Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks carries the ball in Saturday's win at Tennessee. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: Franks Progressing, Surging Swain, More Tidbits
Monday, September 24, 2018 | Football
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By: Ethan Hughes, FloridaGators.com Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Feleipe Franks is a vastly improved quarterback in 2018. Just about anyone who has watched the Gators this season will say so.
Outside of the fourth quarter against Kentucky when he was asked to carry the team to a comeback and struggled, the redshirt sophomore has looked more confident, composed, comfortable and accurate than a year ago. He's going through multiple progressions, finding the open guy, not looking down at the rush and using his legs when necessary.
Through four games, Franks is tied with Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa for the Southeastern Conference lead with 12 touchdown passes, which is also good enough for a tie for seventh nationally. He is seventh in the league in both passing yards and pass efficiency, stark improvements from 2017. Against Tennessee on Saturday, he became the first Gator to throw three touchdowns in a game multiple times in a season since Jeff Driskel in 2014.
Nowhere is Franks' development more evident than his touchdown-to-interception ratio (12 to 2). That figure trails only Tagovailoa, the early season Heisman favorite, in the conference. Among the 36 FBS quarterbacks who have thrown at least eight touchdowns this season, Franks' touchdown-to-interception ratio ranks 10th.
However, Franks knows that he still has a long way to go. His 52.6 percent completion rate ranks just 12th in the conference.
"I'm trying to get better every single day," he said Monday. "Coach [Dan] Mullen and Coach [Brian] Johnson do a great job of just working with me every single day. You can't ever get complacent. You have to want to be on top, you have to want to be the best. That's what I want to be. I want to be the best to ever do it. So just keep on working. I don't want to be one of the top. I want to be the top. I have to keep working at it. A long way to go - technique, all that kind of stuff. Much more stuff to work on for me." BIG GAIN SWAIN
Entering the Colorado State game on Sept. 16, junior receiver Freddie Swain had just 253 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in his 24-game college career. Despite substantial playing time, he just couldn't seem to produce under the previous coaching staff.
"I was frustrated, but you got to learn to deal with some things and have patience and hopefully it will pay off," he said.
Receiver Freddie Swain races toward the end zone Saturday at Neyland Stadium. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
His perseverance finally paid off in the past two games, during which he amassed 209 all-purpose yards, two receiving touchdowns and an 85-yard punt return score. His three receiving touchdowns for the season tie him with redshirt junior Van Jefferson for the most on the team.
"I just stayed patient," he said. "I mean, I'm in a position to make plays now. [The coaches] put me in position to make plays, so I just make plays when they're called."
Part of his newfound success can be attributed to a position change. The previous coaching staff used Swain as an outside receiver, which requires elite speed and route-running. Mullen and his staff have moved him to the slot, which Swain believes better suits his skill-set.
"I'm not really fast as all the other guys, like straight-line speed, but I'm more quicker," he said. "So, I think I work better against linebackers and safeties." HENDERSON'S HUSTLE
Sophomore cornerback CJ Henderson made one of the biggest plays in Florida's rout of Tennessee on Saturday.
Midway through the second quarter, the Volunteers were faced with a fourth-and-1 at their own 45-yard line. Trailing 23-3, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt felt desperate and opted to keep the offense on the field and go for it. And it worked. Gators cornerback CJ Henderson
Tight end Austin Pope lined up at fullback on the play and ran a wheel route. The Gators busted the coverage, leaving Pope all alone along the left sideline. Pope caught the pass from quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and sprinted for the end zone. Meanwhile, Henderson was lined up on the other side of the field. He never gave up on the play and hit Pope around the 5-yard line. Pope coughed up the football, and it went out the side of the end zone for a touchback. The game was never in doubt the rest of the way.
"I think it not only has to do with his speed but his heart," Franks said. "He practices the same as the way he plays. He's out there doing that on the practice field. He's one of those guys that you don't get him too often. He's one of those guys that gives full effort every single time, Monday through Thursday. Friday, he's dialed in on the walkthroughs. Saturday, he's doing the same exact thing he does on Monday. He's one of those guys it's like clockwork for him. He does it all the time."
Mullen has preached about what he calls "relentless effort" since taking the Gators job back in November. Henderson's play epitomizes the kind of effort he's looking for from every player on every play. TOUGH CHALLENGES AHEAD
Mullen joked on Monday that his team's reward for winning a rivalry game on the road is having to play a better team on the road the next week. Such is life in the SEC.
Of course, he is referring to UF's date with Mississippi State on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Mullen coached the Bulldogs the past nine seasons, so he knows first-hand how talented they are.
Mississippi State reached No. 14 in the Associated Press Poll prior to being upset by Kentucky on Saturday night. The Bulldogs were considered by many experts to be a dark horse contender, both in the SEC and nationally.
While quarterback Nick Fitzgerald draws most of the headlines, the strength of Mississippi State lies in their defensive front. Defensive end Montez Sweat and nose guard Jeffery Simmons were both Preseason All-Americans and will likely be early-round NFL draft picks in April. Simmons leads the league and is tied for eighth in the FBS with 7.5 tackles for loss. Sweat is right behind him with 7 tackles for loss, which is 14th in the country. He also has 4.5 sacks, good for second in the conference.
"They're probably the best defensive line in America, and I know the depth that they have at that position too," Mullen said. "You know, not just the one group that comes on the field that's extremely talented. They're really three-deep on the front with depth and can roll fresh bodies at you, and there's not a huge drop off as the guys come in.
"Obviously, I think you know and you look at a guy like Jeffery Simmons who's such a special player, there's always going to be a drop-off when anybody would come in the game for him. You're looking at a guy that's probably a high first-round draft pick. And Montez Sweat as a pass rusher. But, you know, when you look at the guys that are rolling in, the drop-off is probably going from a guy that's probably one of the best defensive linemen in America to great SEC players."
If the Gators are to have any chance of pulling the road upset, their offensive line must neutralize the Bulldogs' defensive line and give Franks and the running backs time to operate.
"I trust my O-Linemen," Franks said. "Coach [John] Hevesy is trusting them. They do a great job working their tails off every single week. Even the backup offensive line, they're working their tails off. When anybody's name's called, they're always ready."
Added Mullen: "Being on the road with handling the environment, that's going to be a huge challenge for our offensive line. We're going to have to come out and play physical."
