Hey Hawkeyeland, you think you feel blue? Just talk to Florida

Iowa lost by a point at home to a Top Ten team, Wisconsin, and the sky is falling. I love that as a sportswriter/blogger who wants readers to be emotional one way or another, who wants people to really care about the subject material I cover. As a human being ... let's just say it's interesting to observe.

It was with interest I read what Florida head football coach Urban Meyer had to say at his weekly press conference Monday. The Gators are 4-3 overall, 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference. This is the same program that has won two of the last four national-titles, that went 13-1 in three of the previous four seasons.

Gator Country is dazed and confused, angry and hurt. Here are Meyer's opening remarks from Monday:

Thanks for coming. I'm going to give you a lot of information because I've had time to go through it and it will probably save a lot of questions. Number one is, we've obviously had some severe issues here the last three weeks that have been very damaging as far as the won-loss record. The issue is not finding the blame but it's finding a solution, and that's what we're going to do this week. We began the task last week and I think some are very obvious, but some as far as the plan to win that has been fairly successful around here is not being followed. So the intent is, once again, and I've got to make that clear, not to assess blame because that is not the intent. The intent is to get better and improve, and the first thing you look at is if there is a lack of execution, why? The first thing you ask is, ‘Are you getting it done in practice?' And that's my job. I believe the number one job as a head coach during the season, once you go through the recruiting and the staff, and (everything else), you find out now is when there is a lack of execution, how does that occur? The answer is not to say ‘Well, that guy, that guy, that guy.' I understand on the outside at times... Not at times, that's the way it is. But on the inside, now why is the execution not being accomplished? Is it because we don't practice enough? Is it because we don't get them in that situation enough? We call it a competitive excellence around here, that you're in that position over and over and over and over again so that when it hits during a game, you execute it. We're not into excuses.

We're not into this happened because. It's fix the issues. Number two is making sure we're asking guys to do what they can do.

So those are the two focuses I've had. Number one is to evaluate execution and how do you do that? It's, are we giving them enough practice repetitions to fulfill their job description? Number two would be, are we asking guys to do what they can do? If we're not, then we got to assess that. We've got time to evaluate that.

So number one on the hit parade here is turnovers. We've been number one in the Southeastern Conference really for the last forever.

We've been I think number one in the country as far as turnovers, and the last three games we've had five interceptions and three fumbles.

Once again, we're not here to assess blame. It's, now why? The why I have always evaluated turnovers – and some of the people I spoke with, my coaching colleagues – is I put it with carelessness and toughness, and are you careless with the ball? And are you a tough guy carrying the ball or holding the ball or whatever? Because when you get whacked, they're going to happen once in a while but carelessness and toughness… And when you say carelessness, are we practicing that enough and do we have enough ball protection drills during practice? So fundamentals fall underneath carelessness. We've had more turnovers this year than we had in all of '08 already.

Number two, big plays. This is alarming, and this is something that I didn't realize because we are just trying to get a first down. But our goal in 2005 was to have the fastest team in college football, and I know there's injury issues, all other kinds of excuses that that maybe we're not hitting big plays. However, the obvious one would be what I just said. The not-so-obvious to the outside – but on the inside is – maybe it's a lack of execution, a lack of blocking the edge, whatever it may be, and that's what we're going to really work on this week. Our running backs have been accounted for four for the year.

Just to give you it in relative terms, we had five in one game last year against FSU so that tells you the lack of production. None in the last five games from the running back position. We've always been, and I don't have this stat, I should've tried to rally this up for you, but we've always, I believe, been number one in America. I'd be hard pressed to say that we haven't had more big plays than any other school in the country the last few years, so that has to be addressed.

What's the solution? I have ‘speed' written down in real bold letters right here. I have perimeter blocking, and then I have execution of the play call.

Number three, pass efficiency. We've always been number one. We were number one in the country for the last several years combined.

We've always been extremely high. Our expectation levels are about 160, 165 as a passer rating, and we're currently at 117. The last three games, we're at 98.5. It's a multitude of issues that have to be corrected. Number one would be drops. Number two would be protection issues between the offensive line and the backs. And number three would be execution of a play. But when you start figuring out 160 to a 98.5, that has to be corrected. When you're at 165, the first thing everybody says is, ‘Boy, that quarterback is doing great.' Well, the quarterback is doing his job. It's also the offensive line and the running backs not missing protection. We've had some missed protections, and guys are making plays down the field, so that has to be improved.

“Red zone would be the last. I could go on and on, but this is where we're really sinking our teeth into improvement. We've led the SEC the last three years. The first four games this year, we were 16-of-16 in the red zone and the last three games we're 3-of-11 with three turnovers and three missed field goals. So that's execution, and grind it and work at it.

“Then I go to special teams. We're expected to be the number one punt or up there in punt. We're number one in the SEC. I want to say we're number one or number two in America in punt. So I think we're doing decent there. We still had that one against Alabama, (which) was absolutely inexcusable, and we face a great returner this week. Kickoff return, we're number one in the SEC. Punt return, we're average, and kickoff I think we're good. The stats, I want to say we're in the middle of the pack, but when you just identify who we've gone against and if we got them on the ground, our guys have done a pretty good job and that the specials teams. The areas we're missing are big hits and blocked punts.

“Defense, I don't believe we're playing at the level that we expect. We're not dominant. However, we're good enough to win some games around here. The area of concern will be third downs and getting our guys off the field. Now, as a synopsis to close on these comments for you, efficiency of practice time, making sure your players can do what you ask them to do. Red zone, there's only one way to do that.

We've always been pretty decent in the red zone. Last year we struggled a little bit, (but) it was just work our tails off. We take great pride in that around here and being very clear in what we expect and what we're going to do down there. And then the final things is just get players ready to go, get them healthy.

(End of excerpt)

My reaction is college football teams are very fragile ecosystems. Just about everything has to click for even superpowers to win the vast majority of their games. And it doesn't take much for things to go haywire, let alone off just enough to lose to a really good team by one point, which is one play or one mistake.

What say you?