Can the Gators rebound and stuff a good Tennessee running game?
This was priority No. 1 for the Florida defense coming into the game, and the Gators won this crucial battle in a big way. The defensive front dominated the Vols’ young offensive line for most of the afternoon. As a result, there were very few cracks or creases for tailback Tauren Poole to try and exploit. He carried the ball 10 times for only 23 yards. Overall, the Vols managed only 29 yards rushing on 23 attempts. That comes out to an average gain of only 1.3 yards a carry. UF defensive line coach Dan McCarney repeated what he did in the first two games, liberally substituting players along the defensive line throughout the game, including playing true freshmen Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley. Defensive tackle Brandon Antwine had the most action he’s seen this season and really seemed to make a difference in the run defense. The Gators did what they had to do. They shut down the run and forced inexperienced quarterback Matt Simms to try and beat them with the passin
