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The rest of the Cats season hinges on their ability to forget yesterday's game and move on. Yes, we suffered an unadulterated beatdown, were dominated in every phase of the game, and repeated every mistake we've made all year. Yet, this morning, we are in the same position we were yesterday. Five wins with three winnable games left on the schedule. Yesterday does not have to dictate what happens from here on out.

Let's examine what went so horribly wrong. First off, the deck was stacked heavily against us before the game even started. Florida, besides being a far superior team, was coming off a bye week and had extra time to prepare. To say the Cats came in banged up is an understatement. Even setting aside Lyons and Locke, who we have to learn to live without, we had a ton of injuries. The defense was without Myron Pryor. All three starting linebackers played, but Micah Johnson was clearly not himself. Marcus McClinton didn't start, and I am not clear as to whether, or how much, he played.

The game ended, effectively, when the Gators blocked the second punt. The defense, which has been so stalwart all year, was exposed by Florida's blinding team speed, and of course the offense was its usual self. The special teams gaffes, while embarrassing and backbreaking, were not surprising. We have now had four field goals blocked this year, one of which may have cost us a game and another which nearly did. To say nothing of the UT game last year. Steve Ortmeyer has to go.

All this said, the only real negative takeaway was our heretofore legit defense giving up 63 points. The rest of the bad stuff we already knew. My guess is that the defense can regroup if it so chooses. Hopefully we'll be able to heal some this week. And, lets face it, Florida has some athletes the likes of which we won't have to face in the coming weeks.

The most intrguing question now is whether Brooks will pull the trigger and start Randall Cobb at QB. Yesterday proved that Norfolk State was no fluke. To argue that the offense is more effective with Hartline in the game is to ignore every shread of evidence to the contrary. In addition to being a run threat, Cobb is a more accurate thrower on any route over five yards. Brooks says Hartline knows the offense better. Who cares? What good is memorizing a bunch of plays that don't work?

The casual fan may have been surprised when Hartline started the second half. I was not. Brooks has already been accused of showing him near blind loyalty. I was not in that camp before, but will be if a change doesn't come next week. For now, lets give Brooks the benefit of the doubt and say that returning Mike to the game was more about maintaining his confidence than it was about giving us the best chance to make the game respectable.

The drive for a third straight winning season and bowl eligibility comes down to two questions. First, does Brooks continue to go with his gut and stick with Hartline, or does he hand the keys to the talented freshman? But more than anything, our chance at a good year hinges on this; Can the Cats get amnesia and play as if yesterday's trip to the Swamp never happened?