Next time (if) Emmanuel Moody gets a carry in The Swamp, change up that "Moooo" cheer a little and just say "More."
In the limited amount of time he has touched the ball this season (13 carries, 131 yards), Moody has shown he can contribute to Florida's offense, and not just in the fourth quarter of blowouts.
At the very least, I'd like to see him get some more opportunities. Odds are you would, too, and I can't understand why the coaching staff doesn't seem to feel the same way.
Against Tennessee on Saturday, Moody came in on the second drive. On the first drive, the Gators tallied 10 yards on eight plays, and Jeff Demps had two carries up the middle for a total of three yards.
On Moody's first touch, he hit the generous hole on the right side of the line, juked a corner and sprinted toward the sideline before being tackled for a 23-yard gain.
It was his first action since being yanked after fumbling against Troy. The laid-back Texan looked pretty jazzed up after the carry, and the crowd was behind him.
The coaches must not have been.
Moody was replaced by Chris Rainey right away, and Rainey took handoffs up the middle on the next three plays, gaining zero, 11 and zero yards. Then Brandon James took an option pitch for no gain.
Florida ran the ball eight times on the drive after Moody's carry. What I don't understand is, if the Gators were planning to run anyway, why not let Moody touch the ball again?
He had two more carries later in the game. On the second, he picked up two yards on an option pitch before Eric Berry fought through David Nelson's block and flipped Moody over.
His next one came on a handoff up the middle, where he and a few linemen pushed the pile eight yards upfield.
Some people think Moody was pulled out because the coaches wanted some big-play threats in the run game to make up for the lack of production at receiver.
That sounds good in theory, but it falls apart when you consider the fact that Moody's first touch was the game's longest play from scrimmage.
Also, Tim Tebow carried the ball 24 times. Several coaches said this week that most of Tebow's runs weren't designed runs, but they must not be counting zone read plays as designed runs.
Moody has shown that he's a tough, powerful runner with the shiftiness to break off some long carries. To me, he seems a pretty good alternative to having Tebow run the ball on every play, which is bound to result in injuries, just as it has every other year.
I asked running backs coach Kenny Carter if Moody would be a good person to hand some of Tebow's carries to, and he looked at me like I was crazy.
"Tim's a Heisman Trophy winner, why would you not let him carry the ball?" Carter said. "All we care about is wins, that's all that matters. Whether it's Tim, Jeff, Emmanuel or Rainey, we just care about whoever touches the ball is productive. Tim is one of the best runners you can have."
I've always said the offense is at its best when Tebow is running all the time, especially without Percy Harvin in town. But that's about as sustainable as running a pyramid scheme.
Some are down on Moody because of his fumble against the Trojans. Go re-watch that. Either Marcus Gilbert or Aaron Hernandez should have blocked Troy defensive end Brandon Lang, but instead he waltzed through the line and hit Moody.
Moody should have secured the ball better, but that was as much of a blocking issue and a good defensive play as it was his fault.
I'll admit the fact that Moody came here from USC affects my perception of him. Dude was a Trojan, so he must be a baller, right?
I still think he could be, but we won't know that unless he gets some carries.
Meyer said he's going to rely on Demps, Rainey and Moody in the coming weeks, and we'll see how much No. 21 is going to factor into that.
Judging by the way Meyer chuckled this week when asked if he hears fans calling for Moody to get 20 carries per game, I'd guess he'll keep playing second fiddle to Demps and Rainey.
The Gators can win the rest of their games with Moody chained to a fence somewhere, but that's not the real issue. If he can be productive enough to move the chains and save Tebow some painkilling injections, why not use him?
