Gators Notebook: Mullen Prefers Cautious Approach with Young QBs, more tidbits

Gators head coach Dan Mullen leads the Gators back onto the field on Saturday when South Carolina visits Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: Zach Marshall/UAA Communications)

Gators Notebook: Mullen Prefers Cautious Approach with Young QBs, more tidbits

Monday, November 5, 2018 | Football

By: Ethan Hughes, FloridaGators.com Intern

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With the Gators out of championship contention, likely out of the mix for a New Year's Six bowl and uncertainty at the quarterback position, some fans have raised a good question: Why not go ahead and burn the redshirt on freshman quarterback Emory Jones and let him start the remaining four games?

In some ways, that line of thinking makes sense. Jones, the future at the position and a better fit for coach Dan Mullen's offense, could gain valuable experience over the next four games and springboard himself into 2019. Also, if he lives up to the billing as a four-star prospect out of Heard County (Ga.) High School, he likely won't be around as a redshirt senior anyway.

However, Mullen reiterated on Monday that the plan is still to play Jones in special packages in two games and preserve his redshirt. In his opinion, a quarterback's development can be hurt by playing him before he's ready.

When Mullen came to Florida in 2005 as offensive coordinator, he inherited quarterback Chris Leak, who became the Gators' starting quarterback midway through his freshman season in 2003. Leak endured some early growing pains in the new offense, and Mullen said part of his struggles could be attributed to playing before he was ready and having his confidence shaken.

In his first year as UF's head coach, Mullen has faced a similar situation. Feleipe Franks started eight games as a redshirt freshman a season ago, and based on what he has seen this year, he thinks Franks was rushed onto the field too early as well.

Case in point: early in the second quarter against Missouri on Saturday, the Gators were backed up on their own 6-yard line. Franks had receiver Van Jefferson open on back-to-back plays but had pressure in his face. Franks overthrew him twice.

"If you've kind of played too early and you're not ready for that moment and you start getting hit before you know where to go with the ball, you start getting a little gun shy," Mullen said.

He is trying to protect Jones from a similar fate.

"Confidence is the biggest thing at the quarterback position," Mullen said. "The hardest thing in the world to do is to stand here while people are coming at you trying to hit you, and you don't flinch or move. You're going to stand in the pocket and get through your read and get through your progression, you know, without that."

He pointed to Tim Tebow as an example of why it's important for quarterbacks to grow into the starting role. While Tebow was an instant celebrity on campus, he only played a handful of plays per game as a freshman. When Tebow was in the game, Mullen only called plays that highlighted his strengths and masked his weaknesses. The success Tebow had in 2006 allowed him to assume the starting job in 2007 with confidence.

"He played, so he'd been in big games, he'd been in big moments, he'd been experienced, he'd been on the field, he'd gone through a season as a backup to learn the system, and now I got to go play the game," Mullen said. "Well, now I know the system. I've been in big moments. You might still not have the entire playbook open to him, but there's confidence. And I think that's such a huge factor."

CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

Despite some scares on Saturday, Mullen said there are no new injuries to report, and everybody should be good to go against South Carolina.

Late in the second quarter against the Tigers, receiver Freddie Swain limped off the field after a punt return. He later returned. In the waning minutes of the game, defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson walked off the field on crutches.

"Will there be guys that are very limited? Probably during the week, but that's not uncommon to me this time of year," Mullen said. "But, you know, according to the training room, everybody is cleared. They should be cleared to go by Saturday."

NEEDED: MORE DEPTH ON O-LINE

While a lot of fans put most of the blame for the offense's struggles on Franks, Mullen said the offensive line needs to pick up its game.

Going back to the series of plays backed up on the goal line, Mullen said the pressures were given up by different offensive linemen and both came against just a four-man rush.

"If we just protect on either of those two plays, they're completions, and, all of a sudden, now again, the offense is playing great. Defense, another first down. You flip the field position, you pin them deep, they don't have the ball on a short field to go score. That's the stuff we got to do as a team."

The Gators also only rushed for 113 yards.

The solution seems simple: if the starting linemen aren't getting it done, replace them. Except UF doesn't have the depth to do so. There's a wide gap between the starters and backups.

"We got a long way to go with development," Mullen said. "I do like, I think we have some good ones. I am pleased right now with the development of Richard Gouraige. I think he's going to come along and be very good. I don't know that he's ready to go into an SEC game right now, especially at the back end of the season like this. Chris Bleich, I think, there's some of those guys that are coming along."

The Gators don't believe the line's problems are a result of not being physical enough. They just need to execute their assignments cleaner and more consistently.

"With the offensive line, what you kind of look for is the perfect play," Mullen said. "If we grade, you have an S and minus. S is good, minus is bad, plus is exceptional, a double-minus is awful. If you have five S's, you're going to move the ball. You're going to have people covered up, you're going to have some running lanes, you're going to hit some runs. I mean, you might not be just knocking people back all day long, but if you have four S's and a minus – that's the thing with the offensive line. You need five S's to be successful up front."

Added junior receiver Josh Hammond: "It just comes down to execution and everybody giving their all every single play because you can't take a play off because that one play where you might take that play off might be the play that changes the game, might be the play that scores a big touchdown, and you never really know."

COPELAND JOINING MIX?

Other than Jones, the most anticipated member of UF's 2018 signing class was receiver Jacob Copeland.

The four-star prospect out of Escambia High School was expected to at least compete for meaningful playing time this season. However, a knee injury suffered early in training camp prevented that from happening.

Copeland appears close to returning to the field. He dressed out for the first time in the loss to Missouri. With four games remaining (including a bowl game), Copeland can play in each game and still redshirt.

"He missed a whole bunch of training camp, so he would be limited into kind of spot duty here or there, just learning and understand the offense and knowing what to go do and how to go do it," Mullen said.

MUSCHAMP'S RETURN

For the second time since becoming head coach at South Carolina, former Gators coach Will Muschamp returns to the Swamp. In 2016, Florida beat the Gamecocks 20-7.

58815 — Former UF coach Will Muschamp in his first game back at the Swamp in 2016. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Only six players remain from Muschamp's final UF team in 2014: tight ends C'yontai Lewis, Moral Stephens and R.J. Raymond, defensive tackle Khairi Clark, offensive lineman Kavaris Harkless and kicker Jorge Powell.

"R.J. told us after the game that he's been in those meetings with Coach Muschamp, and he's going to give the same speech that Coach Mullen's giving," Hammond said. "Those guys are going to be ready to play, and we just got to be ready to execute all week through our practice. We got to outwork them. We got to out grind them. We got to out execute them, and that starts today at practice, and I think a lot of guys will be ready for it."

While fans will undoubtedly make Muschamp's return a huge storyline, Mullen said he has other things to worry about.

"I haven't thought about it in terms of that that much, to be honest with you," he said. "I've thought more of it in terms of I want to win the game because I want to win the game."