KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When asked this week about how he planned to stop the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher, Florida coach Urban Meyer made his strategy clear.
“We’re going to have some big people on the field,” he said.
The plan worked.
The Gators leaned on a five-man defensive line to stymie Tennessee tailback Tauren Poole, holding him to 23 yards on 10 carries in a 31-17 win.
Entering Saturday, Poole led the SEC with 272 yards and three touchdowns in two games.
“We knew he was an outstanding back and really the focal point of their offense,” UF defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.
“This week, we made a conscious effort to be really gap sound, do a great job running to the ball, corralling him and tackling him. Our guys did a great job.”
In a rivalry where the team with more rushing yards has won the last eight contests (UF ran for 150), stopping the ground game was the top focus. The results were as good as Florida could have hoped for.
Not counting the Gators’ six sacks for 34 yards, they held the Vols to 63 yards on 17 carries. Of the 15 combined rushes between tailbacks Poole and David Oku, nine went for less than four yards.
“We definitely went into this game knowing they had some great running backs and a big offensive line, and we had to really pride ourselves in stopping that run,” defensive end Justin Trattou said. “We went out and played our gaps really hard, and we were successful.”
Austin’s scheme to stop Poole revolved around using three defensive tackles and two ends.
Defensive end Duke Lemmens and his backup, freshman Ronald Powell, played from a standing position alongside the four down linemen and often dropped into pass coverage.
Lemmens led the group with five tackles, and he and Powell notched a sack each.
“We definitely wanted to get our biggest guys in there,” Trattou said. “Duke and Powell are right in between, that hybrid position. They both played real well today, and I think that package is going to end up being successful for us.”
Hammond, Hill make impact in return: Receiver Frankie Hammond and safety Will Hill, two players suspended for the first two games, made their presence felt against Tennessee.
Hammond snagged a seven-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Hill bounced back from his blown coverage on a fourth-quarter Tennessee touchdown by forcing a fumble.
Hammond said the catch made him feel like he’d fully returned from the absence that began with his DUI arrest this summer.
“It makes you forget about it because with football you don’t really think about it.,” he said. “You’re out there, and you just get away and play ball.”
“I’m not going to say it didn’t happen or that nobody is ever going to come up to me again and ask about it, but I made a mistake.”
There’s more mystery surrounding Hill’s suspension, and he did little to clear it up after the game.
“I just wasn’t ready (to play),” said Hill, who denied his suspension was due to a failed drug test. “[Urban] didn’t think I was ready to play, so he sat me out.”
