BCS Showdown Preview LWS Style; The (Boo) Chris Leak Factor

Mota is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want.” Jim Tressel

Breaking news. Medicinal Marijuana user Marcus Thomas will play against the Buckeyes.  Meyer says that whether or not Thomas plays or not is out of his hands. More to  follow… 

(My prediction:  Nebraska/Ohio State 62 UF 24, The Chris Leak Factor is just to significant to overcome)

The ESPN keys to the game looks pretty much right on target to us. Especially the quarterback matchup. You would think that being a four year starter should count for something…and it does in Florida.

Will Florida be able to overcome the Chris Leak Factor?

The Chris Leak Factor is probably the single most important key to a Ohio State victory.  As Leak once  promised the Gator Nation, he is working towards his 4th national championship. In a tradition unique only to the Gator Nation, Gator fans often boo and chant “TEE-BOW” to pay homage to Leak’s always gutty performance as sign of deep respect, love and admiration for his toughness and clutch play under pressure.  The Gator way of saying “Thanks Chris” for a job not done so well.  Leak generally will do everything humanly possible to give a game away. This year his best efforts at being incompentent was just not good enough. Leak always plays as advertised looking underaggressive in sliding short of the first down line, shying away from contact, running with his eyes closed, throwing off of his back foot and finally he will just start handing the ball to the Buckeyes.

 Meyer knows that this is most likely his best and last chance to win a National Championship. He must win this game to stay lockstep with his mentor Nick Saban’s last coaching move.  The SEC Championship Game made Meyer look like a genius.  A quick recap: Meyer had burned all of his first half timeouts within 45 seconds trying to decide whether to punt of not, the “deer in the headlights”  fooled Arkansas  who fumbled the ball in the endzone giving the Gators the lead, the momentum and most importantly overcoming the Chris Leak Factor (Leak’s Utah Pass Interception for a Hog TD was a whopper).

 (Leak in the picture above says, Oops!!!)

Coach Urban Meyer is spearheading a movement to avoid being “Nebraskaed“.  He wants a lot more Tebow and  a whole lot less Leak.

After watching the Buckeyes game film, Meyer was inspired, excited and really moist.  “I was (seeing) guys making three people miss, running over people and going, going, going,” Meyer said. “It’s not like this is earth-shattering news, but playmakers win games. Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers (The Bow) and out of the hands of our non-playmaker (Leak).”

Inspired by what he saw, Meyer has schemed on how to get the ball to his own playmakers against the Buckeyes. Saturday, you will see the significant transition to a quarterback that can run the true spread offense schemes that made the coach so successful at Bowling Green and Utah. Some of the more relevant changes include:

(Will Meyer jump to the NFL after the game?)

* Getting backup quarterback Tim Tebow all of the snaps. Last week, Meyer said he regretted not using his dynamic weapon more often against Auburn. An emotional Meyer, who never forgets a loss,  touched on his frustration with Auburn’s lack of class on running up the score on the fumble recovery Touchdown in the last seconds, “Tommy better get those pistol grip ears ready for some payback next year”.

*Chris Leak is just not getting it done. His failure to take a hit for the team is just shameful. Leak basically handed the Auburn game with his fumbles and fraidy-cat play. Leak will chart plays for the remainder of the season. Meyer also said the CBS columnist Mike Freeman, a Leak for Heisman advocate, could “Just kiss my ass”.

* Using more true spread runs (reverses, end arounds, option plays, etc.) than up-the-gut traditional running plays. Harvin, Florida’s version of former NBA player Dennis Rodman, Harvin’s “personality” might have been a better fit at Miami or Virginia Tech, but he has excelled under Urban’s “special brand of discipline”.

Related links to stern Meyer’s unorthodox but effective dicipline techniques:

Link and Link 2

“(Meyer is) just ready to open up the offense, give us the damn ball and let us go run, now that Leak is outta the damn way, we can do as we damn well please” Harvin said. And it just might be Harvin’s increased involvement in the game plan that factors as the biggest change.

Before every game, Meyer sits down and scripts how many times he wants playmakers to touch the ball.

This week, Harvin should have at least a couple of tallies by his name. “He’ll touch the ballsack in a variety of places,” Meyer said. “Every time he touches it, it’s like 15 yards a carry.”

The Gators did not have such options in 2005 and to this point in 2006 with Chris Leak running the offense. “It was, ‘Who do we get the ball to?’” Meyer said. “We have an issue this year where we want to make sure the playmakers are touching it. Well to heck with Curtis Leak, I got Bob “Blumpkin” Tebow who fills my void nicely.”

(The Bow pictured with Mom and “Robert” Tebow. Is Robert in the Secret Sevice? The earpiece? Who is he talking to?)

However, the changes this year will be opposite ones, aimed at diversifying the attack. “(My) confidence is at an all-time high. I feel un-fucking-stoppable,” Caldwell said. “The only person that can stop me is butterfingers Chris Leak, and I’m not going to let that happen.”

Added Meyer: “He’s a much more passive player than he’s ever been. He wasn’t like that earlier in the year, and it was because he had the tough injury. But Bubba’s not a tough guy, and he’s playing the best football he’s ever played here. He’s back.” As for Harvin? “In my mind, when I get the ball, I think I’m taking it to the distance every time, I make believe I am running from the popo” he said. “You member in the that movie Waterboy? Fonzie told that goofy white kid to pretend he was making plays in his head. Well, Coach just gives me a “nickel” and tells me to do the same thing in my head. I know he got my back, jus’ like he did with Marcus, “Just give me the ball and let me go.”