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Game Plan: The Florida Offense

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 5, 2009

The fascinating thing about the Florida Gators' offense, coach Urban Meyer's high-tech creation, is that it's soooooo yesterday.

It's the single-wing for cripes sake, a formation created by Pop Warner somewhere around the time when leather helmets were a fashion statement.

But just as Doc Brown modified his DeLorean in the movie "Back to the Future,'' Meyer has turned something old into space-age new.

Florida's attack is all about matchups, opening gaps and distributing the football to every weapon.

As a young receivers coach at Notre Dame under conservative head coach Bob Davie, Mayer has recalled losing to Nebraska in 2001 and being impacted by one of his best players, David Givens, crying at his locker because he was unable to help his team. He had not touched the ball during the entire game.

Now, with Meyer it's all about options. How many different ways can a team distribute the ball, and create mismatches while doing it?

But in another throwback to the past, despite all the offensive fireworks the Gators can ignite, their attack is conservative in that turnovers are the ultimate bane.

Florida, obviously, prefers to run – football's most basic and timeless skill. The Gators rushed the ball 501 times this year. They threw it 299.

But by spreading his offensive formation, Meyer creates gaps in opponents' defense, and the Gators can attack them with track-team speed.

"That's the essence of our offense," Meyer said. "If you can create matchup issues, you're in good shape.''

DEFENDING FLORIDA

Texas Tech, the third-best team in the Big 12 conference, lost 47-34 in the Cotton Bowl to Ole Miss, which finished as the SEC's fourth-best squad.

That means the only team to beat Texas, which happens to be the only team to beat Oklahoma, was roughed up by the one team that beat Florida.

And the point is?

"If Florida comes to play," said Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher, "it can get ugly for Oklahoma.''

There could be some SEC brotherhood in Oher's assessment. Nevertheless, when it comes to Florida, the Rebels earned the right to voice an opinion.

So how do you stop the Gators?

The Rebels made the decision to compromise Gators quarterback Tim Tebow.

Florida did roll up 443 total yards of offense against the Rebels. Tebow complete 24 of 38 passes for 319 yards. Percy Harvin caught 13 for 186 yards and ran 10 times for 82 yards. But by blitzing on almost every play, the Rebels drastically slowed the Gators running game – particularly Tebow, who finished with a season-low 7 wards on 15 carries.

"Everything they do is based on their running game,'' Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said.

Aided by three Florida turnovers and a huge fourth-down and inches stop on a Tebow keeper in the final minutes, Ole Miss did what no other team had done.

"You do whatever you can to make Tebow uncomfortable, because the offense runs through him,'' Nix said. "Make them earn every yard. After that, all you can do is hope for the best.''

A little luck will also help.

"Before we got there, they were a plus nine [in turnovers],'' Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "They didn't turn the ball over all year long and we were probably leading the league in it. We didn't turn it over and they turned it over three times.

"We didn't give up many big ones, of course Percy Harvin was up and down the field. We just said, 'Hey look, any time it was short yardage let's overpopulate the line of scrimmage and stop Tebow."

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