Two Quarterback System Not an Option for Muschamp

With the Florida Gators on the brink of a must-win game a week from now, the biggest issue is how to improve the offense and get points on the board. Coach Will Muschamp has already named freshmen Treon Harris the starter against Georgia. He takes over the starting role from Jeff Driskel in what has been a disappointing season for the redshirt junior.

In last week’s homecoming loss to Missouri, Driskel was 7-for-19 with 50 yards passing. He may have had more passing yards than Tigers’ starter Maty Mauk, but Driskel could not lead his team to the end zone, let alone into opponent’s territory. Harris came in to throw for 98 yards and a touchdown, but we won’t know what he can do in a full game until he takes on the Bulldogs in Jacksonville.

Muschamp had said prior to the Missouri game that both quarterbacks would see action against the Tigers. From here on out, the only time we should see Jeff Driskel again would be if Harris gets injured. Muschamp is in too big of a hole to be flip-flopping quarterbacks and trying to find the best result.

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Playing two quarterbacks is 100% out of the question. Driskel and Harris are too similar in playing style and do not offer much difference to opposing defenses, except that Harris probably has more big play potential. This is not the situation that Urban Meyer had in 2006 when he played Chris Leak and Tim Tebow; those two players were vastly different in playing style and made the opposition create separate game plans for each.

Leak was of course the starter and main passer. He had the ability to scramble, but his job was to throw the ball. Tebow, who was only a true freshman, had the role of power runner/possible passer. He had the running style of a fullback who could also throw the ball. It was two completely different playing styles that were both effective.

The other reason that Leak and Tebow were a viable system was the man calling the plays. Meyer was, and still is, an offensive guru who knows how to get the most out of his players. Muschamp is a defensive minded coach. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper has experience using two quarterbacks from last season at Duke, but Roper has done nothing to show that he knows how to use Florida’s quarterbacks so far this season.

Roper had only a single off-season to work with Driskel and the offense, however, Driskel hasn’t lived up to the hype that came with him out of high school. He has passed for over 200 yards in a game only five times (at Tenn ’12, vs Ken ’12, at Mia ’13, vs EMU ’14, vs Ken ’14). While two of those games came at the start of this season, the efforts came against subpar oppoents. Driskel shouldn’t be expected to pass for school records every game in playing in the SEC, but it seems that big games at home and every road contest proves a challenge.

Last season vs Georgia, Driskel had 191 passing yards with a 55.6% completion percentage and was picked off twice. Harris will get his first crack in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party next week. He will need to watch some film of Tebow if he wants to come out with his first win as a starter.

The film he needs to watch is that of Tebow’s attitude and leadership on the field. The results may or may not come, but for the freshman to be more effective than Driskel has been, he needs to have the fiery intensity and leadership that was seen in Tebow. Driskel has a much softer personality, which isn’t a problem if the talent level is exceptional. The quarterback talent has been anything but to this point, and Harris needs to find a way to change that.

Harris will have the field all to himself come next Saturday. It will be his week of preparation with the first team and leadership efforts prior to the game that will determine his success in the game.

We may have seen the last of Jeff Driskel as a quarterback for the Gators. If Harris plays well, he will undoubtedly keep the job for the rest of the season; both for the team’s sake and for Muschamp’s job sake.