Gators, Franks Still Searching for a Comfort zone

Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks takes a moment to himself after Florida's 17-16 loss to LSU on Saturday. (Photo: Matt Stamey/UAA Communications)

Gators, Franks Still Searching for a Comfort zone

Sunday, October 8, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

The Gators had their chances on Saturday in the loss to LSU but something was missing on offense down the stretch.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The former LSU commit crouched on the field as his teammates and coaches began to stream toward the locker room. Feleipe Franks stared up at the video screen above the north end zone stands early Saturday evening.

The score flashed in bright lights: LSU 17, Florida 16.

Florida's redshirt freshman quarterback, Franks made his fourth career start on Saturday in front of a festive Homecoming crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The door appeared wide open for offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and Franks to flip a few pages deeper into the playbook.

Franks regained the starter's job in the wake of Luke Del Rio's season-ending injury seven days earlier. Franks came in late in the second quarter of Florida's 38-24 victory over Vanderbilt and performed efficiently and effectively, completing 10 of 14 passes for 185 yards.

He looked more comfortable than in his three starts.

Beyond Franks' relief performance, Del Rio's injury closed at least one chapter of Florida's quarterback shuffle. Ever since Franks was named the starter in the season opener against Michigan, the prospect of Del Rio loomed large over his shoulder. Del Rio is the veteran quarterback on the roster and more polished in Florida's offense than any of the others.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire, who replaced Franks against Michigan, has not played since. The job clearly belonged to Franks in the much-anticipated showdown with LSU.

Unfortunately for the Gators, nothing turned out the way they wanted. They fell behind by 14. The offense struggled early. The defense got gashed on LSU's jet sweep. Once UF's run game finally cranked up in the second half, the Gators rallied and had an opportunity to tie the game. All they needed was a PAT, which is as certain as anything for this football team.

However, Eddy Pineiro missed the first extra-point attempt of his career. Still, you can't blame this loss on Pineiro's hooked PAT with 1:45 left in the third quarter. The Gators had three drives in the fourth quarter to take the lead. The final outcome: 13 plays, 37 yards.

Afterward, Franks faced the cameras and questions. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 108 yards and was sacked five times. The general consensus among fans on social media and media chatter after the game is the Gators have too tight a leash on Franks.

They must either use his strengths or perhaps go to Zaire and see if the offense can blossom with him running the read-option.

Franks stood tall at the podium, showing signs of a young leader.

"This one loss right here, you can't let it define you,'' he said. "Coach Nuss and them tell me there's going to be ups and there's going to be downs, and it's just how you respond when you're down. There are so many things that you can say that, 'You could have done this, you could have won that game, you could have made that pass.' That's the game of football. Quarterbacks make mistakes. People make mistakes. That's OK."

One of Gators head coach Jim McElwain's recurring messages this season has been for players not to be scared of making mistakes. Don't let fear of a mistake keep you from trying to make a play.

Franks seems to have listened, but he had few opportunities against the Tigers. His longest pass of the day was 18 yards to Brandon Powell. Franks' finest play may have come on Florida's second drive of the game when on first down, he was flushed from the pocket. Franks kept the play alive by rolling to the right, looking through his progressions and throwing a dart on the sideline to Josh Hammond for an 11-yard gain.

A common theme emerged as fans began to get loud on social media as the game advanced. The same as in other games: Franks stares down a receiver and holds the ball too long before throwing a pass, a criticism that peaked on Florida's fourth-and-3 play on its final drive. Franks locked in on Powell in the middle of the field and threw incomplete on the Gators' final play.

The Gators were glum afterward.

"We're going to find out a lot about leadership as to where we go," McElwain said. "There's going to be good things in every game, whether it's a win or loss."

What can the Gators look to as a positive from Saturday, a loss that sent the fan base into a frenzy?

The one I saw was the way Franks handled the loss. He didn't sink into a shell. He didn't blame others. He said all the things you want a young quarterback to say in the face of adversity.

"Yeah, I think there's always room for improvement," Franks said. "Like Coach Mac said, I could have done a better job with the tempo on that last drive. You know man, there's a bunch of things in a game that you can just nitpick at and say, 'You could have done this better, you could have done this and that at the end.' "

In a span of a month, Franks has learned the frailty of playing quarterback for the Gators. He is a long way from that game-winning 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland against Tennessee. Cleveland's absence due to an ankle injury did Franks no favors against LSU.

The question is: Is Franks just getting started or are the Gators ready to try something else?

As that question is pondered, something former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, who watched the first half of Saturday's game from behind the south end zone, said Friday when asked about Franks pops into mind.

"It's not necessarily always easy in Gainesville. Patience isn't necessarily always [there] in Gainesville," Tebow said. "But I think he's shown a lot of talent, obviously with one of those throws. I think he'll continue to improve, and hopefully he can lean on his running game and defense for a little bit while he gains some comfort."

The comfort zone that remains elusive for Franks and this Gators offense.