Gators head coach Dan Mullen challenged his offensive line to improve with No. 7 Auburn set to visit "The Swamp" next week. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
Mullen Chews Out O-Line, Pierce Chews Up Yards
Saturday, September 28, 2019 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No one needed to remind Dan Mullen on Saturday that Towson's starting defensive line of Bryce Carter (265 pounds), Sam Gyeni (280) and Marcus Bowman (255) registered about a kicker or two shy of your typical Southeastern Conference 3-4 defensive front on the scale.
He had studied film and the Tigers' roster.
Compared to what the Gators will face next week when Auburn visits "The Swamp," Towson qualifies for the lightweight division. Which leads to a loud point: Mullen's heart-to-heart discussion at halftime with the Gators' offensive line in Saturday's 38-0 win.
Despite their efforts, the Gators managed only 60 yards rushing on 16 attempts in the first half and half those yards came on sophomore tailback Dameon Pierce's 31-yard run. Florida's running attack – or lack of a consistent one – has been, along with injuries, a steady theme early in Mullen's second season.
In case the big uglies needed a reminder, Mullen fired away.
"I just challenged them on missed assignments,'' he said. "That has got to improve. That has got to improve for us. The mental toughness of the offensive line in their preparation has got to improve as we move forward."
You didn't have to be a professor of X's and O's to know at least one play that had Mullen ready to toss the visor he wore Saturday onto Spurrier/Florida Field.
On their opening drive, the Gators had second-and-goal from the 2. Quarterback Kyle Trask handed to senior Lamical Perine. Before Perine could plow forward, Carter dropped him for a 3-yard loss. The Gators scored on the next play when Trask connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for a score, but instead of being able to ram a run into the end zone against the undersized Tigers defensive line, the Gators were forced to convert a third-down pass.
An hour later in the locker room, Mullen rammed home his message.
"They're young guys,'' Mullen said. "They go, 'Coach, I'm working.' No, you're not, obviously not, because if you were working, we wouldn't have missed assignments, so what you're doing is not enough. They need to do more."
Fortunately for the Gators, the second half was better.
Florida finished with 160 yards rushing, topped by Pierce's 84 yards on six carries. The output was the second-best total of the season, trailing only the 231 yards Florida had in a 45-0 win over UT Martin three weeks ago.
Still, with No. 7-ranked Auburn coming to town, Trask and Co. need some push up front.
Fifth-year senior center Nick Buchanan, the most experienced member of the offensive line, understood where Mullen was coming from.
"You just challenge them, you just try to express to them the intensity it's going to be," Buchanan said of his role as the unit's leader. "It's an SEC game, it's 3:30 in 'The Swamp.' It doesn't get any better than that. We'll have to play big and play our best game. But that doesn't come on Saturday, that comes on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and our preparation and what we have to do during the week."
Besides Buchanan, redshirt junior left guard Brett Heggie (seven starts) and left tackle Stone Forsythe (one) were the only members of the offensive line to have a start prior to the season. The right side – guard Christopher Bleich and tackle Jean Delance – had none. Redshirt freshman Richard Gouriage has been playing more of late as offensive line coach John Hevesy searches for most effective combination.
Meanwhile, Perine entered his final season considered one of the key pieces to the offense and a candidate to become the program's first 1,000-yard rusher since Mike Gilislee in 2012 after splitting time with Jordan Scarlett last season. Instead, Perine managed only 16 yards on six carries Saturday and is averaging just 39.6 yards per game and 3.7 per rush, significantly down from his totals of 63.5 and 6.2 from a season ago.
The good news is that Pierce is starting to blossom, including a 37-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter Saturday that put the Gators up 31-0. Pierce was quick to credit receiver Tyrie Cleveland on the play and, despite what others might be saying, the offensive line.
"That was great perimeter blocking Cleve for me,'' Pierce said. "Great job up front by them boys. Without them, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. There's a lot in the tank. There's a lot of young guys on the offensive line. They are getting better every day. That's all we can ask for them.
"As you saw today, they make their adjustments at halftime and then they go out and perform at that level, they're going to get there eventually."
Mullen is waiting.
And so is Auburn, which rolled over Mississippi State on Saturday night and has one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week Derrick Brown. Auburn entered Saturday surrendering just 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry.
The Gators will have to block better if Pierce or Perine or anybody else is going to have room to run.
Mullen laid out the situation in simple terms. You can be sure Hevesy will keep the volume turned high as always this week at practice.
"Everybody learns in a different way, OK,'' he said. "And guys have got to learn what's the best way they learn, what's the best way they can improve at processing information as they get going, and they got to do it. And if they don't, then they're not going to get better, and then we got to find somebody that can."
He had studied film and the Tigers' roster.
Compared to what the Gators will face next week when Auburn visits "The Swamp," Towson qualifies for the lightweight division. Which leads to a loud point: Mullen's heart-to-heart discussion at halftime with the Gators' offensive line in Saturday's 38-0 win.
Despite their efforts, the Gators managed only 60 yards rushing on 16 attempts in the first half and half those yards came on sophomore tailback Dameon Pierce's 31-yard run. Florida's running attack – or lack of a consistent one – has been, along with injuries, a steady theme early in Mullen's second season.
In case the big uglies needed a reminder, Mullen fired away.
"I just challenged them on missed assignments,'' he said. "That has got to improve. That has got to improve for us. The mental toughness of the offensive line in their preparation has got to improve as we move forward."
You didn't have to be a professor of X's and O's to know at least one play that had Mullen ready to toss the visor he wore Saturday onto Spurrier/Florida Field.
On their opening drive, the Gators had second-and-goal from the 2. Quarterback Kyle Trask handed to senior Lamical Perine. Before Perine could plow forward, Carter dropped him for a 3-yard loss. The Gators scored on the next play when Trask connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for a score, but instead of being able to ram a run into the end zone against the undersized Tigers defensive line, the Gators were forced to convert a third-down pass.
An hour later in the locker room, Mullen rammed home his message.
"They're young guys,'' Mullen said. "They go, 'Coach, I'm working.' No, you're not, obviously not, because if you were working, we wouldn't have missed assignments, so what you're doing is not enough. They need to do more."
Fortunately for the Gators, the second half was better.
Florida finished with 160 yards rushing, topped by Pierce's 84 yards on six carries. The output was the second-best total of the season, trailing only the 231 yards Florida had in a 45-0 win over UT Martin three weeks ago.
Still, with No. 7-ranked Auburn coming to town, Trask and Co. need some push up front.
Fifth-year senior center Nick Buchanan, the most experienced member of the offensive line, understood where Mullen was coming from.
"You just challenge them, you just try to express to them the intensity it's going to be," Buchanan said of his role as the unit's leader. "It's an SEC game, it's 3:30 in 'The Swamp.' It doesn't get any better than that. We'll have to play big and play our best game. But that doesn't come on Saturday, that comes on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and our preparation and what we have to do during the week."
Besides Buchanan, redshirt junior left guard Brett Heggie (seven starts) and left tackle Stone Forsythe (one) were the only members of the offensive line to have a start prior to the season. The right side – guard Christopher Bleich and tackle Jean Delance – had none. Redshirt freshman Richard Gouriage has been playing more of late as offensive line coach John Hevesy searches for most effective combination.
Meanwhile, Perine entered his final season considered one of the key pieces to the offense and a candidate to become the program's first 1,000-yard rusher since Mike Gilislee in 2012 after splitting time with Jordan Scarlett last season. Instead, Perine managed only 16 yards on six carries Saturday and is averaging just 39.6 yards per game and 3.7 per rush, significantly down from his totals of 63.5 and 6.2 from a season ago.
The good news is that Pierce is starting to blossom, including a 37-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter Saturday that put the Gators up 31-0. Pierce was quick to credit receiver Tyrie Cleveland on the play and, despite what others might be saying, the offensive line.
"That was great perimeter blocking Cleve for me,'' Pierce said. "Great job up front by them boys. Without them, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. There's a lot in the tank. There's a lot of young guys on the offensive line. They are getting better every day. That's all we can ask for them.
"As you saw today, they make their adjustments at halftime and then they go out and perform at that level, they're going to get there eventually."
Mullen is waiting.
And so is Auburn, which rolled over Mississippi State on Saturday night and has one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week Derrick Brown. Auburn entered Saturday surrendering just 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry.
The Gators will have to block better if Pierce or Perine or anybody else is going to have room to run.
Mullen laid out the situation in simple terms. You can be sure Hevesy will keep the volume turned high as always this week at practice.
"Everybody learns in a different way, OK,'' he said. "And guys have got to learn what's the best way they learn, what's the best way they can improve at processing information as they get going, and they got to do it. And if they don't, then they're not going to get better, and then we got to find somebody that can."
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