As Denny Green famously said, “They are who we thought they were.” And after one week of Florida football, Buster Faulkner looks exactly like who we thought he would be.
This summer, Kyle and I joined Locked On Gators to talk about Faulkner’s move from Georgia Tech to Florida and what Gator fans could expect from the offense. Our biggest takeaway was simple: do not expect Faulkner to reinvent himself. Expect him to bring what worked in Atlanta with him to Gainesville.
One game into the season, that prediction looks pretty accurate.
With Aaron Philo at the helm, Florida showed an offense built around the same principles Faulkner helped establish at Georgia Tech. The formations may change. The personnel may change. The window dressing may change. But the foundation remains the same.
One of the biggest staples is G/T Counter.
Faulkner does not simply run G/T Counter and move on. He builds formations, motions, screens and complementary plays around it. The defense is constantly being asked to solve the same basic blocking structure while dealing with a different presentation.
That is what makes this offense fun to study.
Let’s take a look at what Faulkner showed us out of the gate.
Double TE
The Gators align in an empty double tight set with trips to the field, then motion the running back behind the quarterback before running G/T Counter to the right.
I absolutely love the formation and motion here to set up G/T.
The motion helps create the picture Faulkner wants while the double tight formation gives the offensive line plenty of surface area to work with. The down blocks create a clean edge, allowing the guard to kick and the tackle to wrap.
Simple. Physical. Efficient.
Jet Motion
Another double tight set, but this time Florida is in a condensed 2x2 formation from the pistol.
The receiver to the right goes in jet motion away from the call, giving the defense some extra eye candy before the snap.
The edge defender spikes inside and creates some initial havoc, but the running back keeps the play tight and downhill behind the tackle’s down block.
This is an important part of G/T Counter. The back does not need to bounce everything outside. If the blocking gives him a crease, get downhill and let the pullers do their job.
Spread 2x2
Now we get a completely different look with different personnel, but the same basic concept.
The formation is spread out, yet Florida still finds a way to create the edge for G/T Counter.
The play side guard ducks his head and gets beat on his down block, but the rest of the big bodies getting to the edge create enough space for the running back to find the end zone.
Different presentation. Same answer.
