Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones? Gators List Both at QB vs. Oklahoma
After a tumultuous week for Florida, in which a starting quarterback was not announced until about 30 hours before kickoff of the annual Florida-Georgia rivalry, the Gators enter yet another shaky situation heading into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma (4-4, 2-3 SEC).
Florida’s momentum after an upset win over then-No. 7 Texas and a bye week was stunted by dropping its third game of the season Saturday in a 27-8 loss to Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC). Despite the defeat that plummeted the Gators (5-3, 3-3 SEC) from sixth to ninth in the SEC standings, UF coach Jon Sumrall still believes there is plenty left to play for.
“I told our team this morning about we have a lot to play for. I’m not saying we’re there yet, but if we find a way to just go 1-0 every week for the next four weeks, and you look up, who knows where you stand at that point in the chaos we’re all in in college football right now,” Sumrall said Monday. “If you could find your way to 9-3 at the end, there’s a lot of possibilities that can happen with what else is going on in the world.”
The belief that Sumrall emphasized burned bright through Florida’s 4-0 start, though that positivity has waned through the Gators three losses in their last four contests to drop to an 11.3-percent chance to make the College Football Playoff. The defeat to Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta accentuated a persisting issue for Florida across the slump.
A lack of unification between powerful offensive showings and Florida’s defense holding strong is a trend that has continued since the Gators took down Ole Miss on Sept. 26. As the season rolls on and the time to make improvements dwindles, Sumrall knows how important it is to use the final four games to finish strong as a complete team.
“We have a lot left to play for in front of us. I just want us to move forward, grow as a team and then grow the program so we can have a future here that goes right,” Sumrall said. “We’re trending in the right direction and we’re about to get this thing really started. And there’s been flashes of it this year, hadn’t been consistent enough.”
The optimism is certainly needed after the 19-point, rivalry loss to the Bulldogs raised more questions and criticism as the Gators returned from the Peach State back to home base in Gainesville.
While Florida’s defense showed signs of strength against one of the top teams in the nation, the offense is the aspect that left many scratching their heads, a feeling the first-year coach echoes. What Sumrall does not agree on is the quarterback situation being the main issue for the unit, noting the offense’s dysfunction as a whole and their eight-point output as the overwhelming sore spot.
“I think what’s driving me a little bit crazy is it’s really hard to fully evaluate the quarterback position when we’re not playing good enough around them. I don’t know if Tom Brady was our quarterback on Saturday if it would have helped us,” Sumrall said. “And I’m not trying to be a smart aleck. He would have been under too much duress and pressure to operate.
“And so, the quarterback position right now, while I don’t think we’re playing good enough at times there, I’d like to see everybody else play a little bit better so we can fully evaluate what we have going on there.”
As much as the offense comes under fire and it is hard to make sense of the quarterback position, it is clear that the Gators’ struggles with determining who would command the offense hampered them.
Former Georgia Tech transfer and Georgia native Aaron Philo was announced as the starter Friday afternoon, but only held that spot for just over 19 minutes of game time. Philo was pulled early in the second quarter after his second interception against Georgia, ending his performance after five completions on seven passes for 26 yards and no touchdowns.
Philo’s benching made way for sophomore passer Tramell Jones Jr. to take over duties, earning his second straight game of action following the 27-24 win over Texas in his first collegiate start. Jones worked with the majority of the snaps with minor developments on Philo’s effort, but the steps forward were far from enough for Florida to change the final result. Jones ended the day with a stat line of 17-for-24 passing and 172 yards, as well as one interception and a fumble that UGA linebacker Chris Cole returned 66 yards to the end zone.
With neither quarterback shining and clearly taking the spot for their own, the Gators enter this week with Philo “or” Jones listed at quarterback on the game-by-game depth chart. Sumrall detailed the decision, leaving the starting spot ambiguous for Saturday against the Sooners.
“We list them as ‘or’ because right now, I need both of them to be ready to be our starter at any point,” Sumrall said. “We’re going to move forward with like, ‘Hey man, both of you guys are competing every day.’”
Regardless of who trots out to command the first offensive drive for Florida, they will have their work cut out for them because of the situation they incur. UF’s offensive line allowed the Bulldogs to get home on the two quarterbacks four times, with Georgia’s pressure putting both Philo and Jones under duress often.
That aspect does not get any easier this week, with another SEC stalwart on tap. The Sooners create uncomfortable conditions for quarterbacks, tying the Gators for the fifth-most sacks in the SEC (23) and ranking fourth in the conference in passing yards allowed per game (175.4).
The Gators have their work cut out, but a return to form is within all realms of possibility. The next chance for Florida to make the sizable offensive improvements Sumrall believes are attainable is Saturday, when the Gators would become bowl eligible with a win over the Sooners.
“The Gators have beat the Gators plenty in the last few weeks offensively with how we’ve helped the quarterback. And so, around that guy we gotta do a lot better job,” Sumrall said. “I believe in who we got, it’s worked at times this year, and it hasn’t worked at times this year. We have to make it work better with who we’ve got right now.”
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