The Gators stuffed Tennessee's running game for much of Saturday night. (Photo: Alex de la Osa/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: D-Line Toughens Up, Scarlett Shines, More Tidbits
Sunday, September 23, 2018 | Football
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By: Ethan Hughes, FloridaGators.com Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After the Gators got mauled by Kentucky to the tune of 303 rushing yards and 7.4 yards per carry, Coach Dan Mullen challenged the defense to get tougher and play with a nastier edge.
The unit has responded over the past two weeks. Last week, Florida limited Colorado State to 70 rushing yards and 1.7 yards per rush. However, the Rams are known more for their aerial attack than their running game, and they lost at home to FCS foe Illinois State on Saturday. How would the Gators hold up against Tennessee, a run-based team that entered Saturday's game averaging 221.3 yards per game on the ground?
The answer: extremely well. They held the Volunteers (2-2, 0-1 SEC) to 156 yards on the ground on a 2.9 yards per rush average, as the Gators (3-1, 1-1) defeated UT 47-21 on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. Forty-three of UT's rushing yards came on one run in the third quarter.
"I think we're starting to get a little bit more physical," Mullen said. "[The defensive linemen] are getting harder, they're growing up, they're getting tougher. I think our scout offensive line during the week in practice was better this week than last week. They've improved every week, and I'll tell you what, that's starting to get a little bit physical and nasty at practice, which I like, which leads to the development and leads to a better performance on Saturday."
A pair of Gators stood out for their roles in helping to shut down Tennessee's running game. Senior tackle Adam Shuler, whose role has increased since the UK loss, recorded nine tackles, including one tackle for loss. He lived in the backfield all night, setting his teammates up for run stuffs when he couldn't make the plays himself.
"The one thing I think, we were going through it and seeing, he's got a toughness to him," Mullen said. "He's got an edge, a nastiness to him. That stuff's contagious. That's what I want. If we get everybody on that D, you know, we have some solid potential here. We got to go start taking advantage of it quickly."
Meanwhile, junior linebacker David Reese made his season debut after missing the first three games with an ankle injury. The steady and reliable tackler made 11 stops, recovered a fumble and provided leadership to a young linebacking corps.
"He's a really good leader, one of the biggest leaders on our team," redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks said. "Having him back out there I think brings a spark to the defense."
Big Night for Running Backs
UF bullied the Volunteers on the other side of the ball as well, running for 201 yards at a 5.9 per carry clip.
Redshirt junior running back Jordan Scarlett started the season slow, entering the UT game second on the team in carries behind Franks and second in yards behind freshman back Dameon Pierce. He looked tentative and unsure at times. Against Colorado State, there was a play in which it appeared he had a cutback lane that could've gone for about 50 yards and a touchdown. Instead, he was slow to hit the hole and settled for a modest gain.
On Saturday night, he looked like the Scarlett that Gators fans had gotten accustomed to prior to his season-long suspension in 2017 for his role in a credit-card fraud case. He led UF with 11 carries for 77 yards and a score. He also had a huge blitz pickup that allowed Franks to connect with junior receiver Tyrie Cleveland for a 38-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Jordan Scarlett led the Gators with 77 yards rushing Saturday. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
"I think he really played physical," Mullen said. "He certainly played heads and tails of how he played the first couple of weeks. Not for lack of effort, I just think he's really getting comfortable and getting back into the feel of things. Hitting holes, making runs, his physicality, his toughness, it was great to see.
"I think he was shaking off some dust. I think you start to see him hitting the holes a little bit cleaner, making a little bit cleaner cuts, finishing the runs a little bit better. Let's grow on that."
Pierce has become somewhat of a fan favorite in his brief Gators career. His 68-yard touchdown run against CSU and his high effort level on special teams has prompted fans to implore the coaches to give him more playing time. Their support is not likely to go anywhere after Pierce's performance against the Vols. He toted the rock seven times for 63 yards and a 47-yard touchdown in which he went untouched.
"It's kind of fun for me," Franks said. "I just sit back there and watch them go, so it's definitely helped me out, opening up the passing game as well."
Stewart, Edwards Step Up
In a young Gators secondary that seemingly grows thinner by the day, it's important that the front-line guys play well and stay healthy. A pair of relative unknowns did both against Tennessee.
Sophomore safety Brad Stewart notched seven tackles, including an impressive open-field tackle in the third quarter that prevented a long run.
Oh, and he had arguably the highlight of the night when he made a diving interception on a deep pass at the UF goal line, one of UT's six turnovers on the night. He also forced a fumble, becoming the first Gator since Brian Poole in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl to force a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game.
While Stewart was in the starting lineup, sophomore cornerback Brian Edwards came off the bench and produced. With freshman Trey Dean struggling in coverage in his second career start, Stewart was called on to step into the second corner role for much of the final three quarters. While he was beaten deep several times, he was able to recover and force incompletions, including one in the second quarter that saved a touchdown that could've gotten the Volunteers back into the game.
Punting Proficiency
Mullen singled out the punting unit following the Colorado State win as an area he would like to see improvement. Redshirt junior punter Tommy Townsend entered Saturday averaging just 39.9 yards per kick, which forced UF to play at a field-position disadvantage and put even more stress on a rebuilding offense.
For comparison, his older brother, current Oakland Raider Johnny Townsend, averaged a whopping 47.5 yards per punt in 2017.
Playing against the Vols for the first time since he transferred from Tennessee to Florida, he looked more like what Gators fans have come to expect from the punting position. Townsend averaged 46 yards on his seven punts, with a long of 58 yards.
"Tommy did a great job flipping field position," Mullen said.
Townsend had two of his punts downed inside the 10-yard line, including one at the UT 1-yard line. Two plays later, senior defensive end CeCe Jefferson led a charge to tackle the Vols' Tim Jordan in the end zone for a safety. While the defense received the credit for the play, it doesn't happen without Townsend's pinpoint punt. Mullen recognized the punt as one of the most important plays of the game.
