When the Florida Gators win the opening coin toss Jim McElwain doesn’t blink. He’s going to take the football ten times out of ten. Sixteen times in 17 games the Florida Gators offense has failed to score at all on the opening drive, leaving the defense to take the field.
After Mark Thompson carried the ball 11-yards on first down Luke Del Rio fired three incomplete passes before a Jonny Townsend punt. Townsend’s punt was downed at the North Texas seven-yard line and the defense took the field like sharks sensing blood in the water. Joey Ivie and Alex Anzalone blew up the first rushing attempt and Caleb Brantley sacked Mason Fine one play later for a safety.
The safety were the first points scored by the defense in 2016 but far from the only highlight the unit, which continues to strive to be recognized as the best in the country, has had this season.
The Gators’ defense is the only unit in the country that has held all three of its opponents to under 200 yards of offense. They are one of four FBS teams (Miami, Stanford, Utah) that have allowed two or fewer touchdowns in the first three games as well.
“I’ve been saying it all along, we have the best defensive staff in the game, we got the best players in the game, like, if we do what we do and the other team can’t score they can’t win,” junior cornerback Jalen Tabor said. “At the end of the day we hold ourselves to a higher standard. It doesn’t matter whose playing quarterback, running back, receiver, calling the plays, it don’t matter. When we step out on the field our job is to not let the opposing team score.”
The Gators accomplished that on Saturday, registering its first shutout since the 2014 65-0 season opening win over Eastern Michigan.
The Gators defense has been downright mean in 2016, allowing just 1.31 yards per rush after holding North Texas to -13 net rushing yards. Florida’s seven sacks Saturday night were the most since 1996 and no Florida defense has allowed fewer yards to a team than the 53 Florida surrendered to North Texas this week.
What Florida is doing defensively is unprecedented. Forget the fact that the Gators are replacing two first rounders in Vernon Hargreaves III and Keanu Neal, along with three-year starters Jon Bullard and Antonio Morrison, or even the opponents. The Gators have held all of their opponents to under 200 total yards of offense.
The secondary has five interceptions, adding two Saturday, but they’re being added by a pass rush that doesn’t seem to miss Bullard or Alex McCalister. The Gators have 16 sacks through three games. That’s a 64-sack pace for the season, which would be 12 more than the Alabama Crimson Tide led the country with in 2015.
“I think it’s just buying into what the coach taught us,” senior defensive tackle Joey Ivie said. For an example, when Mac came in, everybody just buying into what he was coaching and now, we’ve got coach Rumph and the whole d-line buying into what he’s coaching. That’s definitely benefited the whole entire d-line. The production is proving it.”
The past half-decade the Gators have continually churned out NFL talent leaving fans and media saying that the defense would take a step back. We’re all still waiting for the defense to feel the effects of losing top-end talent each year and this unit is determined to keep us waiting as they prove that they’re the best defense in the nation each week.
Big Kudos to all the D coaches. The staff which includes Shannon, Rumph, Gray and Collins is doing an excellent job so far. As the level of competition ramps up, hopefully the success will continue.
Insane to think that Coach Mac has two former head coaches on the staff. Great crew – keep on grinding !