Florida football: The Gators’ defense against Towson’s offense

On Saturday, the No. 10-ranked (FCS) Towson Tigers could present a challenge for No. 9 Florida football at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

In the first four games of the season, the Towson Tigers have amassed 1,695 yards of total offense and they look to get even more Saturday against Florida football.

But, they have yet to run into something like the Gators’ defense, which has allowed just 44 points and 1,141 yards of total offense in four games — averages of 11 points and 285.25 yards per game.

The 10th-ranked (FCS) Tigers do have a prolific quarterback in Tom Flacco as well as a running back in Yeedee Thaenrat who is capable of scoring from close in the red zone.

It could be considered a trap game for Florida football, as they could get caught looking ahead to No. 7 Auburn next week.

Towson does seem to have to tools to put points on the board, but how do they stack up against Florida’s stingy defense:

Towson’s dual threat

Offensively, there is one that stands out above all others — redshirt senior quarterback Tom Flacco.

In four games under center this season, Flacco has 1,092 yards passing and 227 net rushing yards — both team highs — with six passing and two rushing touchdowns.

He makes up all but 376 yards of Towson’s total offensive production this season.

He’s helped the Tigers average around 40 points per game — the best offensive start for Towson since 2013 — they finished 13-3 that season, beating six ranked opponents in FCS.

Flacco is one who can find a lot of space and comes off the end with a lot of speed.

Against Villanova last week, he was able to score Towson’s first score by going around the left and exposing a huge hole in Villanova’s secondary from 41 yards out.

He also did it from the air, placing passes to covered receivers with pinpoint accuracy.

And, if Flacco doesn’t do it himself, Thaenrat — the Tennessee Tech transfer — has an ability to eat up short yardage for first downs or to score which is why he is typically in during short-yardage situations.

But, that all starts upfront.

Offensive line coach Matt Applebaum — who was a graduate assistant at the University of Miami after three years as a coach with the Washington Redskins — has developed a line that’s helped the Tigers get 21 touchdowns — a high in the Colonial Athletic Association — this season.

Florida’s defense

Let’s not kid ourselves, the Florida football defense is one of the best in the Southeastern Conference and the nation.

This season, the defense has allowed an average of 11 points per game — including a shutout of UT-Martin and holding the “other” Tennessee to just three points last week.

No. 9 Florida has a nation-leading 20 sacks on the season — the next team in the SEC is Georgia with 12 — along with seven interceptions — also a conference-high.

David Reece has been lights-out this season with 29 tackles and a sack.

Then, you have Shawn Davis and Kaiir Elam with their two interceptions a piece that has given opposing offenses fits this season.

It’s still unclear if defensive end Jabari Zuniga or safety Donovan Stiner will play Saturday, but Davis has done admirably filling in for Stiner while Zachary Carter played for Zuniga last week against the Volunteers.

Cornerback C.J. Henderson may also return to the lineup Saturday, but Jaydon Hill or Chester Kimbrough can cover on the right as Marco Wilson and Elam work on the left.

Stacking up against one another, you have to give the edge to Florida football’s defense. They have experience stopping the run — allowing an average of 92.3 yards per game on the ground.

While the corners may be tested, I think utilizing different blitz packages against Flacco and the Towson offensive line would be in order here.

However, the Gators have to be careful, because one hole can be exposed and a quarterback with Flacco’s speed and cutting can make them pay in a hurry.

The defense can’t rest on its laurels.

It would be good to see Florida football get after Towson early in the game to stifle any potential momentum the Tigers could build up.

No. 9 Florida hosts Towson at 4 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.