The Florida Gators
UF expects to be challenged by Kentucky tailback
get ready for Kentucky and tailback Benny Snell, who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
GAINESVILLE — Kentucky’s outspoken junior Benny Snell has ample talent and an impressive track record.
No SEC tailback might be able to match Snell’s confidence.
“I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been,” Snell said in July during SEC Media Days. “My time is now. I am the best running back in the SEC.”
Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Snell is off to a nice start as he pursues the school’s all-time rushing record during his third season in Lexington. Snell ran for 120 yards and two scores during last Saturday’s 35-20 win against Central Michigan.
But Snell is going to need some help against the No. 25 Florida Gators on Saturday night in the Swamp.
Kentucky’s quarterbacks finished 15-of-27 passing for 128 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the opener. Starter Terry Wilson, whose two picks were among his team’s four turnovers, was benched for fellow sophomore Gunnar Hoak.
To assist Snell, sophomore tailback Asim Rose added 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. The Gators, though, expect to see a healthy dose of Snell as Ken-
tucky looks to snap a 31-game losing streak to UF.
“Our game plan’s really going around him this year,” Gators nickelback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson said. “He’s going to carry the load, so we’ve just got to corral him and do what we got to do.”
Unless the Wildcats can find a passing game, defenses are going to pack the box to suffocate Snell and Kentucky’s run game.
“We have to hit some of our shots and throw the ball more effectively — that was evident in our opener,” Wildcats coach Mark Stoops said. “We had some opportunity to create some big plays and we were fractions off. A lot of it had to do with protections. We have to be a little firmer.”
Pierce emerges
UF tailback Dameon Pierce joined a crowded Gators’ backfield, but the freshman already is making an impact.
Pierce’s tackle of Charleston Southern’s Taz Lindsey at the Buccaneers 12-yard line ignited the crowd at the Swamp with UF leading 41-0 during Saturday night’s season opener.
The tackle also earned Pierce some carries from coach Dan Mullen, who emphasizes special-teams excellence. Turns out, running backs coach Greg Knox, who coordinates UF’s special teams, already had Pierce in line to enter the one-sided affair.
“I said, ‘Hey, get him in,’ ” Mullen said. “And Greg’s like, ‘He’s already in’ … to reward that.”
Pierce made the most of his chance, ripping off a 27-yard run on his first carry. He finished with a team-leading 75 yards on eight carries, averaging 9.4 yards an attempt.
Pierce’s role going forward remains to be seen, but the Georgia native quickly made an impression once he arrived on campus.
Pound for pound, the 5-foot-10, 216-pound Pierce might be the team’s strongest player.
“I’m not squatting with him,” said senior guard Fred Johnson, who is 6-foot-6, 330 pounds. “He put 595 [pounds] on the bar, and then hit it and came up like it was nothing. He’s just a strong little man.”
Miller time
Redshirt freshman linebacker Ventrell Miller was among nine players suspended last season amid a credit-card fraud scandal.
One of four players Mullen reinstated, the Lakeland native is making the most of his second chance.
Miller had two tackles on kickoff coverage against Charleston Southern and added two more on defense, including a sack for nine yards during the fourth quarter.
Miller is not listed on the Gators’ two-deep depth chart at linebacker, but Mullen said he hopes to play up to 30 players on defense each week.
This should put Miller in line for more opportunities. The key will be to capitalize.
“Whoever is going the hardest is going to get the most reps,” Mullen said.
“So your 15 to 20 reps could drop to 10 to 15 next week if you don’t play really hard. And so that will be a learning curve for some of our guys for how to translate how hard they need to go on game day.”