There was a widespread belief that Trevor Etienne was a bad pass-protector when he announced last year that he was leaving Florida Football. It wasn’t a story that fans were demanding when he was still a Gator, so it felt like a story that came to be out of sour grapes.
A closer look reveals some evidence to back up those assertions. Equally crucial, Florida’s backup running back at the moment is a willing and conspicuous blocker in pass protection.
Last season, 266 running backs were recognized for having at least 50 blocking snaps. Etienne was one of just 34 running backs to give up more than one sack, and he also gave up the 27th most pressures.
Etienne’s ranking as the 24th worst pass-blocking running back in the nation in 2023 by Pro Football Focus lends credence to the idea that he was a problem when forced to defend.
Since he left, Florida has been switching up the players behind Montrell Johnson. But Jadan Baugh saw a spike in snaps because Treyaun Webb was out for the UCF game.
Gator supporters have taken notice of Baugh’s hard-running approach, but on Saturday night, his pass-blocking was even more impressive.
A young back is always problematic. Their ability to keep those quarterbacks safe is, in my opinion, a contributing factor in their development and earning playing time. Our system has a ton of protection and duty.
We anticipated entering UCF in particular would be extremely difficult, especially given the internal pressures. He performed well. We converted on third down after he had a few crucial pickups.
He does a good job on the double A gap cross pressure in the third down, which is actually one of the plays I’ll demonstrate at today’s team meeting. After that, we hit Tank to the field. He caused a man to miss. Baugh is a talented young athlete.
Baugh was officially given two pass blocks, but neither one led to a pressure.
In contrast, UCF running back RJ Harvey surrendered a sack, two hurries, and three pressures on Saturday. When Harvey whiffed on Florida’s R.J. Moten, the sack in particular was noticeable.
It is difficult to predict if Baugh will continue to record double-digit snaps if/when Webb is healthy, but blitz pickups like the one he displayed on Saturday will be very helpful.