Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jon Greenard strapped on his helmet Saturday and transformed into a one-man wrecking crew. At the start of the day, Greenard didn't have much intel on Tennessee running back Eric Gray, a freshman from Memphis and two-time Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year at the Lausanne Collegiate Academy.

He learned what he needed during Florida's 34-3 win over the Vols. Most importantly, that Gray, all 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds of him, had a dance step or two in his cleats.

"He caught me the first time,'' Greenard said. "He's got some moves; I'll give him that. I made an inside move early in the game and he juked me out of my shoes. I told him, 'it was a good play, but I'm going to be back.' I told him that."

Greenard did more than that. He showed him.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Tennessee faced first-and-15 from UF's 35. Florida owned a comfortable 24-3 lead but a Vols touchdown would make it a two-score game. When Gray took a handoff and started to search for open space, he never had a chance.
 
Greenard crushed him near the line of scrimmage and the ball squirted loose. Florida's Amari Burney recovered and eight plays later, UF running back Dameon Pierce scored on a 10-yard run to seal the victory. The forced fumble was only one highlight during a dominant outing by Florida's defense and Greenard, a fifth-year senior linebacker/defensive lineman who transferred from Louisville for his final season of eligibility.

"Eleven guys running to the ball really hard,'' Gators head coach Dan Mullen said. "We did a really good job of stopping the run."

No one was better than Greenard. He had four tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, the forced fumble and perhaps most surprising, three deflected passes. Prior to his hit on Gray, Greenard had already made a standout play.

On Tennessee's second drive of the game, which started at UF's 19 following a lost fumble by quarterback Kyle Trask, the Vols drove to Florida's 3. On second-and-goal, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano faked a run and rolled to his right. Tight end Austin Pope was wide open and drifted toward the right side of the end zone for what would have been an easy game-tying touchdown.

Instead, Greenard jumped and batted the pass into the turf. On the next play, Gators defensive back Trey Dean picked off a pass that bounced off the hands of Vols receiver Jauan Jennings in the end zone.

Threat over.

"I knew they wanted to get the ball out of quick,'' Greenard said. "I just tried to make my presence felt. I got a hit on him early. He knew I was there."

The Gators limited Tennessee to 88 yards in the first half on the way to beating the Vols for the 14th time in the last 15 meetings. With two of its defensive stars sidelined by ankle injuries in cornerback CJ Henderson and defensive end Jabari Zuniga, Greenard stood out in the crowd in the best game of his brief time with the Gators.

This is what the Gators knew was coming before anyone else.
 
When Greenard announced he was transferring to Florida earlier this year, Burney began to study film of his new teammate. He liked what he saw from a player who missed last season due to a hand injury suffered in the season opener.

Greenard played for Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham at Louisville and already knew the Gators' defense like a long-lost family member.

"First day, he knew everything,'' Dean said. "This guy really knows his playbook. He's a leader."

Burney backed up Dean's assessment.

"I seen what he could do,'' Burney said. "He don't miss a step. He just goes out there and does his thing. We just feed off his energy. It don't matter who's down or what quarter we're in, he always wants to go out there and make plays. We right behind him."

In four games, Greenard is tied with linebacker Ventrell Miller for second on the team with 16 tackles. He leads the team with 3.5 sacks and his 4.5 tackles for loss rank second behind Jeremiah Moon's five.

Greenard is eager to get Zuniga and Henderson back on the field before Florida's brutal October stretch. He took the field Saturday determined to allow their absences to be noticed.

"I took it as a chip on my shoulder somewhat, but I know we've got guys on the ball who can make some plays,'' he said. "I just continued to do my job. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I know that they will make their plays on defense as a whole. And we did. We made turnovers and made plays we are capable of doing."

Greenard's forced fumble allowed the Gators to keep an impressive streak intact. UF has not allowed a fourth-quarter point in the last three games and only seven points all season.

Greater challenges await. Greenard gets it. Still, his mindset won't change.

Keep running to the ball the same whether it's the first play or last play. He's confident if the defense does its part, the offense will do the same.

"Just finishing,'' Greenard said. "With the offense, we know if we continue to get them the ball, they will put it away eventually."

The Gators did Saturday. Greenard delivered a key assist. Gray can attest to that.