Mastermind: Gators coach Urban Meyer says he's always tinkering with offense
TAMPA --Ohio State folks might shudder at the notion. But Urban Meyer believes there are new and exciting ways to be found to befuddle opposing defenses.
That's why the head coach of the defending national champion Florida Gators keeps a notepad next to his bed for those moments when the element of surprise can make a difference.
"How much time do we spend on (playmaking)? Other than being around your players, that is the most enjoyable part of coaching," Meyer said during Saturday's Florida Sports Writers Association College Football Media Days conference at the Quorum Hotel-Tampa.
"Scoring a touchdown in the Southeastern Conference is harder than it's ever been, so you need to have a little bit of creativity," Meyer said. "You do it in the offseason, but also on a Tuesday night or a Sunday night when you're laying in bed staring at the ceiling.
"(Offensive coordinator) Danny (Mullen) does it too. I've text-messaged him at 2 in the morning, and he has done the same. Our South Carolina game last year (a 17-16 victory), I think we tried to get too creative. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
"You don't just roll the dice. There has to be a reason to call a play."
During the past four years - the past two in Gainesville, the two previous at Utah - creative and successful play-calling has elevated Meyer into the top rank of college coaches. Last year's 13-1 campaign came against the toughest schedule in the country.
His penchant for making the unusual call at the right time manifested itself in the waning seconds of the first half of Florida's 23-10 homecoming victory against LSU. Quarterback Tim Tebow faked a run before throwing a 1-yard jump pass to Tate Casey for a touchdown, giving the Gators a 14-7 lead and the momentum for the final 30 minutes.
"Everything in football is cyclical," said Meyer, whose offensive schemes combine elements of Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense, motion and the run-oriented option. "Tebow's jump pass was something from 1936 or '37 - some of the old-timers said, 'You stole that from us.' "
Gators fans - who learned last season two quality quarterbacks are better than one - have no qualms about the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Tebow taking the offensive reins upon the departure of four-year starter Chris Leak.
"Tim has an advantage because he has great personnel around him," said Meyer, referring to talented receivers Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin and Cornelius Ingram, along with much-improved sophomore Jarred Fayson.
Given Tebow's style and the speed of SEC defenses, though, Meyer says it is imperative for Mullen to get a backup ready to play well before the Sept. 1 opener against Western Kentucky. The candidates include freshman Cameron Newton, who participated in spring drills after enrolling in January; junior-college transfer Bryan Waggener; and Gatorade National Player of the Year John Brantley of Ocala.
"One of the big topics of conversation during the SEC media days was how much we're going to let Tebow run, because he is not a guy who is going to slide. He is a guy who is going to take that hit," Meyer said. "He can probably take more than most, but at some point that's going to give in.
"There's going to be a lot of pressure on Dan Mullen the first week of two-a-days to determine who our No. 2 guy is, because you can't get four guys ready. You only have so many repetitions. Then, once we find out who that backup is, it's a question of how good is he, and does he deserve that playing time?"
And if things don't work to perfection, Gators fans can rest assured Meyer and his staff will be up late formulating new plans to remain on top.
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