Film study: Florida Gators offense in good hands with Treon Harris 2.0

Florida fans have to be bummed with the news of breakout star quarterback Will Grier’s suspension over a positive test for a banned substance.

His ability to operate within the parameters of new coach Jim McElwain’s multiplicative offensive scheme was shaping up to be the story line of the year for a surging 5-0 Florida squad that’s sitting in the driver’s seat of the SEC East Division.

From a technical standpoint, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound redshirt freshman showed how McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier unearthed a star in him. His quick release was aided by excellent footwork, which allowed him to show off strong arm. Mac and Nuss schemed it up to where the field would be shrunk by deploying “12 personnel” in a myriad ways to force defenses to counter with base personnel of its own.

However, the tight end combination of DeAndre Goolsby and Jake McGee can split out, line up in the backfield or be arranged with a traditional in-line approach, making it difficult to key in on one concept. When you factor in the success of the run game, a result from the coaching duo’s commitment to establishing the line of scrimmage, you can plainly see why the Gators are all the rage in the best conference in America.

Combine the offense with their their ferocious defense — the real reason for their success — and it’s easy to see how Florida is one of the most balanced teams in the SEC.

Simply put, the Gators still have the opportunity to reach their ceiling even with an abrupt change at signal-caller.

I’ll be honest — which sounds like a line from a used tire salesman — when I saw how improved second-year QB Treon Harris looked in the first couple of games, I thought Grier wouldn’t be provided the chance to back up my spring article.

In what has to be a testament to just how great McElwain is coaching QBs, Harris looked looked like a new man. I questioned whether that was actually him under that helmet, or did Mac and Nuss pull a fast one and grab Tyrod Taylor from the Buffalo Bills?

Harris’ ball-handling looked top-notch, which is a focal point of McElwain’s offense, and he looked extremely comfortable in the pocket.

McElwain excels at providing his quarterbacks with a steady dose of half-field reads. Here, we see Harris executing a rollout on an underneath “U” crosser. I like how hard it was for me to differentiate his play-action fakes with actual handoffs on film; he whipped his head around quickly enough to provide ample time with his Hi-Lo read.

Both Grier and Harris are good athletes, so nothing really changes on that front, but you can tell the staff is more comfortable with getting Harris involved in the designer-run game as he’s a natural runner who knows how to protect himself.

While he will manufacture plenty of first downs when his reads don’t take shape, the offense is schemed well enough for him to allow outlets to do it for him.

Here’s a play that stood out: operating from the Gun, Harris went through his initial and secondary reads, on a full-field scan, but hit his streaking outlet for another explosive play despite having plenty of space to pick up the yardage with his legs.

The Treon of last year might still be running on some Forrest Gump-type stuff. Treon 2.0 is looking to distribute even when plays break down.

The common knock on Harris is that Grier is the superior passer. However, Harris has the arm talent to make all of the throws in the Mac-Nuss playbook, and his 70.4 completion percentage — on 27 throws — should not be glossed over, either.

And you the staff will call those timely shots downfield consisting of 9’s, posts and overs (as seen in the above sequence).

Grier’s loss is devastating, no doubt, as continuity is a factor most often overlooked in team sports. But it doesn’t hurt to have a player in Harris who pushed Grier to the brink in a QB contest and has shown steady improvement under a staff of QB whisperers.

While having your first start in a few games come against the Mighty Tigers from Louisiana State is a daunting task, it’s not one that’s unmanageable with a solid showing in all phases of the game.

I’m confident that McElwain and Nussmeier will have the perfect game plan to break Harris back in.

Is it Saturday yet?