When the final whistle blew and the Florida Gators walked off the field with its first conference win of 2016 over the Kentucky Wildcats. Luke Del Rio walked off the field with better passing numbers over a conference opponent than any other Florida quarterback in 15 years.
Del Rio was the first Florida Gators quarterback since Rex Grossman in 2001 to throw for at least 320 yards and four touchdowns against an SEC opponent.
On Saturday night, immediately following the game, McElwain admitted that Del Rio “did his job” but insisted that the quarterback was far from perfect. Given time to go over the film, McElwain turned up the volume Monday when asked about Del Rio’s performance again.
“He doesn’t set his feet,” McElwain said of a Del Rio pass that was low to freshman receiver Freddie Swain. “If he sets his feet, we’ve got another explosive play.”
Two more plays drew ire from McElwain. There was an overthrow of sophomore receiver Antonio Callaway, “Just ridiculous that he missed that throw,” McElwain said. Then a throw that came out late to a wide-open Brandon Powell.
“When you come off the play fake and see no depth in the defense, that ball’s got to be out,” McElwain said. “I mean, he threw it off a two-hitch throw. It should have been an explosive touchdown right there. That bothers me.”
Del Rio completed 29-of-44 pass attempts against UMass in the season opener. He threw two touchdowns and no interceptions but received a similar review that week from his head coach, McElwain citing six passes that Del Rio missed. It may seem as if his coach is coming down hard on him but this is what Del Rio signed up for.
“Yeah, he gets after me pretty good. You can ask guys at practice he’ll get after me. I expect it though. I came here to play for him. I knew what kind of coach he was and is,” Del Rio said Monday. “I never really want to play for a coach that’s like ‘Ah, it’s OK, get the next one,’ you know? You understand that as a player but you want to be held to the standard the coaches set.”
McElwain coached two National Championship quarterbacks at Alabama in Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron. SEC Network has called him the “quarterback whisperer.” McElwain’s standards are high but tough criticism of what appeared to be one of the best passing performances the Gators have had in a decade weren’t just that. McElwain is making sure Del Rio isn’t comfortable with just “doing his job” as the coach would say, that the quarterback is still striving for more.
“You actually have to fail to learn. Think about what I just said there, and all the great ones failed more than they won,” McElwain said. “It’s because they’re willing to go out there and do it, right? Learning from failure is the key and that’s for every position.”
The son of a coach, Del Rio understands this. Growing up Jack Del Rio’s son, Luke spent a lot of time in locker rooms and he knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level. He demands that of himself, wouldn’t want to play for a coach that demands less, and he demands it of the guys he shares a huddle with.
“He’s an intense dude in the huddle because he demands perfection and that’s just how he was raised with his dad and everything and him being around football,” receiver C.J. Worton said of Del Rio. “He demands so much out of you and he wants everything to be perfect.”
As soon as the game ended Saturday he was in the film room. His media obligations kept him occupied until after midnight the first week, and they will again the week with a 7:30 kickoff, so he’ll hold off on film until the next morning but he knows there are more lessons to be learned on that throw that was a hitch late than the 78-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Callaway, so he’ll narrow his focus to the misses.
“I definitely left some plays out there,” Del Rio said of his game against Kentucky. “I agree with him. Mechanically, especially, I think I can be more sound. So I appreciate it. I don’t want somebody to pat me on the back.”
Ultimately McElwain touts himself as a teacher first. The hardest part of any teacher’s job is finding the best way to get through to each student. As McElwain says, every fingerprint is different; you can’t treat all of your players the same way because not everyone will respond the same. McElwain may come off as harsh to his quarterback but the two have a solid relationship built on trust.
“That’s the good thing about it. It’s important to him, and he likes to be coached,” McElwain said of Del Rio. “He’s kind of a sponge when it comes to that stuff. He expects — and I think that’s part of growing up in it a little bit. He’s seen guys being coached and he knows it. I’ll be interested to see how he does this week.”
It always seems like you have to fail to get to the next level. Failing is good, um, as long as you still win :) A little something for the effort. Go Gators.
LDR is an upgrade from Will Grier and worlds better than the end of last year. I hope he stays 3 seasons because I see a QB we can trust with getting rid of the ball quickly, being smart and taking what the defense gives, and protecting the ball. With a top 25 or better defense, that would translate to a lot of winning games.
Looking at all the RBs, there’s something about Lamical Perine that just catches my eye. He hits the hole harder and faster than the others. Going frame by frame on the game DVR, he can squeeze through small holes quickly. He’s compact, and his silhouette is remarkably similar to Trent Richardson. I can see a future star breaking out in the SEC.