When I got home Wednesday night, I wanted to get away from everything.
Between the late nights at the office and the developments that were sporadically coming in the Treon Harris investigation, I needed an escape, even if it was brief.
So I sat down in my dorm and watched the one movie I always watch whenever I have the opportunity: "The Blind Side."
The movie about NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher and his story from poverty to becoming a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens is my favorite sports movie ("Remember the Titans" is an extremely close second). It came out in November 2009, just about two years after I started actively following football.
And then, during the scene from Oher’s first high school football game at Wingate Christian School — a fictional version of Memphis (Tenn.) Briarcrest Christian School — I heard the Sandra Bullock-played Leigh Anne Tuohy say the one phrase I hear her say every other time I watched the film:
"Run the dang ball."
When she said it, my mind raced back to Wednesday’s football media availability — the first one we had since news about the Harris incident broke.
It brought me back to Florida’s offensive mindset throughout the past three years, where the Gators utilized the ground-and-pound gameplan and had mixed results.
It had me thinking.
And it reaffirmed my thoughts that I had for UF’s approach when it faces LSU Saturday night in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when I wrote my story for Wednesday’s paper: Florida needs to run the ball — and run it a lot.
To put it simply, the Tigers have been flat-out terrible defending the run. They give up an average of 183.3 rushing yards per game, which is 90th out of 128 FBS teams and last among the 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference.
In its last three games — a win against New Mexico State and losses to Auburn and Mississippi State — LSU has given up an average of 257.3 yards on the ground.
Florida’s passing game has been stagnant ever since its 42-21 loss to Alabama on Sept. 20, totaling just 169 total yards through the air in its past two games.
So why wouldn’t it revert back to the ground game when its opposing defense is terrible at defending the run?
Even though starting running back Matt Jones is a game-time decision with knee swelling, coach Will Muschamp said Wednesday that he is confident in his stable of running backs.
"I’ve got confidence in Kelvin (Taylor), I’ve got confidence in Mack Brown," Muschamp said. "Adam Lane has been over repping with our guys the last couple of days just in case, a guy that I have tremendous confidence in him as well. … And then you add Brandon Powell to the mix of a guy who’s going to get some snaps Saturday in some different roles. So excited about that position."
But Muschamp’s confidence in the tailbacks hasn’t translated to playing time on the field so far this season.
Taylor — who took over as Florida’s starting running back in 2013 after Jones’ season-ending meniscus injury against LSU — has just 30 rushing attempts this season, which is less than half of Jones’ 72 and two less than starting quarterback Jeff Driskel.
Mack Brown, who led the Gators in rushing yards in 2013 (543), has just six attempts and 58 yards on the ground this year and none since the season opener.
If Muschamp has the confidence in those running backs like he says he does, the fourth-year head coach needs to set them free.
And he needs to run the dang ball.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
UF running back Matt Jones carries the ball during Florida's 36-30 triple-overtime win against Kentucky on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
