Florida air attack awakening from lengthy slumber

Call off the search.

After five incredibly punchless seasons, the Florida Gators finally are developing an aerial assault for the first time since Tim Tebow took the snaps. A week after connecting with Antonio Callaway for a 63-yard touchdown on fourth-and-14 in the dramatic 28-27 win over Tennessee, quarterback Will Grier raised the excitement level in Gainesville with touchdown passes of 36 yards to Demarcus Robinson and 77 yards to Brandon Powell in Saturday night’s 38-10 surprise slaughter of third-ranked Ole Miss.

“We’ve got young receivers who are playing like veterans,” Grier said in a news conference after the rout of the Rebels. “They are more than a great group of receivers. They work hard, and they deserve everything that they’re getting.”

Tebow had the luxury in 2008, when Florida won a second national title in three seasons under coach Urban Meyer, of throwing to Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, Brandon James, Louis Murphy and David Nelson. The Gators also had talented but troubled tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Nobody is comparing this year’s team with that offensive juggernaut, but Florida has had six pass plays of 30 or more yards through its 5-0 start after compiling just six all of last season. This from a unit starting six freshmen or sophomores.

“We’re growing up offensively,” Gators first-year coach Jim McElwain said. “We’re getting a little bit better, and that’s what we want to do. The biggest thing is learning how to go about our business and that it’s OK to practice hard and to care.

“Bit by bit, I see these guys growing up, and we’ll see how we handle success now. We’ve been lucky on the road, and we’ve been lucky at home. This can be fleeting.”

Florida’s drubbing of Ole Miss vaulted the Gators to No. 11 in this week’s Associated Press poll. The Gators were considered before this season as underdogs by Las Vegas oddsmakers in seven of their 12 games, but victories the past two weeks have erased those thoughts.

The latest challenge is winning on the road at Missouri, which has outscored Florida 78-30 the past two seasons.

“We’ve got to continue to prepare better, and it will continue to show on the field,” Grier said. “We’ve been playing ourselves. People come to play us, but we just try to prepare and play ourselves.”

Grier, a redshirt freshman from Davidson, N.C., has been impressive since claiming the starting job last month from sophomore Treon Harris. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Grier has completed 86 of 128 passes (67.2 percent) for 996 yards, with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Against the Rebels, he completed 24 of 29 attempts (82.8 percent) for 271 yards and four touchdowns, but Grier has a boss who isn’t easily impressed.

“The ones he missed, he’s going to want back, too,” McElwain said. “He did a good job and played the position. We’ll just keep working at it.”

McElwain helped develop Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron during his four-year stint as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and he groomed Garrett Grayson the past three seasons as Colorado State’s head coach. Those three quarterbacks were selected in the NFL draft, so McElwain is being hesitant in heaping praise on Grier without also including his offensive teammates.

Complimenting senior linebacker Antonio Morrison and other defenders has not been an issue, as the Gators rank third nationally with a staggering 46 tackles for loss this season. Florida defenders were stout throughout Will Muschamp’s four seasons as head coach, but several of them did not disguise their frustration with an offense that continually ranked outside the top 100 among Bowl Subdivision teams.

McElwain chooses not to revisit those days when asked, and he’s got good reason. After all, the Gators are creating a lot of opportunities for down the road.

“Here’s what’s going to be next – ‘Are these guys for real?’ and, ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ and all that kind of stuff,” McElwain said. “I get it. I’ve been there, and we’ll find out.”

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.