So far this season, Florida junior linebacker Brandon Spikes has made his presence felt all over the field. From leading the Gators in tackles to being one of only nine linebackers in the nation to pick off two passes in a game, the 6-3, 245-pounder has done it all.
The best, though, could be yet to come. Florida appears to be on a roll heading into Saturday’s titanic matchup with Georgia in Jacksonville. With Spikes leading the way, the Gator defense is becoming a team strength.
Last week, Florida, which is third in the SEC in rushing defense (102.7 yards per game) and 15th nationally, held Kentucky to just 3.9 yards per play. Florida also held the Wildcats to a 5-of-17 conversion rate on third down and didn’t allow its opponent to record a first down until there were seven seconds left in the first quarter. By then, Florida led 28-0, but Spikes and the rest defense aren’t resting on their past accomplishments.
“Right now, we haven’t played our best game yet,” he said. “There’s still a lot of room for us to get better. Like I have been saying, as long as the defense is playing, I think we’ll do well.”
Perhaps the biggest difference for Florida’s defensive success this season is experience. The Gators field the youngest two-deep on defense in the entire SEC, but a year ago, many young players were thrust into action. Some of those players experienced growing pains, but this time around, the defense has learned from its mistakes and has performed well.
“We’ve tried to prepare better,” Spikes said. “Every game, we just want to go out there and play hard. We had a setback against Ole Miss, but I think that we learned from it. Guys are coming to practice and working hard and trying to get better each day.”
Spikes cited true freshman cornerback Janoris Jenkins as being a key ingredient in the Florida defensive performance.
“It’s great to see the young guys come out and make plays when their number is called,” Spikes said. “That has a lot to do [with the defensive improvement from a year ago]. Last year, we didn’t have too much experience and didn’t know what to expect, but this year, a lot of the young guys are stepping up.”
On Saturday, Florida will get another crack at Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno. Last season, Moreno gashed the Gators for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in a 42-30 win for the Bulldogs.
This season, Moreno has rushed for 925 yards and 12 touchdowns and has begun to pick things up behind an offensive line, which suffered several key injuries during camp and in the early part of the regular season.
Georgia, however, is running into Florida at a time when it is developing some continuity, as Spikes, A.J. Jones and Ryan Stamper started at the linebacker sports last week for the second consecutive week and third time this season.
The trio played a key roll in shutting down any kind of ball-control attempts made last week by Kentucky.
Spikes has been at the forefront of Florida’s defensive attack. The Lombardi Award semifinalist is currently third in the SEC in tackles and 44th nationally with 8.67 stops per game. In five of the last eight games he has played in, Spikes has recorded 10 or more stops. He also has led the Gators in tackles in eight of the last 11 games he participated in.
All of this could be bad news, as Spikes continues to get more comfortable with taking the right reads and setting the defense.
“I haven’t played my best game yet,” Spikes said.
If he does Saturday, there is a good shot that Florida will capture the inside track to the SEC East Championship.