Jim McElwain: Florida’s Offense Must Be Better At ‘Art Of Deception’


Florida head coach Jim McElwain said the Gators must be more deceptive on offense, plus other quotes from his weekly press conference.


Florida’s offense has been a major problem for the Gators the past two seasons, with no consistency at quarterback and a lack of big playmakers that can stretch the field. Defenses that know exactly what the Gators are going to do with the ball have also been a cause for the offensive woes, said head coach Jim McElwain.

“We’ve got to do a better job of maintaining the art of deception. We’ve got to continue to do that throughout and not become so predictable in some cases when we retake the field, say, after play 18 or 19. That’s something that we’re working on and something we’ll do this week as well.”

Florida is ranked No. 114 in the nation in total offense, gaining only 352.7 yards per game while putting up a mere 24.1 points per game on the scoreboard (tied for No. 104 nationally). Now, they will face an Alabama unit that is the nation’s best in both total and scoring defense. McElwain knows that putting together an offensive attack against the Crimson Tide will be difficult.

“The overall team speed is really what shows up at all spots. They’re big in the middle, yet those guys got great quickness. I would say the thing that stands out about their whole team.”

Here are some other quotes of note from McElwain’s Monday press conference.

On getting wide receiver Antonio Callaway involved

“I think one of the things we’ve got to do is somewhere in there make sure he’s in that 8-12 (touch range).”

On playing in the SEC Championship game

“This is one of those weeks that not a lot of teams are able to play in. There aren’t a lot of teams that are playing this weekend. It’s an honor to be representing the East. I know our guys are excited to get back to what they experienced last year.”

On fans possibly being disappointed with season

“I believe we’re in the SEC Championship again for the second straight year. Maybe not the way people want it, but the idea is to figure out how to win a ballgame … we’re getting there. We’re getting a lot of really good things going on as far as commitment to the facilities … we’ve been way behind, but we’re catching up.”

On being hired by Nick Saban at Alabama

“Well, you know, I hung up on him because I thought it was one of my buddies messing with me. I didn’t even know there was a job at Alabama. I’m glad he called back, I know that, and it obviously has meant a lot to me and that he, you know, thought enough of what we had done previously to give us an opportunity for that seat. And that’s a valued seat right there. The one thing he told me when we came in is that they were a little short on offensive talent. He said, ‘Look, just give yourself a little time here because we’ll get players,’ and sure enough they’ve done that and they continue to do it.”

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