UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Wednesday, September 18, 1996 5B Quarterback knows coach's calls The Associated Press GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The defensive scheme is shown on the screen, and Florida coach Steve Spurrier hits the pause button. Now comes the hard part for Danny Wuerfel. The Gators have 18 plays that can be called against this defense, and Wuerfel must pick the one Spurrier has in mind. It is not easy, considering Spurrier has relied on the precision of a mechanical engineer and the imagination of a sandlot player in devising the Fun 'N' Gun offense. "After a while, you start getting a feeling of what he wants to do in a certain situation," Wuerffel said. "When you get to the line of scrimmage and an unknown situation presents itself, you'll have the right frame of mind to get what you need to get." Wuerffel's cool confidence is why he likely will finish as the most prolific passer in Florida history. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he does not have the physique of Peyton Manning, his rival at Tennessee. His throwing motion does not draw comparisons with Dan Marino or John Elway. If anything, it draws criticism that he is merely a product of the system. He rarely gets upset or overly excited, except the time he was a freshman and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Chris Doering with three seconds left to beat Kentucky. S spurrier often talks about intelligence in the classroom and intelligence on the field. Both apply to Wuerffel. Scott Halleran / ALLSPORT "Danny's accuracy and decision-making remind me of Joe Montana," said Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer, whose son Brian is Wuerffel's backup. "Danny's ability to consistently throw to the right spot is what has enabled him to be such a productive and winning quarterback." The Gators have won the Southeast He already holds the school record with 78 touchdown passes, and his 7,741 yards put him on course to break Shane Matthews' school record of 9,287. Spurrier, who won the Helsiman Trophy at Florida in 1966, speaks frankly when he says Wuerffel will go down as the best in Gator history. "I don't rank them," Spurrier said. "I let the statistics and the championships speak for themselves." That won't happen unless Wuerffel and No. 4 Florida can outdo Manning and No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday, a game that could help decide the SEC champion, the right to play for a national title and even the Heisman Trophy. Danny Wuerffel, quarterback for the No. 4 Florida Gators, will be depended upon to help beat No. 2 Tennessee Saturday and to help lead Florida to its fourth consecutive SEC title. Wuerffel seems oblivious to all this, just like he refused to be baited into a discussion of why Manning was the focus of preseason publicity. "If I were playing for All-America status or more magazine covers, obviously that would be a problem," Wuerffel said. "We're not playing for that. We're playing for team goals, to see who can help our team out the most. I don't ever play against Peyton head-to-head." But he thinks highly of Manning, whom he first met when Wanning made a recruiting visit to the 1994 Sugar Bowl. "He's got a great football mind, and he takes the time to study," Wuerffel said. "On top of that, he has gained the respect of his teammates, and he's a great leader. Put that on top of a great frame and a great mind, and you've got a great quarterback." "Are there things I do better? I don't know. What do you think?" There is one statistic that sets Wuerffel apart — he is 3-0 against Tennessee. Tennessee in 1993, throwing for 231 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-34 victory. He was the backup in a 31-0 victory in 1994, throwing only one pass—an interception. 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