When Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray takes his first snap on Saturday, Florida needs to get after him. The Gators’ pass rush — particularly the defensive line — has been quiet for too long.
In two games this season, Florida has recorded four sacks and four quarterback hurries. UF defensive linemen are responsible for half of that production.
However, rushing the quarterback with regularity has been difficult for the Gators this season due to the offenses they have faced.
Bowling Green and Texas A&M have both employed quick passes against Florida in schemes resembling the West Coast offense. As a result, the Falcons and the Aggies avoided consistent pressure.
But with a quarterback like Bray on the other side of the line of scrimmage this weekend, the Volunteers will be working with five- to seven-step drops. In other words, Florida’s defensive line has a better chance to make an impact in the passing game.
“It will definitely be better because it gives us more space and more opportunity to do different moves against the offensive linemen,” Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray said of Bray’s deep drops. “It gives us more time to get back there and get pressure to him.”
I’ll believe it when see it. Until McCray, Dominique Easley and Dante Fowler Jr. set up camp and roast marshmallows around a fire in Tennessee’s backfield, color me skeptical about the ability of UF’s front four to harass Bray regularly.
If Florida has truly decided to pin its pass-rushing turnaround on the UT game, then the Gators are going to have a bad time.
The Volunteers’ offensive line is stacked.
With all due respect to Brent Pease, if Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney told me the offensive line is his team’s greatest strength, I would actually believe him.
Coach Derek Dooley has five starters returning from an offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks last season — 13 in Southeastern Conference play. Alabama was the only SEC team that protected its quarterback better.
The Volunteers may have had the worst rushing offense in the SEC last year, but they kept their quarterbacks upright.
Florida may have more time to rush the passer against Tennessee, but the Gators will not have much leverage. UF does not have the same front seven that racked up three sacks and six quarterback hurries against UT last season.
Jaye Howard is gone to the NFL and Ronald Powell is likely sidelined for the remainder of the season. Add in the loss of Jelani Jenkins to injury, and getting any sort of consistent pressure on Bray come Saturday seems all the more unlikely.
The onus falls on Easley, Sharrif Floyd, Omar Hunter and McCray. It’s time for this group to make an impact in the passing game.
Tennessee presents the first true test for Florida’s pass rush this season, and there are no gimmicks in place to prevent UF from getting to Bray.
Come Saturday, we’ll find out how good the Gators’ defensive line will be this season.
If the Gators can overcome the efforts of the Volunteers’ stellar offensive line and get to the quarterback, then good for them. But don’t count on it.
When the final whistle blows on Saturday night, Florida will have no explanation for its underwhelming pass rush.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Defensive end Dominique Easley takes on Tyler Bray and the Tennessee offense on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida has generated four sacks this season while the Volunteers have allowed just one.
