Though he may not be setting the world on fire through the first four games of the 2011 season, Florida Gators redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley is performing quite admirably compared to what fans saw in April’s 2011 Orange & Blue Debut.
As head coach Will Muschamp contended in April and maintains now, Brantely’s performance in that scrimmage was attributed to the fact that the moving parts around him (offensive linemen and playmakers) were struggling and unable to help him out.
The big question heading into September was if Brantley’s supporting cast would be able to step up under the leadership of veteran football mind and new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Muschamp, as of Monday, was pleased to that end.
“We’ve blocked well up front in the run game and in the pass game. We’ve been very consistent. We’ve run the ball well and I think we’ve played well at time outside,” he said. “We got to finish some plays down the field obviously. You tie all those things together. This past ballgame we were able to give our offensive some short fields, which is something that always helps the quarterback obviously. I think it really starts up front. We’ve been able to run the football and we’ve protected the quarterback well.”
Compared to the first four games of 2010, Brantley has thrown for 52 more yards on 28 fewer pass attempts (an average of 2.6 additional yards per attempt) but is still completing 64 percent of his passes and has only four touchdowns this year.
Quarterbacks are supposed to want to throw the deep ball, but Brantley has been charged with being a game manager – taking what the defense gives the offense in order to move the ball down the field. He is perfectly happy with ensuring running backs redshirt senior Chris Rainey and senior Jeff Demps get the ball out of the backfield, especially if they continue to be as productive as they have been through the first four games.
[EXPAND Click to expand and read the remainder of this post.]“Giving the ball off to Chris and Jeff is the easiest part of the job,” he said Monday. “When they can take it to the house at any moment, [it] makes your job easier.”
With the No. 2/3 Alabama Crimson Tide set to face the No. 12 Gators on Saturday, Florida may not be able to rely on its running game as much as it has been. Throwing the ball downfield may become a priority, especially if UF gets behind early.
Muschamp is confident that the Gators will be able to do so when necessary.
“I think you got to be multiple when you play [Alabama]. You can’t be one-dimensional in what you do,” he said. “A lot of our offense has been attributed to the fact, in our first four games, three of them were in-hand by halftime. We ran the ball in order to end the game as opposed to what a lot of schools go out and throw the ball 30 times in the second half. They say, ‘Well they averaged 300 yards in the passing game.’ That’s great but that’s not really what you’re trying to do to win football games.
“John’s going to be able to throw the football. John’s outstanding. He’s played very well for us, and I’m very pleased with his progress and what he’s done and what we’ve done in the throwing game and what we’ve asked our football team to do on tape so far on Saturday. What I see in practice is a very productive passing attack.”
Brantley appears to share that mentality, but whether or not he will succeed in that mission is one of the biggest questions surrounding Florida heading into Saturday’s tilt.
“Any time we can throw the ball downfield, we will,” he said.
The Gators may be forced to do just that sooner than later.[/EXPAND]
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