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Inside the Gators take a closer look at both of their showings in the first game of the 2015 campaign. In Florida's season opener, both Will Grier and Treon Harris performed well under the spotlight against a lower-tier opponent in New Mexico State for the 61-13 victory Saturday night in The Swamp. With the debate between which signal-caller should primarily lead the Gators offense moving forward being a hot topic currently,take a closer look at both of their showings in the first game of the 2015 campaign.

Game 1 stats: 14/19 passing 215 yards, 2 TD, 203.5 passer rating; five rushes, 23 yards

First down: 5/8, 92 yards, TD

Second down: 4/5, 30 yards

Third down: 3/4, 62 yards

Fourth down: 2/2, 31 yards, TD

Behind line of scrimmage: 5/5, 41 yards

1-10 yards: 3/6, 19 yards, TD

11-25 yards: 5/6, 118 yards

26+ yards: 1/2, 37 yards, TD

LEFT (6/9 passing, 77 yards)

Behind line of scrimmage: 3/3, 19 yards

1-10 yards: 1/4, 7 yards

11-25 yards: 2/2, 51 yards

26+ yards: N/A

MIDDLE (4/4 passing, 36 yards, TD)

Behind line of scrimmage: N/A

1-10 yards: 2/2, 12 yards, TD

11-25 yards: 2/2, 24 yards

26+ yards: N/A

RIGHT (4/6 passing, 102 yards, TD)

Behind line of scrimmage: 2/2, 22 yards

1-10 yards: N/A

11-25 yards: 1/2, 43 yards

26+ yards: 1/2, 37 yards, TD

Drives: 6 (ended in two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, a field goal and a punt)

Snaps: 43 (24 rushes and 19 passes)

Pistol: 18 plays (11 rushes, 7 passes) (41.8%) (4/7, 87 yards, TD)

Shotgun: 22 plays (11 rushes, 11 passes) (55.8%) (9/11, 116 yards, TD)

Under center: 2 plays (2 rushes) (4.7%)

Empty backfield: 1 play (1 pass) (2.3%) (1/1, 6 yards)

Harris' pass distribution:

3/3 to C.J. Worton for 23 yards, TD

2/3 to Valdez Showers for 24 yards

1/3 to Jake McGee for 7 yards

1/2 to DeAndre Goolsby for 13 yards

1/1 to Brandon Powell for 37 yards, TD

1/1 to Kelvin Taylor for 43 yards

1/1 to Alvin Bailey for 26 yards

1/1 to Josh Grady for 25 yards

1/1 to Mark Herndon for 9 yards

1/1 to Demarcus Robinson for 5 yards

1/1 to Antonio Callaway for 3 yards

Observations:

Seven of Florida's nine plays of Harris' first two drives were rushing plays. Overall, eight of Harris' plays were on play action: Six were passes and two were runs by Harris for 10 yards. Against the Aggies, he went 3-of-6 on play-action passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Of the 25 rushing plays Florida ran with Harris in the game, 10 were of the 18 first-down plays, 10 were of the 15 second-down plays and four were on the eight third-down plays. No runs were on fourth down.

Overall, Harris had a very good game, but there are obviously a few areas that still have room for improvement. He moved the team down the field, showcasing some great moves in play-action and on designed runs as well. He made a bunch of nice throws and did a decent job with his progressions. Sometimes though, the 5-foot-11 Harris would be a bit hesitant on his first reads possibly due to trouble seeing over the line -- and on a lot of those instances he shouldn't have taken so much time. On a 3rd and 4 play in the third quarter, Harris connected with Worton for 6 yards on a crossing pass for the first down on his second read, but he had Lewis open in the slot on his first read and that could have gone for a greater gain. It worked out OK in that situation, but Harris needs to release the ball in those instances more quickly moving forward.

Harris' first drive didn't go so well. A high snap from center Cameron Dillard pushed the Florida offense back 13 yards to a 2nd and 23. After a quick slant pass to Callaway for 3 yards, Harris rolled out of the pocket on 3rd and 20 for a 9-yard run as right tackle Mason Halter missed a block and allowed a defensive end into the backfield. Moving out of the pocket, Harris was in a tough spot but possibly could have connected down the right sideline with McGee, who has waving his arms as he was open. Still, that's a difficult situation to maneuver.

After Florida punted on the first drive, Harris capped off his second drive with a pretty play - a 37-yard touchdown pass to Powell on the crossing pattern down the field. Although the ball was a bit underthrown from Harris on play-action, Powell made an excellent play extending his body and grabbing the low ball to then diving toward the pylon.

During UF's third drive that ended in a Taylor touchdown run, Harris had two particularly great throws. On 2nd and 7, he surveyed the coverage well and connected with Showers on a curl route for 11 yards. Then moving out of the pocket as freshman right tackle Fred Johnson struggled to hold off a pass rusher, Harris made another great throw to Taylor, who scrambled and performed his magic against a host of NMSU defenders for a 43-yard gain into the red zone. Harris began the game 7-of-7 passing for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Harris had five incompletions in the second half, going 7-of-12 passing with one touchdown. Harris had a good throw to Showers on 1st and 10, but the ball touched the ground when Showers dove for it. One miss was a throw too outside and low for McGee to catch. Another was a dangerous throw behind to McGee that was almost picked off in the Aggies' zone defense. Harris followed that on the next drive with an incompletion on an overthrown pass intended for a wide-open Lewis as Harris faced the pressure when the pocket collapsed and took a big shot. On a 1st and 10, Harris slightly overthrew Goolsby running down the right sideline as the sophomore tight end got separation on his defender and then saw the ball hit his hands as he reached out. It was a little too far of a pass to haul in.

Harris made a few nice fourth-down throws in the game dropping back, showing some poise in those situations. On 4th and 3, he connected with Grady for a 25-yard gain. Later on, he connected with Worton on 4th and goal for the 6-yard score. Worton ran an excellent route, double-faking his defender and then turning up the field to make the pretty catch and keep his feet inbounds. It was another impressive throw from Harris on the day.

Game 1 stats: 16/18 passing, 166 yards, 2 TD, 208.1 passer rating; four rushes, 44 yards, TD, lost fumble, sacked once

First down: 8/10, 98 yards, 2 TD

Second down: 4/4, 13 yards

Third down: 4/4, 64 yards

Fourth down: N/A

Behind line of scrimmage: 5/5, 9 yards

0-15 yards: 6/7, 50 yards

15-25 yards: 5/6, 107 yards, 2 TD

26+ yards: N/A

LEFT (5/7 passing, 18 yards)

Behind line of scrimmage: 2/2, -2 yards

1-10 yards: 3/4, 20 yards

11-25 yards: 0/1

26+ yards: N/A

MIDDLE (5/5 passing, 85 yards, 2 TD)

Behind line of scrimmage:1/1, 2 yards

1-10 yards: 2/2, 24 yards

11-25 yards: 3/3, 61 yards, 2 TD

26+ yards: N/A

RIGHT (5/5 passing, 61 yards)

Behind line of scrimmage: 2/2, 9 yards

1-10 yards: 1/1, 6 yards

11-25 yards: 2/2, 46 yards

26+ yards: N/A

Drives: 6 (ended in two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, a field goal and a lost fumble)

Snaps: 30 (12 rushes and 18 passes)

Pistol: 9 plays (7 rushes, 2 passes) (30%) (2/2, 25 yards)

Shotgun: 18 plays (15 passes, 3 rushes) (60%) (13/15, 118 yards, 2 TD)

Under center: 2 plays (2 rushes) (6.7%)

Empty backfield: 1 play (1 pass) (3.3%) (1/1, 23 yards)

Grier's pass distribution:

5/5 to Demarcus Robinson for 29 yards

2/2 to C'yontai Lewis for 44 yards, 2 TD

2/2 to DeAndre Goolsby for 25 yards

2/2 to Antonio Callaway for 23 yards

1/1 to Alvin Bailey for 17 yards

1/1 to Brandon Powell for 13 yards

1/1 to Jake McGee for 11 yards

1/1 to Vernon Hargreaves for 6 yards

1/1 to Kelvin Taylor for -2 yards

Observations:

Of the 12 rushing plays Florida ran with Grier in the game, six were of the 15 first-down plays, five were of the nine second-down plays and two were on the six third-down plays. No plays were on fourth down when Grier was in. Florida rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns and coughed up a fumble on 13 carries (7 YPC).

Overall, Florida averaged 8.5 yards per play while Grier was in the game, as compared to 7.6 yards per play with Harris in. The Gators totaled 111 yards and two scores on the ground on 25 carries (4.4 YPC) when Harris was in. Grier averaged 10.5 yards per completion; Harris had 15.4 yards per completion.

The average starting point for Grier's six drives was the Florida 41-yard line, while the average drive start for Harris was the UF 33.

For the most part, Grier went through his full progressions but often looked to his first read. A lot of the time, those were smart decisions, as he showcased a quick release with his first-reads finding good separation. On a few occasions, he did stare down a pass-catcher when he did have another available option open. (His 2-yard throw to Goolsby on 2nd and 5 on a flat route in the third quarter is a good example, as Robinson appeared open on the right side and could have had a 5-6 yard gain.) Still, overall Grier showcased good decision-making and a quick release Saturday. At 6-foot-2, Grier displayed good vision and an ability to see over the offensive line.

Grier's two incompletions were an errant sideline pass to Showers on his first play that was too much to the outside and then a drop from Fulwood on a well-placed ball from Grier. Fulwood could have possibly taken it to the house if he had just held on. The bad throw to kick things off could have been a miscommunication or just early jitters, as Grier soon shook it off.

Grier's first long throw came on play action and was an accurate pass to Goolsby for a 23-yard gain down the right sideline. Goolsby appeared to get his toes inbounds, but his heel was out of bounds after that. On a close call, the referees confirmed the play.

On the next play on 1st and 10 on the NMSU 12, Grier let off a dart on a quick release to Lewis, who made a great catch 1-on-1 against an Aggies defender in the middle of the end zone for the score. Grier's second connection with Lewis came near the end of the second quarter, when the Aggies blitzed with six rushers. Left guard Trip Thurman , left tackle David Sharpe and running back Case Harrison did a great job of picking up the blitz, but Grier's quick release and poise in the pocket also made the play possible as he connected with a wide-open Lewis downfield for the 32-yard touchdown catch.

On his second drive, Grier fumbled a ball on 1st and 10 at UF's 19 that the Aggies recovered in the red zone. It was a missed protection on the offensive line's part as New Mexico State sent six rushers on the safety blitz, but Grier needs to showcase better ball security in that instance.

On his third drive, Grier opened some eyes with a 38-yard rush on a play that was a designed pass. With not many downfield options open, Grier saw the lane and followed good blocks by Cameron Dillard and Antonio Riles to sprint downfield. Then, it because a footrace, as Grier showcased that he could hang with Harris in the dual-threat department. Later in the drive, Grier ran quarterback keeper into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run as tight end McGee and freshman right tackle Johnson made an easy lane for him.

One of Grier's prettiest throws of the night came on a 23-yard pass to Callaway, who made a fantastic grab against a NMSU safety down the right sideline to the New Mexico State 4. In an empty backfield, Florida had McGee run an out route in the slot, forcing the cornerback to come over. That left Callaway some good space to make the play. Grier followed the well-crafted play design perfectly and made a great throw.

Grier moved the ball well during a two-minute drill to close the second half. After Fulwood's drop and a broken up screen play designed for Taylor, Grier did a nice job of getting through his progression on a 3rd and 12 and connected with Powell down the middle, as the speedy sophomore faked out a few defenders to gain 8 yards after the catch for a first down. On two consecutive plays during UF's final first-half drive after that, Grier connected with Robinson for two 9-yard gains as he basically ran the same route on both plays. Then, Grier found Lewis for the 32-yard score.

Florida kept Grier into the game for six consecutive drives spanning from the top of the second quarter to midway in the third. Grier played two drives in the third quarter, ending in a field goal and a rushing touchdown from Jordan Cronkrite . On 3rd and 2 on his first third-quarter drive, even as the pressure gradually mounted from the left side Grier could have taken off later and tried to connect with an open Goolsby for the first down instead. Rather, he rolled out of the pocket and stumbled a bit on his run as he came short of the first.

One of Grier's least accurate throws of the night actually ended in a completion. On 3rd and 7, he threw a pass way behind to Bailey. But then the real craziness happened, as the ball bounced off Bailey's hands, then off the defender and then back into Bailey's hands for a 17-yard catch. Grier was facing a little pressure on the throw, as Mason Halter missed his block and freshman tailback Jordan Scarlett managed to hold up nicely against another defender in pass protection. Still, Grier was playing with fire there. If he had faced an SEC defense and made that throw, maybe it turns into an INT.

All video courtesy of the SEC Network.