Film Room: An in-depth look at Franks

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On Saturday Florida lost their second game in a row, causing them to drop to 3-3 on the season with Georgia next on the schedule. The Gators 19-17 loss to Texas A&M differed from their previous week’s loss to LSU, where the young defense was gashed by misdirection. This week, the onus is purely on the lack of offense and suspect play of freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks.

Franks dropped back 35 times against the Aggies, the most since the Gators’ Week 3 victory against Tennessee. 26 of those were pass attempts, five times he was sacked and four were rushing attempts.

In those 35 plays, Franks accounted for a measly 211 yards, or about six yards a play.

These concerning offensive numbers only worsen when viewed for the season.

The Gators’ offense ranks 105th in total yards per game, up from 116th last year and 111th the year before. Of Florida’s 351 yards per game, just 181 are coming through the air, ranking 102nd in the country.

This season, the Gators have scored only four passing touchdowns in their six games.

The shockingly low numbers from the Texas A&M match-up prompted this film room to examine what’s going on in the passing game, but their woes are far from an isolated game. The scoring opportunities have been scarce, with only six attempted field goals all year. Even with the team producing effectively on the ground, the passing game has been far from threatening.

Florida’s offensive pass-blocking has been suspect this season, causing head coach Jim McElwain to reduce three- and four-receiver formations and increase max protection calls for his skittish quarterback.

Franks is also part of the equation, as he’s still very green in his development and prone to staring down his first read, running into pressure and throwing late on timing routes. That’s normal for a freshman, and the Gators are without a clear better option as a passer unless Malik Zaire comes in and shows something he’s never done before.

Of Franks’ 26 pass attempts, just eight traveled past 10 yards, a shockingly low number for a team with 242 rushing yards to soften the defense. More worrisome, only two of those came on rollouts or extended plays out of the pocket.