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Thanks to Tim Tebow, Florida's short-yardage and goal-line offense the last four years was predictable and prolific.
Everyone knew Tebow was keeping it.
Everyone knew he was probably running it.
No one really stopped it.
When No. 4 Florida opens the season Saturday against Miami (Ohio), one of its concerns will be finding someone to pick up those critical yards. Who's going to handle the ball on third-and-2, fourth-and-1, near the end zone? And how successful will the Gators be with those carries?
''Are we ready to go into a game in goal-line and short-yardage situations? No, but we've got to get there in a hurry and we're doing things to make sure that gets enhanced,'' running backs coach Stan Drayton said.
Drayton has spent the last month trying to get his backs - primarily seniors Jeff Demps and Emmanuel Moody - to embrace the role. Drayton believes it's not as simple as finding holes and running to daylight. He puts more emphasis on attitude than agility, a big reason why Tebow had such an advantage in those situations.
Tebow ran more than 600 times the last three seasons, gaining nearly 2,500 yards and scoring 49 touchdowns. He was most effective in single-wing formations, which the Gators used in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
They still have those in the playbook, but they're not certain who will carry the load.
''Tebow is 240 pounds and I don't have a back 240 pounds,'' Drayton said. ''And Tebow just brings a whole other demeanor about himself in that situation. ... Our backs have got to get that job done. We want our numbers called in those situations, and right now, we've got a ways to go.''
Demps and Moody should get the first shot.
A 185-pound speedster who won track national titles in the 60-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay, Demps has been mostly a straight-line runner in three seasons at Florida. He would typically get the ball in the backfield and outrun everyone to the edge, then turn up field.
Now, with quarterback John Brantley working from the I-formation, the Gators are asking Demps to follow blocks and weave his way through the line of scrimmage. They're also asking him to lower his pads and take on tacklers.
''I think I'm tough enough,'' Demps said. ''Now I'm working on the mental part of it.''
The mental part is everything, Drayton said.
''Demps' issue is he's 190 pounds and he's got to learn how to play behind his pads,'' Drayton said. ''Is there a size advantage in those other guys? Yeah, but it doesn't mean anything. If you've got the demeanor and pad level and everything's right, he can still be effective in those short-yardage, goal-line situations.''
Moody is a step slower than Demps, but has an NFL-style frame.
The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Texan transferred from Southern California in 2007, with hopes of becoming a featured back. But he's spent most of his career rehabbing from injuries and watching from the sideline as Tebow, Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Demps received the bulk of the work.
Moody has missed nine games because of a balky right ankle and had surgery twice since January. If he stays healthy, though, he could be Florida's short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Tight end Trey Burton and backup quarterback Tyler Murphy also could get a look.
''It's a mindset,'' Moody said. ''I don't feel like it's something you either have it or don't. I just believe if you really change your mind and not let those weaknesses enter your mind and be a cancer, then you really can be that running back that has a demeanor because a lot of that fourth-and-1, red zone, goal-line type of runs, it's all mindset. If you really want to get in the end zone, I believe you can.''
Tebow certainly did.
His first carry at Florida Field ended in a touchdown. His final carry in The Swamp did, too. Between those, he scored more times than anyone in Southeastern Conference history, won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and helped the Gators capture two national titles.
But did Florida's offense become too predictable last season?
''It wasn't a great mystery. It wasn't like it was some ancient scribe on the wall,'' guard Carl Johnson said. ''Everybody knew Tebow was going to run it or have something to do with it. But now, you don't know. We have Brantley, we have Demps, we have weapons.
''You've got to pretty much pick your poison. Do you want us to throw it in you? Jump-fade it in on you? Do you want us to run it in on you? Or do you just want to lay down and take? But you're going to get it. It don't really matter.''
