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Gators know what they have in Harris, and it’s time to make the most of it
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Twenty months ago, Treon Harris and Doug Nussmeier were on divergent career paths, heading in opposite directions to opposite parts of the country.
Now, as quarterback and offensive coordinator at Florida, they are attached at the hip. And how well they mesh together over the next six weeks will determine if this is a successful season for the Gators or not.
Back in early 2014, Harris was a Florida State commit, but he spurned the Seminoles at the last minute and signed with Florida because he felt more comfortable with UF’s spread offense run by Kurt Roper than he did the pro-style sets run by Jimbo Fisher at FSU.
At the same time, Nussmeier was leaving Alabama to become the offensive coordinator at Michigan. In less than a year, he was fired, as was Roper at Florida.
But new Florida coach Jim McElwain quickly scooped up Nussmeier when he was hired to fix the Gator program after the Will Muschamp disaster. They had worked well together at Alabama, and won several national championships on the same staff. So they hooked up again, and installed a pro-style offense at Florida – the same type of offense Harris avoided by saying no to FSU.
Harris, who’s only 5-foot-11, was beaten out by Will Grier for the starting job. But once Grier was suspended for the year, Harris had to take over.
Now, it’s up to him.
McElwain and Nussmeier have been coaching Harris since March, but seven months of instruction haven’t improved his drop-back passing (limited by height) or short passes (unpredictable). Harris’ mobility allows him to move the pocket or scramble out of pressure, and his deep pass is still his strong suit. He also has two intangibles that coaches love, a fiercely competitive spirit and the ability to elevate the play of those around him.
Nussmeier is sure to find positives and negatives in Harris’ performance against LSU (17-for-32, 271 yards, 2 TDs) last Saturday. He should be pleased that his quarterback maintained his composure in a tough environment at Baton Rouge with the game on the line. The 271 yards set a new career high for Harris, but one could argue is that primarily due to improved pass catchers. The 53.1 completion percentage is par for the course with Harris’ freshman numbers (46.2 percent as a starter, 57.4 percent in all SEC action).
It’s up to Harris to lead the Gators past Georgia in two weeks in Jacksonville, with the SEC East title on the line.
The Bulldogs will be ready for Harris to throw more than he did in his first career start (3-for-6, 27 yards) against them last year. The question becomes how McElwain and Nussmeier modify the offense with two weeks to prepare.
The Gators have a talented runner and passer in Harris, but his shortcomings and limitations curb the potential potency of the pro-style offense. The coaches have an extra week to figure out the optimal pairing of available plays and Harris’ capabilities.
It’s time for them to show why they get paid the big bucks.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.