Field Access: Sideline takeaways from the Florida-Tennessee game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Following each Florida game, Gators Online will provide perspective from the sideline and what we learned with a field-level view.
Here are five takeaways from the Tennessee matchup.
Trevor Etienne looks out for his offensive linemen
During the week, Trevor Etienne said he wanted to “steal the show” against Tennessee in the return game. The sophomore running back didn’t get any opportunities on kickoffs but made the most of his carries.
Etienne’s improved speed, which Gators Online noted during the offseason, was evident on Saturday night. Former UF receiver Xzavier Henderson said in the spring that Etienne would win a 20-yard dash race amongst the players.
He showed that acceleration against the Volunteers. Etienne burned them with his burst and quickness out of the backfield, especially on his 62-yard touchdown run. He turned on the jets and outran Vols senior DB Kamal Hadden in a foot race.
The best part about that play was how Etienne celebrated it. Instead of using the team’s “Baller Baton” for himself on the sideline, he handed it to junior left guard Richie Leonard IV and let him have the moment.
Etienne plans to take care of his entire offensive line, which helped paved the way for his career-high 172 yards on 23 carries.
“I want to give a shout-out to my O-line, first of all. Just thankful for those guys. Like I said earlier in the week, it was going to be a physical game. And they came out and dominated for 60 minutes. And I just want to say thank you. I owe those guys. I have to take them out to dinner or something,” Etienne said.
Crowd slowed UT’s tempo, which UF handled well
One of the Gators’ causes for concern in this matchup would be how they handled Tennessee’s up-tempo attack. Florida’s defenders had trouble at times getting lined up before the snap at Utah.
The Vols move at a much faster pace, so there was the potential for their no-huddle offense to catch UF off guard and hit some big plays. Hats off to the Gators for their readiness against Tennessee.
They did a great job of running to the line of scrimmage after plays were over, communicating their defensive calls and getting themselves in position prior the ball being hiked.
Austin Armstrong’s defense held the Vols to just 64 plays — their fewest of the season and the third-fewest plays run under third-year coach Josh Heupel.
“We did our homework. We spent extensive time in the offseason (on tempo) and certainly a little bit in training camp and obviously throughout the week,” Napier said. “I think what gets overlooked here is maybe the scout teams and the job they did throughout the week replicating the tempo. Numerous walkthroughs. We put them in the indoor with crowd noise. We threw two teams at them. I’m not sure how many reps we took this week, but we took a lot. And, ultimately, we played well.”
Speaking of crowd noise, it certainly had an impact on the Vols. They were without starting center Cooper Mays, who was expected to make his season debut but didn’t play. Tennessee’s offensive line struggled on the road The Swamp and committed five false starts in the game.
Milton also had a burn a timeout to avoid a delay of game. He was visibly frustrated walking off the field while Florida players pumped up the sold-out crowd even louder.
“I think in this league, home field advantage is a big deal. And they were a factor tonight. There’s no question,” Napier said. “How many procedure penalties did the crowd create? I think Austin had a really good plan. We stemmed the front on occasion. They were a factor. All the third downs, the fourth downs, really significant. Really thankful for that. 90,000 strong.”
Austin Armstrong was pumped to beat Tennessee
Napier said he spent some time this summer educating the team on Florida’s rivalries, particularly for new players and staff members. Armstrong didn’t need a tutorial about the Tennessee Volunteers.
Born and raised in Alabama, he grew up a Crimson Tide fan and never missed the Third Saturday in October rivalry. It’s in his blood. When I interviewed Armstrong in August, he brought up beating the Vols unprompted.
He dislikes Tennessee in the way Steve Spurrier does. And in his first game in the SEC as a defensive coordinator, Armstrong had some extra motivation to upset the team he was raised to hate and also showcase his scheme against Josh Heupel’s offense.
Armstrong has drawn attention for his energy and intensity on the field, but he was extra animated in this matchup. When Florida stopped the Vols on fourth-and-1, he let out nine Gator chomps on the sideline after celebrating with sophomore safety Miguel Mitchell.
Armstrong saved the best for last. As soon as redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz took a knee on Florida’s final play, Armstrong immediately walked onto the field and started waving goodbye at the Tennessee sideline for several seconds. It was classic!
“Coach Armstrong and the defensive staff had a terrific plan,” Napier said. “We tackled for the most part in space well on the perimeter, especially as the game settled in. We knew going into the game, first down would be important. We created some negative plays.
“Those guys played their tail off, man. I can’t imagine playing much better outside of that first possession. Don’t forget the turnover in the short field, right? That was a huge momentum play in the game.”
Florida players defend their QB at the game’s end
Unfortunately for Armstrong, his celebratory mood after waving his arm was interrupted by a scuffle that broke out. As things escalated, Armstrong noticed and sprinted down the sideline to intervene.
Tempers flared in the final seconds of the game. After Napier and Heupel played cat and mouse with timeouts, Mertz ran around before taking a knee and was hit late by Vols senior DL Omari Thomas.
Florida’s players immediately stepped in to defend their quarterback. UF redshirt sophomore offensive tackles Austin Barber and Damieon George and senior tight end Dante Zanders all shoved Thomas.
But nobody sprung into action quite like junior right guard Micah Mazzccua. He barreled through sophomore linebacker Elijah Herring before coming face to face with Tennessee’s Hadden.
Mazzccua, who’s been described as “barroom brawler”, squared up with Hadden at the 10-yard line and throw a right hook at him. The Micah Mazzccua Boxing Academy was open for business.
Mertz appreciated Mazzccua and his teammates having his back.
“I think that just shows what this locker room is about. I can say from my end, I love every single guy in that locker room, and I’m going to fight with them every single day. That’s across the board. So that definitely means a ton,” Mertz said. “That was just the weirdest end to a game I’ve ever had, but I guess that’s Tennessee. That’s kind of how it goes.”
The stadium’s new LED lights are a game changer
Florida’s game against McNeese featured a “soft opening” with Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s new LED lights. However, they were only used for a few seconds after some of the touchdowns, leaving much to be desired.
Florida put the LED lights on full display for the night game against Tennessee. The Gators used them for the first time during the “Won’t Back Down” tradition, showcasing the lights for 27 seconds during Tom Petty’s song.
UF also incorporated the LED lights into the “Orange and Blue” chant, as the stadium alternated between orange and blue as the fans chanted both colors. They were more impactful when showcased this way and money well spent.
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