FILM ROOM: WR Josh Hammond is Florida's most important skill player vs. Auburn
When it comes to Florida's passing offense, it's hard to pin-point one player as an X-factor. The fact that the Gators are legitimately two-deep at all three receiving positions, and even three-deep in the slot when they're fully healthy, makes it tough to name one player as a game-changer.
But if Florida wants to beat the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, wide receiver Josh Hammond is going to need to post a career day.
Why specifically Hammond? Well, it starts by his matchup. Should Hammond continue to play out of the slot and run short-to-intermediate routes, such as screens, crossing routes, passes to the flats, and so on - he's in an incredibly favorable matchup.
According to Pro Football Focus, Auburn's starting linebackers and nickel cornerback have struggled in coverage this season. The STAR nickel, Christian Tutt, has allowed 12 of his 18 targets in coverage to be caught (66.7%), allowing 109 yards and two touchdowns. 51 of those 109 yards have come after the catch.
The STAR will be the position that covers slot receivers in man coverage when the offense lines up with three receivers or more, so chances are Hammond will be seeing a good amount of Tutt throughout the game on Saturday.
And if not Tutt, Hammond will see plenty of Auburn's linebackers - Owen Pappoe and K.J. Britt - in zone coverage as he plays into the middle of the field. Pappoe and Britt have fared better than Tutt in coverage, but they haven't been perfect either. Their combined 53% completion rating allowed is nice on 17 targets, but 66 of the 95 yards that have been gained against them have come after the catch.
63% of Hammond's 176 receiving yards this year have come after the catch, with the majority of his routes being within underneath zones. And quarterback Kyle Trask loves throwing to the underneath zones... he's completed 28/30 passes ranging from behind the line of scrimmage through 10 yards out, for a total 217 yards.
Considering Auburn's defensive line is arguably one of the best in the nation - with 13 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 111 QB pressures to back it up - Trask is going to depend on quick reads and routes to open up early. Yards after the catch in order to move downfield is going to be necessary from whoever is on the receiving end of the ball.
If you've watched Hammond play, you know he is a savvy underneath route runner and is crafty after the catch. If you haven't, here's your chance to find out - in the latest GatorMaven film room.
FILM ROOM
Even without much of any separation, Hammond can be relied upon to make plays. He hasn't dropped a pass since the 2017 season, and has caught 42 passes since that season.
He makes a tough grab here on a ball thrown low and away from the defender, and then puts on a show after the catch. Despite only standing a 6-0, 194 lbs., Hammond isn't an easy player to take down. He's tough and fights for every last yard he can get - which will be crucial against Auburn.
Crossing routes are going to be the most essential concepts run by Florida this week, and Trask will need to take advantage of them both early and when Auburn is playing man coverage. Whether it's Hammond or someone like Freddie Swain out of the slot or Van Jefferson and his refined route-running ability, the Gators must take advantage of what Auburn's middle-of-the-field coverage will give them, and proceed to find yards after the catch.
Hammond is clearly capable of that. He anticipates zones opening in the middle of the field, concentrates on getting the ball in, and proceeds to get up field with a nice juke move immediately after the reception. Plays like this are second nature to the senior receiver.
Second in terms of importance only to crossers, screens are going to be vital for Florida on Saturday in lieu of a consistent running game. I don't need to explain how disappointing Florida's rushing attack has been so far this season (free Dameon Pierce), but what makes matters worse is Auburn has the 20th ranked run defense in the nation, allowing 3.09 yards per carry and only 95 yards per game. For reference, no Florida running back has posted 95 yards a game by themselves this year.
Screens will be Florida's best alternative for grinding out small gains in order to open up deeper passes as the game goes on. Given Hammond's ability to ensure the catch and immediately accelerate, look for him to be on the receiving end of several screens. On the play above, he fought through contact from three defenders to turn a catch two yards behind the line of scrimmage into a gain of four yards.
That's your run game replacement. Get Hammond screens in space and let him do his thing.
And to keep Auburn on their toes, Florida can get creative on their screens like on the one above. Hammond motions into the backfield to sell a jet sweep to the defensive front - a play that Hammond has averaged 26.3 yards per carry on this year on three attempts.
However, this play ends up being a swing pass to Hammond in the backfield rather than a sweep, which catches the defense a bit off guard. Florida may have to be a bit more complex with it against Auburn compared to Towson, but these types of plays will work.
Now, when Florida attempts to stretch the field, Hammond can come in handy as well. He hasn't done it much this year, but on occasion, the Gators will send Hammond on deep routes and favorable concepts, such as the smash concept above.
This ball is underthrown because Trask had to throw it on the move, but the concept is favorable against Cover 2 (as seen above, with the safety playing within the hashes while Hammond is outside), or Cover 3. In C3, the outside cornerback is forced to pick whether to defend the short curl by the outside receiver, or the corner route by the slot with little safety help as he's coming from the deep middle of the field.
It worked here on C2 because the cornerback was dedicated to the curl, and the safety was lined up far enough inside that he couldn't play an outside ball. If Trask isn't forced out early on this play, Hammond is hit in stride and probably marches down the field.
And of course, there was the seam throw against Miami that Hammond gained 65 yards on. He doesn't have burning speed to consistently win up the seam, but Hammond took advantage of the defender remaining flat off the snap to win on an inside release as the safety on Hammond's side stayed home rather than jammed and followed. This is where the mental side of playing wide receiver comes into the equation, as Hammond picks these things up through his route in order to find openings. And on this seam, that he did.
While the Gators entire wide receiver corps has taken steps forward this year and is arguably one of the most polished position groups in college football, Josh Hammond has been Florida's "Mr. Dependable" out of the group.
His hands are sure-fire, his short/intermediate routes are crisp and important for a game-managing QB like Trask to have in his arsenal, his yards-after-catch ability on screens and crossers help cover up the lack of a run game, and his understanding of the nuances of his position is exceptional.
Florida has enough weapons on offense to give Auburn problems this weekend, but none will be more important than Josh Hammond on Saturday. The strengths in Hammond's game match what Trask does well, they can make up for the lack of Florida's rushing offense, and attack the weaker points of Auburn's impressive defense.
Hammond has been "Mr. Dependable" for Florida for a while now, and the Gators know they'll need him in their first Top 10 matchup in The Swamp since 2012.
