5 keys to victory - auburn
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:49 am
Fourth-ranked Florida is coming off a 30-24 victory over Ole Miss in Oxford last week. The Gators host Auburn at 8 p.m. Saturday at Florida Field. Here are five keys to victory.
Protect against the pass rush: Auburn senior defensive end Quentin Groves needed three sacks entering this season to tie the school record. He got two in the season opener against Kansas State but none in the last three games. Florida will try to protect sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow from Groves, an active player who has 18 tackles and 17 quarterback hurries this season.
Groves isn't the only Auburn defensive stopper Florida has to worry about. Junior linebacker Chris Evans leads the team with 25 tackles and he has an interception. Strong safety Zac Etheridge is second with 23 stops. Defensive end Antonio Coleman has three sacks. Auburn's offense might be lacking but its defense – which gives up only 19.5 points per game – has been stout. Florida's defense also allows 19.5 points per outing.
"They want to get those ends to get upfield and create havoc in the pass rush," Florida coach Urban Meyer said after Wednesday's practice. "Their defense, someone said they're struggling, but it's not on defense. Their defense is playing very well. They have excellent players, some NFL players on defense.
"We played well in the first half (last year). Second half, we started getting in the drop back game. We're not a great drop back team. I'm not sure anyone is in this conference because the ends are so good. You don't want to sit back and drop back all day long. We ended up having to do that and that's when Chris (Leak) got rattled a little bit. We can't let that happen this year."
Get some pass rush, it will help the secondary: Derrick Harvey has three sacks and Jermaine Cunningham has two but the Gators need more of an interior push from their defensive tackles. Not only will it put more pressure on Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox, who has struggled this season, but will also help Florida's secondary.
Ole Miss scored both its touchdowns on passes in the third quarter. The second score, a 77-yard pass to Mike Wallace, cut Florida's lead to 27-24. If Clint McMillan and Javier Estopinan can get into the backfield it will help the entire defense. Freshman Carlos Dunlap will also get some action at defensive tackle especially in passing situations.
"(Defensive line) coach (Greg) Mattison, I don't think he likes anything more than seeing the quarterback get sacked," freshman defensive end Duke Lemmens said. "It's something we're addressing and working on to the best of our capabilities…Half the time I see Javier with a busted nose, bleeding. What they do, just from the one time they put me in at the nose tackle and actually ran the ball and I got flat-backed, I have a lot of respect for what they do in there."
Don't look ahead to LSU: This shouldn't be a problem especially since Florida has some payback for Auburn, the only team to defeat the Gators last season. Still, it's something to watch and guard against. What is becoming arguably the most important college game to date this season, LSU hosts Florida next Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
CBSSports.com has already put the LSU-Florida countdown clock on its Web site. That says something. It's big. First, the Gators have to take care of business against Auburn this week.
Receivers must step up: Fifth-year senior Andre Caldwell is out again. Sophomores Percy Harvin (hip pointer) and Riley Cooper (ankle) have dealt with injuries. It's time for David Nelson, Cornelius Ingram and Louis Murphy – he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass against Ole Miss – to step up even more. Meyer said after Wednesday's practice that freshman Deonte Thompson could play.
Harvin and Cooper are expected to play. Still, Harvin has been limited in practice all week. Tebow carried it 27 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns and threw it for 261 yards and two scores against Ole Miss. Meyer said he hopes to run Tebow 10-12 times against the Tigers. That means other players will have to step up. No better time than this weekend.
First quarter, second quarter: Don't get too excited if Florida jumps out to an early lead because this season Auburn has played its best football in the second quarter. The Tigers have trailed opponents 34-17 after the opening quarter. But in the second, Auburn has outscored them 41-16. The fourth has also been important: The Tigers hold a 37-12 advantage in the final quarter.
Protect against the pass rush: Auburn senior defensive end Quentin Groves needed three sacks entering this season to tie the school record. He got two in the season opener against Kansas State but none in the last three games. Florida will try to protect sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow from Groves, an active player who has 18 tackles and 17 quarterback hurries this season.
Groves isn't the only Auburn defensive stopper Florida has to worry about. Junior linebacker Chris Evans leads the team with 25 tackles and he has an interception. Strong safety Zac Etheridge is second with 23 stops. Defensive end Antonio Coleman has three sacks. Auburn's offense might be lacking but its defense – which gives up only 19.5 points per game – has been stout. Florida's defense also allows 19.5 points per outing.
"They want to get those ends to get upfield and create havoc in the pass rush," Florida coach Urban Meyer said after Wednesday's practice. "Their defense, someone said they're struggling, but it's not on defense. Their defense is playing very well. They have excellent players, some NFL players on defense.
"We played well in the first half (last year). Second half, we started getting in the drop back game. We're not a great drop back team. I'm not sure anyone is in this conference because the ends are so good. You don't want to sit back and drop back all day long. We ended up having to do that and that's when Chris (Leak) got rattled a little bit. We can't let that happen this year."
Get some pass rush, it will help the secondary: Derrick Harvey has three sacks and Jermaine Cunningham has two but the Gators need more of an interior push from their defensive tackles. Not only will it put more pressure on Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox, who has struggled this season, but will also help Florida's secondary.
Ole Miss scored both its touchdowns on passes in the third quarter. The second score, a 77-yard pass to Mike Wallace, cut Florida's lead to 27-24. If Clint McMillan and Javier Estopinan can get into the backfield it will help the entire defense. Freshman Carlos Dunlap will also get some action at defensive tackle especially in passing situations.
"(Defensive line) coach (Greg) Mattison, I don't think he likes anything more than seeing the quarterback get sacked," freshman defensive end Duke Lemmens said. "It's something we're addressing and working on to the best of our capabilities…Half the time I see Javier with a busted nose, bleeding. What they do, just from the one time they put me in at the nose tackle and actually ran the ball and I got flat-backed, I have a lot of respect for what they do in there."
Don't look ahead to LSU: This shouldn't be a problem especially since Florida has some payback for Auburn, the only team to defeat the Gators last season. Still, it's something to watch and guard against. What is becoming arguably the most important college game to date this season, LSU hosts Florida next Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
CBSSports.com has already put the LSU-Florida countdown clock on its Web site. That says something. It's big. First, the Gators have to take care of business against Auburn this week.
Receivers must step up: Fifth-year senior Andre Caldwell is out again. Sophomores Percy Harvin (hip pointer) and Riley Cooper (ankle) have dealt with injuries. It's time for David Nelson, Cornelius Ingram and Louis Murphy – he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass against Ole Miss – to step up even more. Meyer said after Wednesday's practice that freshman Deonte Thompson could play.
Harvin and Cooper are expected to play. Still, Harvin has been limited in practice all week. Tebow carried it 27 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns and threw it for 261 yards and two scores against Ole Miss. Meyer said he hopes to run Tebow 10-12 times against the Tigers. That means other players will have to step up. No better time than this weekend.
First quarter, second quarter: Don't get too excited if Florida jumps out to an early lead because this season Auburn has played its best football in the second quarter. The Tigers have trailed opponents 34-17 after the opening quarter. But in the second, Auburn has outscored them 41-16. The fourth has also been important: The Tigers hold a 37-12 advantage in the final quarter.