The bye week seems to be the only thing that can slow Jeff Driskel. Since earning the starting job against Bowling Green on Sept. 1, the sophomore quarterback has improved each week.
After four games, Driskel ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with a 69.6 completion percentage.
Driskel’s quick development has played a major role in Florida’s 4-0 start this season. Offensive coordinator Brent Pease said the Oviedo native stands out among quarterbacks he has coached during his 22-year career.
“Some of the guys I’ve worked with, he’s ahead of what they’ve done on a week-to-week basis,” Pease said. “Sometimes, it’s maybe right on par. I don’t think he’s behind anybody. Each week he’s done a better job.”
While Driskel has impressed early, both he and UF coaches admitted that the 6-foot-4 quarterback needs to improve several aspects of his game before playing LSU on Oct. 6.
Driskel’s scrambling ability is one of his strengths, but it has created problems for the Gators at times this season, often resulting in sacks. Instead of getting rid of the ball when facing the pass rush, he would step out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage.
The issue proved most prominent when Driskel ran out of bounds for a loss twice against Texas A&M, accounting for two of the eight sacks he took in Florida’s 20-17 victory in College Station, Texas, on Sept. 8.
Three days later, Pease said only two of the sacks were the result of poor protection by the offensive line.
“That’s definitely just instinct, I’m not watching the rush,” Driskel said of his tendency to scramble. “If you get caught watching the rush, you’re never going to be able to find your receiver on time. If you look down at the rush and then look up at the receiver, you’re going to be late and throwing into bad windows. So that’s just definitely an instinctive thing, and it’s just been something I’ve been doing the whole time I’ve been playing the game.”
Driskel has been sacked three times since the Gators’ win against the Aggies, but Pease noted that Driskel’s pocket presence has improved.
“One of the things I think he’s done a great job of is just his comfort zone in the pocket — trusting the protection,” Pease said.
“Then starting to use his feet when he has to. He hasn’t mastered it by any means, but he’s gotten a lot better at it on a week-to-week basis.”
Driskel added: “You’ve got to give the O-line trust, and you’ve got to trust them and be able to stand there and show them that they’re doing a nice job and giving me time. I felt like there was a couple times [on Saturday] that I got outside a little too early, but fortunately I made some plays.”
In addition to building trust with the offensive line during the bye week, Driskel plans to work on timing with the wide receivers.
Pease said that the issue would likely be resolved with repetition of plays and increased familiarity with the playbook.
“The more snaps he continues to get, the better he is going to get,” coach Will Muschamp said. “He’s going to work hard at it. He is a cerebral guy. He is going to learn and work at it and watch the film and understand. He takes coaching very well. Again, the more snaps you get, the more opportunities you get, the game starts to slow down.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel (6) attempts a pass while being hit by a UK defender during UF’s 38-0 win on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Since Texas A&M sacked the sophomore eight times on Sept. 8, Driskel improved his pocket presence against Tennessee and Kentucky by getting sacked only three times.
