Montrell Johnson, Trevor Etienne Establishing Gators' Offensive Identity

The dynamic rushing tandem of Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne is establishing Billy Napier's offensive identity for the Florida Gators.

Photos: Trevor Etienne (left) and Montrell Johnson Jr. (right); Credit: Alex Shepherd

While Billy Napier aspires to find running backs of Emmitt Smith's caliber during his head coaching tenure at Florida — "we need more of those," he expressed about the Gator Great on Monday — sophomore Montrell Johnson Jr. and freshman Trevor Etienne are getting the job done just fine. 

That's putting it lightly to avoid any confusion over a Hall of Fame comparison.

Johnson and Etienne, who have combined to average 5.9 yards per rush and 12 touchdowns in nine games this season, have emerged as the feature of the Gators' offense across Napier's first nine games in charge. The tandem has accounted for 54.4% of UF's rushes and 33.5% of the Gators' total offensive touches this year.

Johnson, who transferred to Florida from Napier's previous program Louisiana, leads UF with 584 rushing yards and ranks fifth in the SEC for averaging six yards per carry. Etienne, a true freshman who committed to UF in the weeks after Napier's December 2021 hiring, is two spots behind Johnson in conference rankings at 5.8 yards per attempt and has compiled 476 yards of his own. 

The duo collectively rushed for 180 yards in Florida's 41-24 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday, with Johnson punching in his eighth score of the year to seal the game.

"I think those two guys have been a huge bright spot relative to what we've been able to do offensively, no question," Napier proclaimed on Monday. "Two new players, both of which are getting more comfortable, very capable. 

"Both are smart players. Both are very consistent in their work ethic, their practice habits, their prep during the week. They've got discipline. They take care of themselves. They both have character. And they certainly have been very productive."

There are other facets of Florida's running game, such as dynamic quarterback Anthony Richardson — his eight touchdowns are tied with Johnson for most on the team — and reserve backs Nay'Quan Wright and Lorenzo Lingard, who have combined for 53 carries this season. Even wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has produced big gains on the ground, averaging 27.5 yards across his four rushes in 2022.

But as the campaign has gone on, what was once a three-man rotation at running back has narrowed to two feature backs in Johnson and Etienne. Their contributions, paired with strong blocking up front and out wide, have helped establish the offensive identity Napier envisioned for the Gators upon arrival.

“It’s a strength of our team. I think you’re starting to see a little bit of that identity we want to have," Napier said on Saturday. "Our teams played that way in the past. We want to be a physical team. We want to win the line of scrimmage, play well on the edges, a cumulative effect to how we play."

Both Johnson and Etienne posted career-highs in rushing attempts in a game against the Aggies, with Johnson earning 22 carries compared to Etienne's 17. Johnson admitted to being sore the next day but was happy with the results as he boosted his production while the matchup went on.

"It really didn't seem like a lot of carries in the moment, but the next day I felt it," Johnson said on Monday. "But I'm glad the coaching staff kept coming to me. I felt the rhythm late in the game and helped the team win."

Johnson acknowledged a growing rhythm between the two Louisiana natives as complementary rushers, self-describing himself as "a hard-nosed guy" who fights for dirty yardage while Etienne is a shifty back who "makes guys miss."

His scouting reports are backed by Pro Football Focus: 3.37 of Johnson's six yards per carry have come after contact; Etienne has forced 30 missed tackles across his 81 attempts. They rank in the top 75 in those respective categories among the 249 running backs with at least 51 carries nationwide this season — those numbers are exact to establish qualifying running backs.

"I think our two skill sets combine really well," Johnson said.

"We're trying to become a team that runs the football, that beat up teams, that worked on teams throughout the game ... that's become our identity and we're slowly becoming that."

Napier, amid his praise for the Gators' second-all-time leading rusher, indicated that he's trying to create an environment where former players such as Smith will feel welcomed back to UF.

If Napier continues to churn out quality production from his running backs, Smith and fellow legendary members of Florida's backfield will have all the reason to return. Perhaps they could witness a UF rushing record get broken in person.

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