GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The University of Florida defense was amped up and ready to get after Bowling Green in last weekend's season opener.
But the Gators, specifically the defensive line, never figured a game
of football would turn into a game of hot potato. That's pretty much
how Falcons quarterback Matt Schilz treated the game.
You've heard of one-, two- and three-step drops? Bowling Green mixed in some no-stop drops. Lots of 'em.
As a result, a phase the Florida football team figured to be a
strength this season -- a defense with nine starters back from a unit
that ranked eighth in the country in yards allowed -- never really got
out of the gates.
"We'd waited nine months to hit a quarterback and then we get out
there and he's getting the ball and firing," junior defensive tackle
Sharrif Floyd said of UF's 27-14 home win against the Falcons. "All we
could do all day was put up our hands. We're still waiting to hit a
quarterback. We're hungry to hit a quarterback."
The next dinner bell rings Saturday when No. 24 Florida (1-0) faces
Texas A&M (0-0) in the Aggies' historic Southeastern Conference
debut at iconic Kyle Field. The debut will be two-fold, actually, with
the curtain rising on Coach Kevin Sumlin, who did some tremendous things
on offense at the University of Houston before bolting last winter for
College Station.
As the triggerman in Sumlin's spread attack, redshirt freshman
quarterback Johnny Manziel, in his first collegiate game, figures to
hold the ball longer than Bowling Green's -- but maybe not much longer,
given that Schilz thoroughly frustrated the Gators with his ball-in,
ball-out approach.
"It's hard to predict because we haven't seen this quarterback, but
we know the style they like to play -- with what we know about the
scheme -- has been fast," UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. "And
we know that he can get it out of his hand fast. I still think if we can
get into third downs that we favor, yeah, it becomes a different game
than last week."
Quinn shrugged.
"But you can't get it out much faster than they did last week."
For Florida fans, it must have felt like Bowling Green was on the
field all day; especially when the Falcons, down just three points,
drove to the UF 23 early in the fourth quarter before cornerback Marcus
Roberson came up with a timely tipped-ball interception.
Despite completing just 48 percent of its passes, Bowling Green ran 79 offensive plays, 16 more than Florida ran on offense.
Yet, the Gators possessed the ball six-plus minutes more than the Falcons.
"It stinks running 10 yards, then having to run 10 more," said
defensive end Dominique Easley, who managed UF's lone sack of the day.
"There were no steps."
Just a simple "catch it, throw it," as Gators coach Will Muschamp called it.
"You've got to play some man to try and deny those situations and
play better on the line of scrimmage to deny those situations," Muschamp
said. "They did not feel they could consistently run the football, so
that's their answer to the run game: throw it quickly, try to get a
missed tackle, and a 4-yard gain becomes an 8- or 10-yard gain."
Bowling Green's longest completion went for 22 yards. Schilz didn't hold it long enough for anything deeper to develop.
"You gotta get some reward for your work," defensive end Lerentee McCray said. "We never got that reward."
Texas A&M might give them the chance to earn one.
Repeat: might.
If what Sumlin did at Houston is an indication, the Aggies are going
to spread things out with three- and four-wideout sets and sling it
around, but probably with lots of short stuff (those catch-
and-throws)
that will serve the same purpose as a running game.
The key, for both the UF defensive players and coaches, is to avoid
getting too frustrated if the splash plays in the offensive backfield
aren't coming.
Think bigger picture.
"When I get into games like that I ask myself, 'Are we still
affecting them? Are we getting hits? Are we moving the guy off the
spot?' " Quinn explained. "The fact that [Bowling Green's QB] was under
50-percent completion told me he wasn't able to stand back there and
throw it. Our sack total wasn't as high as we'd want, and they did a
good job of moving the pocket at times, but when you face a team that
goes quick like, that those are challenges in your hands."
And the frustrations.
"I don't want to go through another week like that," Floyd said. "We've been waiting too long and turn things loose."
