As Kyle Trask dragged Florida to an SEC Championship behind his historically accurate arm, Florida’s running backs often sat and spectated the team’s record-breaking season.
The Gators averaged just 120 yards per game on the ground — only ranking behind Vanderbilt’s anemic offense and Mike Leech’s air-raid attack — and scored just 12 rushing touchdowns.
Now that Florida’s greatest quarterback since Tim Tebow has departed for the red tides of Tampa Bay, UF’s running game will need to make marked improvements over last season.
Fortunately, the Gators’ four leading rushers from last season, Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis, Emory Jones, and NayQuan Wright, all return to the UF backfield in 2021, and running backs coach Greg Knox has stressed versatility for his deep and diverse corps of backs.
“It's not really a one-man show,” Knox. “It’s not a one-man feature. It's the versatility of our group and how we use them in our offense."
Pierce and Davis project as the most reliable, high-volume rushers for the Gators, as Davis appears to have regained his pre-injury explosiveness, but Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman add another dimension of speed at the second level.
“I agree totally with it. If they (Lingard and Bowman) get in open space, they are a threat to put that ball in the end zone. They're home run hitters."
The Gators also welcome a potent rushing option under center, as quarterback Emory Jones’ 6.8 yards per carry ranked second on last season’s team.
Jones’ speed allows Mullen to transition back to his preferred spread offense, and the junior quarterback will have plenty of opportunities to roll out of the pocket and display his dynamism in the open field.
“Emory’s a guy that’s going to extend but he can extend outside,” Mullen said. “When you extend outside you have the threat of running because he’s so dynamic out in the open field with the ball in his hand.”
Despite UF’s diverse and multipositional options at running back, Knox has mandated a single-skill for every player in his backfield — you have to be able to block.
UF allowed just 4.23 sacks per 100 snaps, and Knox has developed all sorts of running backs into effective pass blockers.
“The most important thing has always been pass protection,” Knox said.”When you ask any young running back that comes to our program — or any program — they're gonna say the most difficult thing they had to learn was the pass protection.”
Even with the high-profile addition of Demarkcus Bowman, Knox’s golden rule remains firm — if you can’t block, you won’t play.
During a disappointing season last year, the Florida rushing corps developed a tight-knit bond amidst a bevy of scrutiny and venom from Gator Nation.
Now, with the unit’s biggest contributors all returning for the Swamp, Florida’s running backs enjoy more chemistry and a familial bond ahead of what projects to be a much improved offense on the ground.
“We’ve been a family all along since they got here,” Knox said. “So, it hasn't been an issue of accepting them. It's just when anyone comes into our room, we welcome into the family.”
