Offense needs to improve creativity in 2017

[BMF]

Good write up on our lack of creativity on offense last year:

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/florida-gators-football-needs-improve-offensive-creativity-2017

When an offense struggles, fans criticize the offensive coordinator. Because the Florida Gators offense has been awful the last two seasons, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier has come under scrutiny.

But is that fair? The most common reasons (or excuses, depending on your perspective) given for the sputtering offense have been that former coach Will Muschamp didn’t recruit well on that side of the ball and that the team has had to cycle through quarterbacks due to injury and suspension.

While those are legitimate reasons for the struggles, I did come across one interesting statistic that caught my eye. In 2016, Florida’s offense was terrible to start games and even worse coming out for the third quarter.

Florida Gators scoring points and ranking by quarter for 2016. (Will Miles/SEC Country)
This statistic points directly toward coaching. More specifically, I think it points toward play-calling and a predictable offense following adjustments made by the opposition.

The most egregious example of third-quarter offense during the season came against Tennessee. The Gators scored zero points, suffered through four three-and-outs, and lost 2 yards total in those four drives.

Drive 1: Pinned on own 10 after Tennessee Punt (21-3 Florida)

• Jordan Scarlett run for 2 yards
• Jordan Scarlett run for 7 yards
• Jordan Scarlett run for 0 yards
• Punt

Drive 2: At own 35 after Tennessee kick out of bounds (21-10 Florida)

• Jordan Cronkrite split wide, drops a 4-yard curl
• Lamical Perine run for 1 yard
• Screen pass to Lamical Perine for minus-4 yards
• Punt

Drive 3: At own 13 after Antonio Callaway fair catch (21-10 Florida)

• Mark Thompson run for 1 yard
• Mark Thompson run for minus-2 yards
• Austin Appleby sacked (so fast we cannot determine who the play was designed for)
• Punt

Drive 4: At own 25 after touchback (21-17 Florida)

• Jordan Scarlett run for minus-2 yards
• Play-action throw to DeAndre Goolsby in flat for 6 yards
• Austin Appleby sacked (so fast we cannot determine who the play was designed for)
• Punt

So we have 12 plays not including punts. Seven were called runs. Two were short passes designed for running backs and one was a short pass designed for a tight end. Not one play specifically designed for wide receiver Antonio Callaway. That’s a problem, since he was the Gators’ best player, and getting the ball into your best player’s hands is the main job of the offensive coordinator.

Looking at the film in later games, Nussmeier made more of an effort to get the ball to Callaway, but the predictability was still there. Below is the play-calling for the first three offensive plays of the third quarter in the last three games of the season.

Florida State

• Screen to Antonio Callaway for 4 yards
• Jordan Scarlett run for 1 yard
• Incompletion to Brandon Powell on a 5-yard crossing pattern

Alabama

• Screen to Joshua Hammond for 4 yards
• Jordan Scarlett run for 0 yards
• Incompletion to Brandon Powell on a 5-yard crossing pattern — pass interference gives a first down

Iowa

• Screen to Antonio Callaway for 1 yard
• Mark Thompson run for 7 yards
• Jordan Scarlett run for 2 yards — first down

Now, two out of three of these drives started with first downs and involved Florida moving the ball down the field (goal-line stop by Alabama and TD against Iowa). But that obscures the larger point. The opposition pretty much knows what is coming on first and second down every time the Gators come out of the locker room. And I believe that plays a big part in the third quarter offensive struggles.

Perhaps the best evidence of my argument is actually the one time that Nussmeier broke tendency. Against LSU, Florida started the first drive of the second half backed up at its own 2.

LSU defensive end Arden Key (49) drops into coverage toward Callaway, anticipating a screen pass or at least something quick to Callaway. Instead, Appleby delivers the ball deep to Tyrie Cleveland, who breaks a tackle and gives Florida the lead.

Certainly trust in the offensive line and quarterback play a role in the play-calling. But when the SEC East was on the line at LSU, Nussmeier let loose and was able to exploit the Tigers’ aggressiveness.

So what does more creativity look like?

• Double up on passes to open drives. Notice how every drive has a run called on second down, regardless of whether first down is successful or not.
• Fake the WR screen and run a draw. With the defensive players bailing to defend the screen, there is an opportunity to pop a run up the middle. I can’t remember the last time the Gators ran a draw.
• Fake the WR screen and slip either a tight end or another wide receiver from the same side of the formation behind the linebackers on a crossing route. This is the same concept as the draw but exploits that the fake screen will make the linebackers flow towards the fake.

None of this is rocket science. And you don’t get to the level that Nussmeier is at without having variations on your core sets. But if I’m picking up tendencies with the limited time that I have, you can bet that Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are picking up even more when they study the film.

The offense needs to be more unpredictable and more creative in 2017. If it isn’t, it will continue to struggle. And Gators fans aren’t going to accept another year of offensive incompetence.

 

[Gator Fever]

See Nuss ups his game as he is able to observe what the defense is doing and makes adjustments accordingly. That opening 15 plays or so is always better is a myth created by the hatters it appears or it may be Mac's interference in drawing up plays prior to the game and at halftime might be hurting Nuss's results..

 

[TheDouglas78]

See Nuss ups his game as he is able to observe what the defense is doing and makes adjustments accordingly. That opening 15 plays or so is always better is a myth created by the hatters it appears or it may be Mac's interference in drawing up plays prior to the game and at halftime might be hurting Nuss's results..

Might want to double check some of the play by plays on drive charts before making this assumption. The examples given in the article were obviously the extremes, especially the 3rd quarter against Tennessee, which you and I talked about a lot the week after the game (the poor play calling). What would be the scripted plays were better in 2016 than the rest of the offense run. A quater by quarter break down doesn't really tell the whole story, it doesn't take into account whom had the ball first, if the initial score in the second/fourth quaters were set up by the drive in the previous quarter. Other than Tennessee the author really doesn't provide enough information for his claim. It's really just an article to feed the people whom already agree with him, without giving enough evidence either way.

 

[Gator2222]

I agree entirely that the offense needs to improve. Creativity in play calling is rarely ever a bad thing.

However, this article is just lazy and inaccurate journalism. The author states that Florida's first drive in the 3rd quarter started inside the 10 after a Tennessee punt. That's simply not true. Dobbs had just thrown a horrible pass that was picked off by Tabor.

 

[Gatorraid81]

All I know is that Callaway should be getting the ball in his hands 12-15 times a game. In some form or fashion. I don't care if we put him in the wildcat to do it some, but he must touch the ball more this year. The fact that we had games last year that he only touched a few times is ridiculous.

 

[Gator Fever]

I agree entirely that the offense needs to improve. Creativity in play calling is rarely ever a bad thing.

However, this article is just lazy and inaccurate journalism. The author states that Florida's first drive in the 3rd quarter started inside the 10 after a Tennessee punt. That's simply not true. Dobbs had just thrown a horrible pass that was picked off by Tabor.

Do you think those numbers show Nuss is better once he has seen the defense and gets his adjustments in?

 

[Gator2222]

All I know is that Callaway should be getting the ball in his hands 12-15 times a game. In some form or fashion. I don't care if we put him in the wildcat to do it some, but he must touch the ball more this year. The fact that we had games last year that he only touched a few times is ridiculous.

I completely agree that we need the ball in the hands of our best playmakers. I think part of the problem last year was that Callaway was our only legitimate threat. The defense would put their best guy on Callaway and double team him. The obvious solution to that problem is to take what the defense gives you and go to another option. Massey got hurt, Cleveland was a true freshman struggling with the learning curve and Powell struggled to produce.

The coaches tried to feature Powell in a few games. Powell was targeted over 10 times against Alabama. Needless to say, Powell is no Callaway.

Hopefully, we have more playmakers this season. Massey is healthy, Cleveland has a year of learning under his belt and Powell won't have to be the go to guy.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Do you think those numbers show Nuss is better once he has seen the defense and gets his adjustments in?

Fever. the numbers are inconclusive without other data to incorporate. It's like saying was the FSU offense better in 2015 in the 4th quarter, because the offense play calling got better or the defenses wore down? The article does a poor job of giving proper evidence for it's hypothesis.

 

[Gator2222]

Do you think those numbers show Nuss is better once he has seen the defense and gets his adjustments in?

First, I don't trust the numbers. The journalist told us Tennessee had punted when in reality Dobbs had thrown an interception. That guy was obviously lazy in his research. Accuracy is not his forte.

Second, I don't think isolating a single drive in each game is an accurate representation of tendencies.

For example, the Tennessee game that he talks about. In the first half Dobbs threw an interception and the Vols receivers had 5 drops. The Gators defense was suffocating the Vols and had only given up 3 points. The Gators first drive of the 3rd quarter came with an 18 point lead and yet another interception by our vaunted secondary. We were on our own 9 yard line. At that point in the game we had 18 rushes for 87 yards (4.8 yard average). Most coaches try to run the ball in that scenario. There's no reason not to run the ball.

I'm not saying the author is wrong. There is absolutely no doubt that our offense needs to improve. More creativity would be a great thing. However, each drive has it's own set of circumstances that must be considered.

I think the article is an example of lazy and inaccurate journalism.

 

[T REX]

Meanwhile water is wet

 

[TheDouglas78]

Meanwhile water is wet

Offensive playcalling has been horrid... but this article is a joke.

 

[Gator Fever]

Fever. the numbers are inconclusive without other data to incorporate. It's like saying was the FSU offense better in 2015 in the 4th quarter, because the offense play calling got better or the defenses wore down? The article does a poor job of giving proper evidence for it's hypothesis.

Yep - just messing around a little with it.

 

[NavetG8r]

I think we all can agree with the fact that our offense needs more creativity. I'm incredibly impressed with the OPs realization that an article needed to be written to bring attention to the fact.

 

[aka]

He sees it, too.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

I think we all can agree with the fact that our offense needs more creativity. I'm incredibly impressed with the OPs realization that an article needed to be written to bring attention to the fact.

Actually UF's offense does not need more creativity. UF's offense needs more PRODUCTION. It needs to score more points. I do not really care if the points come because someone on the staff designs some kind of zone blitz hook and lateral pass or if UF gets a better QB and UF's WR run better routes and UF's protectors OL and RB if included protect better and UF completes more post patters etc.

Creativity might or might not help. If UF creatively throws a bunch more third down and short passes and they are generally incomplete that does nothing more for me than getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short. The issue has been and remains that UF needs an offense that contributes points to UF's football team not one that contributes style points.

 

[KronoGator]

This article could have been written any year since 2011, only the names change.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He sees it, too.

Offense sucks, even worse than Chimp. Even blind people, at least those with any functioning rationality, know it.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

This article could have been written any year since 2011, only the names change.

2010 was the first year we finished 90th or below.

I think weve only achieve 117th once though. Butters N Nuss have achieved new heights that only Vandy could imagine.

Some hallucinate about seeing improvements though.

 

[Gator2222]

Offense sucks, even worse than Chimp. Even blind people, at least those with any functioning rationality, know it.

The stats are worse. That much is true. However, the talent level has risen. You have to build the foundation before the roof.

 

[78]

We could have had Picasso running the offense in 2016 and still had the same awful result.

Please someone give me a QB who can make plays.