A new play-caller breeds some optimism

The Gators are hoping quarterback D.J. Lagway finds a new comfort zone with a new play-caller.

By Carlton Reese, GatorBait Media

As crazy as it may seem, there is real football to be played on the field Saturday, and it is annually the biggest game on Florida’s schedule. Amid all the noise surrounding the pink slips of coaches from Happy Valley to Gainesville to Baton Rouge, one must not forget the importance of what takes place in Jacksonville this weekend – results on the field matter, and they are the reason we seem to care so much about which melon dons the headset on our sidelines.

Is Lane Kiffin going to leave Ole Miss? If he does, will it be for Florida or LSU? Is James Franklin a viable option anywhere? Does anyone know who Alex Golesh is? Such questions are dominating all the talk instead of the crucial ones: Is the UF secondary up to handling the Georgia receiving corps that no longer includes Colby Young? Will the Gator pass rush put the heat on Gunner Stockton the way it did Carson Beck a year ago? Can D.J. Lagway pick up where he left off against the Dawgs when he went down to injury against them a year ago?

These are the most important questions, because this is the most important game of the season for Florida. Beating Georgia sets the Gators up with a chance to not only salvage this season, but to make last year’s end run seem like an exhibition jaunt. And although there are many who have given up on what’s happening on the field in favor of following the chase for the Lane Train, Florida’s chances of beating Georgia are very real. This game matters.

This is the seventh time in 41 years that the UF head ball coach has been fired in the middle of the season, but most of the times the next game was not of such significance. In 2004, Ron Zook was fired two weeks before the Georgia game, but he stayed on for the rest of the year. Incidentally, Florida played an inspired game that day against the 7^th-ranked Dawgs and fell 31-24.

Saturday’s game in Jacksonville was going to be a difficult one under any circumstances, but perhaps the circumstances became a tad bit better with Billy Napier’s dismissal. On paper, Florida’s offense looks like a juggernaut – a racehorse bucking in the starting gate before it opens – instead, we have seen a unit striking little fear into any opponent. It’s been quite popular and rather easy to blame Napier, who refused to relinquish play-calling duties despite the struggles of the offense. So, here goes: I blame Napier and his play-calling. There is nowhere to go but up.

Florida’s offense is certainly not an issue of personnel, so it must be either schematics, preparation, or gameday play-calling. Since schematics seem to vary little from place to place, the only answer could be Napier’s inability to prepare during the week or dial up the right play at the right time. With Napier gone, it’s someone else’s chance to dial up the right plays and I give him at least as good a shot if not better than Napier at achieving this goal. And against Georgia, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

The man of the hour will be Ryan O’Hara, Florida’s quarterbacks coach who will be in the booth Saturday calling the plays. He’ll even get some sideline help from Steve Spurrier Jr., offensive analyst. Such a new twist should have Gator fans on the edge of their seats, anticipating a structural change more exciting to watch than another press conference of Lane Kiffin saying nothing.

This will be fun to watch and could very well blow up in Florida’s face in an ugly way. If it does, so what? So, Florida loses to Georgia – stop traffic.

But what if Lagway hits his stride whilst enjoying a comfort zone orchestrated by the coach with whom he is closest? What if a new energy consumes the Gators and sparks a sudden renaissance that blindsides Georgia? It’s all possible, because Georgia is beatable; Georgia is no juggernaut; Georgia is there for the taking.

What would a loss to Georgia mean, though? Likely that there is not much more to play for the rest of the way except trying to beat your rivals, Tennessee and Florida State. But a win? That could lead to some momentum that carries through Kentucky and even a fighting chance at Ole Miss with Tennessee and FSU very winnable. Think about it, a Georgia win makes a 6-2 SEC record a real possibility.

Some say I’m crazy; some call me a silly dreamer, but is it not such eternal optimism that breeds success? On paper, no one will ever convince me this Florida team does not have what it takes to be very good, and it has shown glimpses. Despite the glimpses into its futility at too many points this season, there is hope that the talent on this roster may finally be unleashed – addition through subtraction, as the saying goes.

Booting out your head coach is not generally something that instills confidence in a team moving forward, but in this case, there is reason to believe such a shake-up might actually translate into a better performance. For anyone who cried about Billy Napier’s gameday play-calling, this is your day; this is the time we get to put your theory to the test. The playbook will be the same, the personnel will be the same – only the play-calling and perhaps the attitude will change.

Let’s hope change is a good thing. I’ll worry about the next guy wearing the head set after we take care of business at hand on the field.