When Percy Harvin left Florida early for the NFL, he took with him more than a third of the offense’s big plays in conference games.
The Gators have struggled this season filling the void left by the play-making receiver.
Harvin could attack defenses anywhere on the field, rushing or receiving.
Florida coach Urban Meyer knew entering the season that replacing the big-play threats of Harvin and fellow receiver Louis Murphy, who added another eight of the Gators’ 40 plays longer than 20 yards during the conference slate, would not be easy.
But Meyer did not imagine how much of a struggle it was going to be.
In Southeastern Conference games, the number of plays longer than 20 yards are down to 31, and out of those only nine went for touchdowns compared to 17 in 2008 — a decrease of 14 percentage points, from 43 percent last season to 29 this season.
With opposing defenses realizing the big plays were likely to come from the three dynamic backs for the Gators, teams have schemed to take away the outside runs that allowed the UF running backs to use their speed to break off huge gains.
The Gators have had to pound the ball up the middle, limiting the speed threat of Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody.
That has left it up to the receivers to make most of those game-changing plays, and they have dropped the ball, literally.
“I was concerned about it. Any time you lose two talented guys and CI (tight end Cornelius Ingram) got hurt as well, and he had some big-play potential, so you are always worried about that,” Meyer said. “I was expecting more hits out of our tailbacks than we have had so far, but we still have some big games left and I know we are down, but we (are) also up in some other areas.”
The Percy Effect
There wasn’t much Harvin didn’t do for the Gators offense in the three years he was at Florida.
He lined up in the backfield, in the slot and out wide, and he was a threat to break off a big play from wherever he was on the field.
Not only was he a threat all over the field, but Harvin could hurt defenses rushing or receiving. He racked up 10 catches and four rushes longer than 20 yards in conference play last season.
While the Florida coaches define a big play as anything more than 20 yards, Harvin often extended those plays to 30 yards or more.
Five of his 14 big plays were more than 30 yards.
UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio recognized Harvin as a major reason for why the really big plays are down this year.
“Who was the guy that made those big runs? The guy that will be the Rookie of the Year in the NFL,” Addazio said of Harvin, who has scored three receiving and two kickoff return touchdowns in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings after being picked in the first round.
He wasn’t just providing the Gators with a lot of big plays, but he was doing it on a consistent basis.
Harvin had at least one play longer than 20 yards in every conference game in 2008 and added two more in the BCS National Championship Game, leading the Gators in rushing with 122 yards on just nine carries on the way to winning the national title.
His departure not only took away a large portion of the Gators' big-play potential, but it changed the focal point of the offense.
Running Backs
Without Harvin or Murphy returning, it wasn’t hard to see who the Gators would rely on to provide them with big plays.
Florida was bringing back three speedy running backs, who combined for 12 of the 18 big plays not made by the receiving duo.
Demps, Rainey and Moody had the ability to provide Florida with the explosive plays they would be losing, especially Demps.
In his freshman season, Demps totaled six runs for more than 20 yards. In fact, they were all longer than 30 yards.
But without Harvin and Murphy to occupy defenses, opponents have been scheming to keep Demps and the other two backs bottled up.
Defenses have been playing to prevent the trio from getting to the outside, limiting the open space where they can use their speed.
Demps said he expected defenses to force him inside this season after the success the Gators had last year running outside.
“Defenses are spreading out to the wide field more than they did last year because we try to get the ball on the perimeter, so they’re blitzing a linebacker to the field,” Demps said.
That game plan has worked, allowing Demps to only rush for more than 20 yards four times in conference play and none longer than 25 yards.
Rainey and Moody have not fared much better, with only two runs longer than 20 yards each, and only Moody has had one longer than 30 yards in SEC games. Being forced to run between the tackles, the backs have had to fight through tackles to break off big runs.
And if they are going to start providing the Gators with the huge plays that Meyer expected from them before the season, the three backs are going to have to make them in the middle of the field.
“The holes are there. We just got to do a better job of breaking tackles and get vertical,” Demps said.
Wide Receivers
It was not going to be easy replacing Harvin and Murphy’s production in the passing game.
But Meyer still expected his current receivers to step up more than they have.
With the running backs being forced to run up the middle, Meyer said he needs the receivers to be able to spark the offense with big plays on the outside. They have had their chances, but multiple drops have plagued the receivers this season especially on deep balls.
After catching a slant and running with it for a 68-yard touchdown on the first drive against South Carolina, senior Riley Cooper let two other deep passes go off his fingertips later in the game.
“You got to make those plays,” Addazio said. “If you go back and systematically look through the season, you will see that they are there to be made.”
While dropped balls are the most glaring reason the Gators have not come up with big plays in the passing game, they have also lacked plays with a lot of yards after the catch, something that has been part of Meyer’s offenses in previous years.
“We have had some opportunities and some guys have pulled through them and others guy haven’t,” Meyer said. “We have had some big plays from our guys. I remember one year Bubba Caldwell caught a bubble screen and took it 70 yards. We haven’t had that yet this year.”
Senior receiver David Nelson, whose longest reception this season is 14 yards, said they have been working in practice on breaking tackles in the open field to try igniting more big plays off short passes.
Besides Cooper’s touchdown on a slant route against South Carolina, the receivers have been unable to beat a defender after the catch.
Nelson knows it is important for the receivers to start filling Harvin’s big-play void with the postseason approaching, and teams game-planning to stop the running backs.
“It’s one of those things if they are playing the run, we need to start beating them with the pass. We need to start beating them with the pass and with big plays in the passing game,” Nelson said.
