Driskel, Gators Seek Long-Distance Connections
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- At the end of the first quarter in Florida's triple-overtime win over Kentucky on Saturday, Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel was 3 of 11 for 84 yards and an interception.
Driskel's stat line didn't read much better at halftime: 7 of 20 for 116 yards.
However, by the time he thrust his arms into the air as Matt Jones scored on a 1-yard run to win the game, Driskel had thrown for a career-high 295 yards and made arguably the most important completion of his career.
Driskel's 9-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson in the first overtime -- on fourth-and-7 -- kept the Gators alive.
"He took complete control of that,'' UF offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said Tuesday. "And a guy that doesn't have an understanding in that situation couldn't have gotten done what he was able to get done. Shoot, saved us all. That was a big-time play."
As the Gators prepare to play at No. 3-ranked Alabama on Saturday (CBS, 3:30 p.m.), Roper and Co. know Driskel must hit more big-time plays.
And long ones.
The Gators tried to loosen up the Wildcats' tight coverage with some long balls, but Driskel's touch was off.
On the Gators' third drive, Driskel missed a deep-post pass to Quinton Dunbar on first down, and two plays later, threw wide to Dunbar down the sideline. Later in the opening quarter, facing second-and-6 at Kentucky's 25, Driskel overthrew an open Ahmad Fulwood in the end zone. He was intercepted on the next play as he tried to throw the ball away under pressure.
Driskel took another shot downfield late in the second quarter but missed Robinson. The Gators went away from the deep passes in the second half and relied more on the running game and shorter passes to improve offensive efficiency.
"We work on it a lot,'' Gators coach Will Muschamp said of the vertical passing game. "The timing between the receiver and quarterback is critical. It's a totally different ballgame [if we hit one of those].
"I felt totally in control of the game until the 60-yard [touchdown] pass [by Kentucky]. We were playing well defensively. We were moving the ball offensively. I felt we were controlling both lines of scrimmage. There was never a chance that I didn't think we were not going to win the game convincingly -- until they hit that 60-yarder. But, again, look what that does to the momentum of the game."
The play Muschamp refers to -- quarterback Patrick Towles' 60-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Johnson with 5:32 left in the third quarter -- gave the Wildcats their first lead, 10-6. The lead changed hands five times after that.
While Florida didn't throw deep in the second half or overtime periods, Driskel settled into a groove after halftime. He was 18 of 23 for 179 yards and three touchdowns, finishing 25 of 43.
Driskel understands the importance of hitting one of those long-distance connections to create more space for the offense to operate.
"I had some open guys. I've just got to give those guys a chance,” Driskel said. “That's something that we'll get corrected. I'm not too worried about it. I know I did miss a few, but I'd rather me miss the open receivers than not have the open receivers. I'm going to have to do that in order for us to be successful down the road."
The Gators will face a difficult challenge against Alabama's defense on Saturday. Alabama has led the SEC in total defense the past six seasons, a first in the conference's history. In three games this season, the Crimson Tide are surrendering 267 yards per game.
The Crimson Tide have defeated the Gators three consecutive times dating to the 2009 SEC Championship game, and in their last meeting, beat up a wide-eyed Driskel in a 38-10 win at The Swamp.
A true freshman, Driskel replaced injured starter John Brantley in the second half and finished 2 of 6 and suffered and injured ankle.
Roper expects more of the same from Nick Saban's physical defense.
"These guys do a great job of contesting every pass,'' Roper said. "They like to press the receivers and pattern match a lot of things. They're running with a lot of receivers. They don't give you a lot of layups."
While Alabama leads the nation in rushing defense (47 yards per game), opponents have averaged 220 yards per game through the air during the Crimson Tide's 3-0 start, highlighted by West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett.
Trickett completed 29 of 45 passes for 365 yards in the Mountaineers' 33-23 season-opening loss.
The Gators will shoot for similar success through the air, and hope to connect on a long ball or two.
"I think we've got to hit some of those, no doubt about it,'' Roper said. "You've got to take your shots. I think you know people are noticing that we're going to take shots, which that changes things for them."
