Brent Pease’s mission to transform the Gators’ offense is incomplete.
Heading into Saturday’s game at No. 10 Florida State (3:30 p.m., ABC), No. 6 Florida ranks 106th in the FBS at 332.9 offensive yards per game and is last in the SEC in passing yardage.
“I feel responsible at times,” said Pease, UF’s offensive coordinator. “In the same sense, the so-called bashing — we are what we are right now. It’s still kind of a work in progress. Until we get everything in totally in place and the kids have worked through it for a year, you hope you continually see improvement and experience.
“Everybody has to understand the circumstances around everything when things are new. I didn’t expect this thing to be a work of perfection.”
Pease, who took the job this year after holding the same position at Boise State, inherited inexperienced and unproven personnel. He had to pick between two true sophomores, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett, at quarterback and has no clear threat among his wide receivers.
Driskel's availability remains unclear: As the Gators get closer to the FSU game, they still have not determined how they will use Driskel as he returns from a sprained right ankle.
Driskel went down two weeks ago against Louisiana-Lafayette, and Brissett played in his place. Driskel was expected to practice Tuesday evening, but Pease did not know how many reps he would take.
“Jeff’s our guy,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how he feels going into this.”
Gators coach Will Muschamp said Monday that Driskel is cleared to practice and will play, but did not commit to starting him and was unsure what role Brissett might have.
Debose a question mark: Wide receiver Andre Debose has been a headache for the coaching staff at times this year, though he still could be valuable on offense and special teams against FSU.
He missed the past three games with a knee injury and is expected to return this week. Whether that will be helpful to the Gators is unknown.
“Just depends how he fits in and what plays he’s in on,” Pease said. “We’ve got to find that out during practice and see how healthy he is. … He’s been injured and he’s been inconsistent on some things, so I don’t know that answer.”
Debose has two catches for 11 yards in eight games. He is averaging 9.3 yards on punt returns and 24.1 on kick returns.
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