Driskel still the starter, but Harris getting reps with first-teamers
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- To be clear, Jeff Driskel remains the Florida starting quarterback, with true freshman Treon Harris expected to play a key role in this week's game plan against Missouri.
That was the word Tuesday from offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, who put a little more focus into Coach Will Muschamp's announcement Monday that two quarterbacks would play when the Gators (3-2, 2-2) face the Tigers (4-2, 1-1) in Saturday night's Southeastern Conference homecoming game at The Swamp.
“Jeff's going to start, but this week obviously is an important week to see how each guy prepares,” Roper said in his weekly media gathering. “Hopefully, we do get a hot hand and do well the whole game. I'd like to get a hot hand for sure."
Ideally, that hand would be attached to Driskel, but the fourth-year junior has completed just 34 of 76 passes (44.7 percent) for 335 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions over the previous three games. The last of those picks came with 24 seconds left in Saturday night's 30-27 loss to LSU and set up a 50-yard field goal for the Tigers with three seconds left that proved the difference.
Roper does not expect that play to carry over in Driskel's performance; or even his confidence.
“You're not going to see any issue if there is one,” Roper said. “He's going to manage himself well and have the right demeanor and communicate well. Obviously, that's not an easy situation and a tough play, but he understands that you have to move on. You have to pick yourself up and you have to come back and you have to get ready to play again. You guys talk to him. What you see is what you get.”
The Gators are going to need Driskel to keep a level head, even as the team prepares to roll Harris, the former Miami Booker T. Washington standout who helped spark UF to a big road win at Tennessee two weekends ago, into the equation.
“You see him making a lot of plays in practice so you want to see how that transitions to the field. Will he have the same opportunities? Can he make the same plays in the game?” asked senior center Max Garcia of Harris. “I think that's what it's really about; just seeing him and what he can do and if he has a lot of potential and upside. I think that, as a team, we really want to see what he can do.”
They're very different players.
Driskel is bigger and can be more physical factor in the running game. He's also in tune to everybody's job and has been very good at getting teammates in position and on the same page when live calls are being made at the line. His accurancy throwing the ball has not been good this season, but he made some throws against LSU, including a deep-ball beauty for 73 yards late in the game.
In the preseason, Harris was praised for his decisiveness -- especially for a rookie -- and he already has shown he can deliver the long ball, with a pair of 70-plus-yard TD strikes in the Eastern Michigan to open the season. Plus, there's no denying he gave the offense a lift in the 10-9 win at Tennessee, driving the Gators to two fourth-quarter scores on his three drives.
That said, Roper admitted Harris did not look particularly sharp Monday during his first practice after missing all last week after being suspended due to accusations of a sexual assault the accuser eventually withdrew. He also is not completely in tune with the entire offense. Remember, Harris wasn't here in the spring, but rather arrived with his freshman class in July.
And he was only 2 of 4 for 17 yards passing against the Volunteers -- and had a likely sideline pick-6 dropped.
Some perspective is in order.
“He doesn't understand what we're doing quite as well, obviously, because of his time that he's been here,” Roper said. “The best way that I can say it is that he finds a way to make plays. Hopefully that continues. It's not always consistent, and you always want to be more consistent, but he seems to be a playmaker.”
Yes. Everyone heard Muschamp, after the Tennessee game, say Harris had the “it” factor for the position.
This week, whatever “it” is will come off the bench.
“And I wouldn't say it's a 50-50 split,” Roper said. “It's the sixth game of the year, so what ends up happening is you start getting a little bit worn out so our reps aren't the same number. We're having to go a fewer, less reps in a couple of team periods so it's not going to be 50-50. But what I'll have to do is jump him up and get him one or two of the [first-team] reps when we're doing it."
