The Florida defense may feel like they know the ins and outs of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett’s game. Even after watching film of him all week, nobody in the Florida locker room will know Mallett as well as Florida quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler.
The first-year quarterbacks coach came to Gainesville after spending a year coaching the quarterbacks for the Detroit Lions. But before that, he was coaching quarterbacks, including Chad Henne and Mallett, at his alma mater, Michigan.
Mallett was a freshman during Loeffler’s final season with the Wolverines, before Rich Rodriguez replaced Lloyd Carr and cleaned house on the offensive staff. Loeffler may have had only one year to work with Mallett on the field, but he saw plenty of him in high school and developed a solid relationship with the quarterback and his family.
“We had a great relationship,” Loeffler said. “He came all the way from Arkansas up north and it was quite an adjustment for him. We gained a great relationship. It’s really nice to watch him do some really great things at Arkansas.”
When Rodriguez got the head job at Michigan, he brought with him a spread offense that was centered on a running quarterback. Mallett signed with Michigan to play in the pro-style system that they used when Carr was the head coach, and he didn’t fit well in a system that needed a running quarterback.
During the same offseason that Rodriguez was getting the job at Michigan, Houston Nutt resigned at Arkansas and went to Ole Miss. The Razorbacks continued on the coaching carousel, naming former Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino their headman.
Mallett, originally from Arkansas, saw the opportunity to transfer and play in the system he thought he signed up for at Michigan.
“I thought it was a really good decision for him,” Loeffler said. “Bobby does a great job in the throwing game, and it’s an NFL system for him. It was a really great choice, and I’m happy he’s having some success. He’ll mature as the years go by and be a good player.”
After sitting out the 2008 season and watching Casey Dick play quarterback in Petrino’s system, Mallett has taken the reigns of the offense this season and not disappointed.
He is 91-of-160 passing for 1,422 yards and 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He averages 284.4 yards per game.
Loeffler hasn’t spent much time watching film of Mallett this week, as he has been huddled in meetings with the Florida offensive coaches trying to scheme a game plan for breaking the Arkansas defense. But he came away impressed with Mallett after seeing one of his games this year.
“I got to watch to watch a little bit of his Georgia game, but I’ve heard he’s doing great things,” Loeffler said. “I caught bits and pieces. I was trying to pay more attention to my wife than a 6-9 quarterback.”
And for good reason – the Gators will be seeing plenty of Ryan Mallett this weekend.