Buster Faulkner has watched Florida’s high-powered offense disappear over the past two weeks, but he remains convinced there is a good football team underneath the mistakes.
The Gators have scored one touchdown during consecutive losses to Georgia and Oklahoma. Faulkner attributed the decline to different problems in each game, from missed assignments and turnovers against the Bulldogs to poor situational execution and another failure to sustain drives against the Sooners.
Faulkner also discussed Florida’s unsettled quarterback situation, rebuilding Aaron Philo’s confidence, the effect of the struggling running game and the explosiveness Duke Clark restored upon returning from injury.
Here’s everything Faulkner had to say.
What caused Florida’s offensive decline during the past two games?
Each game was different.
Two weeks ago, a lot of missed assignments really hurt us, along with crucial turnovers early in the game that I thought we could control. Those were more mental issues that you don’t like and have to clean up.
When I watched last week’s tape, I thought we corrected that part. It wasn’t nearly as much of an issue. I thought we strained and played hard, but it wasn’t enough. This past game was really about situational mastery. We weren’t good on third down. If we convert half of those, the game might be different.
Then, there was the fourth down with Eric Singleton Jr. It was a play we had worked on and were ready for. You would like to have that one back, and maybe it becomes a different game. It was a tale of two different problems each week.
The one thing about this past game is I believe the kids played extremely hard. We have to find a way to create more snaps for ourselves and remain on the field.
What went wrong on the fourth-down pass intended for Singleton?
Tramell Jones Jr. had to abort the fake because of the pressure. The ball had to come out immediately with the edge pressure right there.
There are a couple of things about that play I won’t completely explain. You would like him to set his feet and try to get the ball toward the back of the end zone, but the defenders were directly in front of him. Eric was impeded a little, too. A couple of things didn’t work.
Were there warning signs that Florida’s offense might reach this point?
There were a few things, although I don’t want to say there were warning signs that it would reach the extent we’ve seen during the past two weeks. You can look back at certain things and know that if we didn’t correct them, we weren’t going to sustain the level at which we had been playing.
But I didn’t anticipate all the missed assignments occurring during one game. This past game was a lack of execution and situational football.
Early in the game, you could feel that it would feature fewer possessions. I was thinking, “We have to rein in what we’re about to run.” You look back and ask whether we carried too much volume into the game considering how it played out.
As I said a few weeks ago, for different reasons, we haven’t reached some of the things you want to call when you’re ahead of the sticks. We did that early in the season and created explosive plays. We have lacked those explosives recently. We saw that Duke can hopefully bring some of that back.
There were some signs, but not to this extent. We have a lot to clean up in a short time.
Is the problem primarily a lack of execution?
There are several factors, although I won’t discuss the exact details. But I still think there’s a good football team in there. There are a bunch of kids who are hurting right now.
I thought they strained and played hard. They really wanted it. Maybe they pressed a little two weeks ago, but I don’t think they pressed this past week.
It’s a good group and I believe in them. These guys have come to work every day and understand this will be a process. It’s day by day.
Our message is that we’re only worried about today. Improve every day, find something to improve and take ownership of it. We’re all in this together, and it’s our job to get things back on track.
Would Florida benefit from establishing continuity at quarterback?
That’s one thing we had earlier in the season. There was a lot of continuity coming out of camp, not just at quarterback but with many players.
Then, we had injuries that derailed our ability to practice and all the other things that go into sustaining success. We’ve had a few hiccups, and obviously, it starts at quarterback. You would like continuity there.
We’re evaluating everything both quarterbacks do. They’re both young. I’ve said that before, and I’m not going to back down from it.
One has made only two college starts. Does he want to play better? Yeah, he wants to play better, but that’s part of growing up at that position. The other has made only around seven career starts.
We have to work through that and put them in good positions to succeed. We need to help them with the players around them. All of us are involved in this process.
Why haven’t Florida’s receivers scored recently?
We haven’t scored many touchdowns since the South Carolina game. You obviously want to involve those guys, but there’s a lot that goes into it. It isn’t as easy as turning around and handing them the ball.
We’ve tried to get them touches on the perimeter, but defenses have done a good job coming down and taking those away. That means you have to push the ball downfield, and several factors affect your ability to do that.
We’re working every day to put those guys in the best position to succeed. That isn’t going to stop.
How do you rebuild Philo’s confidence?
One thing I’ve always said about Aaron is that he has mental toughness. Many quarterbacks have become really successful after things didn’t go their way early in their careers. They succeeded because they were mentally tough, bounced back and understood that they had to make the most of every opportunity.
If the opportunity is his, it’s his. Sometimes taking a step back and seeing things through a different lens after you’ve done it can help your development.
I’m a big believer in developing that position. Sometimes it takes time with quarterbacks. We don’t like giving them time, and that’s part of playing the position, but it’s our job to continue coaching them.
I believe in both guys. They have bright futures, and this is part of the developmental process.
How valuable is extensive starting experience for a quarterback?
Forty-five starts compared with two is a lot. You don’t realize how valuable that is.
When you’ve started 45 games, consider the defenses you’ve seen, the speed of the game, the adjustments and preparing for a new defense every week. That’s very valuable.
The best quarterbacks I’ve coached became better when they were older because of game repetitions. There’s no substitute for game experience.
We can’t rush these guys into becoming something they aren’t yet. We have to bring them along, develop them, believe in them and put the necessary pieces around them to succeed.
Is Philo still affected by his injury?
That’s probably a better question for him.
I’m one of those guys who says, “Rub some dirt on it, and let’s go play.” I’ve always said the No. 1 trait for a quarterback is toughness, mentally and physically.
You have to possess it. You’re going to get hit in this league and the next league. Turn on the film every Sunday, and quarterbacks are getting hit. You have to get out there and play.
Will Florida need to pursue a quarterback through the transfer portal?
The beauty is that the portal doesn’t open for a while. We have three games to evaluate everything.
If I tell you something, I mean it. I believe in these quarterbacks and understand that developing the position is a process. I won’t rush that process. I’m going to stand by those guys, and we’re going to bring them along. It’s our job to coach them.
We just discussed 45 starts. What will these guys look like when they have 25 starts? It will look considerably different. That’s the reality.
We’ll evaluate the quarterbacks like every other position and do what’s best for the Florida Gators. We take great pride in that. I think we have a great staff that can figure this out with the players we have right now, and there’s a lot of football remaining this year.
Every day matters. If these guys want to play in the NFL or pursue any other goal, they’re still developing. At practice today, they have to find a way to improve.
Each player has one area we’ve discussed improving for the betterment of his future. I believe in that process, and you won’t convince me otherwise about what it takes to get this where it needs to be.
How does the struggling running game affect Florida’s passing game?
It allows the defensive line to play the pass. When the defense knows it’s a passing situation, especially with the defensive lines and great coaches we’ve faced, those players can pin their ears back. That isn’t fun for an offensive lineman.
The statistics and result won’t show it, but I thought we ran the ball better last week than the week before when we handed it off outside of situational plays. I think we had 98 rushing yards before the sacks knocked that number down.
But we had around 48 snaps, 11 third downs and two fourth downs. That leaves 35 normal-down snaps, and around eight came during the two-minute offense. We had fewer than 30 normal-down football snaps. That isn’t where you want to be, and it’s why we have to remain on the field on third down.
Does cold weather affect Florida’s offensive approach?
I’m in the box, so it only affects my comfort level. It won’t change how we call the game.
I don’t think it will be frigid like Lambeau Field. It will probably be in the 40s or high 30s. Wind has always bothered me more than cold weather.
These guys want to play in the NFL and there are many cold-weather cities. They have to be prepared to do it when they’re older. What better time than this week? The weather won’t be an excuse.
Can Florida pass effectively without a productive running game?
Yes, although it can become difficult in the play-action game because you want to run the ball to establish play-action.
But we can do a better job throwing the football, staying on schedule and using different methods. Hopefully, that’s something we can do this week.
How can Clark’s return help Baugh?
Duke brings some juice, as you saw the other night. He hits the hole downhill and hits it fast.
He caught the ball on the perimeter, and that was 100% Duke. He might have broken loose if he weren’t returning from another ankle sprain.
He can impact us because he creates explosive plays. Explosive players are how you generate explosive plays, and he’s one of those guys.
We’re glad he’s back. He has a bright future here.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Buster Faulkner still believes in Florida's struggling offense
