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Did Gators Find SECRET Path to BEATING Texas Longhorns? · 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. Allie Peek here.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: You are watching a video presented to you by PrizePix.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Don't forget, download the app if you are a new user.
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  Speaker 1: Play a $ 5 lineup. Use our code. It's HMA. If
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: you win, you get $ 150 in lineups instantly. So what
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: if I told you that one of the most important
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  Speaker 1: things Florida needs to do this week has absolutely nothing
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  Speaker 1: to do with fixing the offense? And it has everything
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: to do with watching what Oklahoma just did to Arch Manning. Saturday,
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  Speaker 1: the Sooners walked into the Red River rivalry as the
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  Speaker 1: team that has already lost twice, facing the number one
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  Speaker 1: team in the country. And they walked out with a
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  Speaker 1: 27-24 victory over Texas. And while there's going to be
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  Speaker 1: plenty of conversation about the mistakes Texas made, I think
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  Speaker 1: there's something much more interesting here for Florida fans. Oklahoma
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  Speaker 1: may have just given Brad White and this Florida defense
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  Speaker 1: a blueprint for how to beat Arch Manning. Now, does
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  Speaker 1: that mean that Oklahoma completely shut him down? Absolutely not.
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  Speaker 1: Manning still threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns. But
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  Speaker 1: he also threw two fourth quarter interceptions, including a pick
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  Speaker 1: six that completely changed the game. And Oklahoma held Texas
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  Speaker 1: to just three conversions on 14 third downs. Think about that.
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  Speaker 1: 14 third downs. They only converted three of them. This
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  Speaker 1: is a Texas offense with tremendous talent, one of the
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  Speaker 1: biggest names in college football at quarterback, and head coach
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  Speaker 1: in Steve Sarkeesian, who is supposed to be an offensive mastermind.
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  Speaker 1: And yet, when the game mattered, Oklahoma found ways to
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  Speaker 1: make the offense uncomfortable. So today I want to break
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  Speaker 1: down what Oklahoma did, what it tells us about Arch,
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  Speaker 1: and more importantly, whether Florida has the personnel and the
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  Speaker 1: discipline to do something similar. Here's the crazy part. Florida
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  Speaker 1: has already proven that it can make Manning miserable. The
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  Speaker 1: Gators did it last year. The question is whether this
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  Speaker 1: year's defense can do it again. First, let's put this
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  Speaker 1: Oklahoma game into perspective. Before we get into the defensive strategy,
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  Speaker 1: let's look at the numbers. Texas finished with 382 yards
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  Speaker 1: of total offense. Arch Manning completed 19 of 31 passes
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  Speaker 1: for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Longhorns
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  Speaker 1: rushed for 122 yards. And Oklahoma sacked Manning three times.
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  Speaker 1: So this wasn't a game where Texas couldn't gain a yard.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, the Longhorns actually led 17-7 at halftime. Manning
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  Speaker 1: has thrown touchdown passes to Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo.
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  Speaker 1: Texas was looking like it might be on its way
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  Speaker 1: to another victory. But then the second half happened. Oklahoma
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  Speaker 1: held Texas scoreless in the third quarter. The Longhorns scored
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  Speaker 1: just seven points after halftime, and those came on a
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  Speaker 1: fourth-quarter drive after Oklahoma had already taken the lead. And
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  Speaker 1: perhaps the most telling statistic of the entire game, Texas converted, again,
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  Speaker 1: just three of those 14 third downs. That's 21%. And
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  Speaker 1: I think that's probably where we need to start. If
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  Speaker 1: there is one thing that Oklahoma did exceptionally well, it
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  Speaker 1: was getting Texas off the field. And that wasn't necessarily
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  Speaker 1: because every play was a spectacular defensive effort. It was
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  Speaker 1: because the Sooners consistently forced the Longhorns into situations where
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  Speaker 1: they had to execute. Look at the opening two Texas possessions.
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  Speaker 1: three plays and a punt, three plays and another punt. Now,
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  Speaker 1: to be fair, Texas scored on its very next possession
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  Speaker 1: on a 41-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman, but the
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  Speaker 1: point is that Oklahoma wasn't allowing Texas to consistently sustain drives,
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  Speaker 1: and that continued into the second half. On Texas's opening
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  Speaker 1: possession of the third quarter, Oklahoma forced a third and nine.
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  Speaker 1: Manning was pressured, threw incomplete, and Texas had to punt.
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  Speaker 1: On the next Texas possession, it was third and two.
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  Speaker 1: Manning tried to complete a pass to Nick Townsend, but
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  Speaker 1: Pressure from Jaden Jackson helped force an incompletion. Another punt.
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  Speaker 1: Then on the next possession, Oklahoma stuffed a third-and-one running play.
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  Speaker 1: Yet another punt. Three straight Texas possessions to begin the
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  Speaker 1: second half. Three punts. And no points. That is how
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  Speaker 1: you change the momentum of a football game. And it's
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  Speaker 1: exactly what Florida has struggled to do defensively. Against South Carolina,
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  Speaker 1: the Gators allowed the Gamecocks to convert 10 of 16
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  Speaker 1: third downs. 10 of 16. South Carolina was converting at
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  Speaker 1: a 62.5% clip. That is almost three times Texas's conversion
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  Speaker 1: rate against Oklahoma. And when you continually allow your opponent
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  Speaker 1: to convert on third down, you extend drives. You keep
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  Speaker 1: your own offense on the sideline, and you're putting your
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  Speaker 1: defense in incredibly difficult situations. So the first lesson for
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  Speaker 1: Brad White, get Texas in a third down, but then
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  Speaker 1: get them off the field. I know it sounds simple,
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  Speaker 1: but Florida hasn't been doing it. They have been decent.
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  Speaker 1: at creating third and long situations. Like they've done well
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  Speaker 1: on first and second down, but then they're giving up
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  Speaker 1: those crazy third downs. Like how many times did we
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  Speaker 1: watch South Carolina be third and 14, third and 10,
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  Speaker 1: third and nine? Those are the situations you want to
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  Speaker 1: put offenses in, but then Florida isn't executing well enough
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  Speaker 1: on third down. They can though. They have the ability there.
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  Speaker 1: Will they? I don't know. Lesson number two, pressure Manning
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  Speaker 1: without losing control. Let's talk a little bit about Arch himself.
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  Speaker 1: I think people sometimes make the mistake of evaluating him
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  Speaker 1: based on his last name. He is not Peyton Manning.
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  Speaker 1: He is not Eli Manning. He is Arch Manning. He
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  Speaker 1: does have a tremendous amount of talent. He can throw
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  Speaker 1: the football downfield. He has athleticism. And he can hurt
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  Speaker 1: you with his legs. But he's also a quarterback who
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  Speaker 1: can make mistakes when he's uncomfortable. And I think Oklahoma
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  Speaker 1: showed us that on Saturday. The Sooners sacked Manning three times.
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  Speaker 1: But it's not just about the sacks. It's about the
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  Speaker 1: pressure affecting the timing of the offense. In the third quarter,
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  Speaker 1: Oklahoma faced multiple incompletions when defenders got in Manning's face.
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  Speaker 1: And on the final Texas possession, it was pressure that
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  Speaker 1: helped create the interception that ultimately cost the Longhorns the game.
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  Speaker 1: With 24 seconds remaining and the score tied at 24,
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  Speaker 1: Texas had second and 10 at the Oklahoma 49. Manning
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  Speaker 1: was hurried by Omarion Robinson. He threw the football, and
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  Speaker 1: Cortland Guillory intercepted it at the Oklahoma 39. 19 seconds remained.
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  Speaker 1: And Oklahoma turned that mistake into the game-winning field goal.
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  Speaker 1: Think about that. Texas had an opportunity to move into
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  Speaker 1: field goal range and potentially win the game themselves. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: the quarterback made a mistake under pressure, and Oklahoma won it.
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  Speaker 1: That's a huge moment, and it's exactly the kind of
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  Speaker 1: opportunity Florida needs to create. But here's where I want
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  Speaker 1: to be careful. I don't think the answer is simply
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  Speaker 1: blitzing Manning on every play. If you send six defenders
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  Speaker 1: and fail to get home, which we've seen a lot
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  Speaker 1: this year, Manning has the ability to make you pay.
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  Speaker 1: And with receivers like Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, Texas
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  Speaker 1: has the weapons to turn one coverage mistake into a touchdown.
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  Speaker 1: So Florida has to be smart. Can Jaden Woods create
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  Speaker 1: pressure off the edge? Can LJ McCray get involved? Can
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  Speaker 1: the Gators collapse the pocket without allowing Manning to escape?
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  Speaker 1: There is a difference between putting pressure on a quarterback
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  Speaker 1: and simply running past him. And against a mobile quarterback
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  Speaker 1: like Manning, maintaining your rush lanes is going to be critical.
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  Speaker 1: You want him uncomfortable. You don't want him to get
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  Speaker 1: 20 yards of open field because everybody else is out
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  Speaker 1: of the play. Lesson number three, make Manning pay for
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  Speaker 1: bad decisions. We're going to get to that lesson, but
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  Speaker 1: first I want to take a quick break from this
• 7:10
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  Speaker 1: guys listening to us in any way that you consume
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: your content. Okay. Okay. Now let's get to the play
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  Speaker 1: that everybody's been talking about, the Peyton Bowen pick six.
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  Speaker 1: It's the first quarter. The game is tied at 17.
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  Speaker 1: Texas takes over at its own 23-yard line. Relique Brown
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  Speaker 1: gains seven yards on first down. But then Texas commits
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  Speaker 1: a holding penalty on the next play. Suddenly, instead of
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  Speaker 1: second and three, it's second and 13. And that changed
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  Speaker 1: the entire situation. Manning is now backed up against his
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  Speaker 1: own 20. He drops back, escapes the pocket, and tries
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  Speaker 1: to make something happen. But the throw gets away from him.
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  Speaker 1: Peyton Bowen intercepts it and takes it 42 yards for
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  Speaker 1: a touchdown. And just like that, Oklahoma goes from a
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  Speaker 1: tied game to a 24-17 lead. That is a 14-point
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  Speaker 1: swing in momentum because Texas was trying to put together
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  Speaker 1: the go-ahead drive. And here's what I think is interesting.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't simply a great defensive play. It was a
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  Speaker 1: mistake made by the quarterback. Oklahoma did put itself in
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  Speaker 1: a position to capitalize on that mistake, obviously. And that's
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  Speaker 1: what Florida is going to need to do. How many
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  Speaker 1: times have we watched the Gators get pressure on a
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  Speaker 1: quarterback only to let him escape? How many times have
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  Speaker 1: we seen a quarterback make a questionable throw, but Florida
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  Speaker 1: doesn't have a defender in a position to make a play?
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  Speaker 1: And how many opportunities have been wasted because somebody can't
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  Speaker 1: finish a tackle or secure an interception? Oklahoma didn't just
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  Speaker 1: force Manning into difficult situations. It made those situations cost Texas.
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  Speaker 1: Two interceptions in the fourth quarter, 10 points directly resulting
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  Speaker 1: from those turnovers, and ultimately a three-point victory. That's the
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  Speaker 1: difference between a defense that creates opportunities and a defense
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  Speaker 1: that capitalizes on them. Now, here's where the story kind
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  Speaker 1: of gets interesting. Florida fans should remember what happened when
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  Speaker 1: Arch Manning came to Gainesville last season. It was October 4th.
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  Speaker 1: Texas was ranked ninth in the country. Florida was struggling,
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  Speaker 1: and the Gators pulled off a 29-21 victory. But what
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  Speaker 1: I really want to focus on is how Florida played defensively.
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  Speaker 1: The Gators sacked Arch Manning six times. Six. And they
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  Speaker 1: intercepted him twice. Florida held Texas to just 52 rushing yards.
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  Speaker 1: Manning finished with 263 passing yards and two touchdowns, but
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  Speaker 1: he completed only 16 of 29 passes. The Gators made
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  Speaker 1: his afternoon incredibly difficult. You know what else is interesting?
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  Speaker 1: Texas converting just three of 11 third down opportunities in
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  Speaker 1: that game. Three of 11 against Florida in 2025. Three
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  Speaker 1: of 14 against Oklahoma in 2026. Now, I'm not suggesting
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  Speaker 1: those defenses ran identical schemes. They didn't. And Florida has
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  Speaker 1: a different coaching staff and different personnel this season. But
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  Speaker 1: there is a common theme. When you take away the
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  Speaker 1: easy yards, you generate pressure and you force Manning into
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  Speaker 1: obvious passing situations, he becomes much less comfortable. And I
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  Speaker 1: think that's something Brad White should be paying close attention to.
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  Speaker 1: Florida didn't have to reinvent the wheel to understand how
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  Speaker 1: Texas can be attacked. The Gators have already proven that
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  Speaker 1: they can beat Manning. The problem is that this isn't
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  Speaker 1: the same Florida defense we watched last October. And based
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  Speaker 1: on what we've seen over the last two weeks, it's
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  Speaker 1: a pretty significant concern. So can Florida actually execute this plan?
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  Speaker 1: I think that's the part of the conversation where we
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  Speaker 1: have to be realistic. It's one thing to watch Oklahoma
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  Speaker 1: force Manning into mistakes. It's another thing entirely to believe
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  Speaker 1: Florida can do the same thing. And I'm not convinced
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  Speaker 1: the Gators have shown us enough defensively to assume that
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  Speaker 1: that's what's going to happen. Look at what happened against Missouri.
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  Speaker 1: The Tigers rushed for more than 200 yards with Jamal
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  Speaker 1: Roberts alone. Florida surrendered explosive runs of 76 and 80 yards,
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  Speaker 1: and Missouri finished with 560 yards of total offense. Then
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  Speaker 1: came South Carolina. Lenore Sellers completed 23 of 35 passes
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  Speaker 1: for 279 yards. He threw four touchdowns and ran for another.
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  Speaker 1: Florida didn't force a single turnover, and South Carolina converted
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  Speaker 1: 10 third downs. That is not the profile of a
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  Speaker 1: defense that is playing with confidence, and it's certainly not
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  Speaker 1: the kind of defense you want heading into Austin to
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  Speaker 1: face Steve Sarkeesian and Arch Manning. So if we're asking
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  Speaker 1: whether Florida can replicate Oklahoma's success, I think we need
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  Speaker 1: to ask three questions. First, can Florida generate consistent pressure?
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  Speaker 1: Not one sack in the first quarter and then nothing
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the afternoon. I mean actual consistent pressure. Second,
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  Speaker 1: can Florida tackle in space? Texas is going to get
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  Speaker 1: the football to its playmakers. Hollywood Smothers is dangerous. Kent
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  Speaker 1: Cullen can make explosive plays and Manning can extend with
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  Speaker 1: his legs. If Florida misses tackles the way it did
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  Speaker 1: against Missouri and South Carolina, Texas is going to turn
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  Speaker 1: short gains into huge plays. And third, can Florida communicate
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  Speaker 1: in the secondary? Because Sarkeesian is going to use formations
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  Speaker 1: and motion and different route combinations to try to create
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  Speaker 1: favorable matchups. And Florida's secondary has been vulnerable. If those
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  Speaker 1: defensive backs aren't communicating, they're not passing off receivers correctly,
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  Speaker 1: or somebody loses an assignment, Manning is good enough to
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  Speaker 1: make them pay. Now, there is something else I want
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  Speaker 1: to make clear. I don't think Florida should watch that
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  Speaker 1: Oklahoma game and come away believing Arch is suddenly a
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  Speaker 1: bad quarterback. I think that would be a huge mistake. Remember,
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  Speaker 1: Manning threw three touchdown passes. One was to Cam Coleman,
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  Speaker 1: another 34-yard strike to Ryan Wingo. And after throwing the
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  Speaker 1: pick six in the fourth quarter, Manning actually responded by
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  Speaker 1: taking Texas 75 yards down the field and throwing a
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  Speaker 1: 15-yard pass. That's not a quarterback who is incapable of
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  Speaker 1: playing well. That's a quarterback who has the ability to
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  Speaker 1: make a big-time throw, but he also hasn't always been consistent.
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  Speaker 1: And that's what makes this matchup dangerous. Florida can't assume
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  Speaker 1: Manning is going to hand it over in turnovers. The
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  Speaker 1: Gators are going to have to earn them. They're going
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  Speaker 1: to have to disguise their intentions. They're going to have
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  Speaker 1: to get pressure. And they're going to have to make
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  Speaker 1: him uncomfortable enough that he starts forcing the football into
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  Speaker 1: places it shouldn't go. If Florida comes away playing soft
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  Speaker 1: coverage and allows Manning to stand in a clean pocket
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  Speaker 1: all afternoon, well, that is a recipe for another long day.
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  Speaker 1: But here's what I keep coming back to. Oklahoma didn't
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  Speaker 1: have to completely shut down Texas to win that football game.
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  Speaker 1: The Sooners gave up 382 yards, they allowed three passing touchdowns,
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  Speaker 1: and they trailed by 10 at halftime. But when the
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  Speaker 1: game reached the most important moments, Oklahoma made plays and
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  Speaker 1: Texas couldn't. It got off the field on third down,
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  Speaker 1: it generated pressure, it forced turnovers, and it capitalized on mistakes.
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  Speaker 1: Now think about how different that is from what we
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  Speaker 1: watched Florida do the last couple of weeks. Against Missouri
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  Speaker 1: and South Carolina, when the Gators needed a stop, too
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  Speaker 1: often they just couldn't get one. When they needed a tackle,
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  Speaker 1: somebody missed. When they needed pressure, quarterbacks had time. And
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  Speaker 1: when opponents made mistakes, Florida couldn't consistently turn those mistakes
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  Speaker 1: into points. That is what has to change. Not because
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  Speaker 1: Arch Manning is unbeatable. Oklahoma proved he's not. Florida proved
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  Speaker 1: it last year. But because Texas has enough talent to
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  Speaker 1: absolutely destroy a defense that doesn't execute. So here is
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  Speaker 1: my challenge for Brad White and the Florida defense heading
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  Speaker 1: into Saturday. Go watch that Oklahoma game. Study what worked.
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  Speaker 1: Look at third down situations. Look at the pressure that
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  Speaker 1: affected Manning. Look at the plays where Texas made mistakes.
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  Speaker 1: And then ask yourself a very simple question. Can we
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: do that? Can Florida get Arch Manning uncomfortable? Can the
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  Speaker 1: Gators keep Texas out of manageable third down situations? And
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  Speaker 1: can they actually capitalize when the quarterback makes a mistake?
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  Speaker 1: Because I think that's the most important thing Oklahoma has
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  Speaker 1: showed us. Texas is talented. Arch Manning is talented, but
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  Speaker 1: they aren't perfect. And when a defense plays disciplined, aggressive
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  Speaker 1: football and makes them earn every yard, there are opportunities. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Is Florida capable of doing that for four quarters? Based
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  Speaker 1: on the last two games, we haven't seen nearly enough
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  Speaker 1: evidence to say yes. But we've seen it happen against
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  Speaker 1: Arch Manning before. And if Florida wants any chance of
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: walking out of Boston with a victory, the Gators are
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: going to need that kind of defensive performance again. So
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: what do you think? Did Oklahoma expose a weakness in
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: Arch Manning's game? Or is Florida's defense simply not good
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: enough right now to take advantage of it? I want
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: to know down in the comments what you think. And
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: make sure that you are subscribed to A Peak Inside
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Florida Gator Football. Guys, we have tons more content that's
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  Speaker 1: going to be coming your way this week. Tons of
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  Speaker 1: stuff to talk about with Texas. We're going to have insiders.
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  Speaker 1: We're going to break some more film down. Lots of
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  Speaker 1: Go Gators.