Even if Florida offense struggles, defense alone can beat Georgia
While former Florida coach Steve Spurrier is back in Gainesville as a glorified mascot, he didn’t bring the Fun ‘n’ Gun with him.
It wasn’t that long ago when the Gators revolutionized the traditional I-formation, run-heavy DNA of the SEC by spreading the line of scrimmage with four or five receivers and throwing it all over the field.
Even if UF is currently fifth in the conference in passing offense at 244.7 yards per game, the two quarterbacks we’ve seen thus far — from Luke Del Rio to Austin Appleby back to Del Rio again — haven’t exactly lit up the night sky. A combined TD-to-INT ratio of 10-to-6 is enough to make Spurrier toss his visor.
Fortunately, the big boys in orange and blue on the other side of the ball are good enough to win games all by themselves.
The artist formerly known as The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is Saturday in neutral-site Jacksonville as Florida and Georgia renew their annual border war. No matter the stakes, it’s must-see-TV in this league.
The Gators are the No. 1 defense in the SEC, both in terms of yards (252) and points (12) allowed per game. While they are fourth against the run, they truly excel against the pass — first in the conference by a wide margin at a miniscule 132.8 yards given up each contest. They’re also tied for the lead with 10 interceptions.
That could be bad news for a Bulldogs aerial attack that has yet to find its footing under freshman QB Jacob Eason.
Originally a five-star prospect from Lake Stevens (Wash.) High School, which is a 2,700-mile flight from Athens, Eason (below) was maybe the most celebrated signee in the entire league for the recruiting class of 2016.
Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
We’ve seen some good things from the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder. Eason threw a 20-yard touchdown pass — on 4th-and-10, no less — with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter to steal a 28-27 win at Missouri. His 47-yard scoring strike with 10 seconds to go to temporarily take a 31-28 lead over Tennessee was a thing of beauty, too.
Joshua Dobbs completing a Hail Mary to Jauan Jennings one snap later for a Volunteers victory was no reflection on Eason.
That being said, the blue-chip phenom has also made his fair share of mistakes. He’s held on to the ball too long in the pocket. He’s made some questionable decisions with his arm. UGA’s passing game is just ninth in the league.
His last two times out, a ho-hum win over South Carolina and an uh-oh loss to Vanderbilt, Eason was far from impressive. Against the Gamecocks, he was an inexplicable 5-of-17 passing for a measly 29 yards. Against the Commodores, many of his 346 yards — that figure is quite misleading — came on shovel pass-type throws.
Now he’ll take to the field in the Cocktail Party for the first time, facing perhaps the premier cornerback tandem in America.
Despite the fact that Vernon Hargreaves left the program a year early to be a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Gators remain terrifying at corner. Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson are both nasty … and they know it.
Tabor is tied for fourth nationally with 4 INTs. Keep in mind that the three players ahead of him — Tarvarus McFadden of Florida State, Clifton Duck of Appalachian State and Kai Nacua of BYU — have either played seven or eight games, respectively. Tabor — due to a suspension, the rescheduling of the LSU tilt and a bye — has only played five.
Wilson is tied for 17th in the country with 3 picks. Both Tabor and Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown against Missouri.
Florida coach Jim McElwain is always folksy in a press-conference setting, but rarely does he ever say anything of note. When asked about Eason this week, nothing out of his mouth has resembled bulletin-board material.
Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
“When he throws on rhythm, the ball gets out,” McElwain (above) said Wednesday, according to 247Sports. “He’s very accurate, obviously has got a really strong arm.”
In addition to Tabor and Wilson being more than capable of doing their jobs out on an island, the Gators know how to get after the enemy passer. With 3.2 sacks per game, they trail only Alabama and Texas A&M in that department — without the services of a Jonathan Allen or a Myles Garrett. It’s more of a group effort.
Five different UF defenders have been credited with at least 2.0 sacks. And remember, this team has only played six games.
“I think the big thing is we’ve got to make sure he doesn’t get comfortable and throw on rhythm all the time,” McElwain said of Eason. “It isn’t about just getting sacks but forcing him to be off rhythm, shuffle, try to get reset. Those are the kind of things we have to do to get him off his mark.”
Coming into the season, the Dawgs were supposed to be built around the talented backfield of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel anyway. However, they are only No. 8 in the SEC running the ball at 195.6 yards per game.
Chubb, a preseason Heisman Trophy contender, came out swinging — even after last year’s knee injury — with 222 yards on the ground in the opener against North Carolina, but he’s had only one 100-yard outing since. At 5.1 and 4.9, respectively, both Chubb and Michel sport the lowest yards-per-carry average of their careers.
“We’ve got to be able to stop the run, too, so (Eason) can’t hit you with those play-actions and that kind of stuff,” McElwain said. “That’s really the big thing. Just make sure that we’re in and out of coverages, putting little questions in his mind. But he is a good player.”
There will be drinking games aplenty on the EverBank Field tailgating scene, but Eason might be punch-drunk after this one.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
