Jeff Driskel and Mike Gillislee are playing better than people realize.
That is Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease’s contention despite both players seeing a drop in their statistics the past few weeks. Gillislee looked like a Heisman Trophy contender when he rushed for 146 yards against LSU three weeks ago, but he had less than that in the past two games combined.
Driskel has not thrown for 100 yards in any of No. 3 Florida’s past three games. However, heading into Saturday’s game against No. 12 Georgia in Jacksonville (3:30 p.m., CBS), he has avoided the implosions that usually plague first-year starters.
“He has done a good job keeping us consistent, keeping us in good situations,” Pease said.
That might sound boring, but it is working. Even though the Gators (7-0, 6-0 SEC) are 11th in the league in total offense and last in passing, they have topped 30 points four times in conference games. Even better for Florida, it can clinch the SEC Eastern Division by beating the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1).
Rather than obsessing over the fact that Florida is averaging 350.4 yards per game, marginally more than last season, Pease has other priorities.
“If you come every week asking me about yards, I mean, I’m not really concerned about that,” he said. “I’m concerned about winning, efficiency in the red zone, third-down conversions, ball security.”
Here is how the Gators are doing with Pease’s checklist:
• They are 7-0 for the just the fourth time in school history and ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings.
• They have scored on 25 of 27 red-zone trips for a 92.6 percent success rate, ninth in the country. UF is not maximizing those chances, though, and has picked up touchdowns 63 percent of the time, the eighth-best mark in the SEC.
• Florida is converting on 39.4 percent of its third downs, near the middle of the FBS. The Gators have been up to nearly 45 percent over their past three games.
• No SEC team is safer with the ball. The Gators have four turnovers, the best among teams in major conferences.
“When you have a defense like we do, you don’t have to force anything and you don’t have to try to score on every play or anything like that,” Driskel said. “We haven’t fumbled the ball, and we haven’t thrown interceptions. … We really emphasized that in the offseason, and it’s paid off.”
Driskel has thrown one interception and lost one fumble. Neither was devastating. The interception was irrelevant in a 38-0 smacking of Kentucky, and the fumble gave LSU a field goal that the Gators overcame as they won 14-6.
He hasn’t wasted many throws and is making better decisions under pressure. He’s had single-digit incomplete passes every game, and his 66.9 completion percentage ranks 13th for players in major conferences. After taking eight sacks in Week 2, he has been sacked three times or fewer in four of the past five games.
His running mate in the backfield, Gillislee, has produced modest numbers the past two weeks but still made substantial contributions. Vanderbilt swarmed Gillislee, determined to mitigate his impact, which created lanes for Driskel to rush for 177 yards and three touchdowns. When the Gators took on South Carolina’s formidable pass rush, Gillislee made blocks in pass protection that might have saved Driskel’s life.
In those two games, Gillislee also rushed for a total of 104 yards on 36 carries. He had 3.9 yards per carry against Vanderbilt and 1.9 versus the Gamecocks.
“We’re getting enough guys spread out, and (defenses) have to honor this and honor that,” Pease said. “Mike definitely has to get back in the mix. But people are concerned about him and trying to shut him down, which opens it up for somebody else.”
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