Gators and Buckeyes Have Unique Offensive Opportunities Entering Gator Bowl
Thursday, December 29, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida-Ohio State matchup in Monday's Gator Bowl has potential to be a razzle-dazzle affair. That would probably be fine with ESPN2 viewers.
On one side, interim offensive coordinator Brian White will be calling plays for the Gators in what is viewed by some as an audition to replace Charlie Weis permanently. On the other side, longtime Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman is calling his final game after 11 seasons.
Incoming Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer has already hired Iowa State assistant Tom Herman to replace Bollman, a longtime Jim Tressel assistant and like Meyer, a native of Ashtabula, Ohio.
So should we expect White and Bollman to draw up game plans that feature an array of flea-flickers, reverses and halfback passes? That seems highly unlikely if you listen closely.
Still, considering it's a bowl game and both teams have had a month to prepare, there likely will be some tweaks offensively for both teams. Gator head coach Will Muschamp has firsthand experience in facing some trickery from Bollman.
In Muschamp's first season as defensive coordinator at Texas in 2008, the Longhorns entered the Fiesta Bowl against the Buckeyes with an 11-1 record and one of the nation's top defenses. The Buckeyes came out with a unique look, using quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor on the field at the same time on the opening drive.
Boeckman and Pryor both played significant roles as the Buckeyes flirted with an upset – then-freshman running back Boom Herron, now a senior, scored on a 15-yard run with a little over two minutes remaining to give Ohio State the lead – before Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy pulled out a victory by leading Texas on a last-minute scoring drive and 24-21 win.
“Obviously, that was something that was a nice wrinkle they went to on that first drive,'' Muschamp recalled. “You've just got to adjust in the game and rely on your [defensive] package, let your players adjust … know that you are going to face a wrinkle or two you haven't seen.''
On paper, the Gators and Buckeyes are very similar. Both finished the regular season 6-6; The Gators average 25.6 points a game, Ohio State 25.1. Florida allowed 20.6 points a game, Ohio State 20.8. The Gators hold an advantage in total offense (334.yards per game to Ohio State's 319.8), and total defense (299.6 yards allowed to 328.6).
With the teams being so close statistically, Muschamp and White mentioned that an alternate approach at the right time could help either team.
White's game plan will be heavily based on the pro-style offense Weis installed. He ran a pro-style offense as offensive coordinator at Wisconsin for seven years.
“You have to be very judicious about [altering an offense] and smart,'' White said. “You don't want to overload your team. You always want to provide a couple of wrinkles and different things they haven't prepared for, but you just can't recreate a new offense every week, and certainly [not] for a bowl game.
“I'm looking forward to seeing us execute our base core offense.''
Leading the way will be fifth-year senior quarterback John Brantley, who is back from a concussion he suffered in the regular-season finale against Florida State. White said Jacoby Brissett continues to work with the second-team.
During the regular season, the Gators ran certain packages with Brissett in the game to take snaps under center due to an ankle injury that hampered Brantley for much of the season. White said Brantley can now take snaps under center but didn't rule out using Brissett in Monday's game at EverBank Field.
Regardless of the personnel, consistency is what Muschamp is after on offense. An offense that is well-balanced between the run and pass.
“We'll hopefully have some different things for them to adjust to too. I like what we're doing offensively,'' Muschamp said. “We've just got to be more productive. That's simple. Brian and Charlie's philosophies are about the same, but more than anything, it's my philosophy. It's what I want to be on offense.''
The Buckeyes' most dangerous threat offensively is freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, a mobile and athletic player in the mold of former Buckeyes star Pryor.
Ohio State fullback Zach Boren told reporters at practice that the Buckeyes won't be holding back considering the way their season unfolded.
“We had high expectations,'' Boren said. “Being 6-6, we're going to come out throwing punches and they're going to be just like us. They'll come out fighting hard and we will too. Both teams have nothing to lose.”
Gators offensive lineman Chaz Green expects whatever changes the Gators make with White calling plays to be subtle.
“It's a lot of the same stuff, just getting a lot of looks at it and a lot of reps,'' Green said.
If the Buckeyes do come out with a bag of tricks, it won't be the first time the Gators have had to adjust quickly. In their 54-32 win over Furman last month, Furman came out using formations it had not used all season.
Nothing the Gators had seen on film matched what they saw in the first quarter and it showed as the Paladins jumped to a 22-7 lead before Florida adjusted and seized control.
Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn enjoys the chess match. He expects some of that against the Buckeyes. After all, it is a bowl game between two teams with nothing to lose.
“It might be hard for us to think if [they did something that] was entirely new,'' Quinn said. “I'm sure they are on the other end thinking, 'OK, Dan and Will have had a couple of weeks to prepare, too. What are they going to throw at us?'
“So I think there is a little bit of give and take in that.''
