Dan Mullen takes delight in the details.
Flashy runs, one-handed touchdown grabs and booming tackles don’t do much in terms of exciting Florida’s first-year head coach who expects a consistent commitment to the fundamentals.
Friday’s scrimmage at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium saw a number of highlight-worthy plays, but Mullen was far from impressed.
“It was very herky-jerky,” he said. “It wasn’t great football to me.”
Mullen said his team lacked consistency on both ends of the field.
Consecutive three-and-outs were interrupted by moments of poor defensive execution, allowing for short-lived bursts of offensive production.
With a lot of attention surrounding the starting quarterback position, Friday’s scrimmage was an early look at the development of the potential candidates.
While redshirt sophomores Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask took the majority of snaps, freshman Emory Jones and redshirt freshman Jake Allen also saw some action. Mullen’s impression of the position group was lukewarm to say the least.
“They were OK,” Mullen said. “One of the things they have to do is… just learn how to act.”
Franks, who started eight of last season’s 11 games, threw three interceptions and one touchdown, according to unofficial stats recorded by Gainesville Sun reporter Robbie Andreu. He was outshined by Trask, who threw three touchdowns and one interception.
Mullen said both players need to avoid forcing passes and limit their focus to one snap at a time.
One underclassman who did make a strong impression on his coach was running back Adarius Lemons, who at one point in the scrimmage broke free for an 80-plus-yard touchdown run.
While Mullen acknowledged Lemons possesses game-changing explosiveness in the backfield, he said he was more focused on what caused the defensive breakdown. He also said he wants Lemons to further develop as a contributor off the ball.
“We can maybe have a couple plays where we can put the ball in his hands,” Mullen said about the running back. “But to me, you’re never going to become successful until you learn how to be an every-down player.”
Despite his list of frustrations, Mullen did praise his team’s effort in the scrimmage. The Gators have bought into the new system and shown an eagerness to improve since the beginning of spring practices. Mullen understands that at this point in the year, the players’ commitment to learning is most important.
“I think our guys play hard,” Mullen said. “If you go hard, we can teach you how to play football.”
Follow Benjamin Brandt on Twitter @bhb1227 and contact him at bbrandt@alligator.org.
Running back Adaius Lemons broke off several long runs in Florida's scrimmage on Friday.
