Florida is 4-0, ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and heads to No. 25 Missouri on Saturday with one of the most productive and explosive offenses in the country.
Gators first-year offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner was asked Tuesday about the Gators how often they are tweaking their plays from week to week.
His answer could not have been simple - "Always."
Then he went on to expand on that philosophy a bit.
"Formationally, motions, shifts, you know, those are the things that, you know, we don't change a lot of concepts on a week in, week out basis, but we do change the pictures," Faulkner said during his media availability.
Faulkner is in his first season in Gainesville after Jon Sumrall hired him away from Georgia Tech in December. He spent three seasons (2023-2025) as the Yellow Jackets' offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, and in 2025 Georgia Tech led the ACC in rushing (197.8 yards per game), ranked second in total offense (437.7) and third in passing efficiency. That season earned him FootballScoop's Offensive Coordinator of the Year award.
Before Georgia Tech, Faulkner spent 2020-2022 at Georgia as an offensive quality control coach working with the quarterbacks, a stretch that included two national titles. He also called plays at Southern Miss (2019), Arkansas State (2016-2018), Middle Tennessee (2011-2015) and Murray State (2010). He played quarterback at Valdosta State, where he threw for 44 touchdowns as a sophomore and helped the Blazers reach the Division II national championship game.
Asked what prompts a new wrinkle, Faulkner said, "There's a joke in the office that if it works one time, we retire it, you know. No, it's just I think the biggest thing is, you know, for us it's trying to utilize each player's skill set and find different ways to attack defenses. That's all."
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding got an up-close look at that approach last week. Before the Rebels came to Gainesville, Golding said of Florida's pre-snap movement, "It's the circus, and you have to survive the circus to get the ball snapped and still be able to do your job."
He added, "It's one thing when you have a stationary picture and you know the tells. It's another when they start in FIB, shift to unbalanced, then motion and run the same play."
Florida won 52-28 over the then-No. 4 Rebels. The Gators ran for 302 yards, with Jadan Baugh carrying 29 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns and Duke Clark adding 126 yards on 12 carries. Aaron Philo completed 16 of 23 passes for 196 yards and spread the ball to eight different receivers.
Faulkner agreed with the circus comparison. "Yeah, that's kind of what we try to do," he said.
Asked how many plays Florida carries, Faulkner said, "Can you cook plays? I mean, I love plays. But we try to do what our guys are good at, right? Everybody's got good plays. I think it's about getting your guys in position to be successful. And so, you know, we've got five or six run concepts, but it looks like a bunch of different plays."
Florida has scored 214 points in four games, an average of 53.5 per game, and ranks fifth nationally at 533 yards per game. Baugh has 600 rushing yards, second in the country, and became the third Florida running back with five straight 100-yard games, joining Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor.
Five or six run concepts is a number nearly every level can manage. The multiplier is in the dressing: formation, shifts and motion that change how the defense has to align and fit, while the players up front and in the backfield keep repping the same handful of plays until they can run them in their sleep.
A high school staff can copy that model without adding pages to the install. Keep the menu short and give the defense a new look at it every Friday.
Missouri gets its turn to sort through "the circus" Saturday.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.