Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease met with the media on his birthday to talk about the Gators’ preparation for the LSU Tigers.
On what he’s doing for his birthday
- Pease quipped that he is working and spending it with reporters, something he does every year on his special day.
On quarterback Tyler Murphy’s pocket presence
- Murphy maneuvers, but still keeps his eyes downfield which is something that is worked on in drills. Pease knows that Murphy is still processing what’s going on downfield while at the same time being reactive.
- Pease isn’t sure how much of an asset Murphy’s demeanor is yet, he says they’ll find out.
On last week’s game against Arkansas
- The Gators executed well and stayed away from negative play situations.
Those are tough situations to overcome. So if we can stay away from the negative plays and continually just grind and not get into long-down situations –you saw it on the first drive. We didn’t do too much on the first two plays, but guys make plays on third and 10. We need more of that.”
On if he’s ever seen a QB come on as suddenly as Murphy
- Pease knew what Murphy brought to the table so he wasn’t caught off-guard by success on the field.
- Everyone is excited about what Murphy is doing, especially because it is more than the coaching staff initially expected of him.
On whether Murphy is a game manager or not
- Murphy is smart and Pease stressed the importance of being intelligent and performing within the confines of the offense.
He’s keeping us on the field, keeping us in good down-and-distance situations. Knowing who to get the ball to at times. Hey, making a play with his feet. Knowing when to stay in bounds, knowing when to get out-of-bounds and protect himself.”
On LSU’s defense giving up so many yards
- The Tigers have talented players in the secondary. It is an athletic team that gives good effort. Pease says they’ve shown improvement from game one.
- Pease says LSU keeps getting faster and faster.
On Florida’s ability to win in a shootout
We’re capable of scoring whatever we have to. That’s what we’ve got to have the mentality of. Yeah, most definitely. I think it’s just, our kids will rise to the occasion.”