Florida’s defense has been one of the lone bright spots through three games of the 2025 season. The Gators have allowed opposing offenses to score just two touchdowns while holding every opponent to 20 points or less.
Even including the 58-yard interception return for a touchdown against LSU and the special teams safety vs. USF, the Gators rank T-26th in the country in scoring defense. Florida has only allowed 38 points this season and nine of those were a direct result of the offense and special teams unit.
Florida’s best defensive performance came against No.3 LSU. The Gators held LSU to just 10 first downs and 316 yards of offense, 51 of which came on one of the final plays with the game out of reach. Ron Roberts’ unit logged five three and outs including three consecutive to open the game. The Tigers’ offense converted just four of 14 third downs as Florida continued to get off the field.
Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham believes Florida’s defense is heading in the right direction but could have done more to help the Gators win on Saturday.
“I feel like we played well. We’re still not perfect, still not perfect football,” sophomore linebacker Myles Graham said postgame. “It’s closer to the standard but it’s still not perfect. And it wasn’t good enough for the win, so it’s not good enough. So it’s not just on the offense, it’s on us too. We could have made some plays, capitalized on more opportunities to make more plays and get off the field, give the offense more time with the ball. So it was a good performance but not good enough.”
One of the more impressive parts was their ability to hold strong after five turnovers. Of the four turnovers that put Florida’s defense back on the field, the Gators only allowed points one time; a field goal right before the half after LSU started at UF’s 40-yard line. The Gators put together two three and outs directly after turnovers.
Florida’s defense was able to keep LSU from gaining significant momentum even after costly mistakes.
“Our defense is built to respond. It’s built to respond off of turnovers,” Graham said postgame. “What happens over there has nothing to do with us. So, we have to play to our standard and just keep playing football no matter what happens.”
Statistically, the main area Florida could improve upon is their sack total and overall pass rushing numbers. The Gators have just two sacks through three games this season, but part of that is opposing offenses making an effort to get the ball out quickly, something we’ve seen a lot of the past two weeks.
“I think it had something to do with scheme,” Graham said on the lack of pass rush. “But it’s not because our rush has gotten any worse or anything. They were getting the ball out pretty quickly, so we had to play tighter coverage so our rush could get there quicker. So, that’s partly on me too.”
Despite an admirable defensive showing vs LSU, the Gators couldn’t find a rhythm offensively in the 20-10 loss. Graham showcased his support and belief in sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway after the game.
“I’ve seen how hard DJ’s worked, first person in the facility and the last one to leave,” Graham said on Lagway. “So I still believe in him, I still believe in all the guys in the facility and the coaches and everybody.”
Florida started the 2024 season with a 1-2 record, and they find themselves in the same spot one year later. The Gators finished that season with a four-game winning streak, but that will need to happen a lot sooner for Florida to live up to the year four expectations.
“I’ve seen how hard we’ve worked,” Graham said on turning around the season. “We’ve bled together all year, so this is not gonna phase us man. We bounced back last year and we’re gonna do it again this year.”