Alabama's Offensive Arsenal Will Keep Gator Defense On Its Toes
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In their first two SEC games, the Gators faced the challenge of stopping the league's leading rusher.
No problem.
Tennessee's Tauren Poole managed a measly 23 yards, and Kentucky's Derrick Locke was limited to 54 yards through three quarters before finishing with 103, more than 20 below his season average.
Considering what's next, Poole and Locke served mostly as appetizers. The main course is an Alabama offense led by 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram, quarterback Greg McElroy and dynamic receiver Julio Jones, who many consider the top NFL receiver prospect currently playing college football. Oh, and let's not forget Ingram's backfield mate, running back Trent Richardson.
“As far as two running backs and a quarterback and a wide receiver, they have a great team,'' Gators senior linebacker Brandon Hicks said. “That's one thing you can't take from them. They won the national championship soundly.''
Hicks referred to the foursome as “weapons'' the No. 7-ranked Gators must be aware of at all times when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide on Saturday.
In two games since returning from a knee injury, Ingram has averaged 154 yards a game, and Richardson is averaging 7.6 yards a carry to form perhaps the nation's most dangerous backfield. Meanwhile, McElroy led the Crimson Tide to a comeback win over Arkansas last week after a slow start, and Jones is third in the SEC with 20 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have a lot of respect for their personnel,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. “This will be one of these great environments in the SEC we get to play in. We better be locked and loaded.''
While the Gators respect Alabama's high-powered offense, stopping Tennessee and Kentucky the past two games showed what they can do when playing at a high level as a unit.
In the victory over Tennessee on Sept. 18, the Gators used their “heavy package,'' a 5-2 defensive front that included an extra defensive lineman and moving defensive end Duke Lemmens into a hybrid linebacker role. They defended Kentucky differently, using their speed on defense in stopping multi-threat receiver Randall Cobb and Locke.
The Gators will likely mix it up in defending Alabama, which leads the SEC in both scoring offense (39.5 points per game) and total offense (511.8 yards per game).
At the forefront will be stopping Ingram and Richardson, who helped the Crimson Tide rush for 251 yards in their SEC Championship Game win over the Gators last December.
“Everyone knows that Alabama has two of the best running backs in the country,'' Gators defensive end Justin Trattou said. “But we definitely don't take for granted that they have a really good quarterback and some big-time receivers. A huge emphasis for us is going to be running to the ball. Obviously these guys are great running backs, so we're going to have to swarm the ball carrier.''
Florida must also be careful not to let McElroy have a big night in the passing game, especially with Jones often his primary target. Gators sophomore cornerback Jeremy Brown didn't play in last season's loss to Alabama.
However, he was at the Georgia Dome that night and understands the task at hand in defending Jones and fellow receivers Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze.
“Julio, he is almost a perfect receiver,'' Brown said. “He's physical, tall, big. It's something we really have to focus on, stopping him. They are all good. That's probably something that's different from other teams. They have three or four receivers who could start almost anywhere in the country.''
And then there's McElroy, whose primary task is often to manage the game and let the playmakers make the big plays. If that sounds familiar, that's because that has been the formula the Gators have used much of the season in John Brantley's first four starts.
For the Gators to leave Bryant-Denny Stadium late Saturday night with a victory, stopping Alabama's offense will be crucial.
“We plan on taking it to another level,'' Hicks said. “Arm tackling isn't good. That's not going to happen. We have to focus on the fundamentals, making the routine plays.''
