University of Florida’s improved secondary faces daunting challenge in Birmingham Bowl

The last time Florida was in Alabama, its inexperienced secondary was schooled and shredded.

An hour west of Birmingham, the Crimson Tide racked up a school-record 449 passing yards on Sept.20, as UF’s defensive backs — including All-American Vernon Hargreaves III — were embarrassed.

But a lot has changed in over three months.

The Gators’ secondary, led by Hargreaves and safety Keanu Neal, has rapidly improved, developing chemistry and a cohesiveness absent early in the season.

After allowing a combined 818 passing yards against Kentucky and Alabama, the Gators yielded just 213.1 passing yards a game the rest of the year.

Now comes their biggest test since their last trip to the Heart of Dixie.

Florida (6-5) squares off against East Carolina’s prolific aerial attack in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday at noon (ESPN) at historic Legion Field.

In a bowl game marred by mediocrity (UF’s interim staff, few tickets sold) and inclement weather (100 percent chance of rain), it at least offers a marquee matchup of strength on strength.

“Our defensive backs have really improved,” UF interim coach and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said.

“It was drastically different in the back end from what it is now. That’s not uncommon. Those guys were true freshmen; a lot of them hadn’t played together. … We made a decision as a coaching staff after the third game that we needed to make things simpler in what we were doing to give them a better opportunity and chance.”

And it worked.

Florida’s talented but raw group, including freshmen Jalen Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Duke Dawson, cleaned up the communication issues and became a terror to opposing quarterbacks.

The Gators surrendered just 13 passing touchdowns, 10th nationally, and intercepted FSU quaterback Jameis Winston a career-high four times, but ECU’s explosive offense is something they haven’t seen all season.

The Pirates (8-4) have five wideouts with at least four touchdown receptions, led by Justin Hardy, a shifty playmaker who is the NCAA’s all-time receptions leader.

Hardy averaged nine catches a game as a senior and forms a dynamic duo with ECU quarterback Shane Carden, who ranks third nationally in passing (359.6 yards) and has thrown 61 touchdowns the past two seasons.

“They’re going to air it out,” Neal said.

“We know they’re going to throw the ball. … It’s going to be a test for us as a secondary. We’re looking forward to it, looking forward to the challenge. It’s a business trip for sure, so we’ve got to come out with a win.”

Florida aims to snag a bowl victory for the since 2011, using the momentum to springboard into a new era.

But motivation and focus remain as question marks for the Gators, as new coach Jim McElwain isn’t actually coaching yet, and distractions (additional staff turnover, player deflections) continue to pile up.

Still, the Gators are well aware of the Pirates’ potential, especially through the air, and Saturday’s showdown stands as a real litmus test for just how far their secondary has come.

TWO STARTERS ABSENT

Florida will be without two starters Saturday, as senior defensive tackle Darious Cummings did not make the trip after a violation of team rules. Cummings, suspended for UF’s weather-canceled opener against Idaho, finished the year with 30 tackles and 2.0 sacks.

Meanwhile, sixth-year senior returner Andre Debose’s roller coaster career ended with a thud, as Debose left the team in advance of the bowl game.

“He’s moving on with his career,” Durkin said, adding the decision was “mutual” between Debose and Florida’s staff.

Debose, a former five-star recruit, was the SEC’s top punt returner in 2014, and was a single kickoff-return touchdown away from setting the conference record.

This story was originally published January 2, 2015 at 8:57 PM with the headline "University of Florida’s improved secondary faces daunting challenge in Birmingham Bowl."