Nussmeier: Gators Must Find Offensive Consistency

Florida offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier at practice this week in Tampa for the Outback Bowl. (Photo: Will Pantages/UAA Communications)

Nussmeier: Gators Must Find Offensive Consistency

Saturday, December 31, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter

Florida's offense is ranked 115th nationally heading into the Outback Bowl, but with so many players returning, optimism is high for next season.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

TAMPA, Fla. – Gators head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier know what the view from the mountaintop looks like.

Both won national titles at Alabama as offensive coordinators. In two seasons together at Florida, they have squeezed enough from an offensively challenged roster to win back-to-back Southeastern Conference East Division titles.

Still, Gator Nation is restless. It wants more offense and wants it now. It wants a quarterback to emerge and reinvent UF's offensive identity. Ditto for McElwain and Nussmeier, a duo that has shown an ability to develop players and build productive offenses at previous stops in their coaching careers.

But unlike those displeased fans who criticize loudly that Florida's offense is ranked 115th (345.1 yards per game) among FBS schools entering Monday's Outback Bowl matchup against Iowa, McElwain and Nussmeier sense the Gators are about to turn a corner.

"Obviously, we all want results,'' Nussmeier said following Saturday's practice. "You want great numbers, you want to score a ton of points, everybody wants that. But how do you get there? That's the focus. We're going to be better. We're going to get better. We've got all of our players back. That's a positive thing. We've played a lot of guys. We've played a lot of young players."

The questions continued to be fired in rapid succession at Nussmeier, who had not spoken to the media since Florida's media day in early August. They ultimately led to one word as Nussmeier tried to explain what has ailed the Gators' offense: consistency.

"I know it's there because we've done it in stretches,'' he said. "You see it in stretches. It's the consistency and we're struggling to find that consistency on a day in and day out basis."

The critics say Florida's lack of consistency goes back to coaching and play-calling. The defenders counter that talent deficiencies and too much turnover at quarterback need to be considered.

Gators All-American cornerback Teez Tabor was reminded recently that in his three seasons, the Gators have used five starting quarterbacks (Jeff Driskel, Treon Harris, Will Grier, Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby, who will start the Outback Bowl).

A football junkie, Tabor studies the game as much as anyone on the team. He understands constant turnover at quarterback is not conducive to high-octane offenses.

"In the game of football, the most important position is the quarterback,'' he said. "Without a quarterback, you better have a great defense and a great running game, or you're not going to be one of the top teams. A great quarterback is key to everything."

Florida's quarterback woes since the departure of Tim Tebow seven years ago have been well-documented and a constant source of frustration for fans, amplified by the fact the program has produced three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.

It's not been easy for Nussmeier either.

"Other than Luke coming in and sitting out a year, it's the first year I've been in a situation where you basically turned the whole room over,'' Nussmeier said. "I haven't had that situation before. It's unique from that standpoint. I really like the growth we've got from the position and where we're moving into the future."

With Appleby set to play his final game Monday, Del Rio and true freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask give Florida its best depth at the position heading into an offseason in several years.

Del Rio started six games this season – Florida was 5-1 in those games – before a knee injury and later a shoulder injury sidelined him the final month of the regular season. While fans clamored for Franks or Trask to get an opportunity, the Gators turned to Appleby, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Purdue for his final season of eligibility.

Nussmeier said both young quarterbacks have improved considerably since arriving last January and that Del Rio played "some damn good football games" when healthy.

The depth at the position, plus an offense that returns all five starting offensive linemen if junior David Sharpe returns for his senior season and all the major skill players, provide optimism for those inside the football offices.

"There's no doubt about it. We've got some good pieces,'' McElwain said. "We need to get consistency a little bit. Once we get that … we've obviously had a lot of young bodies there. Those guys have to grow up and go play."

The naysayers may shake their head, but others point to back-to-back SEC East titles and say the future is in good hands.

McElwain supports the job Nussmeier has done in his first two seasons in Gainesville.

"He's done well. Obviously, the numbers aren't there like we want,'' he said. "But at the same time, it's part of building a base and building a foundation and doing it the right way. That's something we've been able to do."

Florida faces an Iowa team on Monday that features one of the top defenses in the country. The Hawkeyes are ranked 24th nationally in total defense and (352.8 ypg) and 10th in scoring defense (tied with the Gators at 17.9 ppg).

If the Gators are to avoid a second straight year with three consecutive losses to end the season, they'll need to squeeze more offense – and consistency – from what they have to work with.

Appleby, who in his one season has quickly gained the respect of his teammates for his leadership ability, tried to offer some perspective on where the offense is in Year 2 under Nussmeier.

"At a place like the University of Florida, when it's good, it's really good, and when it's maybe not going so good, it seems like maybe the sky is falling from the outside,'' he said. "I know Coach Nussmeier. He grinds like no coach I have ever been around. He is trying to find the best place for us. I have never been around a coach who is so committed and so dialed in. When he's in his groove, there is nobody better. At the end of the day we've got to go out there and execute for him."

Meanwhile, those questions kept coming at Nussmeier fast and furious on Saturday.

He wants what the fans want. Still, he can't let what outsiders say impact his approach. He's been to the mountaintop and remembers what it took to get there. The only way is to keep climbing despite the noise swirling in the wind.

"Welcome to the big leagues as they say,'' he said. "[The criticism] is part of it. This is as competitive as it gets. Of course, it bothers you. You want to have success. You want to do great. I know we're capable of a lot. We've got to do it consistently."