Florida’s Secondary
14 of Florida’s 17 points were scored by its defensive backs against Michigan. And those pick-six’s were on back-to-back possessions.
Tennessee can’t afford those kinds of mistakes on the road.
Quinten Dormady has struggled with staring down receivers through two weeks. Wilton Speight did the same thing against the Gators, and it didn’t turn out well.
You can't give Florida free points. Speight has all day to throw, stares down his WR and telegraphs a poorly thrown ball. #RTIFilmStudy pic.twitter.com/2JeVrhvkKO
— Will Boling (@will_boling) September 15, 2017
Yes, Speight’s receiver lets him down here. But this is a bad throw from the start. Speight has all day to throw, but his poor footwork causes him to put a lot of air under this ball. This result is an easy return for Florida’s star corner Duke Dawson.
I included this clip because it mirrors exactly what Dormady has done on multiple occasions in the Vols first two games. He stares down his receiver, attracting safety help over the top, and then his poor mechanics cause a bad throw.
If Speight disguises where he’s going with this ball, the safety isn’t barreling in from the secondary to disrupt what would have likely been a catch. Dawson’s always going to be lurking in coverage around Tennessee’s primary receivers. Throws will have to be on the money.
The Gators second pick-six was similar to their first one. Speight makes a poor throw because of his poor footwork, and Florida makes him pay again.
Florida's second pick-six: Stunt blitz forces more poor footwork from Speight and another bad throw. #RTIFilmStudy pic.twitter.com/4Ulva5p3H4
— Will Boling (@will_boling) September 15, 2017
Florida does a good job delaying its blitz like the Wolverines did earlier in the first half. The left tackle doesn’t pick up the defensive tackle, who has swapped places with the defensive end.
Speight just needs to step up in the pocket, instead of taking a step to the side. The result is another high throw, gifting the Gators with an easy interception.
This Florida defense is good. The Vols can’t afford mistakes, and field position will be vital. All of these mistakes made by the Michigan offense came on third down. The most important thing Dormady needs to do is simply manage the game. There’s nothing wrong with throwing the ball away and bringing on Trevor Daniel to flip the field.
Special teams and field position will be the x-factor, and mistakes like these from the quarterback would be back-breakers. If Dormady doesn’t turn the ball over, and makes a couple of downfield throws, Tennessee will have a hard time losing to an inconsistent, unproven Gators offense.
