Gators’ Struggles Against Dual-Threat Quarterbacks
Florida football is rolling into College Station, Texas, to continue a potential revival after a win against No. 9 Texas.
Without looking at the schedule, you’d think the Gators would catch a break after the upset win over Texas, but Florida’s matchup this week is only more daunting. Texas A&M is No. 5, and its rushing attack is lethal.
“Two of the best backs in the country, you pair that with a quarterback being able to run and the two receivers from the portal,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “They got a great combination of weapons here.”
Quarterback Marcel Reed has been impressive for the Aggies, and he currently sits tied for seventh in the Heisman odds, per BetMGM. The dual-threat playmaker had his coming out party against the Gators last year, when Florida lost 33-20 in The Swamp.
Reed took former quarterback Conner Weigman’s job while he was injured and threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. But he wasn’t only impressive through the air. The kid has legs.
Reed ran for 83 yards on 13 carries and obliterated Florida’s pass rush. He also notched a touchdown and went viral for juking a Florida player.
Consider his performance last year with how the Gators have handled mobile quarterbacks this year, and a trend emerges of Florida struggling against dual-threat signal callers. Breakaway runs on broken plays have become all too common for the Gators.
The first struggle came against USF. Byrum Brown rushed for 69 yards on 17 attempts with a long of 20. The Gators fell in that game 18-16, with quarterback rushing at the forefront of Florida’s issues.
Facing No. 9 Texas, the Gators had similar issues with Arch Manning. The former five-star recruit didn’t play well, throwing two picks and taking six sacks, but Florida still allowed a couple big runs, including one for 36 yards, that made the game tighter than it needed to be.
The Gators did a good job collapsing the pocket and getting pressure, but when the quarterback can leak through and escape, the defense has a big problem. If the Gators find themselves wire-to-wire against the Aggies, concern should grow when looking at who A&M has in its backfield: a true escape artist with breakaway speed.
Reed has also improved as a passer, having an 11-to-3 touchdown to interception ratio with 1,256 passing yards and a 154 quarterback rating this season. At the end of last season, Reed finished with only 15 passing touchdowns and six interceptions.
Then you have the two transfer wide receivers who’ve helped Reed grow into a Heisman-caliber quarterback — Mario Craver and KC Concepcion. Not to mention, Texas A&M will also trot out a standout running back, Le’Veon Moss, who had a great game against the Gators last year.
The Gators have their hands full this weekend against A&M’s ground game and can only hope for the same amount of pressure they had last week against Texas, while also eradicating quarterback escapes.
However, the defense has been alive and thriving all season. Florida notching season highs in sacks and interceptions last week against Texas should give fans something to look forward to heading into College Station.
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