Florida Football: Can the Gators' Offense Succeed with QBs Splitting Snaps?

As the old adage goes, "If you have two quarterbacks, you really have no quarterbacks." 

Will Muschamp and the Gators have found themselves in this predicament—with two true sophomore quarterbacks who have very little experience and very similar skill sets. They are so similar, in fact, that neither quarterback was able to earn the starting job after spring practice. 

Gator fans can point to the Spurrier era where it was routine for the "Ole Ball Coach" to switch his quarterbacks every other drive or even use multiple quarterbacks during the course of a single drive.

They can also point to the '06 National Champion Gators and say that Meyer rotated Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. Tebow was used almost exclusively as a power running back that year, coming in on 3rd- and 4th-and-short to pick up the first down. Tebow threw the ball just 22 times compared with his 89 rushing attempts. 

Let's take a look at the newest quarterback battle and see if Muschamp can find the kind of success his predecessors did in managing a two-quarterback system. 

Jacoby Brissett

Height: 6'3'' 

Weight: 229 lbs

Career Stats: Two starts, 18-39, 206 yards, two TD, four INT

Jacoby Brissett enrolled in the summer and lost the initial battle against Jeff Driskel and became the third-string quarterback. Following injuries to both Brantley and Driskel against Alabama, Brissett would become the first Florida quarterback to take his first snap in his first college start. 

Brissett completed 8-of-14 passes with one touchdown and two picks. While it was not a bad outing for a freshman against the nation's top defense at the time, the Gators were never really in the game and didn't stand a chance. 

Brissett made his second start the next week against Auburn and was 5-of-10 with an interception before being benched the rest of the game in favor of Driskel. 

Brissett is a prototypical pocket passer but has good enough feet to be able to move around the pocket and take off if he needs to. Brissett reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger in his ability to sense pressure in the pocket and because of how hard he is to tackle. 

Jeff Driskel

Height: 6'4''

Weight: 232 lbs

Career Stats: No starts, 16-34, 148 yards, two INT, 

Enrolling early and getting into the playbook during the spring proved just the edge Driskel needed. He began the season as the backup quarterback and saw action in Florida's first two games. Driskel would go on to play in five games this season but did not see any action after the Auburn game. 

Driskel is a threat on the ground and showed that against Alabama when he took off for 31 yards on a scramble. Driskel showed some indecision issues last season and used his feet a little more than he should have. Driskel needs to show improvement in his decision making and hit his receivers when they are open.

With that being said, his mobility is an asset that should not be neglected. Driskel needs to find a nice medium and learn to use his mobility to keep defenses honest rather than becoming a run first quarterback. 

Learning a New Offense

While Will Muschamp is the head coach and the success or failure of this team will ultimately fall on his shoulders, he is more of a defensive mind and the keys to the offense have been given to Brent Pease.

Pease spent last season drawing up plays for the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history, Kellen Moore. Pease's offense uses pre-snap motion and misdirection to keep defenses on their toes.

Be warned: The Gators offense is not for people who suffer from motion sickness.

Pease took his time introducing his young quarterbacks to his offensive scheme, which will look to evenly distribute the ball (take notes, Charlie). The motion that the offense utilizes will force defenses to show what they are doing before the snap. Despite remaining in a pro style offense, the Gators will look like a different team on offense. 

Pease got to know his quarterbacks in the spring, but both seemed to progress within the offense at the same pace, and neither could take the reins of the team and show he was the man for the job. 

Spring Battle

While the coaches tried to keep the information from the media, Quinton Dunbar let slip that Jeff Driskel took the first snap with the first team offense.

So case closed, Driskel is the starter, right?

Wrong. Brissett took the first snap of the spring game and the coaching staff still lists the first string quarterback as Jeff Driskel OR Jacoby Brissett. 

The spring game did little in separating the quarterbacks. 

Driskel finished 12 of 14 for 147 yards with 19 rushing yards and a rushing TD. It is hard to measure the success of a quarterback running in a spring game, because there is no contact to quarterbacks during the glorified practice. 

Brissett finished nine of 16 for 233 yards and a touchdown. 

While Driskel was the more efficient passer, Brissett showed more poise in the pocket and a better deep ball. 

The spring game was the first time Gator fans were able to see how close of a battle this really is, and why the coaching staff has been unable to name a starter. 

Where Do We Stand Now

As we stand now, the coaching staff is not allowed to attend any workouts that the team may have. The players, especially the quarterbacks, are being held responsible to run their own practices, and the coaches are looking for either quarterback to step up and become not just an offensive leader but a team leader. 

It is almost impossible to report on these player-run practices, but this is a crucial time for both players to show the coaching staff that they are ready, willing and able to take over the team. 

Can a Two-Quarterback System Work?

Traditionally a two-quarterback system has not been successful, but if a quarterback can not separate himself from the other, it is a scenario that the Gators may be forced into. In recent meetings with boosters, Muschamp has said that the while playing two quarterbacks might not be ideal, it is a real possibility for this fall. 

In my opinion, the quarterbacks have a similar enough skill set that a two-quarterback system could work or seem all right on paper, but the team needs a leader. Like it or not, the starting quarterback becomes a de facto leader for the team. 

If the coaching staff cannot come to a decision before the start of the season, the Gators will have just one game before they start SEC play. The team needs one of the two quarterbacks to step up, take the reins and make this team his. 

While Muschamp repeatedly says that a quarterback competition brings an extra sense of urgency to practice and that it makes the team better, he will quickly find that a quarterback controversy will only become a distraction in the media and with his players. 

Muschamp knows that it is in the best interest of his team to have a named starter at quarterback, and up to this point, he has left it up to the players to show him which quarterback can take the job.

If a quarterback cannot take the job before the SEC opener, it may be time to bite the bullet and make the choice for them. 

If the players can not separate themselves on the field, it will be up to Muschamp and Pease to make the tough decision and name a starter. The Gators have the talent to contend for an SEC Championship this season, but not with two quarterbacks.