Gators FILM ROOM: Six examples of run game issues vs. Kentucky

Gators running backs Lamical Perine, Dameon Pierce, and Malik Davis are averaging 3.28 yards per carry combined. That isn't going to cut it.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In Dan Mullen's first season as Florida's head coach, his rushing offense tallied a whopping 213 yards per game, averaging 5.3 yards per carry namely behind the efforts of Lamical Perine, Jordan Scarlett, and Dameon Pierce. Given their success running the ball and how it opened up the ability to pass, Florida found themselves rushing on 59.21% of offensive snaps - which ranked 29th in the FBS.

Perine and Pierce remain, as well as Malik Davis who missed the majority of the 2018 season due to injury. And yet, that production isn't close to being replicated.

Through three games, Florida is only gaining 140 rush yards per contest, and Perine, Pierce, and Davis have combined to average a miserable 3.28 yards per carry. Florida has realized that they can't rely on the run game as they had in the past, which has led to a 52.68%/47.32% split in favor of the pass this year.

Why is Florida struggling to move in the run game? Let's dive into the tape from last week's game against Kentucky - where the running backs only gained 48 yards on 24 attempts - to find out.

Most of the issues have come from the offensive line, but the running backs aren't totally innocent either. On the play above, both sides are guilty.

The top of the line, from center Nick Buchanan out to left tackle Stone Forsythe, did a really good job of sealing the interior in their power blocks. Buchanan and left guard Brett Heggie win a double-team block with ease, and it's one that's crucial to the development of the gap. Right guard Chris Bleich also does well at washing the 3-technique defensive tackle out of the gap to the opposite side.

The second most crucial block of the play comes from right tackle Jean Delance, who pulls and shoots the A-gap on the right of Buchanan. Given the blocks that the three interior lineman pull off, Delance has a clear path to the next level while running back Lamical Perine waits to cut up on inside zone - and Delance fails to take advantage of his open lane by overpursuing the linebacker with a bad angle. In doing so, the linebacker is able to shed Delance's attempt at a block and meet Perine head-up. Delance has been Florida's worst lineman in general this year, and his awareness in space has been a huge reason why.

Now, while Delance is the main culprit here, Perine can also get knocked for this given his skill-set. We know that Perine has some of the best lateral agility and burst in the nation, and that combination of skill could have been utilized to cut back to the right before Delance's block was shed, as seen by the gaping hole to the right of Delance before Perine crosses the line of scrimmage. There was even space to work with while Delance was losing his block, but instead, Perine drove straight into traffic.

On an outside cut-back design, Forsythe struggles through his kick-out by failing to create much leverage. Offensive line coach John Hevesy foreshadowed this last week before the game, stating that Forsythe needed to begin bending more and "playing with his legs" against SEC competition and bigger defensive lineman. Hevesy noted that it's difficult to do so when you're as lengthy as Forsythe (who is listed at 6-7), but with the right technique, it's possible.

If Forsythe was able to generate more power from his legs through his initial contact on the play above, the defensive end would have been washed out of the play entirely, timed perfectly with Perine's cut-back to get outside and up the field. That's obviously not what happened, and the edge defender was able to recover quickly and get Perine by his legs - the end result is a gain of only one yard.

Heggie also had some issues in run blocking, which is unlike him as he was considered Florida's most poised run blocker entering the year. However, there were several cases of this on Saturday.

Above, Heggie pulls across the line to get outside of Delance to seal off the outside linebacker from getting outside. The rest of the line maintains their blocks well, so Heggie's only responsibility is the linebacker here, and he has plenty of time to get there and seal him off as the play design is a QB draw. But Heggie's punch at the start of the block is really weak, and he fails to maintain that contact without any leverage. 

The linebacker bounces off contact and meets Feleipe Franks in the backfield, recording a tackle for loss. Perine could have contributed to the block by chipping the linebacker's left side, but it shouldn't have been needed as Perine did have to get to the second level in case Franks found the open field.

Again, Heggie is a culprit in run blocking. It's odd to see, given he has been Florida's most dependable pass protector this year on film and by Pro Football Focus' analytics - he has allowed only two QB pressures allowed this year - the fewest from any of Florida's OL. 

With that in mind, he shouldn't be struggling to anchor against interior rushers, as that's a huge aspect of pass protection. But he does above, with a weak initial pop and little lower-body strength to back it up. The defensive tackle gets low, and knocks Heggie off immediately after his first punch. Heggie falls back and the lineman penetrates to the backfield, meeting Perine nearly four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Now, here's an example of Florida overcoming their run-blocking issues with better usage of their personnel. Dameon Pierce replaced Perine here, and while Heggie was once again beat at the line by a swim move - leaving him useless in the development of the run - Pierce was able to navigate through a super-slim opening and fight for eight yards. All of which came after contact, given Pierce's bruising rushing style.

If you remember last season, Florida ran the ball so successfully due to their mixed rushing style approach. While Perine was shifty and played with so much burst through his cuts, Scarlett and Pierce balanced things out with angry, downhill rushing. A balance of rushing styles opens up so much for an offense, leaving defenses on their toes. 

While Perine may be the most well-rounded back in Florida's three-headed attack, Pierce's power and Davis' pure speed need to be utilized more. Perine has taken more than double the amount of carries (34) than Pierce and Davis have combined for this year (16: 10 by Pierce, and six by Davis). That split should become more balanced moving forward.

Also, draw plays work. They allow time for pull blocks to get set up, as seen above by Chris Bleich while Forsythe, Heggie, and Buchanan work to the opposite side of the draw design. Florida hasn't utilized draw plays enough, and yet they seem to provide solid openings across the line as the defense is caught off guard and the offensive line is put in a spot to take advantage of that.

The bottom line is that Florida may not be able to replicate its 2018 run game success this year - the loss of four NFL-caliber offensive linemen will cause that. But, they have some resources in order to make the run game work, including three very versatile running backs and play designs that can work in their favor given the strengths of some offensive linemen.

Until Hevesy can get all five linemen sound in their technique and fundamentals - they have a long way to go in the run game, but Hevesy has a great track record at getting the best out of his guys - they need to vary their approach with the examples given above. They'll obviously continue to rely on the pass game and new starting quarterback Kyle Trask, but given that Trask has never started a college game before, the run game needs to be fixed as soon as possible to alleviate any stress and hardship that comes his way.