Florida’s players don’t like talking about last season. They don’t want to discuss the 31-6 drubbing at the hands of Alabama — and for good reason.
The Tide ran all over the Gators’ defense in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a year ago, compiling 170 yards and two scores on the ground.
“We’re not even really looking at last year,” linebacker Jon Bostic said. “It’s a whole new year.”
A new year and a new defense, too.
Florida’s rush defense ranks fifth in the nation, allowing just 56.5 yards per contest, and the team has yet to surrender a rushing touchdown.
No. 12 Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) hopes that continues Saturday at 8 p.m. when No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) comes to The Swamp.
“Every game we come across is going to be defined by how we play up front,” defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd said. “They’re going to run on us, a lot of teams want to run on us, so we’ve got to defend the run before we can defend the pass.”
However, stopping an Alabama rushing attack that ranks 19th in the nation with 230 yards per game and 13 touchdowns could prove to be difficult for a Florida defense that, while highly touted, has been largely untested against the run.
Through their first four games, the Gators have faced just one back ranked among the top-100 in the nation: Tennessee’s Tauren Poole, who averages 72.33 yards per game. But in a 33-23 loss to the Gators on Sept. 17, the Vols abandoned the run early on.
That won’t be the case for Alabama, which features two running backs who average more than 200 yards per game combined.
Junior Trent Richardson, a 5-foot-11, 224-pound downhill runner, already has 441 yards and eight scores on the ground this season.
“He’s got great balance, he’s got great vision,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “He’s a one-cut guy. When he sees the hole he gets it north and south. … He’s always moving the chains in a positive direction for their team, so he’s an outstanding player.”
The key to minimizing Richardson’s impact, Muschamp said, is to attack as a team and gang tackle him so he doesn’t break a big play. As such, Florida’s focus in practice this week was on improving tackling and wrapping up ball-carriers.
“He’s a strong runner,” Bostic said. “If you try to grab his legs, he’s going to take off.”
While Richardson has been stellar, the Gators are approaching him like any other running back they have prepared for this season — even if he isn’t like all the others.
“We treat him as a normal running back,” Bostic said. “He puts on his pants just like we do. He’s a little bit bigger, but we’ve got to come up and just tackle him.”
Even when Richardson is out of the game, Alabama has sophomore Eddie Lacy, who is averaging more than 90 yards and a touchdown per game.
That presents a new challenge for the Gators, who have to be prepared for the run regardless of the running back lined up in the backfield. Still, it’s a challenge defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said his team is ready to take on.
“Every week is a test,” defensive tackle Dominique Easley said. “We try to prep, we try to be the best we can be in the run D. … We’re not even close to being where we should be yet.”
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
Alabama running back Trent Richardson leads a rushing attack that averages more than 230 yards per game and is ranked 19th in the nation.
