Florida Gators 2011: Grading the Offense Through the First 3 Games

The 2011 edition of the Florida Gators went through an extreme makeover during the offseason. 

After the January 1st win against Penn State, the team was turned over to Will Muschamp. Muschamp quickly got to work, signing Charlie Weiss to run his offense.

Weis took on the task of taking a team that was recruited to run Meyers' spread offense, and have them fit into a pro-style attack. Muschamp brought over Dan Quinn, whom he had coached with during his stay with the Miami Dolphins, to run the defense. 

The Gators have started their season at 3-0 (1-0), with an away game at Kentucky set for Saturday.

With a quarter of the season down, here are the grades for the Florida Gators offense position by position. 

Quarterback

Stats: 43-of-72, 637 yards, 3TD, 2 INT

John Brantley is making the move from a spread option offense into a pro-style attack that better suits his talent. Brantley struggled throughout the 2010 season trying to find himself in an offense that was made for Tim Tebow and Cam Newton.

Returning to the pro-style attack that allowed Brantley to throw for 99 touchdowns during his high school career has been a much welcomed change for the quarterback. 

Through the first three games, Brantley has not been spectacular, rather managing the game. He has been taking what the defense has been giving him, not forcing passes into coverage.

Through the first three games Florida has been forced to throw short and intermediate passes as the defenses have not allowed the Gators to take many looks downfield. This will allow Florida to get by the likes of FAU, UAB, a young Tennessee team, and probably Kentucky, but October awaits the Gators. 

Florida will play Alabama, at Auburn, at LSU, have a bye week, and then their annual game against Georgia. 

Brantley has been serviceable against the lesser opponents he has faced thus far, but come October 1st he will have to become more than just a game manager.  

Grade: B

Running Back

Simply put, Chris Rainey has been the Florida Gator offense. 

The redshirt senior has rushed the ball 48 times for 306 yards and two touchdowns. He is also the Gators leading receiver catching 11 passes for 214 yards and two more scores. The Gators have relied heavily on their playmaker and he has been up to the task so far.

Rainey is not the only speedster in the Gator backfield, senior Jeff Demps returns this year after mulling the decision to not play football in order to focus on track.

When describing his running back duo, Charlie Weis said he has never coached a faster pair of players on any team, at any level.  Despite missing some time due to injury, Demps has touched the ball 32 time amassing 231 total yards and two touchdowns. 

When it comes down to red zone and goal line, these two backs were built for the spread option offense, not pounding the ball between the tackles. This has forced Weis to get creative in his backfield.

Other backs who have received carries are Mike Gillislee (16-198, one TD), Trey Burton (10-49, two TD), Mack Brown (10-36), and freshman fullback Hunter Joyer (3-9, one TD).

The running back core has carried this team offensively and will need to continue to do so until John Brantley can show he can be more effective with his receivers. 

Grade: A+

Wide Receiver

There is not much to be said of the receiving core to this point of the season, with tailback Chris Rainey leading all receivers in receptions and yards.

Of players listed on the depth chart at receiver, Deonte Thompson is leading with seven receptions for 96 yards. No player listed as a WR has a touchdown catch.

After playing the competition that Florida has, this should be a major concern for Gator fans.

While Trey Burton is listed as a running back he, along with Rainey have been a major part of the passing attack, catching all three of Brantley's touchdown passes. 

Let's break down the Gator passing attack, and see just how much they have relied on their running backs in the passing game. 

Players listed at WR on the depth chart have caught 22 passes for 302 yards and zero TD. 

While the running back trio of Rainey, Demps, and Burton have caught 24 passes for 331 yards, and three TD. 

This receiver core needs to step up and give Brantley an opportunity to make plays downfield. Kentucky will be the last tune up game for Florida before they face Alabama. Passing the ball in the flats to your running backs consistently will beat lesser competition, but not a Nick Saban defense. 

Grade: D -

Tight End

Jordan Reed leads the Tight End core in receptions and yards with four catches for 47 yards. Gerald Christian is the only other listed TE with any catches, coming in with two for 16 yards. 

Weis has shown that there is a place for TE in his offense, coaching Tony Moeaki in Kansas City, and Kyle Rudolph while at Notre Dame. 

This is a unit that has been depleted since the start of training camp. Freshman A.C. Leonard had his knee scoped, but got his first playing time against Tennessee, five weeks after surgery. Jordan Reed missed the game with a hamstring injury and remains questionable for Saturday. 

Freshman A.C Leonard came in an Under Armour All-American, and has the athletic ability to be an Aaron Hernandez type of player. He will be a player to watch as he begins to trust his knee and regain his speed and route running coming off of surgery. 

It is tough to grade the unit because they have been injured for much of the season, but there is potential in all of them if they are healthy. Chalking up the lack of production can be attributed to not being healthy, and their grade will be slightly higher as I will give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Grade: C

Offensive Line

This is another unit that has gone through a lot of turnover. The starting offensive line has been LT Xavier Nixon, LG Dan Wenger, C Jonotthan Harrison, RG Jon Halapio, and RT Chaz Green. 

Dan Wenger is a red shirt senior who transferred from Notre Dame, where he was recruited by Weis. Wenger has been invaluable in helping his other linemen learn the new offense and its protection packages.

When talking about Wenger, Weis said "If he couldn't play a down, he would've still helped us tremendously because he knows the offense better than the rest of them."

Coming from Notre Dame and playing in Weis' offense from 2006-2009 at both guard positions and center has helped Wenger earn a starting job on the line.

Overall the line has played very well, giving Brantley time to throw the ball, and opening lanes for Florida's talented group of running backs. 

Grade: A

Overall Offensive Grade

The Gator offense has relied too much on their running backs, specifically Chris Rainey. I would like to see the Gators open the offense a little more and try to get Brantley in a rhythm with his receivers. 

Overall the Gators are doing a fairly good job transitioning into a completely new offense, one in which most of the players on the roster were not recruited to play.

Considering that many of the players on the roster were recruited by Meyer to run his offense, the unit has adjusted well and continue to learn and grow in the system. 

Overall Grade: B