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Florida Makes QB Change Before Oklahoma Game
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- Florida Makes QB Change Before Oklahoma Game
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Florida Makes QB Change Before Oklahoma Game
The offenses of Oklahoma and No. 24 Florida are making significant changes before their contest on Saturday.
The Sooners fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and promoted tight ends coach Jason Witten to interim offensive coordinator after suffering a 42-25 loss to South Carolina in Week 9.
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The Gators are coming off a third blowout loss of the season. Both quarterbacks Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. struggled in a 27-8 loss to Georgia.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Gators will turn to Jones to get the start against Oklahoma on Saturday.
Philo got the start against Georgia as Jones was limited in practice last week due to injury. Jones replaced Philo in the second quarter after the Georgia Tech transfer threw two interceptions, though head coach Jon Sumrall noted the second interception was not his fault.
Jones finished the day going 18 of 25 passing for 172 yards and one interception while taking four sacks, including one that he fumbled and the Bulldogs took back for six points.
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This season, Jones has thrown for 579 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. He was the starting quarterback in Florida's upset win at Texas on Oct. 17.
Philo has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,367 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions. He's added three scores on the ground.
The Gators are making the quarterback change before playing their first contest in November. At 5-3, Florida has a slim chance of making the College Football Playoff. After playing Oklahoma, UF will travel to play No. 6 Kentucky, host Vanderbilt, and finish its season off against Florida State on Nov. 27.
It remains to be seen if Sumrall will roll with Jones for the rest of the season or if he'll make another quarterback change if the freshman isn't playing at a high level. Florida has to balance preparing its quarterback of the future and trying to win games this season.
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Jones appears to give the offense a dynamic that Philo does not. Philo earned the starting job thanks to his experience with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's offense. The quarterback change signals that the Gators need to see more from their quarterback.
But it's not just the quarterback position that has been an issue for Florida. The offensive line has not played well in its losses. The Gators rushed 28 times for 54 yards against the Bulldogs. Star running back Jadan Baugh has not rushed for more than 100 yards since UF's 52-28 win over Ole Miss on Sept. 26.
