Emory Jones hasn’t turned the ball over since the first quarter against Alabama, and he looks like a completely different quarterback now.
It was a career day for Florida quarterback Emory Jones on Saturday against Tennessee. Jones finished the day as just the second Gator in the last 25 years to pass for over 200 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game.
The last guy to do it? A guy named Tim Tebow.
After hearing boos rain down against him against Alabama, Jones did what he always does and got ready for the next week unphased by a supposed “Florida quarterback controversy.” Backup Anthony Richardson was responsible for a handful of explosive plays early in the season, and the Gator Nation began to question why Jones was still Dan Mullen‘s unquestioned starter.
The former five-star recruit answered the questions emphatically against the Volunteers, finishing the game with 209 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 144 rushing yards. After weeks of uncertainty, Jones is finally settling into his new role.
“I think you see him [Jones] really settling down,” said coach Dan Mullen. “I thought he did a great job making his reads, managing the offense, and getting us in the right checks and into the right plays. His decision-making was pretty good in the past game.”
Jones completed 21 of 27 passes against the Volunteers, which is the most accurate he’s looked all year. Much of his success in the air came as a result of Tennessee focusing on Florida’s deadly run game. Jones could threaten a scramble and either take off with it for the first down or dump it off as coverage broke down.
“I’ve always been pretty good at throwing the ball on the run,” Jones said. “Every game, I’ve been getting more confident and trying to build that. For the most part, I trust in my guys so I could be more confident sitting out there throwing in and outside the pocket. The guys up front did a pretty good job. They helped me out and made a lot of plays for me.”
Many of the runs Jones ended up breaking were designed pass plays. In just four games as a starter, he’s developed a better sense for when to take a chance on a risky throw. Jones threw two interceptions against both Florida Atlantic and USF, but he hasn’t turned the ball over since the first quarter of the Alabama game.
Tennessee’s defense began to figure out an answer to Florida’s running backs, but they had no answer for Jones.
“No matter who you play, the quarterback can get loose,” Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor said. “And if you don’t contain the quarterback, he is going to make plays with his feet. The emphasis was on stopping the run, and I feel like we did a pretty good job with the running backs. But as far as containing the quarterback, we didn’t do so well. We just got to wrap up and make more tackles.”
Jones’ recent play should have garnered him some more support from the Florida faithful, but he may just be getting started if that’s not enough. Running back Dameon Pierce expects big things from his quarterback as Florida’s season continues.
“Yeah, he has more to come,” Pierce said. “That just scratched the surface for Emory. He’s a guy with a lot of potential and a lot of grit. He’s still getting comfortable and he’s still getting his feet wet, so expect more of that for Emory.”
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