Why Scripting Plays Will Help Florida Against Mississippi State

Florida did not have much offensive success against Texas A&M, but when it did, it came on scripted drives.

Florida Gators had its best success against Texas A&M on scripted drives. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators, heading into Saturday's game against Mississippi State, could install a fundamental part of their offense that would pay dividends. Billy Napier will never surrender the play-calling of his offense to anyone.

He's made this point crystal clear and will continue to tell anyone who asks. However, there are fine-tuning aspects of the Gators' offensive approach that can make the Gators noticeably better: scripting the first 15 plays, something Napier on Wednesday shared is a "group effort."

"We work on it together, but I would say in general, it's a group effort," he said. "And we do it again at halftime, and we do it between possessions, you know, so I think there's input. Obviously, you know what you're going to get early, and then they adjust, you adjust. I think in general, it's a group effort."

Random Number?

Decades ago, a legendary NFL head coach scripted the first 15 plays of the game for his offense beforehand. Bill Walsh's thoughts on being prepared and not scrambling to start the game sharply matter. One of Walsh's most successful disciples, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, discussed this with Forbes two years ago.

“You put plays together, combinations that you kind of like and that you want to see how the defense is going to defend different formations,” he exclusively shared. “So it’s a feeling-out process, but it’s still trying to score points.”

Potential Benefits

Establishing a rhythm eliminates chaos when the Gators take possession of the ball. Those first 15 plays represent three complete sets of downs and a crucial third down during the last drive. Additionally, each of those plays could contain an audible to account for down and distance.

That way, the offense can start playing with pace, which DJ Lagway mentioned after the Texas A&M game. Scripting makes the defense play faster in a way they do not want. They want to play quicker by attacking the ball, not hurrying to the line, and not catching their breath. Keeping the opponent off-balance creates winning football.

Evidence

Quinn MacLean, Senior Data Scientist at Sumer Sports, ran the numbers and devised this chart. It shows the correlation between scripted play and non-scripted play. More importantly, it shows the successful, high-powered offenses like Tennessee, Texas Tech, Ohio State and Oregon script.

P4 Offensive Performance when scripted vs non scripted

Scripted = Bill Walsh Definition of first 15 plays pic.twitter.com/5ASj3RBepd

— Quinn MacLean (@QuinnsWisdom) October 14, 2025

Now, critics could state that having NIL war chests helps the process. At the same time, the chart shows schools like Utah (16-ranked scoring offense) and Washington (17th-ranked scoring offense), which are not known for an abundance of money. Florida remains far from broke, but their head coach wants to do everything his way.

Overview

While not guaranteed, scripting plays establishes a rhythm that helps offenses move smoothly. Getting off to a great start takes the pressure off and places it firmly upon the opponent. Scoring early also invigorates a defense that can play a little more aggressively with a lead, possibly leading to touchdowns.

Napier needs to do something, and fast, before his tenure ends faster than he wants it to.