Florida coach Urban Meyer appreciates good special teams play, even from his opponents.
All week, Meyer, who oversees UF's special teams coaching responsibilities, has been focusing in on the one Vanderbilt player he feels could actually give the Gators trouble - freshman return man Warren Norman.
"He'd get my vote (for Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year) right now," Meyer said. "If I had to vote right now from what I've seen - I'd have to do some homework - he'd get my vote. To have three kickoff returns as a true freshman - we have a helluva returner, I'm not sure he's had three in his career."
Norman took his third kickoff back for a touchdown - ranking him only behind Kansas State's Brandon Banks, who has four returns this season - against Georgia Tech last week in his eighth college game. Brandon James, Florida's return man Meyer was referring to, has had one kickoff return for a score in his four years as a Gator.
The Commodores' return specialist will create the biggest matchup problem for the Gators on Saturday at 7:15 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but Meyer has prepared unusually hard for Norman, watching film Monday in addition to Sunday, the normal film day.
"You've got to break down in football position and cup an athlete. That's a term we use around here that means take away the cutback lanes, squeeze the air out of the seams and make a tackle," Meyer said of the gameplan.
When he first came to Florida, Meyer felt he didn't have the personnel to kick to dangerous return men such as Norman, so he would call squib or sky kicks and sometimes just kick away from the returner entirely.
Now, starters Ahmad Black, Major Wright and Joe Haden headline a kickoff coverage unit loaded with talent and athleticism.
Moses Jenkins (concussion) and Brandon Hicks (hamstring) are on the coverage team when healthy, but both will miss the game against Vanderbilt. Meyer thought he would also be missing Mike Gillislee, who he specifically pointed out as a key to stopping Norman, but the freshman running back will be available Saturday.
The Gators could use all the help they can get on Norman, who has also rushed for 593 yards and three scores, as he is likely to pose a greater threat on special teams than in the backfield.
Vanderbilt will be starting redshirt senior Mackenzi Adams for the first time this season, and UF will be able to stack the box with little threat of a down-field passing game.
VU coach Bobby Johnson will be counting on Norman to provide the offense with solid starting position, something the true freshman has done all season, as he ranks fourth nationally in kickoff return yardage.
"He has a knack of seeing openings ahead of him and then not doing a lot of cutting and juking and things like that," Johnson said. "He just sort of makes one cut and goes, and goes fast, especially on two of the returns. He sort of blasts through there without teams being able to converge on him, and he has enough speed to get into the end zone without being caught."
