Enter the Spread

“The spread doesn’t work in the SEC”

I wish Florida had an SEC title for each time I have heard/read that.

How anybody made that assessment is a mystery, because before Saturday Meyer and Mullen had yet to run the offense they truly wanted against an SEC opponent.

After Saturday?

The Spread – 1
SEC – 0

In order for Meyer’s version of the spread to be effective, a quarterback that is a running-option threat is entirely necessary (see Alex Smith). Chris Leak was not that quarterback.

That is not to knock Chris. He is a great young man, with the hardware to prove it. But in the last 2 years, the Gator offense has been a hybrid with spread elements.

I don’t think I can sum up the essence of Florida’s offense any better than the Sunday Morning Quarterback did in his most recent namesake column;

Salient part –

Friday, I vowed to keep an eye on the Gators' offensive creativity, which was overrated for the better part of Urban Meyers' first two seasons but started to show in the stretch run to last year's championship. The versatility was blatantly obvious to a blind man Saturday: with Tebow, the defense has no choice but to respect the middle, even if - especially if - the rest of the speed players are spread out all over the place; his presence alone gives UF a power running game, essentially an extra player in the backfield when a simple hesitation, one little step forward, suffices for play-action without sacrificing the running back in the fake. You hear this rhetoric all the time, but with Tebow's arm, bullish running mentality and stockpiles of speed all around him, this offense as much as any I can remember really does force defenses to cover the entire field. This is a luxury very few quarterbacks can provide, and, when it comes to using Percy Harvin as the anti-Tebow dagger in the running game, very few receivers, too.

The SMQ’s comments beg this question –

Who was the Gators “featured” running back on Saturday?

Can’t come up with a name?

That’s because there wasn’t one.

Eight Florida players had rushing yardage on Saturday, with the leading rushers being Harvin (75 yards) and Tebow (61 yards). Kestahn Moore, the only player remotely resembling a running back in Florida’s offense against Tennessee, had 48 yards on 11 touches. Also carrying the ball were Jarred Fayson, Cam Newton, Brandon James, Chris Rainey and Chevon Walker.

Notably of that list – the only upper classman is Moore, a junior.

Saturday we finally got to see the Meyer-Mullen offense in all its glory. The most used formation - 5 wide - forces the defense to “spend” at least five of their players matching up with Florida’s speedy receiver-athletes. The typical Florida play has Tebow “reading” a defensive lineman, which results in all the defense players being accounted for. Then, the play is usually modified based on the number of safeties that are “deep”.

Opposing defenses get to pick their poison – bring up the safeties to stop Tebow, leaving Florida receivers in single coverage, or try to stop Tebow running when all the defensive players in the box have a blocker.

Saturday’s box score was a Mullen dream.

554 yards total offense, with 255 on the ground. 46 rushing attempts averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. The only turnover was a Tebow interception in which Cooper ran the wrong route. Lastly, the Gators dominated the possession time at 34:50 to 25:10.

Besides the 8 players with carries, 6 players had receptions, a stat made even more notable by the fact that there were only 14 receptions. Florida’s number of offensive weapons is amazing.

This is not to say Florida can expect to walk through their SEC schedule. For one, and I almost cringe in typing these words, Tebow could get hurt. Cam Newton is a quarterback in Tebow’s mold (larger, and perhaps faster, at that), but he isn’t ready to run the whole show yet. And without a credible QB running threat, the whole systems comes unwound.

Also, LSU’s defense should give the Gator offense some real problems. Florida’s spread (all spreads for that matter) are about equating numbers. In LSU’s case, Florida will likely have to block defensive monster Glenn Dorsey with two O-linemen, thus neutralizing any number-equating advantage Florida might have. Add in the “Death Valley” atmosphere and the difficulty of calling the audible, and the Gators will have a rough time on their hands.

Lastly, and this is a point that could generate a whole entire post, we are likely seeing one of those “inflection” moments in college football where a new system changes the way the game is played. Football, whether at college or pro level, is a game of imitation, and the success of teams like West Virginia and Louisville has served notice that spread offenses are for real. The spread is the great equalizer that allows smaller teams to compete with larger teams (Appalachian State with Michigan), and larger teams to destroy their “equals” (Oregon with Michigan). Look for the recruiting value of the mobile quarterbacks (and speed athletes of all stripes) to elevate dramatically in coming years, and for more teams to adopt the spread, as older “Big Ten” type offenses become obsolete.

The future is here – and speed (spread) is deadly.

UPDATE: The first comment here makes an excellent point I had intended to include (I'm very tired, having driven back from Gainesville yesterday, and with all the celebration partying...)

The point is - is Tennessee's defense that good, or even "SEC quality"?

The game against Cal would say it is not. Besides LSU, South Carolina worries me on defense.

But we have finally seen what Meyer intended all along. And whether UT's defense is up to par or not, 59 points is a statement. The last time Florida put points like that on UT was 1995 when we won 62-37.

So, throw in the additional cautionary of "not fully SEC defensive tested yet".