QA with a Florida Insider

In order to really find out what is going on with Florida this week, we asked Gators beat writer Landon Watnick to give us his insiders perspective. Watnick covers Florida for InsideTheGators.com and has the latest news and notes from Gainesville.

Q: Of course, anybody who follows college football knows the situation with

Florida coach Will Muschamp. But how have the players handled all

the talk? Are they saying the right things, attempting to rally around their

coach?

Watnick: "Of the six players Florida has made available for interviews this week as of

Tuesday, four have been redshirt seniors who are seasoned and know how to talk

to the media. I don't think that was a coincidence at all on UF's part. But the

message they delivered was clear: Right now the Gators stand behind Muschamp. Max Garcia gave an impassioned defense of Muschamp, saying people don't

realize "he's a husband, he's a son, and the players on the team look up to him

as another father figure." As he discussed how the team tries to shield itself

from the outside talk, Michael Taylor even referenced the Constitution

when saying how fans can boo and say whatever they want. "I wouldn't want to

play for anybody else right now," he added.

"That may be the sentiment of at least a portion of the Florida locker room, but

if the losses keep piling, the attitude of this team could turn from defensive

into somber like it did near the final games of 2013. This time around though,

Muschamp would likely be out the door. If the Gators lose to the heavily favored

Bulldogs and seal their elimination in the SEC East race, then there's not much

left for the group to play for this season. The primary goal would be out the

window. Even now, there has to some level of frustration behind the scenes with

what has transpired in recent weeks - especially for a relatively good defense

that sees the offense flounder on a weekly basis."

Q: Where did it really start to go wrong for the Gators this year? In other

words, what aspect of the team's play has been the most disappointing and is

there still time for them to turn that part of their game around?

Watnick: "Quarterback play and a lack of production by the wide receivers have really

doomed the Gators since Week 2. As you're probably aware, Jeff Driskel

has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the FBS this season, and the

numbers prove it. The redshirt junior signal caller ranks dead last in the

country in passing efficiency (95.5) of quarterbacks who qualify for that

category. Opposing defenses have forced Florida into third-and-longs often, and

Driskel's accuracy in these situations has been pretty dreadful. One factor that

drove Florida to bench Driskel and start Treon Harris was turnovers.

Mostly under Driskel's leadership, the offense has committed 15 turnovers in the

past four games. Driskel is responsible for 12 of those. In five games of SEC

play, he's thrown five touchdowns against 10 picks. That's a big reason why this

offense has been unable to get it going, even with a thin offensive line

outperforming expectations.

"But don't ignore how bad the receiving corps have been outside of Demarcus Robinson. The sophomore has 34 receptions for 524 yards and four touchdowns

in six games. Everybody else? A combined 75 receptions for 667 yards, five

touchdowns and a copious number of dropped passes. This group was heralded

during training camp as a bright spot of this Gators team. That hasn't been the

case at all so far. Also, busted coverages by the secondary have plagued the

Gators, but that's a completely different story."

Q: What are the expectations for Treon Harris? Does he have a complete grasp of

the offense and all the plays to be called?

Watnick: "Harris cannot turn over the ball and needs to play within himself. That's what

first-year offensive coordinator Kurt Roper wants to see from the

5-foot-11, 190-pound Harris, a quick, elusive freshman who can extend plays and

do damage with his feet. Since he arrived at UF in only June, Harris hasn't had

as much time to absorb Roper's playbook as his other fellow quarterbacks. While

he has a strong arm, Harris isn't an incredibly accurate passer. But what

separates him from the rest of Florida's signal callers are his knack for making

plays and the "it" factor - what Florida coaches and players describe as Harris'

cool, collected demeanor in the pocket. Sometimes Harris tries to extend plays

too much, but as a dual threat he opens up plenty of opportunities for his

tailbacks in the zone read. Roper affirmed Tuesday that he doesn't plan on

scaling back the playbook for Harris, who's still learning some aspects of this

offense. Although the freshman doesn't have nearly as much experience at Driskel,

he's certainly an improvement. It really couldn't get any worse at quarterback

previously."

Q: What do you think Florida's defensive game plan will be and can it be

successful?

Watnick: "Whether it's Todd Gurley or Nick Chubb they're facing, the Gators need to

load the box and make a reliable but average Hutson Mason win the game for the

Bulldogs against the Gators' secondary. Florida didn't try that enough against

Alabama and LSU, two teams with two-back systems and stout run protection, and

I'm sure Georgia has noticed that by now from watching tape. The Gators do have

a respectable run defense, ranking No. 22 in the nation in that category, but

LSU exposed it a few weeks back. With Tigers tackle La'el Collins and

guard Vadal Alexander neutralizing Dante Fowler Jr., Jonathan

Bullard

and others, Leonard Fournette found plenty of holes down the left side

for big gains. The Gators may not face a duo of linemen that talented on one

side of an offensive line for the rest of the season, but the Bulldogs'

protectors have paved the way for productive outings by Gurley, Chubb and Sony Michel this year. 

"That's why the Gators need to force the Bulldogs into throwing the ball and hope

their improving pass rush can find some pressure on Mason. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III has proven this season he can shut down one side of the

field, while true freshman Jalen Tabor has emerged recently on the

opposite end. The play by the safeties and at nickel has been shaky this year,

but Florida needs to take a risk here by trying this strategy."

Q: Offensively, where does Florida figure to create the most trouble for the Georgia defense?

Watnick: "Florida's running backs haven't impressed the past two games, but the Gators are

going to need them to step up Saturday. Whether its Matt Jones plowing

through the middle or true freshman scatback Brandon Powell catching swing passes

and racing through screens on the sidelines, UF needs to get these guys more

involved. Florida does have some dangerous weapons at tailback, but it hasn't

utilized them to their maximum potential this season. We saw how productive

Jones can be in the Kentucky and Tennessee games, and how dangerous of an option

Powell was as a receiving threat versus LSU. Florida needs to play to its

strengths more. 

"Right now, the Florida offense has no identity. It needs to discover one quick,

and a good start is riding these tailbacks. If Jones can find success powering

through the middle and Powell can utilize his speed working on the outside, then

this offense could start getting creative. Doing this against an excellent

Georgia run defense is a tough proposition, but the Gators need Jones, Powell

and Kelvin Taylor to be productive - especially with a true freshman

quarterback making his first college career start."