Behind Enemy Lines: Talking Florida-Alabama with Roll Tide Wire
After a 42-20 win over South Florida on Saturday, the Gators return to Gainesville for the biggest home game the team has had in years. The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide come to town, and Florida hasn’t defeated ‘Bama since the 2008 SEC Championship game, losing the last seven contests in the series.
Most recently, the squads faced in the SEC Championship last December when Alabama earned a 52-46 victory en route to a national championship. This year’s Crimson Tide don’t seem to have skipped a beat, as they are 2-0 under new starter Bryce Young, a former five-star recruit, with a dominating win in Week 1 over a ranked Miami team.
To get the skinny on Alabama, we reached out to Stacey Blackwood of Roll Tide Wire to gauge his thoughts on the matchup with the Gators on Saturday. Here are his takes about the game.
Not many people are giving the Gators a chance in this one, and Alabama has won the last seven in this series. What does Florida have to do if it’s going to be competitive in this game?
The best way to compete with Alabama is not to allow anything easy for Alabama. By easy I mean, no explosive plays, no self-inflicted mistakes (penalties, turnovers, etc), but you also need to force Alabama to commit some of those mistakes in the game as well.
Alabama has had some strong quarterback play the last few years, but Bryce Young is the best it has ever signed. It seems like he’s been very sharp, how would you assess his play through two games?
Bryce has looked like a former five-star recruit. His talent is obvious, but I believe his poise is what has surprised people the most. I believe Bryce has everything you want in a QB, but let's talk after Alabama travels to "The Swamp" to make a final decision haha!
Many have wondered how Alabama would replace Heisman-winner Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle (though Waddle didn’t play much last year). The Tide have some returning production, namely John Metchie III, but who else has stepped up to fill that void at receiver?
Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams has been a big-time playmaker for Alabama in the first couple of games. Against Miami, he had a 94-yard touchdown reception where he showed off his elite top-end speed. Another guy to watch is true freshman JoJo Earle, he started seeing more playing time last week against Mercer and will remind a lot of people of Jaylen Waddle. I am not saying he is the next Waddle, but they are very similar. I think it is important to note that Alabama has a couple of talented TEs in Cameron Latu and Jahleel Billingsley. Billingsley has started the season in the dog house but seems to be working his way out of it.
Though it ultimately didn’t matter, last year’s ‘Bama defense seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable. After completely shutting down D’Eriq King in Week 1, it looks to be improved. Is the defense back to being the shutdown unit we expect from the Crimson Tide?
I think it is important to remember the 2020 defense in the right context. Sure the defense was not like the Alabama defenses of old, but the game has changed and it would be unrealistic to think you can have a dominant defense in today's game. Alabama was still first in the SEC last season in scoring defense holding teams to an average of fewer than 20 points per game. Everyone remembers the Florida and Ole Miss games, but if you go back and look, those were the two outliers on the season and the truth is the 2020 defense gave up 24 points or less in every game but those two. So I think the 2020 defense was still pretty good. Now back to this year's defense, Alabama returns 8 of 11 starters, plus they added Henry To'o To'o from Tennessee. I think the defense this season has a chance to be one of the best in the entire country. Great pass rush, tough up the middle, and an experienced secondary with playmakers.
One of Alabama’s best defensive players, edge rusher Will Anderson, was injured against Mercer. He’s been listed as day-to-day, what does he bring to the table and what’s the impact on Alabama’s defense if he doesn’t play.
Based on the way this team has played the last two weeks, it’s honestly hard to see how Florida can win this game. With that being said, Richardson has proven to be a special player, and if he’s healthy and able to see significant action Saturday, he might be able to muster enough magic to keep this one close. Bryce Young hasn’t thrown a pick this year, but if Florida can put some pressure on him, we could see some mistakes from the young passer. But Florida will need to be very efficient in capitalizing on those mistakes. [vertical-gallery id=46337] Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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