Josh: The biggest question about Florida entering the season was whether it would have enough effective skill
players on offense.
UF lost Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps at the end of 2011 without making any significant additions.
After starting the season 3-0 and putting up 555 yards of total offense against Tennessee on Saturday, fans have to be feeling pretty good about the team’s playmakers.
Frankie Hammond Jr., Trey Burton and Mike Gillislee all made explosive plays for a team that struggled in that area a year ago.
Not so fast.
This is still largely the same personnel from the 2011 offense, which finished 75th in the country in plays from scrimmage of at least 30 yards.
Until these players show the same explosiveness against one of the better defenses in the Southeastern Conference, there is no reason to believe they can make enough explosive plays for the Gators to contend for an SEC title.
Adam: Way to ruin the party, Josh.
Sure, the Gators have a quarterback with three career starts, a running back who hasn’t played a full season and a rag-tag group of receivers who have never been “playmakers.”
But this isn’t the Florida team from a year ago.
While John Brantley focused on dumping the football to his running backs in the flats, Jeff Driskel has targeted his receivers and given them a chance.
Rainey and Demps were responsible for 19 of 52 receptions through the first three games of 2011. Gillislee, Florida’s starting running back in 2012, has just one reception.
“As far as the playmakers (are concerned), we have them. We just have to get the ball out there, get the ball in our hands and we’ll do the rest,” Hammond said. “The playmakers out there just have to get our opportunities and take advantage of them.”
Florida generated four plays of more than 20 yards against Tennessee in 2011, all of which Rainey and Demps were responsible for.
The Gators more than doubled that total on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., and had five different players make a play of more than 20 yards.
This bodes well going forward. The offense isn’t centered around two speed backs that can’t play the north-south style Will Muschamp wants. Distributing the football and playing off the physical running of Gillislee is what makes this team go.
As Muschamp said after Saturday’s game, “This is a different 3-0.”
Josh: Muschamp also said that the Gators are, “not where [they] need to be but certainly better than [they] have been.” Even he knows the team still needs to show improvement to be true contenders.
Sure, Florida has made significant strides, but that doesn’t mean the “playmakers” will still make plays against Georgia, Florida State and LSU.
Trey Burton had the two big touchdown runs, but that was as much bad preparation on Tennessee’s part as it was him doing anything right.
The Vols inexcusably didn’t have either edge contained and looked like they might actually be expecting a pass from Burton, who has thrown the ball just 12 times in his career.
The best defenses in the SEC will not be caught flat-footed like that.
Adam: Why not give the Florida offense a little bit of credit?
Hammond said before the season that offensive coordinator Brent Pease has brought a more creative system to the Gators.
This isn’t the one-look offense Charlie Weis ran last year. The redshirt senior receiver said it himself on UF’s media day.
If Pease is making these players better, isn’t that enough?
Judging from last season, the Gators’ playmakers don’t have anywhere to go except up, and a favorable schedule will help Florida going forward.
There isn’t the ridiculous October stretch this season like there was in 2011, when the Gators played three SEC games against top-10 defenses.
Florida has four teams on its schedule this season that were top-10 defenses in 2011.
The only true road game against those four opponents comes in Tallahassee against Florida State.
Not only is this a changed team with an easier schedule, but these playmakers have gotten better. Whether that’s because of new starting quarterback Jeff Driskel or an improvement of talent remains to be seen, but the numbers don’t lie.
Florida has the skill players it needs to win.
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org and Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. (85) shoves aside a defender on his way to scoring a career-long 75-yard touchdown at Neyland Stadium.
