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It's Fun 'n' Grab defense

Gators loosen up by having fun, then tighten up by forcing turnovers.

By JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 16, 2000

[Times photo: Kevin White] The Gators defense pounces on an Auburn fumble earlier this season.

GAINESVILLE -- Three months ago, experts said Florida had all the ingredients for one of the nation's best defenses. But the Gators forgot to put one thing in the mix.

Fun.

No longer worried about living up to expectations, No. 4 Florida is playing its own brand of high-energy defense -- making big plays, creating turnovers, having a blast.

"Our defense is all intensity and action and cutting loose and having fun," junior tackle Gerard Warren said. "That's what we base our whole defense on."

If statistics mean anything, Saturday's showdown at No. 3 Florida State will be a high-mileage affair. The Seminoles lead the nation in total offense with 558.6 yards per game. The Gators give up 388.1, 36th in the nation.

Florida is not about three-and-out.

It goes for knockouts.

The Gators have forced a nation-best 34 turnovers -- 14 fumbles, 20 interceptions -- leading to 138 points. Six takeaways were inside the UF 20-yard line.

"We need to create turnovers," UF defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said. "That's what we do best. We'll give up a play here or there, a run will break out on us. We're not the prettiest team to watch. For some reason we can't dominate teams for four quarters. So, we need to be able to create turnovers."

The main culprits are safety Todd Johnson, cornerback Lito Sheppard and defensive end Alex Brown, who have combined to force 14 turnovers. Johnson, in addition to leading the team with 93 tackles, has four interceptions and one forced fumble. Sheppard has four interceptions and two forced fumbles. Brown has three forced fumbles.

After struggling to live up to his All-America billing in the early season, Brown has been a big-play force the past month, forcing a combined three turnovers in fourth-quarter play against Georgia and South Carolina.

"Alex is playing very hard," Hoke said.

In addition to forcing turnovers, Florida's defense seems to play best when the stakes are highest. Opponents have reached the UF 20 -- the red zone -- 34 times this season, scoring 16 touchdowns and kicking 12 field goals. Six times teams did not score.

Tennessee learned that counting by three is no way to beat the Gators. The Vols reached the red zone six times but were forced to kick five field goals in a 27-23 loss on Sept. 16.

Florida made two fourth-quarter stands last week, stopping South Carolina at the 1 on consecutive possessions to preserve a 41-21 victory. Lineman Derrick Chambers and linebacker Travis Carroll met leaping tailback Derek Watson in midair and Johnson corraled quarterback Phil Petty on a rollout.

"That says a lot about the pride of our defense," said Brown, a junior whose 22.5 sacks rank fifth in UF history. "Just because you get to the 5-yard line doesn't mean you're going to get into the end zone. Maybe you'll get a field goal. Maybe not even that."

It took a soul-shaking 47-35 loss to Mississippi State on Sept. 30 to show the Gators how counterproductive they had been through the first five games. Suffocated by expectations and worried about making mistakes, Florida struggled to execute the most basic tasks.

Like tackling.

A week after surrendering 504 yards to Kentucky, UF gave up 517 to Mississippi State, including 351 rushing. Young at middle linebacker, the Gators simplified their scheme and issued a team-wide edict:

Have fun.

"All of a sudden a switch was turned on and everybody stopped concentrating on what would happen if they messed up," Warren said. "We said, "Let's just go out and have fun.' If you make a mistake, shake it off and say, "I hope they run it to my side again.' "

In the five games since, Florida is allowing just 16 points a game. In the past two games against Vanderbilt and South Carolina, the offense and special teams have allowed three touchdowns, one more than the defense.

But Vandy is not FSU.

Seminoles quarterback Chris Weinke, a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, has a variety of talented receivers, including leader Marvin "Snoop" Minnis with 1,153 yards and nine touchdowns.

"But we can play better," UF senior linebacker Daryl Owens said. "If possible, we want to hold them under 200 yards. Some people may say that's not reasonable, but we can do it. We're still looking for that complete game."

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