Gator Country

Florida Gators speedster Solomon Patton is enjoying making the most of his opportunities to carry the ball out in open space. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey.

By Alex Gray

It’s no secret that the Gators’ offense over the last two seasons can be described as anemic at best. Some may attribute the Gators’ struggles to a lack of talent. However, a failed stint with Urban Meyer’s right hand man Steve Addazio, followed by another letdown with offensive guru Charlie Weis has forced Florida's offensive players to sponge in three different systems in as many years.

This has resulted in a lack of continuity within the unit. Gators fans began to show renewed hope in the offense upon the hiring of Brent Pease. With the words “Boise State Offensive Coordinator” preceding his name, fans’ ears perked up as thoughts of the imaginative and game-changing plays that took place on the blue turf in Idaho danced in their heads. Coupling Pease’s background with the fact that he was also being coveted by Alabama’s Nick Saban in their offensive coordinator search, and Gators fans were sold.

Following a vanilla opener against Bowling Green, along with reports that Coach Muschamp personally said that he had overridden a few Pease calls, fans were not sure what to expect when the Gators headed into their SEC opener against Texas A&M in a hostile environment.

However, over the weekend the Gators’ offense finally began to show signs of real life as they helped carry the team in a must-win game. The pre-snap motions that the Gators’ defense predicted would give teams fits this year was finally displayed, as was the creative and timely play-calling that Pease brought along from Boise. With the Gators’ offense facing another tough test this weekend, Pease along with players Jon Harrison, Solomon Patton, Marcus Roberson, and Lerentee McCray spoke to the media on Tuesday about the Gators’ performance last week, and what Florida needs to improve on heading into the “third Saturday in September” against the Tennessee Volunteers.

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