Don't like our chances with their cornerbacks either. Kentucky could have limited success up the middle due to an injury on the Gators defensive line, but with the talent at linebacker it wouldn't be much. This is just going to turn out to be what is working best on gameday.
Predition: Florida 34 - Kentucky 10