If the Florida Gators keep playing like “dead fish,” they could be dead meat, at least when it comes to a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Regardless of what happens in Saturday night’s home game against rival Florida State, the Gators are still playing in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5. But if they suffer another loss before heading to Atlanta, their national-title hopes more than likely will be dashed.

In other words, Florida needs to be more than a live underdog — which it is against the Seminoles — before it’s too late.

The simplest explanation for Florida’s recent struggles is the absence of QB Will Grier, but that would be giving him too much credit. Besides, with Grier losing his appeal and remaining suspended until the seventh game of next season for testing positive for using performance-enhancing drugs, harping on that disappointing news is just wasted energy.

Coincidentally, at least over their past three games, the Gators have lacked energy, and that’s something that has jumped out to coach Jim McElwain.

“They beat us to every punch up front, they had more energy, they played the way the game is supposed to be played — physical at the point of attack,” Florida’s first-year coach told the Orlando Sentinel of Florida Atlantic, against whom the Gators needed overtime to win 20-14 last week. “They beat the heck out of us. That’s just the way it was.”

A lack of energy isn’t the only thing that has hindered the Gators. Even though they have won four straight since suffering their only loss, they have struggled in several areas:

  1. Harris has regressed at QB. Grier’s replacement, Treon Harris, peaked in Florida’s 35-28 loss at LSU on Oct. 17, when he completed 17 of 32 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Since then, he has completed no more than 50 percent of his passes in four of his past five starts, culminating with his performance against FAU, when he connected on just 8 of his 17 throws for a season-low 122 yards. Harris made his three completions in the second half and overtime count — with two for touchdowns — but it’s obvious that Florida’s passing game needs work, which leads to another issue.
  2. The offensive line is getting exposed. Florida Atlantic sacked Harris five times after failing to bring down a QB in any of its previous three games against “powerhouses” Florida International, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. Don’t think McElwain hasn’t noticed. “I am concerned about how (the offensive line) affects each other, not in a positive way, but in a negative way,” he said. “Body language, energy. You watch it, they just mope around when something bad happens.”
  3. The kicking game is a problem. Austin Hardin is 5-for-11 this season on field-goal attempts. Not only did he miss two of those tries against FAU, his PAT attempt in overtime was blocked. “He’s our kicker and we support him,” McElwain said. “He has to go out there and make it. Let’s face it, the one that was blocked there in overtime, I think the guy blocked it with his armpit. It’s not like it was any incredible feat. You put your plant foot there, you kick the ball and it goes up in the air and it goes through the goal posts.”

So Florida has to address three major issues over the next few days. And it’s going up against a Seminoles team whose only two losses were to Georgia Tech on a blocked field-goal attempt that led to a game-winning touchdown and a 10-point defeat at Clemson. McElwain knows preparing for Florida State won’t be easy, but this matchup just might be the wakeup call his dead fish need.

“We have to really improve this week and have a big week of practice,” he said.