Gators to Deal With Triple Threat (Georgia Southern)

For the first time this season, the Florida Gators are facing an opponent that they are clearly bigger, stronger and faster than across the board. This, of course, brings into play the possibility of a letdown against FCS opponent Georgia Southern on Saturday.

But there are two main reasons why that probably won’t happen: Furman, and the triple option.

Two years ago, Furman, another FCS power, came to The Swamp and sprung the triple option on the Gators and nearly pinned an embarrassing upset loss on Florida.

After trailing 22-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Gators finally found a way to slow down the triple option and escaped with a 54-32 victory that made them bowl eligible.

FCS schools can cause all kinds of trouble, especially those that are efficient running the triple option.

……………….The Gators actually know exactly what to expect from the Georgia Southern offense Saturday. The Eagles are going to run variations of the triple option and occasionally try to burn UF with a deep pass when the defensive focus is on stopping the run.

It’s a simple, old-fashioned approach, and an effective one.

Knowing it’s coming is only part of the problem for the Florida defense. The difficult part is stopping it, especially when you go up against it only every two or three years (or less) and have only one week to prepare.

………………..“To be honest with you, this is something we’ve worked on as a staff all the way back into the summer. Obviously, we knew this game was coming so we’ve prepared and worked for it, but now it’s teaching that and getting that to our players.”

…………………“The difficulty facing a team like this is simulating it in practice,” Muschamp said. “You just don’t ever see it. Not many teams run it. … The service academies and Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern. It’s not something you see every day.

“Recognition is key. Simplicity in what we do. Execution is going to be (critical).”

The Eagles are averaging 353.5 yards a game rushing and 453.7 overall. They don’t pass often, but when they do they are effective, averaging almost 19 yards per completion.

Missed defensive assignments tend to lead to big plays for the Georgia Southern offense.

“I know this team put up 352 yards on (Georgia) last year, so this is no team to push aside,” Taylor said. “This is a team to be prepared for.

“They run veer, they run a lot of different ways. There are a lot of different ways they block it up. We just have to play assignment sound. If you don’t have your assignment, they can crease you, they can score on any play.