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On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, defensive coordinator Brad White, senior running back London Montgomery, and sophomore wide receiver Dallas Wilson spoke about No. 8 Florida’s matchup against No. 25 Missouri.
Faulkner on the dominance of his unit
Faulkner said that 300 yards rushing is a testament to all the players on the field, not just the running backs.
“That’s an accomplishment for the offensive line, running backs, tight ends; all those guys did a great job, that’s where it starts,” Faulkner said. “And then our wide receivers, when you’re going to rush the ball, especially without the quarterback element, for 300 yards, it takes all 11 on the field.”
He said senior wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. is smart and credited his toughness as to why he was able to play against Ole Miss. Faulkner said Singleton Jr. was mad that he wasn’t played at all in the first half, and he’s excited for him to be back fully against Missouri.
Also, Faulkner said junior quarterback Aaron Philo didn’t underthrow Singleton Jr. on the deep throw because it’s a landmark throw. He said it’s important for the offense to be able to impose its will when running the ball, and the offensive line is gaining confidence as the game goes on.
“If you’re getting four yards, five yards in the first quarter, you kind of project out; those can be six, seven, eight-yard gains later as the game goes,” Faulkner said. “So, yeah, you can see their confidence as the game went on.”
He said senior left tackle Bryce Lovett is the most talented offensive lineman on the team, and they had to overcome the mental struggles with him. When looking to take the load off junior running back Jadan Baugh, sophomore running back Duke Clark has stepped up and flashed in the opportunities he’s received.
“Duke has been a guy that’s flashed since we’ve been here,” Faulkner said. “Again, it’s just kind of getting comfortable playing and playing more, but you can see what he can do.”
White on the challenge Missouri poses
Defensive coordinator Brad White said Missouri senior quarterback Austin Simmons is a smooth thrower of the ball, and he is a smooth runner when he needs to get out of the pocket.
He said his unit has to be disciplined in their fronts, and this is the best offensive line they have faced so far this season.
“I think it’s definitely one of the best O-lines in this conference and the best one we’ve seen thus far this year, so big challenge up front,” White said.
He said they have to set a firm edge up front so Missouri can’t execute the outside zone run on the Florida defense. White said it was important to get the stop on fourth down early because it gave the team early momentum.
“I think it was big, that was a big momentum play for the whole team,” White said. “To get that fourth-down stop on the plus side of territory, create a short field, get to a two-score lead, and play from the front the rest of the game.”
He said fifth-year defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo is going 100 miles per hour every snap, and he plays violently. He also credited junior linebacker Aaron Chiles Jr. for his constant effort each play.
White said junior linebacker Myles Graham is a stabilizing force for the defensive unit.
“Myles is sort of that steady Eddie,” White said. “He makes some plays that maybe they feel routine for Myles, but if you sort of step back, you’re like, ‘Man, that is really a pretty darn good play.’”
He said the cornerbacks have made plays, and he said senior cornerback Cormani McClain’s highs are as good as anyone. For McClain, however, White said his play-to-play consistency is something he needs to work on. Junior defensive lineman LJ McCray is another player White wants to see more consistency out of.
A complete game is what White hopes for from his unit on Saturday.
“We need to play a full game,11 guys, all the groups together,” White said.
Montgomery on playing special teams and coming to Florida
Senior running back London Montgomery said returning to power four competition was something he wanted when transferring out of East Carolina.
“It’s a great opportunity for me, I wanted to go back up to power four,” Montgomery said. “I know that they had a great running back room, but I love to compete.”
He said he’s honored to be the kick returner at Florida, and he values the trust the coaching staff has put in him.
“It’s a big role for me, to be the kick returner for Florida is an honor, so I’m glad they trust me with that position,” Montgomery said.
He credited his blockers on his big return, and he said he wanted to run over the kicker on the return.
“I had seen the kicker, we say treat the kickers with disrespect,” Montgomery said. “I tried to run him over, but it didn’t work out too well.”
He said the team takes pride in special teams, and it sets up the offense well. He also said having two 100-yard rushers (Baugh and Clark) is something that can help the team win most of its games.
Wilson on how the offense can grow
Sophomore wide receiver Dallas Wilson said being able to block when other players have the ball is something he has enjoyed about Faulkner’s offense. He said he was surprised when Faulkner called the play for him to rush it on his touchdown.
Even though the offense scored five touchdowns in the second half, that’s the standard he wants the unit to maintain.
“Going five for five, that’s great, but just keeping that the standard as we go down the line,” Wilson said.
On his touchdown, he credited senior tight end Evan Chieca blocking in front of him, and he said he didn’t know it was former Florida defensive back Sharif Denson he was carrying into the end zone until he saw the video of the play.
While the offense has been explosive, Wilson thinks there’s another level they can reach.
“We have a very explosive offense, so anything we put our mind to, when we start limiting mistakes and then start just playing free and playing as one whole, then oh my God, the sky’s the ceiling,” Wilson said.
He said the mindset for the team remains the same, which is going undefeated each week. Part of the fundamentals he said the staff emphasizes is to not take drive-killing penalties.
“He says the theme every week, just 1-0, be 1-0,” Wilson said. “Just being 1-0 every week and then keeping your technique, and your details, your fundamentals the same.”
Florida will have a chance to go 1-0 this week, when they take on Missouri on Saturday at 3:30 pm at Faurot Field.
Videos courtesy GatorVision on YouTube
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