Florida hasn't scored in the first quarter this season and is struggling to find an identity with new starting quarterback John Brantley.
By JOSEPH GOODMAN
jgoodman@MiamiHerald.com
GAINESVILLE -- Florida's offense hasn't been this ineffective to begin games since Emmitt Smith's sophomore season.
That was before the Gators played on grass and before Florida Field was renamed after a wealthy farmer. That was before former UF coach Steve Spurrier returned to Gainesville, scoffed at the name Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and affectionately began referring to the place as The Swamp.
In other words, it has been a long time since Florida, a team known for its offensive creativity, has been this difficult to watch in the first quarter of games.
The year was 1988. Smith was a sophomore running back.
Galen Hall, now the offensive coordinator at Penn State, was on his way out, coaching his final full season at UF.
That was the last time a Florida football team had gone at least three consecutive games without scoring in the first quarter. Until now.
The ninth-ranked Gators (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) enter Saturday's game against Kentucky with a chance to stumble closer to matching a dubious mark set by that 1988 UF team. That team, which lost to Florida State 52-17 in Deion Sanders' final season, went five consecutive games during the middle of the season without scoring a point in the first quarter. Interestingly, the Gators' final opponent during that five-game stretch was Kentucky.
``We've got to score some points,'' said UF coach Urban Meyer, who Monday referred to his offense's ineptitude in first quarters as awful. ``You lose this game if you don't [score in the first quarter] this week. We're facing the best offense we've faced so far.''
So far this season, Florida has been outscored in first quarters by a combined 13-0 in games against Miami (Ohio), South Florida and Tennessee.
By comparison, Kentucky has outscored its opponents 30-0 in first quarters and No. 1 Alabama, UF's opponent in one week, has outscored its first three opponents 49-0 in first quarters.
``Offensively, what do we have to do? We just have to improve,'' said Meyer, whose offense this season has gone away from the spread-option variant that won 26 games in 2008 and '09.
Meyer has been relatively vague about ways to improve his offense, perhaps because so much needs correcting. There are several major differences in this season's team and the 2008 and '09 offenses. Most noticeably, the quarterback is different. Redshirt junior John Brantley has played relatively well in his first three starts -- throwing five touchdown passes without an interception -- but there is an obvious void at the position formerly manned by Tim Tebow.
Florida's spread-option offense, devised by Meyer and former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, seemed perfect for Tebow, the quarterback who doubled as a fullback. UF's current offense seems to fit Brantley like a cheap suit. It's getting the job done, but it is baggy in places and downright threadbare in others.
``He's got to get better,'' Meyer said of Brantley. ``There is one way we evaluate quarterbacks here, and he's 3-0 as a starter at Florida, so that's pretty good. . . . But I'm not thrilled with where we're at offensively, and he's the focal point of the offense. We just need to improve.''
Brantley isn't much of a threat to run. Tebow's elusiveness and his threat to always run for a first down contributed to his effectiveness as a passer. In the first three starts of his career as a true sophomore, Tebow averaged 278.3 yards passing per game. Playing with a different offensive coordinator and different quarterbacks coach, Brantley has thrown for an average of 150.7 yards per game as a starter.
That was before the Gators played on grass and before Florida Field was renamed after a wealthy farmer. That was before former UF coach Steve Spurrier returned to Gainesville, scoffed at the name Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and affectionately began referring to the place as The Swamp.
In other words, it has been a long time since Florida, a team known for its offensive creativity, has been this difficult to watch in the first quarter of games.
The year was 1988. Smith was a sophomore running back.
Galen Hall, now the offensive coordinator at Penn State, was on his way out, coaching his final full season at UF.
That was the last time a Florida football team had gone at least three consecutive games without scoring in the first quarter. Until now.
The ninth-ranked Gators (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) enter Saturday's game against Kentucky with a chance to stumble closer to matching a dubious mark set by that 1988 UF team. That team, which lost to Florida State 52-17 in Deion Sanders' final season, went five consecutive games during the middle of the season without scoring a point in the first quarter. Interestingly, the Gators' final opponent during that five-game stretch was Kentucky.
``We've got to score some points,'' said UF coach Urban Meyer, who Monday referred to his offense's ineptitude in first quarters as awful. ``You lose this game if you don't [score in the first quarter] this week. We're facing the best offense we've faced so far.''
So far this season, Florida has been outscored in first quarters by a combined 13-0 in games against Miami (Ohio), South Florida and Tennessee.
By comparison, Kentucky has outscored its opponents 30-0 in first quarters and No. 1 Alabama, UF's opponent in one week, has outscored its first three opponents 49-0 in first quarters.
``Offensively, what do we have to do? We just have to improve,'' said Meyer, whose offense this season has gone away from the spread-option variant that won 26 games in 2008 and '09.
Meyer has been relatively vague about ways to improve his offense, perhaps because so much needs correcting. There are several major differences in this season's team and the 2008 and '09 offenses. Most noticeably, the quarterback is different. Redshirt junior John Brantley has played relatively well in his first three starts -- throwing five touchdown passes without an interception -- but there is an obvious void at the position formerly manned by Tim Tebow.
Florida's spread-option offense, devised by Meyer and former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, seemed perfect for Tebow, the quarterback who doubled as a fullback. UF's current offense seems to fit Brantley like a cheap suit. It's getting the job done, but it is baggy in places and downright threadbare in others.
``He's got to get better,'' Meyer said of Brantley. ``There is one way we evaluate quarterbacks here, and he's 3-0 as a starter at Florida, so that's pretty good. . . . But I'm not thrilled with where we're at offensively, and he's the focal point of the offense. We just need to improve.''
Brantley isn't much of a threat to run. Tebow's elusiveness and his threat to always run for a first down contributed to his effectiveness as a passer. In the first three starts of his career as a true sophomore, Tebow averaged 278.3 yards passing per game. Playing with a different offensive coordinator and different quarterbacks coach, Brantley has thrown for an average of 150.7 yards per game as a starter.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/24/1841335/early-spark-missing.html#ixzz10VcaANtg
