Gators Defense Preps for Difficult Aggies Offense
Florida has faced a number of talented offenses this season, including the likes of LSU, Miami and Texas, but now the Gators head back on the road to face a No. 5 Texas A&M offense that is one of the best in the country. The Aggies are averaging 34.8 points per game and have weapons at all levels, a challenging attack for any defense to digest.
The Aggies (5-0, 2-0 SEC) want to rely on their ground game to break down defenses over the course of four quarters. The plan starts up front with an offensive line that is one of the best units in the country.
“The O-line is tall, long. They work well together,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “There’s good synergy there. I think the tight ends are tough. They’re big, they do blue-collar work. These two backs are outstanding. So, yeah, it’s a challenge. There’s a reason why they won every game.”
Loading ...The group excels at pass and run blocking, which gives quarterback Marcel Reed time in the pocket to find his receivers down the field. On average, Reed has 3.08 seconds before facing pressure, a big reason he has only been sacked seven times through five games.
On the ground, the big boys up front have driven defenders back to allow a group of talented tailbacks to go to work — pushing opponents back 1.4 yards before Aggies running backs are touched. Even though Florida’s depth on the defensive line continues to thin, the Gators (2-3, 1-1) will need to control the line of scrimmage. If they don’t, this game might become similar to the Miami game. The Hurricanes leaned on its offensive line and ran the ball 46 times for 184 yards.
“We have to change the line of scrimmage,” Gators defensive lineman Michai Boireau said. “We got to be the attackers, we can’t let them attack us, we have to attack them. It starts with the front, you can’t do nothing with the front. Starts and ends with the front. [A&M’s offensive line] tends to be more aggressive, [so] we have to be the aggressor.”
A&M has one of the most dynamic running games in the country, using a pair of running backs (plus Reed) to overwhelm opponents. Le’Veon Moss leads the way, pacing the Aggies in rushing with 343 yards and five touchdowns. Not far behind him is Rueben Owens II, who has 276 yards rushing, averaging an efficient 7.1 yards per carry.
“The two backs, not just [Le’Veon] Moss but [Rueben] Owens, both those two guys, I had those two guys at the top of our board here,” Napier said. “We know who they are; they were two of the best backs in the country.”
Reed’s ability to hurt opponents with his legs makes him one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. And mobile quarterbacks have given Florida trouble this year. USF’s Byrum Brown and Texas’ Arch Manning each had their fair share of big plays once they were able to leave the pocket. Brown rushed for 66 yards, while Manning led the Longhorns in rushing with 37.
On the ground, Reed has 38 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Florida must control rush lanes and contain the pocket to avoid Reed escaping and extending plays.
“(Reed) presents the same problems, maybe even a little more dynamic in terms of long speed,” Napier said. “It’s the unannounced plays, it’s the off-schedule play, there’s a lot of them. And more designed quarterback run game. So, it’s a huge part of the puzzle when you start talking about defending the group.”
But Reed can beat you with his arm, too. After losing some key pieces to the transfer portal this offseason, the Aggies brought in some of the better pass-catchers on the market to College Station.
It starts with NC State transfer KC Concepcion, who has 24 catches and is averaging 16.7 yards a catch with five touchdowns. Against SEC opponents, Concepcion has 11 catches for 174 yards, including a 113-yard game against Auburn.
Mississippi State transfer Mario Craver leads the team with 30 catches for 557 yards (7th in FBS) and four touchdowns. Earlier this season, A&M went up to South Bend and earned a huge 41-40 win against Notre Dame. Craver went off during that game — hauling in seven catches for 207 yards and a score.
But the Aggies’ weapons don’t end there. Texas A&M’s most underrated receiver is Terry Bussey, whose speed makes him hard to stop in the passing and kicking game. Bussey has nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, but also is the Aggies’ main kickoff returner, where he has eight returns for 217 yards.
“All these guys, really good. Terry Bussey, nobody talks about him either, but he was an elite player coming out. We scouted him as well, we know these guys, (KC) Concepcion at NC State. We evaluated him in the portal. He was very productive. (Mario Craver), we saw him at Mississippi State last year, but he’s electric,” Napier said. “So, these guys can roll. Concepcion is the punt returner, and then Bussey’s the kicker returner. They’ve scored touchdowns in both the return phases. It’s a challenge.”
One thing that Florida’s defense won’t have to worry about is communicating. The benefit of going on the road lies in the crowd being mostly quiet when the opposing defense is on the field, because one doesn’t want their home crowd affecting the offense’s pre-snap communication. A week ago, the Gators’ defense was stuck using hand signals because of how loud Ben Hill Griffin Stadium got. While they used the home-crowd noise as a major advantage, linebacker Myles Graham thinks UF can take advantage of being more organized.
“The Swamp, man, it was so loud, and it really helped us through their communication. I could see it,” Graham said. “It’s gonna be more quiet going to Texas A&M. So something that’ll help us. Either way, we just want to play our game. Play our brand of football.”
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN, and coverage will also start at 4 p.m. on ESPN 98.1-FM, 103.7-FM/850-AM WRUF.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
