Florida's secondary opens season trying to rebound

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida cornerback Joe Haden first heard one of his coaches say it just after last season. Haden heard it again during spring practice, again in summer drills and yet again when two-a-days began in earlier this month.

Now, the words echo in his mind like a coverage scheme.

"We have nothing in the bank," Haden says, reciting the simple message.

It's fitting, too. Florida's defensive secondary struggled most of last season, letting receivers run uncovered, missing tackles, getting penalized and giving up way too many big plays. The breakdowns were a big reason Florida finished 9-4 and out of contention in the Southeastern Conference.

The fifth-ranked Gators don't expect it to happen again. They should get an early indication whether they turned it around in Saturday's season opener against pass-happy Hawaii.

"This is going to be a real good test for us because they're going to come out and throw the ball at least 40 times," Haden said. "It's a way for the secondary to make a name for ourselves in the first game."

The secondary heard plenty of name-calling last season - none of it good.

The Gators gave up at least 250 yards passing seven times, allowing big yardage to just about anyone who chose to throw against them. Sure, Kentucky and South Carolina tossed it around against almost everyone. But Troy, Mississippi and Florida Atlantic?

Florida's secondary was at its worst in the Capital One Bowl against Michigan. Chad Henne threw for 373 yards, finding receivers Adrian Arrington (9 catches for 153 yards), Mario Manningham (5-78) and Greg Mathews (7-62) open all over the field.

"The Michigan game was really a wake-up call for us," Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "We did not stop them the whole day. They were up and down the field. Now, when you go into the offseason, at least you have something to point to when guys start thinking about how good they think they are.

"All you had to do is just turn on the film and just say, 'Hey guys, let's just go back to last season and let's look at that and we'll see how good we really think we are."'

With three of four starters returning in the secondary, the Gators believe that the experience of last season and an offseason of work will make them better back there.

The Warriors should provide the first challenge.