Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said the Gators simplified the playbook slightly during their bye week.
While he noted Wednesday that the changes were not “wholesale,” Quinn said the coaching staff reviewed film last week, looking for play calls that led to breakdowns. Usually, those calls were little wrinkles added to prepare for specific opponents.
Quinn said the Gators’ defense has struggled with plays that aren’t in its regular rotation. He would not go into specifics, but he said the problems ranged from the wrong personnel being on the field to players not lining up in the correct spots.
“The things that you play best are the things that you play all the time — through spring practice, through training camp,” he said.
Coach Will Muschamp has been praised by former players for his ability to keep tricks up his sleeve, saving certain defensive plays and formations for the best opponents. But against Alabama on Oct. 1 and LSU one week later, the Gators’ defense did not match up well.
Florida gave up an average of 409.5 yards and 36 points on defense per game in those two contests. In its other five games, the Gators’ defense has allowed an average of 241 yards and 10.6 points.
Big Dawgs: Florida’s defensive front will face one of the nation’s largest offensive lines this Saturday. Georgia’s five starters are listed at an average of 323.8 pounds.
Florida used a group of eight defensive linemen who averaged 281.1 pounds against Auburn on Oct. 15. Quinn, however, isn’t so sure the Bulldogs’ size advantage is as lopsided as the roster weights would indicate.
“Usually I’d be leery of what the offensive line is listed at,” he said. “I think you can be plus or minus some, you know? Both in the NFL and in college, you know? Sometimes they’re listed at 330 (pounds): ‘That guy hasn’t been 330 in four years.’”
Quinn proceeded to say Georgia’s offensive line is still plenty big, and the Gators’ defense will have its hands full.
Loving the stomp: Though the game happened four years ago, plenty of Gators have brought up the Florida-Georgia contest from 2007, when the whole Bulldogs team rushed the field to celebrate after its first touchdown.
While most players continue to see the celebration as disrespectful, defensive tackle Omar Hunter has a different take. Hunter was a senior at Buford (Ga.) High in 2007.
“I know a lot of people say they don’t like it; but me, as a fan, I kinda liked it,” he said. “I was getting recruited and was like, ‘That’s something new.’ It is what it is. It’s a great football game, great rivalry, and I love it.”
Demps unrestrained: Muschamp said running back Jeff Demps is at “top speed” during practice this week. Demps (ankle) missed the game against Auburn, and in the LSU and Alabama games he carried the ball a combined five times for four yards.
The senior gained 320 yards and scored four touchdowns on 34 carries in Florida’s first four games.
Contact Tyler Jett at tjett@alligator.org.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said the Gators used the bye week to analyze and adjust the playbook.
