At the snap of the ball, sophomore linebacker Ronald Powell fires out of his three-point stance.
After a quick stutter step, he easily sneaks past the right tackle’s inside shoulder and blows by a running back’s attempt to help.
Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray notices and rolls out to his right as Powell pursues. With UF’s linebacker closing in, Bray lets go of an underthrown pass that becomes the first interception of Florida’s season and turns the tide of the Gators’ eventual 33-23 win.
Powell doesn’t get more than a quarterback hurry on the stat sheet, but it was his play that made the difference. And not just on this down, but throughout what coach Will Muschamp called Powell’s most impressive game of the season.
“He played well,” Muschamp said. “Played his best game in the first three and got some really good pressure. … More than anything, he played fast, played physical, and that’s what we needed out of him. Certainly had it in him, and we’ve just got to do a better job of coaching.”
Powell’s strong performance was a departure from Florida’s first two games, when he recorded a sack but did not consistently affect opposing quarterbacks.
His struggles drew the ire of Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who both cited the need to get more production out of Powell.
“I knew I had to do more and it was something that I felt already myself,” Powell said. “They just addressed it.”
Powell responded with half a sack and two quarterback hurries against Tennessee, both of which resulted in interceptions.
He also added a pair of tackles and was a consistent force for the defense.
“I just had a good week of preparation and a good week of practice and a lot of film,” Powell said. “Coach Quinn, we sat down and he showed a lot of examples on how he wanted (me to play). I just took it from there and played the way I could play.”
Through Florida’s first two games, Powell struggled to adjust to the intricacies of his new Buck linebacker position.
As the Buck, Powell is required to rush the passer, play the run and drop into coverage, depending on the call. It’s a lot to learn for a young player, leading to Powell thinking too much on the field rather than playing a fast, reactionary style.
Last week, Quinn said Powell was starting to understand the position and his results would follow. Evidently, Quinn was right.
“It was just taking it from the classroom to the field and going without thinking,” Powell said.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
After Will Muschamp and Dan Quinn said they wanted to see more production from Ronald Powell, the sophomore stepped up against Tennessee, contributing half a sack and forcing two picks.
