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Gators can't let Vols run over them, again

GAINESVILLE -- It's one of the biggest questions facing the Florida defense as it heads into Saturday's SEC showdown against Tennessee.

How do you stop the run?

Last season, Tennessee ran for 242 yards vs. the Gators, pulling off a stunning 34-32 victory that shattered Florida's SEC championship and national title dreams.

Of those yards, Tampa Bay Bucs and ex-Vols running back Travis Stephens had 226.

The fourth-ranked Vols are on the horizon again and Florida has spent the week practicing and pondering the issue.

The Gators insist this game will be a different story.

"I don't know what will make you guys believe it, but we believe we're going to stop them," safety Todd Johnson said. "We feel confident with our game plan and what we're going to do. We know Tennessee is just going to try to run it down our throats; they're not going to try to trick us. They line up and they do what they do and they're not scared to tell anybody about it."

Taking a look at Florida's stats this season, there's no need to be frightened of running the ball against the Gators. Florida entered the season promising a new, aggressive style of defense under new coordinator John Thompson, geared to improve against the run.

It's a work in progress.

Three games in, the Gators rank last in the SEC and 102nd nationally in rushing defense, allowing 211.33 yards per game.

And consider this:

UAB had 144 rushing yards against UF in the opener, averaging almost 4 yards. Miami gained 306 yards in a 41-16 win that led to changes in the front seven on defense. Hurricanes running back Willis McGahee had 204 yards on 24 carries.

Ohio had 178 yards Saturday in Florida's 34-6 win. The Bobcats threw just four times and averaged 2.9 yards rushing. But Ohio had a 20-play drive that ate up 9:47 -- the longest drive against Florida since the school started keeping the statistic in 1991.

Florida is learning and adapting to Thompson's defensive schemes, most notably his gap control-based concept of stopping the run.

"Everybody has a gap and you got to take care of that," Thompson said of the scheme. "You can create seams in your defense by getting up the field or you create seams in your defense by not getting across a block or not being in your gap. And that happened to us (against Miami). There were times where we were out of our lanes, or we were up the field when we needed to be closing, or we don't get across a block when you got to do that."

Thompson responded after the Miami game by simplifying the defense and making changes in personnel, including moving linebacker Bam Hardmon inside and inside linebacker Todd McCullough outside.

If history is any indication, there can't be any lapses in the gaps Saturday. The team that has rushed for the most yards has won 11 of the past 12. The exception came in 2000 when the Vols outrushed the Gators 203-39, but lost 27-23.

Last season, the Gators loss was aided by an inability to run the ball: Florida had 36 yards on 23 carries with starting running back Earnest Graham injured.

Though they haven't been heavily challenged in Tennessee's first two games this season (Wyoming and Middle Tennessee), the Vols rushing trio of Cedric Houston, Jabari Davis and Keldrick Williams averages 5.7 yards and have yet to be tackled for a loss.

To add to Florida's concerns, Tennessee's leading receiver last season, Kelley Washington, will return after missing the first two games with a sprained knee.

"Last year, they decided on defense they were going to stop myself and Donte (Stallworth, former receiver) and left themselves susceptible to the run," said Washington, who had just one catch in the Florida game. "And that's just something that you give up. If you smother your defense around stopping the pass, then you're going to give up the run. So I really feel they have a tough decision to make if they try to do what they did last year. I'm anxious to see what type of defensive mentality they'll have this year."

Added tight end Jason Witten: "We know they've been putting a big emphasis on trying to stop the run, so I'm sure they are going to come up here trying to prove that point."

Florida coach Ron Zook, who will coach his first road game this season, said he is aware of the importance of keeping Tennessee's running game in check. The concept, he said, is no different now then it was when he was a Florida assistant 12 years ago.

"When I was here in 1991, I made a comment to Jeremy Foley (athletic director) that they may throw for 8,000 yards, but they're not going to run the football," Zook said. "And they did throw for 8,000 yards, but we won the game and they didn't run the football. That's a challenge our defense has. We're going to stop the run. It's important that we stop the run. If we don't, it's going to be a long afternoon."

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