Dominique Easley made Ben Hill Griffin Stadium his own ballroom Saturday night; one that happens to rely heavily on hip hop and welcomes 280-pound performers.
The season opener is always a forum for excessive celebration, a medium to release pent-up energy built from eight months of waiting for actual games to be played. Easley took it to another level against FAU.
He danced on the sidelines. He danced on the field. He danced before the game. He danced at every chance during the game.
“Easley sucks at dancing; sucks at dancing,” defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. “But you know what? He keeps us going when he does that. He brings a lot of juice to this team, and I love that.”
The Gators’ front seven had more than enough juice in Saturday’s 41-3 beatdown of the Owls. FAU squeaked out just 30 yards rushing, and it couldn’t move the chains until less than four minutes remained in the first half. Its quarterback didn’t look comfortable until the game was out of reach.
Graham Wilbert was only sacked once Saturday, but he felt plenty of pressure. Running back Alfred Morris, meanwhile, gained 16 yards on 14 carries. Morris rushed for 928 yards last season, including 80 against Muschamp’s Texas defense, and he ran for 1,392 the year before that.
“Their kids were coming off the ball and exploding into our offensive line,” FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said.
Much has been made in the offseason about Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s fluid formations. Florida’s front would shift from 4-3 to 3-4 throughout games, Muschamp said in his introductory press conference last December.
So far, so good.
Saturday’s effort was a far cry from last season, when Florida’s play at the line of scrimmage was a weak link on a unit that performed quite well overall. The Gators’ defense was ranked ninth nationally in 2010, but the group allowed 130.62 rushing yards per game — 31st in the nation.
Muschamp thought the team’s pass rush was subpar, though the Owls did keep seven players in pass protection throughout the game. The energy of the defensive line, however, was palpable.
Sophomore Ronald Powell, who recorded one of Florida’s two sacks, could be seen jawing and even feigning punches with offensive linemen throughout the night. After one incident, a referee warned him to stop. He did it again; the official called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
As for Easley, he was perhaps the only player more hyped than Powell.
At one point in the first half, he lifted a pass-blocking Morris above him like a pro wrestler.
“He’s a monster,” Hunter said.
And a good defensive tackle. And a dancer, though not a skilled one.
Contact Tyler Jett at tjett@alligator.org.
Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley (2) helped the front seven completely disrupt the FAU offense on Saturday. The Gators recorded two sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
