Get to Know the Florida Gator Offense

With the latest edition of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party set to kick off on Saturday, get to know the Florida Gators offense.

While coming into the 2023 season it would have been reasonable to expect to see the Florida offense take a statistical step forward in Billy Napier's second year at the helm of the Gator program, that has not been the case to this point in the season. Florida is currently averaging 421.7 yards and 29.1 points per game after averaging 424.1 yards and 29.5 points per game a year ago.

The Gators have particularly struggled on third downs, converting only 33% of their third down snaps, which ranks 12th in the SEC and 109th nationally. Another major contributing factor to Florida's relatively low scoring average is the difficulty it has had generating explosive plays. Napier's offense has only produced 33 plays of 20 or more yards through seven games, ranking the Gators 10th in the SEC in that category. As a result, they have been left to grind out long drives, which eats clock and reduces their scoring efficiency. 

However, after only averaging 331 yards and 21.5 points per game over the course of their first two conference games, the Gators have begun to hit their stride on offense recently, averaging 495 yards and 39.5 points per game in their last two conference games against Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The 38 and 41 points it scored against the Commodores and Gamecocks respectively represent Florida's two highest scoring outputs of the season against Power 5 competition and certainly seem to indicate that the Gator offense is trending up.

Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) throws the ball during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 7, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]

IMAGN

Without Anthony Richardson under center, the Florida offense has undergone a transformation of sorts. After turning to the run on 59% of its snaps a year ago, Florida is only running the ball on 51% of its snaps this season. The adjustment in Florida's run/pass splits is best explained by the transition at quarterback from Richardson to Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz. While Richardson was a dynamic threat as a runner, he was highly inefficient as a passer, which, naturally, led the Gators to lean more heavily on the run. Mertz, on the other hand, is not on the same planet as Richardson from an athleticism standpoint, but has added more stability and punch to the Gator passing attack. With Mertz operating the Florida offense, the Gators are averaging 52.6 more passing yards per game this season and have improved their team completion percentage from 54.4% to 76.1%.

Mertz's unquestioned top target this season has been senior WR Ricky Pearsall who leads the Gators by wide margins in both receptions (44) and yards (619). At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, the Arizona State transfer possesses a versatile skill set that provides Napier with a variety of ways to create favorable matchups to get him the ball. Pearsall will line up both in the slot and outside and has a multitude of routes in his arsenal including fades, screens, and double moves. 

The supporting cast around Pearsall has also begun to assert itself in recent weeks. Freshman Eugene Wilson is an electric, twitchy athlete who the Gators actively try to get the ball to in space. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Tampa native missed two games in September but upon his return, his opportunities and production have increased dramatically. After only amassing 131 total yards on 14 total touches in his first three collegiate games, Wilson has produced 168 total yards on 16 total touches in Florida's two most recent games. Athletic tight end Arliss Boardingham, another talented freshman, has also exploded onto the scene as a major weapon in the Florida offense over the past two games, totaling 12 receptions for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns against Vanderbilt and South Carolina. 

Yet, while the passing game has assumed additional prominence in the Florida offense this season, running the football is still at the core of Florida's offensive identity under Napier. Philosophically and structurally, the Florida offense bears a remarkable resemblance to Georgia's offenses throughout the Kirby Smart tenure. The Gators liberally use 12 personnel in an attempt to put defenses in conflict and, thereby, create matchup advantages. They pride themselves on physicality and ideally want to feature a strong downhill running game that sets up vertical shots down the field off of play action. 

The Florida running game is powered by two talented tailbacks in junior Montrell Johnson and sophomore Trevor Etienne who complement each other extremely well. At 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, Johnson, who followed Napier from Louisiana to Florida, leads the Gators in rushing with 438 yards on 85 carries. While Johnson is a good athlete, he excels between the tackles as a physical downhill runner. Etienne, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound Louisiana native, excels in space and, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry, is the more explosive of Florida's two top running backs. 

The Florida offensive line underwent a makeover following the 2022 season and is still in the process of finding its footing. The Gators lost four of five starters from the 2022 season including 2nd round NFL draft pick O'Cyrus Torrence and tackle Richard Gouraige. The results thus far this season have been mixed. The run game has been inconsistent and the pass protection has largely been poor all season. Florida totaled 183 yards rushing against Tennessee and 215 against Vanderbilt but has otherwise struggled to run the football against Power 5 competition. The Gators rushed for under 71 yards or fewer and under 2.5 yards per rush against Utah, Kentucky, and South Carolina. While those struggles cannot be attributed entirely to the Florida offensive line, it certainly bears a large portion of the responsibility. Protecting Mertz has been especially troublesome for the Gators as they have allowed 19 sacks on the season, which ranks 10th in the SEC and 99th nationally.