Florida Athletics
QB Conundrum: Alabama Looks to Stop Multiple Quarterbacks in Return to 'The Swamp'
On Saturday, Alabama football will make its return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the first time since October of 2011 in a rematch of last year's SEC Championship Game against the Florida Gators.
While "The Swamp" is certainly an intimidating place to play for most opponents, the Crimson Tide owns a 9-2 all-time record when playing in Gainesville. Since the 2009 SEC title game, Alabama boasts a 7-0 record against Florida. The Gators, however, are seeing this season as the year that it snaps that streak.
While the two teams played each other last season, the two rosters couldn't be more different, particularly on the offensive side of the football. Both Alabama and Florida see multiple key departures on offense.
That being said, both teams share a lot of similarities, according to Florida head coach Dan Mullen.
“A lot of similarities," Mullen said on Wednesday morning. "They have a good scheme that they believe is very, very sound and very talented players across the board with really good depth. Very similar teams.”
For Alabama, quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle along with offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood, Landon Dickerson and Deonte Brown all departed the program to head to the NFL. While the Crimson Tide has restocked its roster with talented players, the players that made a heavy impact against the Gators last December are gone.
For Florida, it's essentially the same story. Quarterback Kyle Trask, wide receiver Kadarius Toney and tight end Kyle Pitts all punched holes in Alabama's defense. Combined with the loss of wide receiver Trevon Grimes, the Gators are in the same situation as their Crimson Tide counterparts.
This season, Florida wants to have the same offensive production against Alabama as it did last December. To do that, the plan starts at quarterback.
In its first two games, Gators head coach Dan Mullen has utilized a two-quarterback system with Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. Jones has had far more throwing opportunities, but Richardson has been electric in the running game. That being said, both excel at both aspects of the game.
Last Saturday at South Florida, Jones completed 14-of-22 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he rushed 13 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. For Richardson, he completed all three of his passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. In rushing, he ran the ball four times for 115 yards — including an 80-yard touchdown.
When it comes to stopping Florida on offense, for Alabama the key will be disrupting the quarterbacks. On Wednesday, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said that defending a dual-threat quarterback — let alone two — presents a difficult challenge.
“It’s not easy because when a quarterback’s a good runner they obviously, as I've said before, they have an extra blocker," Saban said. "So you have to be plus one in the running game all the time and when you do that you can’t be plus one in the passing game so players have to be really disciplined and you’ve got to do a great job of keeping people cut off, keeping people in front of you. Have a good understanding of what we’re playing and what we’re doing. I think you have to do a good job of pushing the pocket, I mean it’s a team defense thing."
Saban also noted how impressed he is with the play of Jones and Richardson so far this season.
"These guys can throw the ball," Saban said. "I've never ever said that they weren’t good passers, I just said that they were really good runners and they are very effective passers and they’ve got good skill guys and they can make big plays. So, that’s what makes them one of the best offensive teams in the country and we’ll have to play really well together as a team to be able to slow them down.”
On paper, it seems as if there isn't a defense in the country that is more well-suited to handling the challenge that Florida's quarterbacks present. With a lot of depth at all positions — particularly linebacker — the Crimson Tide has the ability to limit quarterback rushes by guarding the perimeter and force passes by collapsing the pocket. Both of these things Alabama has done exceptionally well this season, and both are something Crimson Tide fans should see the team try to attempt a lot this Saturday.
"They have a great offense over there," Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle said on Tuesday. "They have two great quarterbacks who can scramble and throw the ball deep. They have great receivers who can catch a deep pass and can run their routes very fluently. The formations that they put their players in to make plays are all difficult. So we’ve just got to be on our Ps and Qs."
Florida's offense and its two quarterbacks will certainly present a lot of challenges for Alabama this weekend. While the Crimson Tide is currently the favorite to win the game, a victory will not come easy should the defense struggle to contain its talent under center.
It's been almost 10 years since Alabama traveled to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. For Florida, the time has seemed to pass by even longer. The quarterback position for the Gators has seen quite an evolution since that date, and the style of offenses in the SEC has progressed even further. That being said, Saturday's game has the potential to be what a lot of Alabama/Florida games have become in the past: a classic.
For Battle, who hails from the state of Florida, his Alabama team returning to the Swamp for the first time in a decade means something special.
“I am very excited," Battle said. "Going to the Swamp is always something a kid dreams of while playing in the SEC. The swamp is probably one of the greatest stadiums in history. It’s going to be fun playing there. Growing up as a kid, as a recruit going to their games, seeing how hyped they were, it’s going to be a great experience."
