Will Gators’ offense wake up against Tennessee?

By Joe Mayes  |   Thursday, September 18, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

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As 2-0 Florida opens Southeastern Conference play Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., against the Eastern Division rival Volunteers, there is one burning question on Gator fans' minds:

Where’d the offense go?

After a scintillating 2007 season which saw the Heisman Trophy and a ton of offensive excitement return to Gainesville, most Gator fans want to know what happened to the video game-style 'O' the team ran. While last season may have seemed like Tim Tebow right, Tebow left and Tebow over the top, there always seemed to be electricity on the offensive side of the ball. After rushing for over 200 yards per game and passing for another 257 through the air in 2007, there was no question that the Gators' offense was explosive.

But that hasn’t been the case thus far in 2008. Despite opening with two nonconference wins (56-10 against Hawaii and a 26-3 victory over Miami in a game that was much closer than the score would indicate), and with a significantly improved defense, the offense seems to be missing its mojo that carried it through last year.

Tebow has been solid, completing 30 of his 49 pass attempts (61.2 percent) for 393 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Additionally, he has carried 22 times for 92 yards, an average of 4.2 yards per rush. Hardly Heisman Trophy-winning numbers, but certainly respectable for a quarterback at a big-time college program.

Overall, however, the offense has looked uninspired. Running the ball, the Gators are ranked 44th in the Football Bowl Subdivision, averaging just 172 yards per game, nearly 30 off their 2007 per-contest pace. Considering that those yards have come against an overmatched Hawaii squad and a spunky Miami team that is rebuilding but not yet rebuilt, it seems even more that the Gator running game just hasn’t gotten out of neutral.

As for the passing attack, Florida is averaging just over 200 yards per game, good (?) for 75th best in the country. Keep in mind that's more than 50-plus yards per game fewer than last season (and again, against weaker opponents).

So what’s going on?

One of the big reasons the Gators have struggled to run the ball has been the inconsistent play of the offensive line. With left guard Jim Tartt likely to return against Tennessee and the O-line having an additional week to prepare, the Gators’ running game should at least be more consistent.

But given the fact that the offense has dropped off 85 yards per game from last year, is there more to the story than just an inexperienced line? Has head coach Urban Meyer forgotten how to get this finely tuned sports car of an offense out of second gear?

Of course he hasn’t, and Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer knows darn well that the film he’s watching this week is not the same Gator team that beat the Volunteers, 59-20, last year in the Swamp. Moreover, it's not the same Gator offense that he’ll see this weekend up on Rocky Top.

What Meyer has done so far this season is spread the ball around the offense, finding out who will step up to make plays and who won’t. So far in the first two games, the Gators have had 17 different players touch the ball on offense (12 with at least one carry and 10 with at least one catch). It’s like Meyer simply used those first two games to test all the pieces of this team so that when the SEC season -- and a possible run for a national championship -- starts, the best players would be rested, healthy and ready to open up the playbook at the first opportunity.

Unfortunately for the Vols and their fans, that first opportunity looks to be Saturday in Knoxville. With Percy Harvin reporting he’s healthier than he’s been since 10th grade, a prepared, full-strength offensive line and playmakers who are rested and ready, look for the Gators to score early and often against a respectable Tennessee defense that will ultimately be overmatched.

Since arriving in the SEC, Meyer is 3-0 against Fulmer.

Look for that to go to 4-0 this weekend, when the Gators reveal their offensive identity as Meyer and Tebow kick the group into overdrive.

FINAL SCORE: Florida 42, Tennessee 17.
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest ...
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