GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida returned from the national championship game in January with more than just a bunch of shiny trophies.
The top-ranked Gators brought home a version of Oklahoma’s no-huddle offense, too. Called the “banzai” package, it could make the defending national champions even tougher to stop this season.
“We like it, we feel comfortable with it and it’s been fun because it gives us a different tempo, a different style,” quarterback Tim Tebow said Monday. “You get up on the ball and go play again and hit them in the mouth again. It’s good.”
It was nearly flawless in the opener, even if it was against Charleston Southern.
Although the Gators used limited formations in the banzai package, Jeff Demps had two big runs from the scheme, including a 23-yarder for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
“What you saw Saturday was the tip of the iceberg as far as what’s available to us,” coach Urban Meyer said.
a wrinkle the Gators may or may not use down the road. He believes it’s something his staff will unveil more and more each week, possibly even to the point where it becomes an every-down deal.
Oklahoma played primarily in the no-huddle offense last year. The Sooners scored an NCAA-record 716 points, 373 more than their opponents, and had 11 games in which they totaled at least 45 points. They ended the regular season by scoring at least 60 points in five consecutive games, another NCAA record.
Meyer took notice, especially as his coaches started preparing for the up-tempo, quick-snap offense they would see in the Bowl Championship Series title game in Miami.
The Gators managed to slow it down and win 24-14, but Meyer and his assistants were so impressed they decided to do what coaches do best: They copied it.
They installed the banzai package during spring drills, worked on it throughout two-a-day practices and debuted it in Saturday’s 62-3 victory over the Buccaneers.
“It’s extremely stressful when you do it the right way,” receivers coach Billy Gonzales said. “You have to practice it now. If you don’t, it can cause consternation for yourself.
“We want to make that part of our offense. Oklahoma did a good job against us using it, and we watched a lot of their film. … We’ve stressed that it’s our offense, it’s what we do. It’s not just something we fiddle around with.”
huddle offense can make substituting difficult, can force defenses to stay in the same formation, challenges defenders to line up properly and has a tendency to wear down anyone unaccustomed to playing at such a frantic pace.
Oklahoma made it look easy.
The Gators believe they could have similar success.
“I think we’re going to go more and more to that,” Meyer said. “Tim’s very good at it. Our offensive line handles it very well because they realize we’re at an advantage getting up to the line of scrimmage real fast. Our conditioning, that should be a strength.”
Being organized and having the right personnel are key, Meyer said.
He said teams that operate it smoothly usually have a smart and energetic quarterback, athletic offensive linemen who can run to the line of scrimmage, get set and explode off the ball again and again, and versatile running backs and tight ends who allow the offense to use a variety of formations without substitutions.
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