As soon as the Southeastern Conference released statistics following last weekend’s games, the outcry was inevitable.
The Gators are last in the SEC in passing offense.
A team that unbalanced can’t contend for a national title, right?
That’s not correct. Balanced is overrated.
Winning a national title while throwing for less than 100 yards is nearly impossible. And Florida couldn’t even reach triple digits against Vanderbilt and LSU. But the aerial attack the Gators displayed in those games is not the best Jeff Driskel and the rest of the offense have to offer.
We haven’t seen it the last two weeks, but Driskel is capable of throwing down the field. He showed that when he completed a 39-yard pass to Omarius Hines against Texas A&M and a 23-yard touchdown to Jordan Reed against Tennessee. Frankie Hammond Jr. has also shown the ability to turn short completions into long gains with touchdowns of 75 and 50 yards.
Just because the Gators haven’t done that consistently doesn’t mean they can’t continue to win. They just need to make enough big passing plays to keep defenses from loading the box.
Timing issues hindered UF’s passing game in the past two contests, but Florida will fix the problem.
“It just comes down to, sometimes I feel like I get out of the pocket too early,” Driskel said. “(I) get caught either locking in on a
receiver or watching the rush. As a quarterback, you can’t do that.”
The lack of big plays against the Commodores can also be attributed to drops and the Gators taking advantage of the worst rushing defense in the SEC. Florida had no reason to throw the ball and risk turnovers if Driskel could keep running wild as Vanderbilt failed to adjust to the read-option.
Despite throwing for just 61 yards against LSU, Florida won by rushing for 160 yards in the second half.
No one should fault the Gators for sticking to what’s working.
While getting those rushing yards might not be as easy on Saturday against South Carolina, which fields the 12th-ranked defense in the country, UF will still have opportunities to make plays through the air.
The Gamecocks have allowed 20 or more yards on a passing play 20 times this season, tied for 66th in the nation.
LSU showed on Saturday that UF won’t need a dominant passing attack to defeat South Carolina.
The Tigers beat the Gamecocks 23-21 and rushed for 258 yards while throwing for only 148. That ratio is a good target for the Gators. But, if they continue to run this effectively, it shouldn’t be a goal.
“Whether [Driskel] ends up throwing for 300 or rushing for a record like he does, I don’t really care how it gets done,” offensive coordinator Brent Pease said. “As long as we’re productive with what we do and score points.”
Pease is right not to put too much on Driskel. Asking him to throw for 300 yards in any game would be a stretch. Driskel just needs to make enough plays to keep defenses honest, which he has shown the ability to do. If he can do that, the offense will be fine.
Contact Josh Jurnovoy @jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Omarius Hines (20) hauls in a 39-yard catch during the fourth quarter of Florida’s 20-17 win against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Sept. 8. Hines has eight receptions for 115 yards.
