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Saturday, February 22, 2025
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Column: Loss of Powell should not concern Gators defense

<p>Lerentee McCray gets by Jordon Roussos of Bowling Green at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the season opener Sept. 1. McCray took over the Buck position when Ronald Powell suffered a torn ACL in the spring game.</p>

Lerentee McCray gets by Jordon Roussos of Bowling Green at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the season opener Sept. 1. McCray took over the Buck position when Ronald Powell suffered a torn ACL in the spring game.

Florida has only four sacks in the season’s first two games and will be without 2011 sack leader Ronald Powell for the rest of the year, but it’s not time to panic just yet.

Lerentee McCray and Dante Fowler Jr. are more than capable of replacing Powell’s contribution, which was overrated. The Gators’ lack of early production is owed much more to the systems they’ve faced than anything they’re doing wrong.

I hate to write ill of a player who coaches say has worked harder than anyone they’ve ever seen to return from a torn ACL suffered in Florida’s spring game on April 7, but it’s important to be realistic.

The 6-foot-4, 244-pound Powell has yet to fully harness the athleticism that keeps talent evaluators drooling and made him the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2010.

Sure, he has the potential to become one of the game’s most dynamic pass-rushers. And yeah, he led the team with six sacks in 2011. But take a closer look at those plays:

-FAU, second quarter, third-and-18: Powell is picked up in protection by a back and neutralized until Dee Finley and Jaye Howard narrowly miss a sack, at which point the quarterback is forced into Powell’s waiting arms.

-Tennessee, third quarter, first-and-goal: Nobody so much as looks at Powell, who gets the easiest half-sack of his life on a busted screen play.

-Kentucky, first quarter, third-and-3: The pocket disintegrates after nearly four seconds, and Powell gets credited with half of a sack for being on top of the pile.

-Georgia, first quarter, first-and-10: Aaron Murray play-fakes, pump-fakes and scrambles to his right, where Powell is on containment duty. Powell makes a good play nearly five seconds after the ball was snapped to keep Murray from getting the edge.

-Vanderbilt, third quarter, first-and-10: Powell rips under the left tackle and although he doesn’t beat him cleanly, Powell creates enough leverage to push the blocker backwards. Jordan Rodgers scrambles away, but Powell chases him down to force intentional grounding.

-Florida State, second quarter, second-and-10: Powell tries to blow past the left tackle on the outside and is shoved past the play before doubling back and sacking E.J. Manuel, who never moved.

-Ohio State, second quarter, third-and-12: Powell stunts inside but gets flattened by a back’s cut block. Powell gets up and eventually tracks down OSU quarterback Braxton Miller nearly six seconds after the ball was snapped.

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Powell certainly made a few good plays, but he has yet to show true dominance. At no point did he execute a pass-rush move, beat his blocker cleanly and record a sack in less than four seconds — usually enough time for the quarterback to get a pass off.

His six total sacks tied for No. 72 in the nation. He had only three other tackles for loss. His 32 total tackles were 10th on Florida.

Powell was certainly a valuable piece to UF’s defense, but he’s replaceable.

Fowler, another five-star prospect, has proven that he’s ready to play as a freshman. McCray is the type of hybrid UF needs to fill Powell’s shoes.

The limited production this season is more a result of Florida’s opponents, as Bowling Green and Texas A&M relied on timing passing attacks. Quarterbacks Matt Schilz and Johnny Manziel rarely held onto the ball, leaving pass-rushers virtually no time to make an impact.

Against Tennessee and quarterback Tyler Bray this weekend, Florida will finally have a chance to prove it has a competent pass rush, even without Powell. If the Gators get torched and Bray looks comfortable in the pocket, then it’s time to panic.

Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.

Lerentee McCray gets by Jordon Roussos of Bowling Green at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the season opener Sept. 1. McCray took over the Buck position when Ronald Powell suffered a torn ACL in the spring game.

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