Florida Gators X-Factor vs. Florida State: Linebacker Amari Burney

Heading into Tallahassee this Black Friday to take on the Seminoles, one Gators defender must rise above the rest to swing the tide of this rivalry matchup: Linebacker Amari Burney.

No Florida defender this season has had more forced turnovers than linebacker Amari Burney. Burney is tied for first on the Gators' defense with two interceptions, sharing the lead with cornerback Jaydon Hill. 

Burney also has two forced fumbles to go with his interceptions, bringing his turnover total to four on the season. 

With fellow linebacker Ventrell Miller slated to miss the first half of the game, Burney will have to step up this week to fill the void and lead the defense in the first half against the Florida State Seminoles. 

Another facet of the game Burney has performed well in this year has been his pass rush abilities. On the year, Burney has 53 pass rush snaps, of which he has produced 12 total pressures (four sacks and eight hurries), earning him a 90.7 pass rush grade, which leads the Florida defense.

Against Tennessee, Burney had just seven pass-rush snaps, but he made the most of those seven, logging three quarterback pressures, two of which were sacks and one quarterback hurry, earning him a season-high 96.7 pass-rush grade.

When it comes to being available, Burney ranks near the top. Only safeties Trey Dean III (645 snaps) and Rashad Torrence II (623 snaps) have seen more defensive snaps this season than Burney (582 snaps). 

The Gators will need one of their defensive mainstays to play his best football this week to help slow down the Seminoles' 16th-ranked offense nationwide and to help alleviate some of the pressure of an offense that had a rough go-around last week at Vanderbilt.

Despite having been on the Gators' football roster each of the last five years, dating back to 2018, this will only be Burney's third time playing against Florida State and only his second time starting against the Seminoles.

In last year's matchup, Burney had an up-and-down showing. He was productive near the line of scrimmage, registering one quarterback hurry, seven tackles and three defensive stops per Pro Football Focus.

In coverage during last year's rivalry game, however, Burney was targeted eight times and allowed six receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown, giving up a completion percentage of 75% and allowing a 125.5 NFL passer rating. 

Burney will have to improve his coverage performance from last year if he has any shot of being the X-Factor in slowing down the Seminoles' offense.

The Gators will need the Burney that showed up for the Georgia game to show up this week. Against the Bulldogs in Week 9, Burney posted a season-high coverage rating of 90.5 while only allowing one reception of four targets. Burney also notched an interception and a pass breakup to go with it. 

With the Gators' defense being down one of its leaders in Miller for the first half, as well as silencing some of the external noise around the team, the Gators collectively need a big day from the senior in what will be his last trip to Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. 

If Burney can help lead the Gators to an upset victory over the Seminoles, it surely will leave a lasting imprint not only on his own mind but the minds of his teammates, the University of Florida and UF fans around the globe. Probably the minds of upset Florida State fans, as well. 

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