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Gators Defense Passes The Tide Test

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By KARL HYPPOLITE

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 7, 2008

ATLANTA - Late in the fourth quarter with the Gators nursing a 24-20 lead, linebacker Brandon Spikes went up and said a few choice words to his defense that may have saved its championship hopes.

"Spikes told us that we had to make a stop and we're going to win the game," cornerback Joe Haden said. "We just went out there and focused on that. He told us that we weren't playing like ourselves and that we had to make a play."

Though the 31-20 final score wouldn't suggest it, for a time the Gators defense faltered. Running back Glen Coffee ran through Florida's vaunted run defense with ease as he had 112 rushing yards and a TD.

Freshman wide receiver Julio Jones finished with 112 yards on just five receptions - including a 64-yard reception in the first quarter that swung the momentum in Alabama's favor after the Gators scored on their opening drive.

But after Spikes' speech, the Gators once again played better defense.

First Haden broke up a John Parker Wilson pass to Jones down the sideline.

Then the defensive line converged around Coffee, limiting him to a 2-yard gain. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham then made arguably the play of the game as he sacked Wilson for an 11-yard loss.

"We knew that we got them down to a third-down situation and that they were down and we knew they had to pass the ball and we just put our pass rushers out there and came down the edge," Spikes said.

"Jermaine Cunningham came down the edge and he was able to get to him."

Though Cunningham had the lone sack, UF was able to get consistent pressure on Wilson and forced him to throw the ball away many times.

"They said their offensive line could block anybody and our defense took that to heart and came out and played a great game," wide receiver Louis Murphy said.

More than anything else, what Florida's win may have done is end the talk that it is simply a finesse team that can't win a physical matchup.

Though the Gators admit Alabama was certainly the toughest team they have played this season, they see this as a test that they passed in coming back from a fourth-quarter deficit and earning a win against one of the toughest teams in the country.

"It shows the heart of our team to keep on fighting," Haden said. "That's one thing that we haven't really had to see this year to have to dig deep and come back and win.

"We get so tired of being called a finesse team because the only reason they look past our toughness is because of our speed," Haden said. "Our speed outweighs our toughness but that doesn't mean we're not tough. We can still be pretty and fast at the same time."

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