Jeff Driskel needs to be unleashed.
When the leash is unhooked, it is uncertain whether he will be a powerful Great Dane or a miniature Chihuahua, but the Gators need to find out this Saturday.
Will Muschamp said following Saturday’s win against Bowling Green that he did not give offensive coordinator Brent Pease enough latitude to throw the ball in the numerous third-and-short situations that Florida failed in.
The emphasis on the run wasn’t limited to short-yardage plays, as the Gators ran the ball twice as much as they threw it against the Falcons.
That will work against Bowling Green, but not against most defenses in the Southeastern Conference.
Part of the onus falls on Driskel, who has repeatedly shown a tendency to go for the short, safe pass rather than the big play. The rest of the responsibility falls to the decision-making team of Pease and Muschamp, who need to use more of the playbook, as they’ve indicated they will.
Pease said Driskel’s downfield pass attempts should increase as he gets better at seeing his options.
“The receivers did do a good job of beating the coverage, and I think how I can help him is just maybe, one, you’ve got to show it and go back and go over and simulate it again,” Pease said. “(We’re) trying to use the same kind of progression. Sometimes I can change where their progression is at to get him to his open guys quicker and help him from the box, or change their read this week to make it a little bit easier for him.”
Driskel’s backup, Jacoby Brissett, took the only downfield shot on Saturday, an incomplete pass to Andre Debose. The fact that he was even allowed to make that throw shows that the coaches do not have a total aversion to downfield passes. They just need to call more of those plays and encourage Driskel to not hold anything back.
As good as Mike Gillislee was against Bowling Green, the yards will not come that easy every week. SEC teams will load the box, forcing Driskel to try to beat them.
In 2011, Texas A&M had the country’s 109th-ranked pass defense, allowing 276.3 yards per game. They are also replacing both starting cornerbacks and a safety. Saturday is the perfect opportunity for Florida to see if its newly named starter has what it takes to lead the team to a respectable SEC record.
Barring an unexpected improvement in the Aggies secondary, Driskel will have opportunities to make big throws on Saturday. The coaches have to give him those chances by calling enough passing plays, and Driskel can’t hesitate to use his natural gifts.
If the coaches fail to hold up their end of that equation, then there is no reason to believe things will change against better defenses. If Driskel refuses to take chances, then he needs to be benched in favor of Brissett. The key to what little success the offense had against Bowling Green was Gillislee, but he will be nullified if Florida can’t develop a semblance of a passing attack.
Both right guard Jon Halapio and tight end Jordan Reed said Driskel has become more confident, and he has learned from experience since being thrown into the fray last year against Alabama. Last season, Driskel averaged just 4.35 yards per attempt.
If his teammates are correct about his improvements and the coaches take the leash off, then that number should increase drastically against SEC teams. If it doesn’t, 2012 will be another dismal season for the Florida offense.
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
