The Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin Show may be going an act too long.
While Harvin and Tebow are filling up the stat sheet lately, UF has not spread the ball around like it did during the first four weeks of the season.
Running back Kestahn Moore had just three carries for 7 yards in Saturday?s 20-17 loss against Auburn.
Tight end Cornelius Ingram - who was the Gators? second-leading receiver against the Tigers - had just 37 yards.
UF?s usually powerful offense was finally tamed.
BThey?ve been taking away a lot of our weapons,C said receiver Andre Caldwell, who should be back this week after a right knee sprain. BThey haven?t been giving a lot of deep balls like we had earlier in the year. Teams are just doing a great job against us, getting around the other weapons we?ve got on offense and limiting us to two players.C
The Gators scored a season-low 17 points Saturday. Even in the win against Mississippi the week prior, nobody except Harvin had more than two catches. UF put up 30 points against the Rebels, but the Gators still value the importance of spreading the ball around.
On Monday, UF coach Urban Meyer said he wants to get the ball into Moore?s hands more often. Besides Tebow and Harvin, only Moore and Jarred Fayson had any rushing attempts Saturday, and even they only had five attempts combined.
Meanwhile, Tebow has carried the ball 46 times the past two games.
BWe just never got ourselves in a rhythm,C running backs coach Stan Drayton said of the Auburn loss. BWe went to our safety net, which was running our quarterback and trying to put the ball in the receivers? hands. We just got behind schedule and were unable to [put the ball in the tailbacks? hands].C
However, the Gators will get big help in this matter with Caldwell back.
BNow as you spread the field out, [Caldwell] goes back to his position, now you?re looking at Louis Murphy playing out to the field again with Riley Cooper,C UF offensive coordinator Dan Mullen said. BThe ideal way is when we?re 100 percent healthy, put the guys out there and the defense dictates where it goes, and usually they?ll get spread around equally.C
But at the very least, if you?re going to have one main option, it?s good to have someone like Harvin.
BA lot of people misunderstand what?s really going on,C Ingram said. BThe reason why Percy is getting the ball out there on the screen play is because he?s the kind of guy who can take it 90 yards at any time.C
