Notebook: Pease addresses job security and Florida State

The rumors about Brent Pease’s job security started off as whispers but as the Gators’ offensively challenged football team has stumbled through the regular season those whispers have turned into roars.

Pease met with the media on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and handled the questions he knew would be coming with the utmost class and dignity. It’s not easy to sit in front of cameras and 20 or so reporters and answer questions about your job security and the possibility of being let go.

Job Security

• Brent Pease stated flatly that he believes he deserves to be retained as the offensive coordinator at Florida.

I think, you know, you look at the first year and some of the situations and knowing the body of work and not just one, a game-to-game basis and situations we’ve been under. I hope any evaluations are looked at that way.”

• Pease had an opportunity to choose between Florida and Alabama when he was at Boise. Obviously, he chose Florida and while he wouldn’t change his decision he did say it’s something that he thinks about occasionally.

I mean, yeah you think about it. But you look back on it and I know why I came here. And I know what sold me on the fact. So you can’t look back at something like that. I mean, that’s a situation of what if. And I still did the right thing for me and my family and the reasons I did it. And you’ve got to continue to go from there and build.”

• Families are often the forgotten piece of coaching changes. Pease said his family enjoys Gainesville and is grateful to the administration for how they have treated both he and his family.

Gainesville is a great place. I’ve always said the administration here has been good to me. It’s one of the best. It’s nothing you can complain about.

• Muschamp was critical of the offense after the game against Georgia Southern but Pease doesn’t read into what Muschamp says to the media because he has a daily working relationship with the head coach.

On Florida State

• Florida State plays a fast, physical, SEC style of defense and will give the Gators’ all they can handle this Saturday.

They have great speed and those kids play fast, and they mix up enough coverages that cause confusion, which is one thing you always want to do with the quarterback is put him in that situation where they’re guessing a lot. They’ve done that. I think their team is built around speed and a lot of different looks.”

• Nick O’Leary is second on the team with seven touchdown receptions this season and Pease compared the impact that O’Leary has to the impact that Jordan Reed gave the Gators two last season.

Well, I mean you can go back and look and see what Jordan [Reed] meant to us last year, especially having throws in the middle how it helps the outside guys.

• After struggling during the weeks leading up to the Florida State game last season, the Gators were able to physically dominate the Seminoles up front on their way to a convincing win.

Yeah, I mean you look back at games and that was obviously a good game. The kids played really well, and the kids up front took over physically. I mean, we went out and played well early and then we kind of hit a lull in the middle and then came back strong at the end.”