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News Bot
The way Steve Spurrier’s offense struggled on the ground last week in the loss at LSU, some are surmising he’s ready to chuck his new Ground ’n Grind approach and start airing it out a little more in a stadium where he’s very comfortable (in fact, he’s the one that gave The Swamp its name).
So, is the head ball coach going to bring back the Fun ‘n’ Gun to Florida Field on Saturday?
Maybe. But probably not. That’s not the way he wins football games anymore. What worked in the 1990s isn’t a winning formula anymore in the SEC, even for Spurrier.
“Well, we caught a lot of passes against LSU. They didn’t get thrown very often. It’s just different now,” Spurrier said. “The guys we had there at Florida, we had good pass protectors and excellent passers and catchers, of course. So we were successful throwing it.
“For whatever reason, we’ve not quite had that here. We have excellent runners, so that’s what we’re trying to do a little bit more of. But again, we always shoot for balance running and throwing. Sometimes the running is more important than the throwing and that’s what you’re going to do more often.”
The league has changed — and so has Spurrier.
“I would say the biggest difference is a little bit of difference in the personnel and also the defenses get faster and quicker every year,” he said. “They’re faster, and then you throw the ball and it doesn’t go through the air any faster than it did 100 years ago, I guess.
“I think it makes it a little bit more different, although the NFL guys, they still throw it around pretty doggone well. So, that doesn’t mean you can’t throw.”
So, does the Fun ‘n’ Gun make an appearance in The Swamp on Saturday?
With Spurrier, you never know. That part of him has not changed.
Source: GatorSports.com - Robbie's Playbook
