Quarterback Tyler Murphy’s evolution from fourth-stringer to rising star is not the only rags-to-riches story on a Gators offense showing more big-play potential each week.
No one saw wide receiver Solomon Patton coming, either.
Patton was a special teams contributor for two seasons and had a specialty role on offense in 2012. But through five games this season, Patton has emerged as the Gators’ gamebreaker on offense.
During Florida’s 30-10 victory against Arkansas on Saturday night, Patton turned intermediate curl routes into touchdowns of 51 and 38 yards — the third and fourth touchdowns in 2013 for a player who did not hit paydirt before this season.
“I’m happy he’s on our team and not on the other team,” Murphy said. “He’s very smart. He’s so quick and hard to tackle. And good hands, and he just knows how to find the open spot.
“We just need to continue to find ways to get him and the other guys the ball to make plays.”
Patton, though, is unique to Gators’ much-improved receiving corps.
Fellow senior Trey Burton is a big target (6-2, 225) with some run-after-the-catch ability, while redshirt junior Quinton Dunbar (6-2, 194) is the consummate possession receiver with glue-like hands.
Patton (5-9, 179) is the group’s burner, a 4.3-second 40 guy and a threat to score whenever he gets an opening.
“He’s a guy that if he gets a step, it’s a hard time catching him,” coach Will Muschamp said. “Our guys can’t catch him, and we can run.”
But Patton, a native of Mobile, Ala., always had speed.
Patton gives the Gators much more these days after he rose to the challenge coaches presented him last spring during their search for playmakers.
Before this season, Patton offered a change of pace on the jet sweep, but little else. In 2012, he caught just one pass for 17 yards, but rushed for 140 yards on 14 carries before he broke his arm against Georgia after he was stopped for no gain on a 4th-and-1 call during Florida’s 17-9 loss.
“I definitely came a long way,” Patton said. “I still got a lot of work, and that comes from the meeting rooms and just learning from (wide receivers) coach Joker (Phillips) every single day.”
Phillips, in his first season at Florida, has overseen a more productive unit.
A season after Dunbar led Florida’s wideouts with 36 catches for 383 yards, Dunbar, Burton and Patton are all on pace for at least 45 catches for more than 600 yards apiece during the Gators’ 12 regular-season games.
With 19 catches for 348 yards (18.3 per-catch average) and four scores, Patton is on pace for 45 grabs, 835 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Consider Dunbar led Florida in 2012 with four receiving touchdowns. A season after Florida had just nine catches of 20 yards or more by wide receivers, Patton already has six.
“Sometimes when you know your opportunity is there to be a player … your urgency picks up,” Muschamp said. “I saw that with Solomon in spring, and then everyone told me what a great summer he had and then when we got in fall camp, I saw it. This guy was a refined route runner. Not just a speed-sweep guy. Not just a specialty guy.
“You’ve gotta credit the young man and his work ethic. He’s having a special year.”
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