Feleipe Franks prepares to throw a pass in Saturday's game against Georgia. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Mullen: Franks Has Solid Grip on Starting Job
Monday, October 29, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The circumstances were different six days earlier when Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, seemingly under constant scrutiny from the paying customers at TIAA Bank Field, got benched in a loss to the Houston Texans.
In Bortles' case, a second lost fumble early in the second half prompted Jaguars coach Doug Marrone to pull the five-year veteran in favor of backup Cody Kessler. On the same field Saturday, Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks had a pair of turnovers in Florida's 36-17 loss to Georgia, once again igniting rumors of his demise when true freshman Emory Jones entered the game on the final play of the first quarter. Dan Mullen
Not so fast. Much like Bortles, who started and had a solid game in Jacksonville's loss Sunday to the Eagles, Franks' grip on the Gators' job is not in jeopardy. UF head coach Dan Mullen said Monday that Franks isn't suddenly on a shorter leash because of the loss to Georgia.
"I don't think he played bad,'' Mullen said. "I don't know that he took a huge step backwards in his growth and his development. I just think he missed some throws. Part of that is him learning."
From Florida's first play Saturday, Franks faced pressure not just from Georgia's defense, but social-media quarterbacks for overthrowing a wide-open Van Jefferson on a flea-flicker. If Franks had shown better touch on the pass, the Gators would have had a 75-yard touchdown. Instead, the drive ended two plays later on a lost fumble by running back Jordan Scarlett.
It was a day of missed opportunities all around for Florida, whose five-game win streak was snapped and its quest for an SEC East title in Mullen's first season derailed. No surprise, Franks (13 of 21, season-low 105 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble) was the target of most fans' angst afterward, compounded by the unexpected appearance of Jones.
Jones played only five snaps, his final statistical contribution four rushes for 12 yards, one of those a fumbled pitch that resulted in a 7-yard loss. His only pass of the game – a nice deep spiral to Jefferson in the fourth quarter – ended with a pass interference call on Georgia's Tyson Campbell.
Freshman quarterback Emory Jones played for the first time since the season opener in Saturday's loss to SEC rival Georgia in Jacksonsville. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
A five-star recruit out of Heard County (Ga.) High School, the 6-foot-2, 199-pound Jones had not played since the season opener against Charleston Southern. If not for the new NCAA redshirt rule that went into effect this season, Mullen said Jones would not have played Saturday.
However, the luxury of the rule change allowed Mullen to devise some packages for Jones in a game that most expected to see Georgia freshman quarterback Justin Fields, not Jones.
"He's really going through the steps of learning what it's all about," Mullen said. "We've seen it with flashes with him. I think he's right on schedule. It was a good situation to put him in. I do think he is coming along very well in every phase of understanding the program and what we expect of him."
Mullen said the Gators (6-2, 4-2) will devise packages for Jones to appear in at least two of Florida's final four regular-season games, which would give him four appearances on the season, the maximum allowed for a player to maintain redshirt status at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Franks is focused on dusting off last week's loss and focusing on finishing the season strong, starting with Saturday's Homecoming game against Missouri. The Tigers (4-4, 0-4) are led by senior quarterback Drew Lock, who has thrown for 2,144 yards, 16 touchdowns and ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with 268 yards per game.
In three career starts against the Gators, Lock has completed just 45.6 percent (35 of 77) of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions. There was last season, though, when Lock completed 15 of 20 for 228 yards and three touchdowns in Missouri's 45-16 win over the Gators last season in the first game under interim coach Randy Shannon.
"You can't listen to what people are saying: you're not good, you can't do this, you can't do that,'' Franks said Monday when asked about Lock, who has faced his own critics over the years. "They were saying that his freshman year, but the next thing you know he's a top NFL draft QB, and nobody is saying that much anymore. It's just one of those things and he's been in those shoes before, and I think that's a really good thing that I heard, just a confidence builder."
Statistically, Franks and Lock both have 16 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Franks has thrown for fewer yards (1,511) but has a narrow edge in the SEC's quarterback pass efficiency standings (139.8-139.7).
Franks has a clear mission after throwing an interception and losing a fumble at Florida's 1-yard line that resulted in a Georgia field goal. Franks' highlight on Saturday was a dart across the middle to receiver Freddie Swain for a 36-yard touchdown that put the Gators ahead, 14-13, in the third quarter.
"Just grind and get every little detail," he said. "That's the main thing we missed out this past game, is just detail, details, details. And I think it starts with me just being a quarterback. I gotta be better myself. One of the things is ball security. I gotta be better on myself with that."
Swain said after Saturday's loss that Franks was his usual self in the locker room afterward, encouraging his teammates to move past the loss and play for what could end up a special season. Fellow receiver Josh Hammond said the Gators are in good shape at quarterback with Franks starting and Trask and Jones in reserve.
Hammond has especially been impressed at the way Jones has handled the transition from prep star to third-stringer.
"He's not one of those guys that was trying to beg to get in the game or anything like that," Hammond said. "He stayed back and listened and listened to Feleipe, listened to Kyle Trask, listened to the coaches and just was always willing to learn. I think it showed the maturity of him. It showed that he is going to be big for this program in the future."
As for the present, Franks is eager for the next snap with three consecutive home games on the schedule.
He lacks the experience of the oft-criticized Bortles, but Franks understands that to bounce back from a less-than-ideal performance, you have to have a short memory.
"You try to avoid frustration,'' Franks said. "It's not one of those things that's every going to help you, especially at the quarterback position. It's not always the easiest thing to do, but it's the things you have to do to continue to put yourself [in position] to win a game."
