It probably struck in the middle of the night, some divine inspiration accompanied by angels and trumpets and a voice from on high.
“Your offense doesn’t have to be boring and ineffective,” that voice must have said. “It can be diverse. It can score points. It can even be fun to watch.”
How else to explain the sudden shift in play-calling during Florida’s 48-14 win against Kentucky?
Maybe Urban Meyer popped NCAA Football 11 into his PlayStation3 and saw all those cool formations his team was supposed to be running, or maybe he finally introduced offensive coordinator Steve Addazio to some skill players not named Jeff Demps and Addazio decided to put his new acquaintances to work.
Whatever it was, it happened just in time.
With No. 1 Alabama looming, No. 7 UF needed to go from bland to bold in a hurry, and that’s just what it did. After posting season highs in points, yards (466) and entertainment against Kentucky, the Gators have finally given the Crimson Tide something to worry about.
It was clear right away that something was different about the offense. The first play went to redshirt freshman Andre Debose, the highly touted receiver who served as little more than a sideline ornament in the first three games.
That 14-yard gain was followed by a deep incompletion, then a screen to Debose for seven yards, an option pitch to Demps for 17, a deep out-route to Deonte Thompson for 20 and an 11-yard touchdown run by Trey Burton from the wildcat formation.
Six plays and 64 yards in less than two-and-a-half minutes, and Debose was the only player to touch the ball twice.
The show continued on the next drive, which again started with a pass to Debose. This time, six players carried or caught the ball on a 12-play, 85-yard romp.
Not counting running backs lining up outside, eight receivers saw the field in those two drives, and it looked like the scheme coaches and players hyped up this offseason: replacing quality playmakers with a large quantity of capable guys.
Saturday wasn’t perfect, as Florida rounded out the first half with three punts and an interception, but the Gators reached the end zone on all four second-half possessions and totaled three drives of 80 yards or longer after posting just one in three games.
The biggest question is whether they’ll keep that look against the Crimson Tide or revert to the Demps-or-die formula that had them ranked No. 11 in the Southeastern Conference for total offense through three games.
True, Demps needs the ball. But 26 carries against Tennessee were too many, and he left this game with a third-quarter foot injury after touching the ball six times in an eight-play span.
Why not divert some of that load to Debose, third-down-beast-mode receiver Carl Moore or the handful of other players who looked perfectly capable against UK?
Saturday night in The Swamp was a sight for sore eyes, but a return to the “We just take what the defense gives us” attitude — a phrase uttered often so far this season — would spell disaster in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide won’t give the Gators anything; they have to take it.
It’s no sure thing that they can, but at least they showed they have a pulse.
