Franks, Gators embracing 'short-term memory', and it's working in bad situations

A year ago, Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks wouldn't have had the confidence to bounce back on the snap following an interception with one of the most beautiful passes of his career.

At that time, Franks was new to head coach Dan Mullen's offensive system and coming off of a rough redshirt freshman season that saw him complete only 54.6% of his passes for 1438 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 11 games.

His confidence surely wasn't where it is today, as Franks enters 2019 with the respect of his teammates, control of Mullen's offense, and growing poise.

What helps Franks, as well as the rest of this Gators squad, gain that poise? Their adoption of "short-term memory" - an ability to shake things off in order to overcome bad situations.

"It’s very important to have short-term memory and just respond to pressure," Franks told the media following Monday's practice.

It was especially important throughout the Gators' 2019 season opener - a sloppy victory that saw Franks commit three total turnovers, the team tally nine penalties, and a lot of rust getting shaken off. However, despite seemingly adverse moments during the game, Franks and the Gators continuously rebounded and walked out of Camping World Stadium with a 24-20 win.

Franks finished the game with a completion percentage of 63%, going 17-27 for 254 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown to balance out his turnovers. If not for his ability to brush bad plays off of his shoulder now, unlike in the past, that stat-line and Florida's record would not look the same.

The idea of short-term memory doesn't sound great in a vacuum when it comes to a sport as detailed as football, but the Gators see it as a strength when it comes to maintaining confidence - a key factor in Mullen's rebuild of the program.

Junior wide receiver Trevon Grimes is also a believer in the idea of short-term memory, noting that the team has hosted motivational guest speakers who share the idea in their message.

"I feel like we've learned to forget about the bad things," Grimes stated. "We've had a lot of guest speakers come through, and one thing they always say is 'Forget about if you mess up, you have to learn how to have a short memory."

It obviously works. Down 20-17 to Miami, with 13:19 left in the fourth quarter and at Florida's own 24-yard line, Franks threw an interception about 20 yards down the field to Hurricanes safety Amari Carter, which was returned to the Gators' 25 yard-line.

After Miami failed to capitalize on the field position - ultimately missing a 27-yard field goal, Franks' first passing attempt went deep to slot receiver Josh Hammond for a gain of 65 yards. It was arguably one of the nicest passes Franks has thrown in his Florida career.

Felipe Franks found Josh Hammond off this Y-Counter PA scheme. Paired with a 3-man vertical concept, it burned the Hurricanes man-free coverage.

Watch Franks hold the FS with his eyes for the split second necessary. #Gators pic.twitter.com/EnQMMHSfy4
— GatorBreakdowns (@GatorFilmBreak) August 26, 2019

"[It was a] great pass," co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach John Hevesy said. "Everyone’s going to make mistakes... we throw a pick, we come back and hit a big play, get down in the red zone and score, the final score to win the game. So you look and it’s one play… it’s never one play. It’s cumulative of the whole game. The one thing is you look at our kids and it never fazed them."

Given Franks' lack of poise throughout the first half of last season, bouncing back in the face of adversity was not something that anyone would have expected from him. Now, as Franks has grown into a leadership role within the Florida Gators offense, he has set an example on how to recoup from bad situations and keep the team competitive.

"There wasn’t one time in that game where I lost hope that I couldn’t sling the ball around," Franks said of his ability to remain collected in times of distress.

"You just keep on slinging it around. [We had] a big drive that ultimately helped us win the game."