Weis plans to continue tweaking offense until Gators can get rolling again
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
The Gators offense is struggling. You don't have to be Charlie Weis to see that.
In his first season running Florida's offense, Weis continues to search for ways to put more points on the scoreboard.
“I think each week that is kind of how you have to go along,'' Weis said. “And it's Vanderbilt, so it's a new set of circumstances. I think what you have to do is look at missed opportunities. Part of slumps is when you have opportunities to make plays and you don't make plays and it gets a little frustrating.
“You've just got to stay the course and keep on giving them a different plan and alternative plan each week to try and give them the best chance.''
He has tried wildcat formations. He has tried empty backfields. He has tried passing early and often. He has tried running outside and running inside. He tried using quarterback John Brantley almost exclusively out of the shotgun in Saturday's 24-20 loss to Georgia.
Weis said Tuesday he will continue making the necessary adjustments to get the offense back on track.
Weis said the plan last week against Georgia was to put Brantley in the shotgun to give him extra time to throw.
Brantley finished 12 of 34 for 245 yards – three yards shy of his career high – but was only 2 of 14 in the second half with the outcome in doubt.
“We were dealing with some circumstances with John's mobility,'' Weis said. “We came out and put in an empty package that we hadn't run all year to try to take advantage of letting him be in the shotgun and not have to be under center taking snaps.''
The plan had its moments – like a 72-yard screen pass to Jeff Demps on Florida's first play from scrimmage and Brantley's 31-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Reed in the first quarter on fourth-and-19. But in the end it wasn't enough for the Gators to win as the Bulldogs dealt Florida its fourth consecutive loss.
Through eight games, Florida's offense has been Jekyll and Hyde. During the Gators' 4-0 start, they averaged 40.3 points, 259 yards rushing, 461.8 yards of total offense, allowed only two sacks and scored 11 touchdowns in 19 trips inside the red zone.
During its four-game losing streak, Florida is averaging 11.8 points, 43.8 yards rushing, 213.8 yards of total offense, allowed 15 sacks and has no touchdowns in seven trips inside the red zone.
“Any time you are not getting scoring production on offense there's several different sources,'' Weis said. “Whether it be play call or protection or route or fundamentals and techniques. There's a lot of things that go into it.''
As Weis watched film of Saturday's loss, he was reminded of that by Florida's 2-for-13 performance on third-down conversions.
“I thought there were several long-yardage situations and unfortunately I was right,'' Weis said. “It was third-and-10, third-and-13, third-and-13, third-and-18, third-and-22 … that's not the way you want to play the game.''
Despite the struggles, Weis has maintained his sense of humor. When asked about the team's health, Weis responded by saying “I don't think there is one player on the field at this time of year that wouldn't be a training room casualty. Some people have sore ankles. Some people have sore knees. Some people have sore shoulders. I have sore eyes because I've been watching the stuff that I've been putting out there.''
