Call UF's defense intimidating. Call it deep. Call it limitless in its potential.
Just don't call it bend-but-don't-break. Not this year.
"No defense likes to hear that we're a bend-but-don't-break defense," defensive tackle Terron Sanders said. "One thing you would love to hear somebody say is that defense is a brick wall. Nobody can run through them, nobody can complete a pass. That would be one of the good goals that we have is not allowing so many yards, not allowing so many yards through the air."
The Gators allowed 285 yards per game in 2008, and 180 of those came through opponent's passing games.
When Ole Miss handed UF its only loss in The Swamp last season, it was an 86-yard pass play from Jevan Snead to Shay Hodge that put the Rebels up 31-24 with just more than five minutes to play.
Linebacker Brandon Spikes said that loss still motivates the team to this day, and he expects the defense to be even better than the unit that allowed 12.9 points per game a season ago.
The way to do that is by getting off the field faster than ever.
"I feel like we have the talent to go three-and-out every series," Spikes said. "That bend-but-don't-break, sometimes that will get you in a hole, so we just try to go three-and-out."
If the defense is able to clamp down right from the beginning of every series, Tim Tebow and the offense might not have time to do much more than grab a drink of water between offensive possessions.
"We allowed people to drive the ball last year," defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "What we need to do is just go out there and be ready to play right from the start."
That type of attitude is being formed in training camp, where complacency was targeted as the first opponent on UF's schedule.
Every day, the players are answering questions on whether or not this defense has the makings of one of the greatest of all time.
For those players who answered affirmatively, Strong has a message.
"If you're going to sell those tickets, you better be ready to cash them," he said.
Leadership is sure to play a big role in the mentality of the unit, and Strong can count on Spikes and fellow senior linebacker Ryan Stamper to provide plenty of that.
When Charleston Southern rolls into Gainesville on Sept. 5, the Gators will be ready to prove to every team on the slate that they're deadset on not suffering another letdown.
"If we come out thinking we're the big bad Florida Gators, people could beat us," Spikes said.
