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Gators Have SECRET WEAPON That Can BURN Texas Again... · A Peek Inside Gators Football: A Show About the Florida Gators

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  Speaker 1: Welcome back to a peek inside Gator football alley peek here.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: This video is presented to you by prize picks and
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: there is one Florida player. I can almost guarantee Texas
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  Speaker 1: remembers from last year's matchup and his name is Dallas Wilson.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Think back to October 4th, 2025, Florida was one in three.
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  Speaker 1: The Gators had lost three consecutive games. The offense was
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  Speaker 1: struggling and there were some serious questions about whether Billy
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Napier was going to make it through the season. Then
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  Speaker 1: a true freshman wide receiver who hadn't played a single
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  Speaker 1: snap of college football stepped onto the field against the
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  Speaker 1: ninth-ranked Texas Longhorns. Six catches, 111 yards, two touchdowns. And
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  Speaker 1: one of the most memorable individual debuts we've seen from
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  Speaker 1: a Florida freshman in a long time. Dallas Wilson absolutely
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  Speaker 1: torched Texas. And Florida walked out of that game with
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  Speaker 1: a 29-21 victory. Now, a year later, the Gators are
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: once again struggling offensively. They're coming off two consecutive losses.
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  Speaker 1: They're averaging just 18 points per game over that two-game stretch.
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  Speaker 1: And guess who's waiting for them on Saturday?
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  Speaker 2: Texas.
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  Speaker 1: Only this time, the game is in Austin. The Longhorns
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  Speaker 1: have a different defensive coordinator. They have a talented defensive front.
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  Speaker 1: And they have plenty of reasons to make sure number
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  Speaker 1: six doesn't embarrass them again.
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  Speaker 2: So here is my question.
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  Speaker 1: Can Dallas Wilson be the difference maker for Florida against
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  Speaker 1: Texas again? And maybe more importantly, can Florida's offensive staff
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  Speaker 1: find a way to put them in a position to
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  Speaker 1: make those plays? I think Dallas Wilson is one of
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  Speaker 1: the most interesting players on Florida's roster and maybe one
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  Speaker 1: of the more interesting storylines heading into Saturday.
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  Speaker 2: First, we have to go back to what happened last October.
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  Speaker 1: I don't think you can fully appreciate this matchup without
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  Speaker 1: remembering the circumstances surrounding Wilson's debut.
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  Speaker 2: He was one of the highest rated receivers in 2025.
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  Speaker 1: A five-star prospect out of Tampa Bay Tech, a big
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  Speaker 1: physical receiver with tremendous athletic ability, he was the kind
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  Speaker 1: of player Florida fans expected to make immediate impact. But
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  Speaker 1: a foot injury during fall camp kept him out of
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  Speaker 1: the first four games. And by the time he was
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  Speaker 1: finally ready to play, Florida desperately needed somebody to provide
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  Speaker 1: a spark. The Gators had lost USF, LSU, and Miami.
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  Speaker 1: The offense had been absolutely miserable. And here comes this
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  Speaker 1: true freshman making his debut against one of the best
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  Speaker 1: teams in the country.
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  Speaker 2: And he didn't just have a good game. He had
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  Speaker 2: a historic game.
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  Speaker 1: Wilson became the first true freshman receiver in Florida football
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  Speaker 1: history to record 100 receiving yards in his collegiate debut.
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  Speaker 1: And he did it against Texas. Not some overmatched opponent.
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  Speaker 1: Not a cupcake in September.
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  Speaker 2: Texas.
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  Speaker 1: His first touchdown came in the second quarter. Florida had
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  Speaker 1: driven down to the Texas 13-yard line. DJ Lagway found
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  Speaker 1: Wilson over the middle for the touchdown, giving the Gators
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  Speaker 1: the 17-7 lead. But the play everybody remembers happened late
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  Speaker 1: in the third quarter. Texas had just scored to cut
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  Speaker 1: Florida's lead to 22-14.
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  Speaker 2: The Gators needed to answer.
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  Speaker 1: And on second and one, Lagway found Wilson near the
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  Speaker 1: Texas sideline. Wilson caught the football around the Texas 37,
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  Speaker 1: and then what happened next was unbelievable. He stayed inbounds,
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  Speaker 1: he broke free, and he absolutely ran through Texas safety
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  Speaker 1: right near the goal line. 55 yards, touchdown. The Gators
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  Speaker 1: were back up by 15, and the swamp I was
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  Speaker 1: there went absolutely crazy. That is the kind of play
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  Speaker 1: that changes a football game. And it wasn't just his speed.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't just his good hands. It was the physicality.
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  Speaker 1: Wilson looked like a grown man playing against some of
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  Speaker 1: the best defensive players in college football.
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  Speaker 2: And here's what I think is so interesting. He didn't
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  Speaker 2: need 15 catches to make that kind of impact. He
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  Speaker 2: needed some opportunities. And when he got those opportunities, he
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  Speaker 2: showed up. He delivered.
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  Speaker 1: Now, fast forward a year. Wilson is in a different
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  Speaker 1: situation heading into this matchup. Last year, he was that
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  Speaker 1: unknown freshman. Texas didn't have much college film to study.
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  Speaker 1: Nobody really knew what he was going to look like
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  Speaker 1: against SEC-level competition. This year, everybody knows who Dallas Wilson is.
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  Speaker 1: And that does change things. But here's something else that's different.
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  Speaker 1: Wilson is getting an opportunity to play consistently. Remember after
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  Speaker 1: that incredible debut against Texas, he eventually re-injured that foot
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  Speaker 1: against Georgia.
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  Speaker 2: And he missed the remainder of the season.
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  Speaker 1: He finished his freshman year with just 12 receptions for
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  Speaker 1: 174 yards and three touchdowns, and not because he wasn't talented,
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  Speaker 1: but because he simply couldn't stay healthy. And that made
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  Speaker 1: this past offseason incredibly important. Wilson worked his way back
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  Speaker 1: from injury. He lost weight, he worked on improving his conditioning,
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  Speaker 1: and he entered fall camp with a renewed focus on
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  Speaker 1: being available for an entire season. And so far, we've
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  Speaker 1: seen the results. Through six games this season, Wilson has
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  Speaker 1: 26 receptions for 376 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He's
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  Speaker 1: averaging 14.5 yards per catch. He's also added a rushing touchdown.
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  Speaker 1: He's been productive against multiple opponents. He's had five catches
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  Speaker 1: for 104 yards against Campbell, four catches for 74 in
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  Speaker 1: a touchdown against Auburn, four catches for 66 in another
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  Speaker 1: touchdown against Missouri. And last week against South Carolina, he
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  Speaker 1: had eight catches.
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  Speaker 2: For 74 yards.
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  Speaker 1: Which brings me to something I really want to discuss.
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  Speaker 1: Are we using Dallas Wilson the right way? When I
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: look at Wilson's numbers from South Carolina, something stands out.
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  Speaker 1: Eight catches, 74 yards. That's not a terrible afternoon.
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  Speaker 2: But it's only 9.3 yards per reception.
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  Speaker 1: All right, guys, we're going to take a short break
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: from this video to give a little love to price picks.
• 5:12
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• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I'm going to show you just how easy it is
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: to put together a lineup. Okay, let's see.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: It says Jaden Baugh more or less than 78.5 rushing yards.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: I think we've got a rebound game this week for him.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to go the more on Jaden Baugh there.
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  Speaker 1: And then we've got Arch at more or less than 1.5
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  Speaker 1: passing touchdowns.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Let's go the more on that one as well. I
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: think he'll get his.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: All you've got to do is pair a couple of
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: things like that.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: You've created a lineup. You submit it. Easy as pie.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: We appreciate prize picks for all their support. His longest
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  Speaker 1: catch of the day was 20 yards. Compare that to
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: last year's Texas game. Six catches, 111 yards, 18.5 yards
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  Speaker 1: per reception, two touchdowns. The difference there is pretty significant,
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  Speaker 1: and it raises a question I think Florida's offensive staff
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  Speaker 1: needs to be asking. Are we utilizing Dallas Wilson in
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  Speaker 1: a way that takes advantage of what makes him special?
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  Speaker 2: Wilson's not just a possession receiver. This is a guy
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  Speaker 2: who can win downfield.
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  Speaker 1: He's physical enough to fight through contact.
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  Speaker 2: He's big enough to create matchup problems.
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  Speaker 1: And as we saw against Texas last year, he's dangerous
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  Speaker 1: once he gets the ball in his hands. But there's
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  Speaker 1: a difference between getting a player involved and actually making
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  Speaker 1: him a difference maker. Eight catches for 74 yards is
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  Speaker 1: getting somebody involved. Six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns?
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  Speaker 1: That's a player changing a game. Now, don't misunderstand me.
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  Speaker 1: I am not criticizing Wilson's performance against South Carolina. He
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  Speaker 1: caught eight of the nine passes thrown his way. That's
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  Speaker 1: outstanding efficiency. But what I'm questioning is whether Florida is
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  Speaker 1: consistently creating enough opportunities for him to make explosive plays.
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  Speaker 1: You can complete 10-yard passes to a receiver, but if
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  Speaker 1: he's catching the football five yards downfield with defenders immediately
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  Speaker 1: closing on him, how much are you really taking advantage
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  Speaker 1: of his ability? And with the way Florida's offense has
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  Speaker 1: struggled recently, I think that's a pretty important conversation to have. Now,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: here's another part of this that's worth discussing. Florida's been
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  Speaker 1: without Vernell Brown III for the last two games, and
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  Speaker 1: I don't think we can underestimate the impact that that
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  Speaker 1: has on the rest of the offense. Brown brings a
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  Speaker 1: different element to the passing game. He's got tremendous quickness.
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  Speaker 1: He's dangerous with the ball in his hands, and he
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  Speaker 1: forces defenses to account for him. When he is unavailable,
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  Speaker 1: that changes how opponents can approach Florida's other receivers. Wilson
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  Speaker 1: is one of the other guys who's had to shoulder
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  Speaker 1: more of that responsibility. Now, Bailey Stockton certainly stepped up
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  Speaker 1: against South Carolina. He had eight catches for 127 yards,
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  Speaker 1: a 59-yard touchdown. It was an outstanding performance. And I
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  Speaker 1: think his emergence creates an opportunity for Florida moving forward.
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  Speaker 1: If opposing defenses are focused heavily on Wilson, somebody else
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  Speaker 1: has to make him pay. Stockton showed he can do that. Now,
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  Speaker 1: if Florida can eventually get Brown healthy and back into
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  Speaker 1: the rotation, that's another player Texas has to account for.
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  Speaker 2: But regardless of Brown's availability this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: Florida has to find ways to create favorable matchups for Wilson.
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  Speaker 1: And that's where Buster Faulkner comes into the picture. Here's
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  Speaker 1: where I think this gets interesting from a coaching perspective.
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  Speaker 1: Will Muschamp's not going to watch last year's Texas film
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  Speaker 1: and somehow forget what Dallas Wilson did. Muschamp wasn't coordinating
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  Speaker 1: the Longhorns' defense in that game, but I promise you
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  Speaker 1: his staff is studying it. And they're going to know
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  Speaker 1: number six is capable of hurting him. So how does
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  Speaker 1: Florida counter that? For me, there are several things I'd
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  Speaker 1: like to see. First, don't make Wilson... completely predictable. If
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  Speaker 1: he's constantly lining up in the same spot, running the
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  Speaker 1: same handful of routes, Texas will start to anticipate how
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  Speaker 1: Florida wants to use him.
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  Speaker 2: So move him around. Use different formations. Put him in motion.
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  Speaker 1: Line him up in different positions to create favorable matchups.
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  Speaker 1: Make Texas figure out where he's going to be instead
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  Speaker 1: of allowing the defense to dictate where he can go.
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  Speaker 2: Second, give him opportunities to compete for the football.
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  Speaker 1: Wilson is 6'3 and 210 pounds. He's a big physical receiver.
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  Speaker 1: And sometimes I think offensive coordinators get so caught up
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  Speaker 1: in trying to scheme somebody wide open that they forget
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  Speaker 1: that there are players who can simply.
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  Speaker 2: Win individual matchups.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to have five yards of separation to
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  Speaker 1: throw Dallas Wilson the football. Sometimes you just have to
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  Speaker 1: trust him to make a play. Now, that doesn't mean
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  Speaker 1: forcing dangerous throws into double coverage, but if you've got
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  Speaker 1: him isolated against a DB and you like that matchup,
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  Speaker 1: give him a chance, especially in the red zone. One
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  Speaker 1: of the biggest frustrations that I had against South Carolina
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  Speaker 1: was Florida's inability to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns. There
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: was a point in time where there was four red
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  Speaker 1: zone trips that resulted in six points. Two field goals,
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  Speaker 1: one missed field goal, one fumble. Not acceptable. Touchdowns when
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: you get into the red zone. I don't think you
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  Speaker 1: should be overlooking a big physical receiver like Wilson when
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  Speaker 1: you're looking for ways to finish drives. That doesn't mean
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  Speaker 1: every red zone play needs to be a fade route.
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  Speaker 1: It means using his size and his hands and his
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  Speaker 1: body control to create opportunities. Slants, crossing routes, back shoulder throws.
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  Speaker 1: Find ways to let him be a weapon. And third,
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  Speaker 1: I want to see Florida challenge the defense downfield. Now,
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  Speaker 1: not recklessly, not just throwing deep balls and hoping somebody
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  Speaker 1: comes down with them. But Texas needs to believe Florida's
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  Speaker 1: willing to attack the entire field. If Muschamp thinks the
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  Speaker 1: Gators are going to spend the entire afternoon throwing five-yard passes,
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  Speaker 1: he is going to make life absolutely miserable for this offense.
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  Speaker 1: The biggest obstacle, though, might be the secondary. And here's
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  Speaker 1: where you have to be realistic about what Florida's facing.
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  Speaker 1: It's easy to sit down here and say, yeah, throw
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  Speaker 1: Dallas Wilson the football. But The quarterback has to have
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  Speaker 1: time to throw it. And that's been a problem. Florida
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  Speaker 1: has allowed six sacks over the last two games. The
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  Speaker 1: running game has struggled. And now you're preparing to face
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  Speaker 1: a Texas defense that includes Colin Simmons, one of the
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  Speaker 1: most disruptive as rushers in the country. So the challenge
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: isn't just finding the right coverage matchup. It's giving whoever
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  Speaker 1: the quarterback is, whether that's Philo or Tramell Jones, enough
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  Speaker 1: time for those routes to develop. And that's where I
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: think the running game becomes critical. Remember last year's Texas game?
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  Speaker 1: Jaden Baugh rushed for 107 yards on 27 carries. Florida
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  Speaker 1: finished with 159 yards rushing. DJ Lagway wasn't sacked a
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  Speaker 1: single time. Think about that for a second. Against one
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  Speaker 1: of the nation's best defensive fronts, Florida established enough of
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  Speaker 1: a running game to keep Texas honest, and it protected
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  Speaker 1: its quarterback. That made Dallas Wilson's job a whole lot easier.
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  Speaker 1: Now compare that to what we've seen recently. Against Missouri,
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  Speaker 1: Florida rushed for 42 yards.
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  Speaker 2: Just 42. And against South Carolina, 120 yards.
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  Speaker 1: If Texas doesn't have to respect the run, Muschamp can
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  Speaker 1: turn his pass rushers loose on every obvious passing down.
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  Speaker 1: Those explosive plays become much harder to create. It doesn't
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  Speaker 1: matter how talented Wilson is if the quarterback doesn't have
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  Speaker 1: enough time to get him the football.
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  Speaker 2: And that's one of the biggest challenges for Florida on Saturday.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Texas is coming off a loss to Oklahoma, and
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: obviously the Longhorns have some things to clean up. But
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  Speaker 1: I would caution Florida fans against looking at that 27-24
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  Speaker 1: result and assuming the Texas defense is suddenly vulnerable. Oklahoma
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  Speaker 1: only managed 238 yards, only 155 through the air. Texas'
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: defense did more than enough to give the Longhorns an
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: opportunity to win. So if Florida wants to have success
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  Speaker 1: throwing the football, it's going to have to earn it.
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  Speaker 1: But here's what I think makes Wilson such an important
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  Speaker 1: part of this matchup. Against a defense like Texas, you
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  Speaker 1: might not be able to sustain 12 or 15 play
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: touchdown drives all afternoon. Eventually, somebody's got to create an
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  Speaker 1: explosive play. Somebody has to turn an ordinary possession into
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  Speaker 1: a touchdown. Somebody has to win an individual matchup. And
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  Speaker 1: Dallas Wilson has already shown he can be the guy
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  Speaker 1: to do that against this program.
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  Speaker 2: He did it a year ago. The question is whether
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  Speaker 2: Florida can create those opportunities for him.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you
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  Speaker 1: Wilson needs 10 catches and 150 yards for Florida to
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  Speaker 1: have a chance. I actually think there's a more important
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  Speaker 1: number than total receptions.
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  Speaker 2: It's explosive plays.
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  Speaker 1: How many times does he catch the football and put
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Florida in a position to score? How many times does
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: he create something beyond what is available when the ball arrived?
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  Speaker 1: And how much attention does he command from the Texas secondary?
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: Even if Wilson isn't catching the ball, if he can
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  Speaker 1: still impact the game, if he can attract attention from
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: the defense, if Texas has to devote extra eyes to him,
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  Speaker 1: that should create opportunities elsewhere. Maybe Bailey, if he plays,
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: gets another favorable matchup. Maybe Baugh has a little more
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: room to run underneath. Maybe, you know, the starting quarterback,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: whoever that's going to be, find somebody else in space.
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  Speaker 1: That's what a true difference maker does. And that's the
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: kind of impact I want to see from Wilson, not
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: just catches, not just receiving yards. I want to see
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: him help change how Texas has to play defense. So
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: here's what I keep coming back to. A year ago,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: Florida desperately needed somebody to breathe life into its struggling offense.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: And a true freshman named Dallas Wilson stepped onto the
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  Speaker 1: field and delivered one of the most exciting debuts that
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: we have seen in Gainesville in years. Now, 12 months later,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: Florida finds itself in a somewhat familiar situation. The Gators
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: have lost two straight, the offense has become inconsistent, and
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: they're about to face one of the toughest defenses on
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: their schedule. But this time, Dallas Wilson is not unknown.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: He's an established player, he's healthier, he's more experienced, and
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: he's already shown he can make plays against elite competition.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: So for me, the question isn't whether Dallas Wilson is
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: talented enough to hurt Texas. We already know the answer
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: to that. The question is whether Florida can put him
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: in a position to do it. If the Gators want
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: to walk out of Austin with a victory, somebody on
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: that offense is going to have to step up and
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: make a few plays. And I can't think of a
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: more fitting player to do it than the guy who
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: introduced himself to the college football world against the Longhorns
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: one year ago.
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: Now I want to hear from you.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think Dallas Wilson can have another breakout performance
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: against Texas? And are you satisfied with the way Florida's
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: using him offensively?
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: Let me know down in the comments. I appreciate you
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: guys for tuning in. As always, go Gators.