It's still up for debate whether UF's secondary has improved to become a reliable unit, but one thing is certain: Wandering near the Gators' safeties poses an imminent health risk.
Strong safety Ahmad Black and free safety Major Wright have yet to be tested by Southeastern Conference competition this season - a fact that tempers the optimism from the pair's solid performances against Hawaii and Miami - but no one doubts their ability to lay out opposing running backs or level wide receivers.
Wright was known for his bone-jarring hits even before he came to Gainesville, and he furthered that reputation with big plays last season, kicked off by a near-decapitation of running back Chris Rainey in the preseason.
But Black, despite a 5-foot-9, sub-190-pound frame that makes him the team's smallest safety, has also given teammates a reason to think twice before going his way in practice.
"He brings that aspect to the defense where no matter how big or small you are, you can still be as powerful as a 6-4, 300-pound dude," linebacker Brandon Hicks said. "People don't realize it, but if you go to practice and watch someone come across the middle and Black is coming, he's going to let 'em know he's there. He's going to really put his mark down."
Hicks said Black is one of the best tacklers on the team, mostly due to what he calls "almost perfect form" on every tackle. Black has clearly made a big impression on coaches as well, and he'll have more responsibility to stop a talented rushing attack when the No. 4 Gators (2-0) travel to Tennessee this weekend.
He'll also have to deal with the Vols' playmaking tight end, Brandon Warren, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound transfer from Florida State.
"(Black has) turned out to be a pretty good player for us," coach Urban Meyer said. "Tennessee has a very good tight end, so every time he drops out of the box, Ahmad is responsible for him. He's going to be a big part of this game. He's a great tackler, he's always in football position and that's why we have confidence in him."
While Black focuses more on stopping the run, Wright will have more ground to cover to defend the passing game. His role will be somewhat similar to what Reggie Nelson, now a starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars, did for the 2006 national champion Gators.
"Basically, I'm just covering the whole field, being a free safety," Wright said. "I watch (Nelson's) films like every other day. I just go watch what he used to do and try to go out there and do my job to perfection like him."
If Wright watches any tape from UF's last trip to Knoxville, he should get a pretty good idea of what to do. In that game, Nelson intercepted Volunteers quarterback Erik Ainge on the first and last plays of the game, providing the bookends for the first of many impressive wins en route to a national title.
His first pick was particularly memorable, as he flew across the field and plucked Ainge's deep sideline heave from the air with his back parallel to the ground. Nelson patrolled the deep part of the field in the same fashion throughout the season, allowing the rest of the defense to concentrate on other areas.
Wright hopes to emulate that style, but Meyer isn't ready to compare him to Nelson, whom he has called "one of the best football players I have ever seen" and said he would take with the top pick in the NFL Draft.
"No. You watch how you say Reggie Nelson around here," Meyer said. "In two years we
can evaluate that. Major is a sophomore that's played a little better football than he played last year."
If there's one thing Wright rivals Nelson in right now, it's hitting. "The Eraser" crushed plenty of opponents in his career, and Wright is doing much the same, sometimes even to his own teammates.
"I got hit by Major Wright in practice all the time," cornerback Joe Haden said. "He doesn't try to. He just blows up the receiver and I'll be in the way. He tried to hit Chris Rainey one time and he knocked my helmet off because I got there a second before him. I just laid out for a second, thinking, 'If he hits everyone else like this, I don't know how they keep getting up.'"
Black and Wright each returned interceptions for touchdowns against Hawaii, and Black had another early in the game, but the Volunteers present the greatest challenge so far.
The safeties' performances, along with Haden and cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis, will finally show whether the secondary is up to the task of a long SEC struggle.
"This is a big test for us," Black said. "A lot of people congratulate me on the past two wins we have, but this is going to be the big test for us to see if we really have what it takes to keep winning and help carry this football team."
