Charlie Weis doesn’t like to waste time.
It was evident in Florida’s season opener against Florida Atlantic. The Gators came out with a hurry-up offense in their first possession Saturday and put together a 13-play drive that spanned 6:32 and resulted in the team’s first points of the season.
“Coach Weis, that’s what he likes to do,” quarterback John Brantley said. “He likes to get the play in quick, and he gets really mad if we have a delay-of-game penalty.”
Following the first series, Florida put together three more efficient touchdown drives. The Gators second drive went for 12 plays and 67 yards and took 3:29 off the clock. That was followed by a three-play, 68-yard possession in 1:01, while their last scoring drive of the first half was nine plays and 91 yards.
Brantley said the quick play-calling made life easier on the offense, and everyone had ample time to figure out assignments.
“It was real fast,” right guard Jon Halapio said. “By the time we got to the ball there was already a play there.”
Freshmen impress: Despite not starting, a pair of freshmen stood out to teammates on the offensive side of the ball in Saturday’s season-opening 41-3 win against Florida Atlantic.
Quarterback Jeff Driskel and fullback Hunter Joyer saw early playing time against the Owls — Driskel as part of coach Will Muschamp’s plan to get him meaningful snaps, and Joyer in part due to the injury sustained by sophomore Trey Burton.
Driskel entered for a series in the second quarter and threw an interception on his first career pass attempt. But the dual-threat quarterback didn’t let the mistake bring him down.
“He wasn’t pouting around or anything, he just moved on to the next play,” Halapio said, adding that for a freshman, Driskel showed great vocal leadership in his first game action.
After Driskel checked back in with the game well in hand, he looked more comfortable running the offense.
“You couldn’t have choreographed it, really, any better,” Weis said. “He comes in, he’s nervous, first time out, 90,000 people in The Swamp; it’s exciting for a kid at that position. But you saw how much more poised he looked the next time out there.”
As for Joyer, he garnered praise from Muschamp on Monday for the progress he has made since arriving on campus, as well as his effort Saturday. He also caught the eye of Halapio, who noted Joyer’s full-speed effort since the first day of fall practice.
“He’s real physical, a real smart player for a freshman,” Halapio said. “The thing that stands out to me and my teammates is how physical he is at the fullback position.”
Gators move up in poll: After entering the season ranked No. 22 in the nation, Florida moved up to No. 18 in the latest AP poll released Tuesday. Florida is one of six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the Top 25.
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is drawing rave reviews from players for his quick play calls and fast-paced tempo.
