Florida really hasn't had a test yet. Tennessee just couldn't run the ball and had it not been for a big day for the refs vs the Gators the Vols would have been routed.
Kentucky is far less of a test than Tennessee was, if you're going to play an away game with a new staff and new systems this game is tailor made. Moses could part the Gator defense and Kentucky still couldn't score this weekend.
The big test will be Alabama the week after in the swamp. I'm really liking the Gators.
(Old photo above, Cam Newton, then OC Dan Mullen, his successor at OC Steve Addazio all moved on to bigger and better things...)Florida's defensive line is very tough. The defense as a whole is nasty fast. One area of concern is the play of the defensive backs. That needs to be cleaned up, but then again they faced the best quarterback they will face all season in Tyler Bray.
When you look at Alabama's rushing they just aren't doing that well. In their first two games against Kent State and Penn State Trent Richardson rushed for 148 yards in 39 carries for a 3.8 yards per carry average. His total so far has been helped out with a 50 and 71 yard TD runs vs North Texas. He has 315 yards on 50 carries, minus the two TD runs he's averaging four yards a carry against poor competition.
Those aren't Heisman numbers and Arkansas is better than that against the rush. The Hogs weakness so far is pass defense. Nick Saban likes to go conservative in big games, be interesting to see how this plays out. Would think Bama tries to pound them then catch them with their pants down on a play action here and there. It will only take a few key hookups for the Tide to pull this one out.
That is if Arkansas isn't red hot.
Think the Gators are in great shape to get Alabama next week and LSU the week after. People can try to say the Gators haven't faced a defense like they'll face against Alabama and Tennessee. The reply to that is they face their own defense everyday in practice.
Just feel that Charlie Weis is holding some stuff back, they haven't needed to show everything in their bag of tricks to go 3-0, nor will they this weekend against Kentucky. And Florida really has a strong group of offensive linemen who are playing at a high level early in the season allowing only one sack of John Brantley in three games.
LSU's offense is OK. Against the Gators you better be better than OK. Now Florida needs to stay healthy. You wonder about Chris Rainey getting so many carries. The Gators are one of the few teams in the country that can match up with Alabama and LSU speed and strength wise.
Florida will leap to the #1 spot in the nation with victories over Alabama and LSU. They are going to get that done, you heard it here first.
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