Florida Football: Gators shouldn’t quit on Feleipe Franks

3. The Florida offensive line is bad

No quarterback can succeed behind a bad offensive line. It makes Quarterbacks afraid of “ghosts” or a pass rush that isn’t even there. If a quarterback is hit enough, he’ll run before he should and make poor reads to just get the ball out of his hands and into safety.

Franks looked punch drunk once Michigan’s defense got going and Florida couldn’t pass protect against a 3-man rush. Michigan’s defensive line looked like the “Florida speed” we always hear about. To be fair, the Wolverines are one of the best defensive fronts in the entire nation. It would have been stunning to say the least if Franks could have moved the ball at will against the maize-clad big boys up front.

Next: Major takeaways from Michigan's win over Florida

The Gators may have been without their skill guys but they do have their offensive line in tact and Jim McElwain could have mixed up their pass protection, like Michigan did, in order to give Franks more time to throw and more confidence in the pocket. It worked in 2016 for Mark Richt and Brad Kaaya after the four game losing streak Miami came back strong to end the season. Bad protection and poor play calling can make any quarterback look bad.