Making a coverage recovery

There were plenty of momentum-shifting, game-changing moments taking place in the Florida secondary a year ago. Most of them in favor of opposing offenses.

Throughout the season, a young secondary that featured two true freshmen starters gave up play after play after play.

"I used to go home sick to my stomach, just watching third-down completion after third-down completion," middle linebacker Brandon Spikes said.

Spikes is feeling much better about this year's Florida secondary.

Instead of having plays made on them, the Florida defensive backs are the ones making the plays now.

For example, take last Saturday's victory over Georgia. Cornerback Joe Haden made the play of the game early in the third quarter, intercepting a Matthew Stafford pass and returning it 88 yards to the 1-yard line. A potential 14-10 game had quickly turned into a 21-3 lead for the Gators.

In the fourth quarter, sophomore strong safety Ahmad Black's interception and 64-yard return set up another UF touchdown.

What's the difference from a year ago?

"Confidence," Haden said. "And just knowing your assignment and what's going on, and believing in the players who play with you."

It is confidence that has grown out of experience.

Looking back at last season, the Gators had almost no chance to be successful given the makeup of their secondary. The lineup featured a true freshman cornerback who played quarterback in high school (Haden), a true freshman at free safety (Major Wright), a true sophomore (Wondy Pierre-Louis) and a speed-challenged strong safety (Tony Joiner, the lone senior).

This year's secondary has a true freshman starting at cornerback (Janoris Jenkins), but there's a whole new look and a whole new feel back there now.

"Look who's playing there now," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "Joe Haden is a veteran playe,r playing like an All-SEC corner. Janoris Jenkins isn't a good player, he is a potentially great player. Also, the maturity level of our safeties. We're much better back there right now."

The evidence is in the numbers. The Gators intercepted only 11 passes last season and gave up too many big plays to count. This season, UF has already intercepted 13 passes and there has been only one glaring mistake — the broken coverage that led to an 86-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in the loss to Ole Miss.

"This offseason, the secondary took it as a challenge to make the plays," Spikes said. "It's showing on Saturdays."

The architect of change is new cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford. After he arrived last January, Bedford, safeties coach Chuck Heater and Meyer got together and evaluated what the Gators had been doing in the secondary, then decided on a new plan.

The past two seasons, UF's was predominantly a press, man-coverage team. The decision was made to continue to play some press man, but to mix in a lot of off man coverage. The plan is working. When they play off of the receivers, the defensive backs seem to react better and make more plays on the ball.

"Last year we play so much bump-and-run coverage that you had your back to the quarterback so much," Meyer said. "When you play off-man and more zone, guys are able to react to the ball.

"We were not sure you could teach off-man and press because you've got to be a very technically sound player to do that. Coach Beford did it before, he did in the NFL and in college. It's been very good."

Haden said the new scheme is putting the defensive backs in a position to make plays.

"The off-technique helps us a lot," Haden said. "When you play bump-and-run, you can't do too much off that. When you play off, you can undercut routes and do stuff like that. The whole alignment is different."

Haden's interception last Saturday came in off-man coverage. He read the quarterback and then jumped the route. Black's pick also came in the off-technique.

The more plays that are made, the more the confidence grows in the secondary.

Confidence is a big thing because this is still a very young group, with one true freshman and three true sophomores.

It bodes well for the future, Haden said.

"The thing is, everyone has at least two more years," he said. "If we keep playing like this, we look to be the best secondary in the nation (at some point in the future)."