How Michai Boireau Put Himself in a Position to be an Impact Player for the Gators

Football shape requires increased cardiovascular capacity and a bit more agility. Granted, no one usually expects a nose tackle to move around. However, many modern defenses want more from the nose than just being a large person pushing blockers. Plus, at 348 pounds, Boireau still packs plenty of strength behind his pads.

The Texas victory saw Boireau exhibit some of his pass-rush technique, resulting in his first career sack. It was also a personal victory for Boireau, who has battled injuries this season.

"Coming off three weeks out, I was very eager to get back," Boireau said. "I feel like I had a rush plan, and I executed that rush plan to the best of my ability, and I feel like I just stuck to the plan."

A peek-and-pull, the move Boireau used, is a move that requires the defender to look over one shoulder of the blocker while pulling them down and forward using the outside hand. On his sack, the sophomore secured a view of which direction Texas quarterback Arch Manning was heading. From there, he cleared a path with force, accelerating towards the quarterback.

Stopping the Aggies

Texas A&M wants to run the ball and send their rushers up the middle, in the A-gaps. That will test Boireau immediately, as the Aggies will keep trying that tactic until they can break through. The Gator defender must anchor well, pushing the presumed combo block to at least take one step back.

"He's got some leadership traits and he’s got a little edge to him that I like, but he plays with a motor on game day, and to be that big, to see him pursue, to see the extra effort plays on tape and the energy, I think it’s why he’s a difference maker for us,” head coach Billy Napier said on Monday.

Either the ball carrier needs to cut outside, or the coaching staff needs to abandon running in the interior. Under those circumstances, Boireau succeeded, and Florida's perimeter defenders need to clean up.

Overview

Is Boireau a unicorn defensive tackle who gets home frequently? Of course not. That is not his job. He must be the main reason the Aggies cannot function between the guards and the edge rushers, who rack up a few tackles for loss. His job is neither aesthetically pleasing nor easy. Yet, as he showed against the Longhorns, Boireau could play a vital role in Florida's attempts to turn its season around.