Florida coach Will Muschamp addressed his defense’s issues Monday following a 38-10 blowout loss at home in which the Gators failed to limit the Crimson Tide’s run game.
In addition to missing tackles on running back Trent Richardson, Muschamp said the Alabama offensive line confused the Florida defensive front by disguising and switching its blocking assignments. The Gators also were exposed multiple times on poor angles to the ball carrier.
“Stopping the run, playing blocks up front, leveraging the ball and tackling better — that’s where it all started,” Muschamp said. “To me that was the story of the game, and we knew that going in.”
Richardson ran for a career-high 181 yards and two touchdowns, wearing down the UF defense on 29 carries. Muschamp said players were trying to do too much against Alabama instead of taking care of their individual matchup.
Muschamp took responsibility for the miscues, saying it all starts with coaching.
“We have to do a better job coaching and playing,” he said. “This is a line of scrimmage game. … We were dominated up front on both lines of scrimmage.”
Defensive tackle Jaye Howard said after the game he would come in on Sunday, a scheduled off day, to look at the film and learn from his mistakes. Howard had eight tackles against the Crimson Tide and was one of the few bright spots on the line, but Muschamp said the unit overall has plenty to be concerned about.
“Obviously the film doesn’t lie,” he said. “The film speaks for itself. The guys understand it. They see the film; they get it. They have to play better, and I’ve got to coach batter.”
With a game in Baton Rouge, La., against No. 1 LSU coming this Saturday, Florida’s coach expects the Gators to respond well to the challenge.
“We have a bunch of prideful guys in here,” Muschamp said. “Obviously, we didn’t play as well as we would have liked the other night, but I do believe that we will respond well.”
Bostic’s haymaker: Linebacker Jon Bostic’s personal-foul-inducing punch thrown at Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker during the second quarter will not warrant a suspension, Muschamp said Monday.
After a first-and-goal run, and well past the whistle, Bostic and Fluker continued to go at it. Bostic’s punch missed, and Muschamp pulled him from the game immediately.
“It’s not something we’re going to have at the University of Florida and Jon understands that,” Muschamp said.
“He is a great football player and a great young man. There are times that we lose our composure and our poise a little bit, and we’ve got to be able to handle it.”
Etc: Other than quarterback John Brantley, cornerback Jeremy Brown is the only player ruled out for Saturday’s game against LSU. Brown continues to struggle with a sprained knee he sustained during training camp. … Safety De’Ante Saunders will return against LSU after missing the game against Alabama due to a team-imposed suspension. Muschamp would not clarify the team rule Saunders broke.
Contact Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
Florida linebacker Jon Bostic (52) will not be suspended by coach Will Muschamp for throwing a punch at Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker during the second quarter Saturday.
