Expect more Emory Jones

The Gators have cycled in redshirt freshman Emory Jones more frequently by the week, don't expect that to stop anytime soon.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

How do you fix an ineffective rushing offense?

If you're the 2019 Gators, you keep putting in the guy that so many fans don't want to see behind center.

Yes, that is redshirt freshman Emory Jones. Yes, he does make the running game better and yes, the statistics do prove that.

Jones has the highest rushing average of any regular ball-carrier that wears orange and blue at 6.3 yards per carry. He has 114 yards off of only 18 attempts, and whenever he gets to throw, he's completed 60 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

And if you're not a numbers guy, just watch the games when he plays. He had a read-option where he kept it against LSU and picked up 10 yards when tackle Jean Delance decided not to block a soul. Against Auburn, he manufactured a field goal drive in Kyle Trask's absence against a top defense in college football.

The man has proven he can run the ball. He has also proven he can throw the ball. He has proven that he helps this offense.

The main complaint I have heard about coach Dan Mullen putting Jones in the game is the "disrupting" it does of Trask's rhythm. Apparently, when Trask is playing good football, him coming out is a mistake. I understand that argument, you do not want to mess around too much with something that works.

But let me explain to you why that argument is wrong.

In the three games where Jones has played significant snaps, Tennessee, Auburn and LSU, his coming into the game has not disrupted Trask really at all. He has played excellent football before and after the snaps that Jones has played. His rhythm is not getting disrupted really at all.

They split snaps on four drives. Three ended in TDs, and the other went 76 yards before ending in a red-zone interception.

— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) October 17, 2019

That redzone interception noted in the tweet above appeared to be a rare mistake from Trask, in a high-pressure situation like he hadn't ever faced before - in Death Valley. Remember, he's only started four games of football since he was a freshman in high school. Those mistakes are bound to happen for a player in his situation, and he has corrected other mistakes well - such as his pocket presence.

So, all of this to say, expect more Jones, not less. If Mullen has proven anything in relation to Jones this year it is that he feels no moment is too big for the Georgia native. Regardless of circumstance of the game, if the matchup on the field seems better for an Emory Jones play, Mullen will put the man in the game.

We have evidence of this now. The sample size is large enough to prove that this is how Mullen feels. Does a coach who does not think the quarterback is ready throw him into a hostile crowd against LSU in an enormous SEC match up? Does he open up a bunch of the playbook and continue to air it out after Trask goes down against Auburn and it seemed like Jones may be the guy the rest of the season? Of course not, we have seen No. 5 do these things because the head coach believes that he can do these things.  

He has earned the trust of his coach. He has earned the trust of some of the fan base. Moving forward, if you watch Florida every Saturday, you're going to begin to see more of backup QB, not less.