Gators Defense Ready for SEC Test
Saturday, September 13, 2014 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The fourth shutout of the Will Muschamp era also was the most complete and dominant display of football in his four seasons as Florida's head coach.
The marquee storyline of UF's 65-0 wipeout of Eastern Michigan in last weekend's 2014 opener was the debut of offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and those 655 yards quarterback Jeff Driskel and friends posted on a severely outmanned opponent.
That the Gators' defense held the Eagles to just 125 yards and forced five turnovers was something of an afterthought. Understandable. For now.
The most important thing was that Florida won a football game for the first time in 11 months and did so in a manner a lot of UF teams past had won their pre-Southeastern Conference games.
“It was really about getting a 'W' after the long season we had,” junior defensive end Dante Fowler II said in referencing last year's 4-8 mark and seven-game losing streak to end the season. “Just getting a win again to start fresh, we're ready now. It just makes us even hungrier to get another.”
For the Gators (1-0), the next opportunity is a far more meaningful one, with SEC East Division foe Kentucky (2-0) due in town Saturday night in the league opener for both teams. While much has been made in the run-up to kickoff of UF's 27-game winning streak in the series -- the Wildcats last beat the Gators in 1986 -- Muschamp and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin reiterated this week that UK has some weapons and speed on offense, starting with big and mobile sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles, who goes 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
“That's always a challenge, but if we get a good edge on the perimeter of the defense, we [can] keep the quarterback in the pocket. There's nowhere he can run,” senior linebacker Michael Taylor said. “I think our guys are good enough to cover their guys."
The Wildcats averaged 529 yards in wins over Middle Tennessee State and Ohio. If you're quick to wave off those numbers because they came against inferior opponents from FBS programs, then you have to do the same with UF's.
Rest assured, however, the Florida coaches aren't discarding what Kentucky has done.
“They've had a lot of explosive plays,” Durkin said of a Wildcats offense that has seven plays of 40 yards or more in those two outings. “That's always something we talk about in terms of how physical we're playing and how well we're tackling and how well we're running to the ball. So that's always something, but they've done a great job thus far. We've got to do a great job to counter that.”
The Wildcats have a nice group of running backs and some receivers that can make plays. UK coach Mike Stoops, once the defensive coordinator at Florida State, is in his second season and still trying to build the kind of depth on the roster needed for sustained success in a conference as difficult as the SEC.
He understands what he'll be up against coming to The Swamp.
“We know we can't leave points on the [field],” Stoops said.
The last time Kentucky visited Florida Field, the Wildcats didn't just leave points on the field, they left 'em off the scoreboard. The Gators won 38-0 on Sept. 22, 2012. That also marked UF's last shutout in SEC play.
As for the EMU goose egg, yeah it was fun, but the defense is looking for across-the-board carryover against a better team in a more meaningful game.
“We played together as a team, mainly, and as a defense very well. When somebody made a play, it wasn't just two people celebrating. It was everybody,” Taylor said. “We enjoyed playing together and had fun out there. You always have fun when you're winning, but when you enjoy playing with your teammates, that's even better.”
Remember, this is a defense that forced just 18 turnovers in all of 2013. Creating four last week (with another coming on special teams) was a big boost for the offense and brought to mind the ball-hawking ways of that 2012 team that was plus-15 in takeaway margin.
The Gators have the talent and depth to rotate defenders and keep the pressure coming on opposing quarterbacks, while having similiar depth in a defensive backfield with the personnel to lock down in man coverage. Case in point: Though UF lost promising true freshman J.C. Jackson to season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this week, it gets back junior safety Marcus Maye to further fortify the back end.
“We always want to rotate guys and keep them fresh. That's part of what we do,” Durkin said. “But they have to hold up their end of the bargain in terms of building that trust to say they can go into the game and play. Fortunately, we have a lot of guys who have done that for us. We're going to continue to do that.”
In other words, the names and numbers on the jerseys may change, but what the Gators do will look the same.
Durkin will demand similar results, no matter who is in the game.
“We bring pressure, we play a lot of man,” sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III said. “That's not a secret. That's how we play."
