Much-maligned unit searches for consistency BY DAVID JONES • FLORIDA TODAY
• September 4, 2008 The questions grew from last fall until the Florida Gators' 56-10 win against Hawaii last week. And they will continue this week, with Miami visiting Gainesville. This Saturday is another chance to make a statement. A defense that gave up one late-game rally after another a year ago appears, for now,to be patched up and improved. The Gators intercepted four passes and held the Warriors to 181 yards passing -- with just 51 in the first half. UF coach Urban Meyer related earlier this week that the rest of the team watched tensely from the sideline to see how that often-maligned defense would react this year. "They all watched the defense run around and play 4 to 6 seconds of relentless football and that was good to see," Meyer said. "You didn't see that a year ago." The defense appears to be more intense, so far. And more of an attack-style unit. Florida forced a total of six turnovers and held Hawaii to 241 yards total offense. "It's safe to say you'll probably win every game if you have that kind of statistics," Meyer said. Sophomore cornerback Joe Haden said this unit has a new attitude -- of being the hunters, rather than the hunted. "Coming up with turnovers, coming up with interceptions, that's the way we look at it," said Haden, who forced a fumble and recovered another against the Warriors. "We know what's going on. Confidence was the main thing that we needed. It's just the whole attitude (is better)." It's a unit that started striving for that improvement in the spring. "All we did all spring and all fall in preseason was say to each other, 'We're going to try to get better, try to get better,' " said UF cornerback Ahmad Black, who had two interceptions against Hawaii, returning one 80 yards for a score. "Everybody was saying that we were the weak link last year. We knew we had to get better than we were last year. All we did was work hard and try to get to the ball." Black said he realized back in the summer that things would be very different. "I knew," he said. "I'm not that old, this is only my second year, but I could tell the difference between last year and this year. This year's team is more dedicated, we want to get back to the championship game." But he realizes this is another week and the same old questions will continue. Miami hasn't lost to Florida since 1985. It's a rivalry game."They want to beat us just as bad we want to beat them," he said. Contact Jones at 242-3682 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
