Florida may be 3-0 and off to a fast start in the Southeastern Conference, but offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is not pleased with Florida’s progress on offense.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” Weis said. “Anyone who really is meticulous in their preparation at this stage of the season finds a lot of faults. ... We can get a lot better on offense.”
Through three games, Florida ranks 28th in the nation in scoring offense (37.7 points per game), and 31st in total offense (442.33 yards per contest). While Weis is pleased that the offense is moving the ball effectively, he rattled off a laundry list of areas that need improvement moving forward.
Among the things that irked Weis following the Tennessee game were Florida’s third-down conversion percentage, Jeff Demps’ fumble in the third quarter, the Gators’ inability to run down the clock in the final minutes, mental errors and the nine penalties on offense — including three false starts.
“Trust me,” Weis said. “There are plenty of things for me to be miserable about.”
The Gators’ lack of production at wide receiver, however, is not a concern. John Brantley has only 17 completions to receivers, with the majority of his passes coming in the underneath game to running backs.
But Weis believes his receiving corps will be able to step up if teams take away the flats.
“That wouldn’t be a problem,” Weis said. “There will be games that come up that way, but for now you just got to take it one game at a time.”
Rainey, Demps take limited contact in practice: Running back Chris Rainey has been nearly untouchable on the field this season — and that apparently extends to the practice one, too.
Weis said the coaches limit contact on Rainey and fellow speedster Jeff Demps in practices to keep the duo fresh for Saturdays.
The move has paid off, as Rainey is averaging 173.33 yards from scrimmage while Demps has also shouldered a significant load on offense.
Harrison improving: Center Jonotthan Harrison had his best game against Tennessee, according to Weis and coach Will Muschamp.
On Monday, Muschamp gave Harrison his weekly Scrap Iron Award, which goes to the team’s best offensive lineman.
“He was very, very good,” Weis said. “If he can play with that physicality that he played with (against Tennessee) against a good team … that bodes well for our strength up the middle.”
Elam case closed: Safety Matt Elam settled his July charge for underage possession of alcohol on Monday. Elam pleaded no contest and agreed to pay $291 in court fees. He will also complete 12 hours of community service and pay a one-time fee of $40 for six months of supervised probation, according to the Associated Press.
Elam was arrested in late July after an officer stopped him for carrying an open container that was found to have had Hennessy cognac and cola in it. It was Elam’s second arrest for underage alcohol possession since enrolling at Florida.
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis displayed frustration Tuesday with the progression of the offense. The unit committed several penalties against UT and struggled on third down.
