Jim McElwain made the right decision by playing quarterback Will Grier for the entire game against Kentucky.
And despite his performance, the coach shouldn’t second-guess himself.
Grier wasn’t great on Saturday night by any means.
The redshirt freshman showed his age multiple times, particularly in the second half when he went 5-of-10 for just 31 yards and an interception that was as telegraphed as Morse code.
But his first half is why Grier needs to keep his spot, take his lumps and learn from the punches without the threat of being pulled at any moment.
After his first drive, the 20-year-old had command of the offense through the first 30 minutes of the contest, leading the team down the field for the only two touchdown drives by either team in the entire game.
Sometimes he shone in the successful moments, like Florida’s touchdown drive right before the end of the half — the second-consecutive week Grier has led a touchdown drive as the clock bled out in the second quarter.
Other times he shone in the mayhem, like when he scrambled for his life after Florida’s porous offensive line missed assignments and allowed rushers to fly in unabated to the pocket.
In either instance, his potential was on display.
That potential must be allowed to blossom, though, and that won’t happen anywhere near the same rate if he’s splitting time with sophomore Treon Harris.
Quarterback is a rhythmic position, and it takes time to get comfortable in a game. When you switch guys in and out, it kills any flow they might have in the game.
And if you bench a player for one or two bad throws, they’ll be afraid to make any mistakes — a mental situation that often leads to ultra-conservative play or more mistakes.
But McElwain handled the situation well.
Even when Grier was struggling in the second half, McElwain stuck with his young quarterback, and he should continue to do so the rest of this season.
He gives the Gators their best chance to win.
Don’t get me wrong; Harris could be a successful starter for Florida if he were given the opportunity and the time.
But he can’t match the height of Grier’s ceiling, a player who has all the physical tools and has shown flashes in the mental part of the game despite minimal experience.
The main argument for Harris has been his ability to run, whether it be by design or when he needs to escape a collapsing pocket.
But Grier showed just as much mobility Saturday night against Kentucky, leading the team with 61 yards on 12 carries, none of which were designed runs.
Grier’s ability was on full display in the first quarter when he took a fourth down bootleg, rolled out and saw his receivers blanketed in coverage.
So, he decided to take care of the matter himself, outrunning two defenders as he dove for the corner of the end zone to score the game’s first points.
The UF quarterback made similar types of explosive rushing plays all night, and even when he started to feel the pain from the amount of hits he had taken, Grier’s effort inspired his teammates.
"When you see your quarterback laying out for stuff like that, putting his body on the line, it really gives you a little spark that you might not see is there," redshirt senior tight end Jake McGee said.
"You got the guy who’s leading the offense selling out, fighting off tackles, getting hit and you could tell he was hurting, it’s something that gives you that extra motivation to keep going."
If Grier remains the starter, he won’t be perfect. He’s still a redshirt freshman, and he’ll act like it on many occasions.
But if McElwain wants the program to take the next step somewhere down the road, he will need Grier to develop into a top-notch quarterback. And that starts by letting him play.
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @graham_hack24
UF quarterback Will Grier drops back to pass during Florida's 14-9 win against Kentucky on Sept. 19, 2015, at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
