Gators' Ability To Mix Up Defenses Critical In Stopping The Run
Thursday, September 23, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They call it their “heavy package.’’
Florida senior linebacker Brandon Hicks breaks down the defensive alignment the Gators used to limit Tennessee to 29 yards rushing in simpler terms.
“It’s basically a big set to stop runs,’’ Hicks said. “[Tennessee] had more of a blocking-style tight end, so we put a bigger dude in there.’’
That bigger dude was defensive tackle Terron Sanders, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 309 pounds. In an attempt to defend Tennessee running back Tauren Poole more effectively, the Gators inserted Sanders into the starting lineup in what turned into a 5-2 defensive front, with defensive tackle Jaye Howard moving to end and defensive end Duke Lemmens moving outside to a hybrid linebacker position.
“I love it because I’m part of it,’’ Sanders said. “As long as the front does what we have to do to keep the linemen off [our linebackers], we’ll make plays. I love the pounding we take in there.’’
The 215-pound Poole found yards and running space difficult to come by in Florida’s 31-17 win, gaining just 23 yards on 10 carries.
“We actually started working on that in the spring,’’ Gators coach Urban Meyer said. “It’s great to use that, because we’re going to need that down the road as well.’’
The Gators host Kentucky on Saturday, and like Poole a week ago, Wildcats running back Derrick Locke leads the SEC in rushing at 124 yards per game. Locke is more of a speed back than the powerful Toole, so it’s uncertain if the Gators will use the heavy package to try and slow Kentucky’s run game the way it did Tennessee’s.
What isn’t a mystery is that the Gators want to defense the run with similar success. In UF’s 38-14 win over USF on Sept. 11, the Bulls rushed for 244 yards, including 107 by quarterback B.J. Daniels. The Gators hope to limit the Kentucky combination of Locke and multi-talented Randall Cobb to much fewer yards.
Cobb is the SEC’s best punt returner from what Meyer has seen on film, and he also plays receiver and takes snaps at quarterback from the wildcat formation, creating all sorts of headaches for opposing defenses.
“Over the years, he keeps getting better and better,’’ Gators safety Ahmad Black said of Cobb. “That’s probably the best athlete they have right now.’’
“They are going to make sure he touches the ball a significant number of times. We need to know where he is. He is certainly the difference-maker guy,” co-defensive coordinator Chuck Heater added.
Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is preparing to see Cobb at receiver, running back and in the wildcat formation, which is a way Kentucky coach Joker Phillips can utilize Cobb and take some of the load off Locke in the running game. With Kentucky’s backfield faster than what the Gators faced last week at Tennessee, speed will be at a premium.
That means there is more pressure for Hicks and fellow linebackers Jon Bostic and A.J. Jones to make plays should the Gators go back to a more traditional 4-3 set.
“The thing that makes them difficult is the speed of their backs,’’ Austin said. “We expect to have a great run defense around here. To say we’re going to hold opponents to how every many yards we did last week would be tough. We are always going to put emphasis on the run game.’’
So, while the method of defending the run could be different from last week at Tennessee, the Gators know limiting the Wildcats’ running game will play a huge role in the outcome. The Wildcats are third in the SEC in rushing at 242 yards a game; meanwhile, UF is fourth in the league defending the run at 92.3 yards per game.
“It still all starts with stopping the run,’’ defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. “The rushing attack is real. Locke is not the only one.’’
