Gators OL Emphasizing Execution After Bye Week

Execution is at the top of the list for winning games, no matter the sport. Every position group needs to complete its job so that the play is run to its best ability. When that does not happen, you end up 1-3 like the Florida Gators. 

In the Gators' case, their lack of execution largely falls on the offense. The quarterback play has been rough, wide receivers are not producing to their relative abilities, but most importantly, the offensive line has been severely underperforming compared to expectations. 

Their poor play is directly linked to their lack of execution, which is why they have positioned most of their focus in that area heading into the SEC matchup with Texas on Saturday. 

“It’s guys not executing properly, and it's missed assignments here and there. It’s not one guy sinking the ship. It’s a one-off here, and it’s a one-off there,” starting center Jake Slaughter said. 

Execution was a common word that Slaughter used throughout his media availability on Monday. It popped up in several of his answers. 

Why?

It is because that is where everything starts. 

“That’s certainly a start, isn’t it, you gotta go execute,” he said. “That’s what it comes down to, that’s football, the execution. You’ve got to go do your jobs, that’s all it is.”

One vital reason for their failure to execute on offense has been their lack of discipline. Penalties have been a thorn in the side of the offense, costing them possessions and points. Florida had two touchdowns called back for penalties on the offensive line with a hold negating a Ja'Kobi Jackson touchdown against USF and another hold negating an 87-yard touchdown pass from DJ Lagway to Jadan Baugh against LSU.

“So penalties, that’s been a killer for us,” Slaughter said. 

Through the first four games, there have been 14 penalties called on the offensive line, according to PFF. That is hard to overcome for any offense. Anytime you begin to take one step forward, you are taking two steps back. 

Although this has been a problem, it does not help that the players in the trenches are also not executing their assignments, thereby taking valuable time away from their quarterback in the pocket. 

The offensive line has surrendered 33 hurries during this four-game sample. Compare this to Georgia’s offensive line, which has 14 hurries, according to PFF. That is a lot of time taken away from the quarterback. 

“Every quarterback would love to say they have six seconds to look around and hang in there. I could play quarterback if we had six seconds, right?” Slaughter said. “You can’t have missed opportunities because of penalties. You can’t have missed opportunities because of missed assignments.”

To fix the lack of execution and penalties, the offensive line has been making communication a point of emphasis during practice, said Slaughter. 

“Right there was a big point of emphasis just within the offensive line, communicating,” he answered when asked about communication. “We had some veterans in the group, that you maybe take it for granted but take it back to the basics, you’re gonna make a call, make a call loud, make sure you are communicating properly, so that was a big point of emphasis for us.”

It is important that Florida's offensive line cleans up its performance on Saturday against the Longhorns. They boast one of the best defenses in the conference and are not looking to slow down heading into Gainesville. 

Kickoff between the two is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.