seen it on the stupid myspace forums...
Will Muschamp: Tide defense can slow down Gators
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Will Muschamp did something totally out of character Monday morning for a football coach who wears his blood on his sleeve. And his face.
I asked Urban Meyer's personal nemesis if he'd heard from any of his friends on the Alabama coaching staff as they prepped for the SEC Championship Game.
Muschamp paused.
He hemmed.
He may have even hawed.
"Talked to Kirby a little bit," Muschamp said. "Just wished him well."
Riiiiight. If you believe that was the extent of the conversation, if you believe Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart didn't pick Muschamp's brain about how to stop Florida, you must also believe in the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and the silly notion that the Gators can't be stopped.
Get real. They can.
Before he left for Texas, Muschamp's Auburn defenses did it, better than anyone, and they did it two years running.
Final score, 2006: Auburn 27, Florida 17. The Gators didn't score in the second half. No one else beat the BCS champions that season, and no one held them to fewer points.
Final score, 2007: Auburn 20, Florida 17. The Gators didn't score in the first half and totaled three points through three quarters. No one else held Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and company to as few points.
That 2007 game is more relevant to this 2008 SEC Championship Game because Tebow didn't split time with starter Chris Leak as he did in 2006.
Muschamp's fondest memory, besides the second straight shutdown victory against the spread?
"We missed three tackles the entire game last year," he said. "We tackled well in space. That's important. One missed tackle against those guys, and it can be a touchdown."
The Auburn offense helped, too, keeping the ball five minutes longer than Florida last year and 13 minutes longer in 2006. But it was the Auburn defense that dominated those games.
The Florida offense that scored 42.5 points a game last year scored 17 against Auburn. The Florida offense that averaged 457 yards a game last year gained 312 against Auburn.
Tebow threw for 201 yards, ran for 75 and got almost zero help in the running game. Percy Harvin, who'll play with a sore ankle Saturday if he plays, carried just four times for 19 yards.
Muschamp said Auburn "changed fronts a lot" against Florida because the Gators "do lots of box checks." That means they change play calls from the press box after their coaches upstairs see the defensive alignment.
As a result, Muschamp said, "You've got to be multiple. I know Nick will be."
Muschamp knows because he worked with Alabama coach Nick Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins. He knows because he watched the Iron Bowl blowout on TV. From what he saw of Saban's defense, Muschamp said, "It looked a lot like the old days."
"They do a good job of changing things up, playing tough and physical at the point of attack, and they tackle well," he said. "Throughout the year, they've obviously gained a lot of confidence in what they're doing."
Can the Alabama defense slow down Florida?
"I don't think there's any question," Muschamp said.
The hottest defensive coordinator/head-coach-in-waiting in the country found himself in a strange place Monday morning. He was in an airport, on a recruiting trip, rather than in his office game-planning for the Big 12 Championship Game.
Muschamp's reaction to the injustice?
"Just frustrated for your kids," he said. "Two teams you beat (Oklahoma and Missouri) are playing for the conference championship.
"It's unfortunate, but you switch gears immediately."
A lot of pundits, who believe Alabama has little chance against Florida, ought to change their minds.
If Muschamp says Alabama has a defense that can slow down Florida, believe it.
No one else has done it quite like him. Join the conversation with Kevin by reading his columns and commenting at Scarblog on al.com. Go to blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky
