In Weis' World, Gators' Offense Can Crank It Up More
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis faces a unique challenge on Saturday against Kentucky. Weis will be calling plays against a man he once hired to stop them.
In his first two seasons as Notre Dame's head coach in 2005 and '06, Wildcats defensive coordinator Rick Minter served in the same role on Weis' Fighting Irish staff. Notre Dame went to bowl games both seasons.
A veteran defensive coach who once spent 10 seasons as Cincinnati's head coach, Minter is in his first season working under Joker Phillips at Kentucky.
Despite their past together, Weis doesn't expect the matchup to play a huge role in Saturday's game.
“We won a bunch of games when he was there,'' Weis said of Minter. “He was a 4-3 guy when he was with me. They are playing a 34 defense now. That's quite a change from the defense they played. There's not a lot of similarities front-wise. They are giving up 13 points a game for a reason.
“They have a pretty good idea of what they want to do on defense''
Along those same lines, Weis has a pretty good idea of what the Gators want to do on offense. He just wants them to do it better than they have been which is saying something considering the Gators are 3-0 and are averaging 37.7 points and 442.3 yards per game.
Known for his high expectations and attention to detail, Weis saw several things in Saturday's 33-23 win over Tennessee that he wants the No. 15-ranked Gators to improve upon.
“Actually, I'm pretty disappointed,'' Weis said following practice Tuesday. “Am I content that we've been able to move the ball pretty consistently in the first three games? Yes. But I think anyone who is really meticulous in their preparation at this stage of the season finds a lot of faults in things we've done. I think we can get a lot better on offense than where we are right now.''
If you want specifics, Weis offered several, ticking off a list of offensive woes that he hopes to get corrected.
Weis on Florida's 42.9 percent success rate on third-down conversions: “That makes me miserable.''
He pointed out that needing to call a play-action pass from the 1-yard line – after two running plays failed -- to score on the first drive of the Tennessee game didn't please him. There was also a first-and-goal from the Vols' 3 in the second half that took Florida four plays to score that made Weis' stomach churn.
As he continued, Weis pointed out a Jeff Demps fumble in the second half, running backs Trey Burton and Chris Rainey going out of bounds to stop the clock late in the game, and of course, the eight penalties committed by the offense on Saturday in a 16-penalty performance.
Oh, and we can't forget the red-zone issues that resulted in Caleb Sturgis kicking four more field goals on Saturday. Weis would have much preferred four touchdowns.
“Trust me, there's plenty of things for me to be miserable about,'' Weis quipped.
Before you get the impression Weis is ready to call it quits and retire to the horse farm he recently bought near Ocala, don't get the wrong impression. He has high standards and wants the Gators to reach their full potential in his pro-style offense.
Despite some of the blunders that caught his ire against the Vols, Weis is confident the Gators are moving in the right direction with quarterback John Brantley leading the way.
Brantley has been efficient through the first quarter of the season, completing 65.3 percent of his passes (47-for-72) for 637 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions – both coming in the season opener against Florida Atlantic.
While Demps and Rainey have been his favorite targets, Weis doesn't sound too concerned if that is the way it plays out all season. A lot has been made of the Gators' wide receives having only 22 catches in the first three games – the backfield trio of Demps, Rainey and Burton have combined for 24 – but Weis doesn't see that as an issue.
“You are who you are. Everyone wants you to do something that is not within the personality of your team,'' Weis said. “We've established a personality of our team. There will be games that come up that way [throwing more to receivers]”
Brantley also voiced confidence in his receivers, reiterating that the reason they haven't been involved as much in the offense is because of what the defenses are giving the Gators.
“We've got the plays in for them,'' Brantley said. “Whenever we go out there, we just want to take what the defense gives us and just take the profit. That's what we've been doing. I think the receivers have done a fine job. I trust them. I'm going to keep throwing to them.''
In his first season at UF, the one constant with Weis has been his praise of Brantley. While the Gators made several mistakes he wants cleaned up before facing the Wildcats on Saturday, Brantley wasn't on his hit list.
“He deserves really a lot of credit for going from where he was at the end of the year to where he is now. You know how it goes. Any time a season doesn't as planned there are certain guys, whether they be coaches or players, are pegged as sacrificial lambs. He was one of them,'' Weis said. “Everything was the quarterback's fault. He is clearly the leader of the offense. You don't have to worry about who the players are turning to. That's a very good thing.''
Even with someone on his staff so familiar with Weis' offense, Phillips has the same concerns with the Gators coming to town. He said stopping Florida is all about containing the Gators' speed and athletes like Demps and Rainey.
If Minter can help slow them down in any way, Phillips will take what he can get. He sees a Florida offense that is working just fine.
“They were in a transition last year, if you ask me, transition with the quarterback change,'' Phillips said. “That was their transition. This quarterback has been the starter for two years. I don't consider it a transition.''
