The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”
Florida Gators quarterback plan falls apart against Michigan
The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”
Florida Gators quarterback plan falls apart against Michigan
The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”
Florida Gators quarterback plan falls apart against Michigan
The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”
Florida Gators quarterback plan falls apart against Michigan
The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”
The Florida Gators left Arlington, Texas, with more questions than answers at the quarterback position. Head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier came in with what seemed to be a solid plan, but it crumbled at their feet as the game went on.
The No. 17 Gators fell to No. 11 Michigan 33-17 in the season opener. The questions and problems are not in the loss itself, but in the way it unfolded.
Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made the first start of his Florida career, and the jitters were apparent, to go along with some poor play calling.
He made a beauty of a pass to Josh Hammond for 34 yards on the first drive of the game, but only one attempt even resembling that was made throughout the rest of his time in the game. That drive ended with Florida’s only three offensive points of the day.
He often looked uncomfortable in the pocket and felt the pressure too early, causing him to rush, expose some poor ball handling technique and get tripped up a few times. The last of those resulted in a fumble on Florida’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Gators lost all momentum they had after giving up two Michigan scores to start the half before ever touching the ball on offense, then handing it right back to the Wolverines with the Franks fumble. At that point, McElwain decided the game was going in the wrong direction, with his team down 26-17. It was time for a change.
Out ran Malik Zaire at the start of the next drive for his long-anticipated Florida debut.
“I just think we needed to try to shake up the batting order there a little bit,” said McElwain. “I thought Malik might come in and give us a little change of pace at that point. Obviously still in the ballgame and we weren’t able to really generate anything. I thought his feet might be able to help us make a few plays for us. He had some jitters, but he had a good look in his eyes.”
The change of pace the game took was not what the Gators were looking for. At the time, it felt like a decent decision. Florida had no momentum with Franks in the game, but was only down nine points, so a few good plays from a quick-footed quarterback like Zaire could’ve been the spark the Gators needed.
Florida stuck to predictable play calling on Zaire’s first drive, leading to a quick three-and-out. His next time out, he made a comfortable second down pass to Hammond to move the sticks. That was the only time he would look comfortable the rest of the game. He managed to scramble and complete two passes down the field later on as well, but had to rely on a couple of outstanding plays by receivers.
That was understandable. Throwing the ball downfield isn’t necessarily his strong suit, his mobility is. It was not there on Saturday.
Some of it was on him, some of it was on the offensive line, some of it was on the play calls, but he did very little on his feet with just seven rushing yards. He was sacked five times in less than a half of play.
Very little went right for Florida while Zaire was in the game. After leading the team for three drives and coming up with nothing, it felt like time for another change. The Gators were still down by just two scores with five minutes remaining.
McElwain realized things were going south for Zaire, and he even considered sending Luke Del Rio out there, but decided against it.
“We did,” McElwain said on his thoughts of using Del Rio. “And then, at that point the game just felt, let Malik carry it out and maybe get out of trouble and try to find this one down the field.”
Zaire finished the game 9-for-17 with 106 yards through the air, while Franks was 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one sack. Florida finished with just six first downs (excluding penalties) in the game. Without much promise from either of them in the season opener, there is still a lot to be desired at quarterback for Florida.
There will be a new plan for next week’s home game against Northern Colorado, but who will be taking the snaps is still undecided.
“You know what, we’ll sit down, we’ll take a look at it and we’ll put a plan together for this next game and get a look at it,” McElwain said.
Whatever the Gators do, a stronger offensive identity will have to be developed for the quarterback to have success next week and throughout the rest of this season. If not, it could be another long year of Florida football without answers at the most important position on the field.
“It’s something we have to do, no doubt about it,” said McElwain. “I think it’s one of those deals that it’s disappointing, and yet, I can see where we’re at and I can see the pieces. I think sitting down and really probably more than anything cleaning up that get-it-to list and let those guys go out and make some plays.”