MILLER REPORT: Attention turns to Saturday

The hits just keep on coming for the Florida Gators. Just when it appeared that the Gators may have found the quarterback that could make Kurt Roper’s offense run, Treon Harris gets embroiled in a legal mess and will be unavailable for at least the near future. I refuse to speculate on what happened or Treon’s future with the team. The smart thing to do here is let the legal system run its course and let the process work. As much as I hate to see Florida head into the LSU game Saturday without Harris’ services, I believe the school did the right thing in suspending him until this thing plays out. This is not FSU. There are things more important than football as hard as that is to believe at times. Treon needs to have all of his attention on the legal process. Quite frankly, the team doesn’t need this to be any more of a distraction than necessary. The entire thing is just unfortunate for everyone involved. Hopefully, the truth with come out and the results will reflect that truth whatever it turns out to be.

So where does that leave the Gators? Football does go on and there is still a great deal at stake for the Gators from their status in the SEC East to the jobs of the coaching staff. The team and staff must find a way to put this mess behind them and go beat a susceptible LSU team on Saturday. If the defense has indeed improved as much as it appeared in Knoxville, the offense does not need to be overpowering, just effective. However, that has been a tall task of late.

Regardless of what your personal opinion of Jeff Driskel’s ability to run the offense, he is the only viable option for now and he needs the support of the Gator Nation. He also needs the support (and assistance) of his teammates. Receivers need to catch the ball when it gets to them. That is the single most important step that this offense needs to make. I am not blind, I have been watching and I realize that to this point Jeff has not been consistently accurate throwing the football. He is going to miss a few. This makes catching the good ones even more important. The last three games there have been opportunities to catch very catchable passes that would have moved the chains and given the Gators more plays on offense. They were dropped. Catching those passes would do multiple things. It would allow the defense to rest longer. It would allow the offense enough plays in a row to actually get into some kind of rhythm. It would allow Driskel to build some confidence which would most likely lead to more accuracy. It would also give Roper more plays at his disposal to open up the playbook some more. Catching those passes and moving the chains through the air would also force the defense to back out of the box a little more which would in turn open up the running game.

The entire “plan to win” hinges on receivers making some plays. Somebody must step up and become a playmaker. In fact, several somebodies need to step up. There are some highly ranked receiver recruits on this roster. Guys like Demarcus Robinson, Alvin Bailey and Ahmad Fullwood were considered great prospects when they arrived. Quinton Dunbar seemed to have more of an impact last season and the offense was horrendous then. Tight end Clay Burton gets open a lot, he just needs to make the catch more consistently.

It was obvious that the entire offense seemed to come alive when Treon came into the game in Knoxville. Well Treon isn’t going to be available Saturday. Players need to bring that same intensity with Driskel at the helm. And without being overly brutal, Driskel needs to realize that he is running out of opportunities. The time has come for Jeff to stride out onto that field and take what he believes is his. I fear that Jeff has been too passive in his approach. He has tried to dutifully go out and do what was asked of him hoping that he would end up in a position to succeed. Jeff may need to get a little selfish and start demanding that others do their jobs so that he can do his. He might need to get into a receivers face a little after a dropped pass and tell that receiver that it isn’t acceptable. It is time to impose your will on those around you Jeff. Will your way down the field for scores. Throw the ball with authority and confidence. Driskel has all of the tools, he just needs to believe deep down that he IS going to make that play happen just like he wants it to.

There is a great deal still available for the Gators this season and begins with LSU. Florida could very well win the SEC East IF the offense can become functional. For that to happen, EVERYONE on the offense must do their job better. The offensive line has been more than adequate but they will need to excel to make the running game work against defenses that do not respect the passing game. Wide receivers MUST block for the both the running game and the screen passes. Florida executes the screen pass worse than just about anyone I’ve watched and it all comes down to not making those blocks on the edge to get the recipient of the screen past the line of scrimmage. Nearly every other team seems to be able to execute this play, but the defender lined up in front of the blocking receiver makes the tackle nearly every time when the Gators throw a screen out to the edge. Obviously, all of the receivers need to start catching the ball when it hits their hands. Batting the ball to the nearest defender is not conducive to offensive success. Unless all of these areas of the offense improve, Driskel is not going to be successful running the offense and quite frankly if those issues continued it was going to be very difficult for Treon to be successful long term as well.

LSU, South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt all appear to be quite vulnerable. Georgia and FSU look somewhat better but neither is without major flaws. Florida can take advantage of the schedule not being nearly as daunting as it originally seemed but only if the Gators can improve on offense. Hopefully, Treon is innocent and this thing works itself out fairly quickly so he can return to the field of play. But, for now, Jeff Driskel is once again the man and he needs everyone, fans and teammates alike, to rally around him. The season depends upon it.