Cox a key cog forUF
Georgia transfer to spearhead Gators’ defense vs. Bulldogs
GAINESVILLE — Georgia coach Kirby Smart recruited linebacker Brenton Cox Jr., later signed the five-star talent and after one season watched him leave to another school.
Cox did not transfer for just any school: He landed at hated rival Florida.
Smart must now face his former player when the No. 5 Bulldogs (4-1) and the No. 8 Gators (3-1) square off at 3:30Saturday in Jacksonville with the SEC East title on the line. The game will air nationally on CBS.
Keeping Cox at bay will be a focal point for Georgia, seeking its fourth straight win in the series since the early 1980s.
“Brenton is playing really well,” Smart said Wednesday during the SEC teleconference. “He’s an explosive pass rusher, a really good player like he was coming out of high school. He plays really hard; he’s hard to block.
“He’ll create some issues for us Saturday. We’ve got to do a good job knowing where he’s at.”
Cox just recently rediscovered himself as a player and his role with the Gators. Florida’ s struggling defense followed the red shirt sophomore’ s lead during last Saturday’ s 41-17win against Missouri.
Cox’ s first three games this season — similar to the team’s defense— produced some impact plays, yet toomany costly breakdowns.
Cox failed to contain a reverse early against Missouri but shook off the miscue and terrorized the Tigers the rest of the night. He finished with five tackles, a sack, three quarterback hurries and fumble recovery leading to a touchdown pass on the next play from Kyle Tr ask to K ad ari us Toney.
The performance was no surprise to Cox’s teammates, who have marveled at his explosiveness since he arrived in August 2019.
“We’ ve been knowing that Brenton Cox is a great player, and I guess he just showed y’ all ,” sophomore corner back Jay don Hill said. “He went out, put on a show and dominated like he’s supposed to. That’s him.”
Cox’s previous inconsistency could be chalked up to a year away of football and the fact he had been mis cast in the Gators’ scheme, forced to play on the line of scrimmage due to a lack of available players.
The long-awaited return of defensive tackle Kyree Campbell allowed the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Cox tomove back a few steps and into amore natural linebacker role. The 6-foot-4,295-pound Campbell also helped shore up Florida’s run defense and raise overall physicality of the front seven.
UF’s young defensive backs such as Hill and safety Rash ad Torrence also raised their level of play as three veteran starters missed the game following a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.
“It always goes back to who’s available, and howdo you get your best 11 players on the field ?” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “So you kind of take that and build your gameplan around that.”
Cox gives the Gators a critical piece to build around.
Grantham’s defenses are built on pressuring the quarterback, creating chaos, generating turnovers and never letting up. Cox’s performance against Missouri spearheaded the kind of defensive effort coaches have yearned to see this season.
“I think we looked more like a Florida defense Saturday night,” coach Dan Mullen said. “That’s just taken this extended period of time for us to get to that at this point of the season. Hopefully now you see us play at that level the rest of the season.”
To beat Georgia, the Gators could have to raise their level of intensity and physicality another notch up front. The Bulldogs running game averages 175 yards — third in the SEC — and sets the tone on offense with five-star running backs Zamir White and James Cook operating behind an offensive line returning four starters from last season.
UF’s 41-38 loss Oct. 10 at Texas A&M exposed the defense on every level, but particularly up front as the Aggies piled up 543 yards, converted 12 of 15 times on third down and score do na fourth down touchdown run.
Florida feels like it found some answers with Cox’s emergence, Campbell’s return and some new blood stepping up in the secondary.
The Gators say intensity will not be an issue against the Bulldogs.
“You can watch our practice,” sophomore cornerback Kaiir Elam said. “You see that it’s harder; we try to make it harder than the game. So if we come out and we attack them like we do practice, I think you can expect big things.