Florida uses spring drills to rebuild defense that struggled

4/11/2008 5:40 PM

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes has watched countless replays of last season's bowl loss to Michigan.

All those missed tackles and blown coverages are as embarrassing now as they were three months ago.

``We had a lot of preparation, a lot of time to get ready for the bowl game and we came out and didn't perform the way we were capable of,'' Spikes said.

The 41-35 loss in the Capital One Bowl capped an up-and-down season for the defense. It also provided plenty of motivation during spring practice, which the Gators spent rebuilding their biggest weakness.

Now, with two new coaches, some new players and a year of experience, Florida believes the unit has moved closer to being on par with its high-scoring offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. The first test comes Saturday in the team's annual spring game, the Orange & Blue Debut.

``I'm pleased with a lot of performances right now on defense,'' coach Urban Meyer said.

That wasn't the case very often last year.

The Gators gave up 28 or more points six times, and had the lead in three of their four losses. In the other, Florida and Auburn were tied at 17 before the Tigers used a late drive to set up a game-winning field goal.

``The main thing for us is learning to finish the game,'' defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said.

Florida showed signs of progress down the stretch last season, winning four in row and getting solid defensive efforts against Vanderbilt and Florida State.

But the defense was downright humbled against Michigan.

The Wolverines racked up 524 yards of offense and scored on seven of 13 possessions. It could have been worse, too, had Chad Henne not thrown two interceptions and Mike Hart not fumbled twice near the goal line.

The Gators couldn't tackle Hart, couldn't pressure Henne and couldn't cover Adrian Arrington or Mario Manningham. Florida's coaching staff has shown highlights - lowlights, really - throughout the offseason to remind the players how much room they have for improvement.

Spikes wanted to turn away at times, but eventually decided to use it into a motivational tool.

``It hurts knowing we were mentally prepared and guys just didn't show up,'' he said. ``Guys are growing up and taking stuff to heart, building chemistry and knowing we can depend on each other. But we've still got to keep taking strides.''

The defense also got a bit of makeover after the season. Meyer hired Vance Bedford to work with cornerbacks, added Dan McCarney to handle the defensive line and eliminated the co-defensive coordinator model the Gators had been using with Strong and Greg Mattison.

The team also welcomed several early enrollees, most of them on defense. Linebacker Brandan Beal, linemen Matt Pachen and Earl Okine, and cornerbacks Jeremy Brown and Janoris Jenkins have been some of the notable standouts during spring drills.

The defense won the majority of scrimmages, causing offensive players to run sprints after practice, and was often seen and heard celebrating hits, sacks, stops, breakups and turnovers all over the field.

``It's all about making plays to get off the field,'' Meyer said. ``We're tying to put them in as many situations as similar to last year. The difference between winning those games (in 2006) and failing to win, the defense stood up and made a play and got a victory. ... Last year, we failed to do that.''

The result was four losses, no championships and an offseason filled with replays of that Michigan game.

``Our pass rush was very inadequate, and as a result, we gave up far too many plays down the field,'' Meyer said. ``Those are the two areas we've been working hard on. I'd have to say the back end has improved more than the front end. The front end still has a long way to go.''