Florida vs. Auburn Preview

Coming off a 41-11 beating against No. 1 LSU, Florida face yet another ranked conference opponent in No. 24 Auburn. While the Tigers lost Cam Newton and Nick Fairley to the draft, they have no shortage of talent in the backfield.

After getting run over and around by Trent Richardson and Spencer Ware the past two weeks, the Gators will face a two-headed monster.

Stopping Auburn's rushing attack

Sophomore Michael Dyer is a former five-star recruit who rushed for 1,093 yards in Auburn’s magical season last year. The 5-foot-9, 207-pounder has already run for 679 yards and eight touchdowns in six games, including a 41-carry effort against South Carolina.

Speedster Onterio McCalebb is the closest thing Auburn has to Chris Rainey. The diminutive but versatile back has 18 receptions for 201 yards and has carried the ball 56 times for 312 yards (5.6 ypc).

Coach Will Muschamp said the Gators have performed better when playing one-gap technique, and after struggling mightily in run defense in consecutive games, it would make sense for the team to play to its strengths.

Sophomores Dominique Easley and Sharrif Floyd have played well thus far, although Easley has drawn a few too many penalties. The biggest disappointment, both from fans and coaches’ views has been Ronald Powell.

The top recruit of 2010 has been a starter at the buck position, a hybrid linebacker/defensive end spot. Despite an ideal size and speed combination, Powell has done a poor job at setting the edge in the run game and only registered three career sacks.

From my view, Powell has lined up too far off the ball and has been slow off the snap. This combination has allowed offensive tackles, who already outweigh Powell by at least 50 to 60 pounds, to get their hands on his pads and take away any of his power.

On the other hand, junior Lerentee McCray has excelled as a starter. The speedy linebacker has been a playmaker and seems to be around the ball.

Going back to basics

With John Brantley sidelined with an ankle injury, true freshman Jacoby Brissett is expected to start. Brissett played decently in his debut last week, but his playbook was limited.

The Gators need to start getting the ball in the hands of their playmakers, specifically Jordan Reed and Andre Debose.

The offensive line, which started out strong, has been manhandled by the more physically-gifted defensive lines of Alabama and LSU. Guard Kyle Koehne and Jonotthan Harrison both said the line has made too many mental errors and penalties.

With improved line play, it should open up more lanes for Chris Rainey and the rising Mike Gillislee to re-establish the ground game which was the trademark through the first four weeks.

I think the Gators should be able to pull off a road victory, but it certainly won’t be easy. They’ve clearly struggled against elite backs and Dyer is definitely one of them. The keys for the Gators will be to stop the run and run the football. It’s that simple.