It got lost in the shuffle with the controversial clock management, the slew of penalties and the blocked field goal, but UF’s defense played perhaps its finest game since 2019 against Kentucky.
They limited the Wildcats to just 14 offensive points and 224 yards, including just 87 yards through the air. They allowed Kentucky to convert just one of nine third downs and stopped them on a fourth-down play. Tre’Vez Johnson intercepted a pass.
One of the touchdowns that they gave up was largely on Emory Jones for throwing an interception on UF’s side of the field.
Other than a 41-yard touchdown by Wan’Dale Robinson on a screen pass, the Wildcats couldn’t get much going on offense.
It was one of the few losses during Dan Mullen’s tenure where the defense wasn’t the primary culprit.
“I like our character,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “I like our work ethic. I like the way they embrace each other on explosive plays that we make and work together. So, I like that attitude of our guys. I think when you look, we’ve progressively gotten better each week in all areas.”
What makes their performance even more impressive is the fact that they played the game without two of their most valuable players. Middle linebacker Ventrell Miller, who Grantham described as a “coach on the field,” is likely out for the season with torn biceps. Cornerback Kaiir Elam, a preseason All-American and first round NFL Draft selection to be, missed his second consecutive game with a sprained right knee.
And yet, there hasn’t been a noticeable drop-off in production at those two spots over the past couple of weeks.
Mohamoud Diabate, Jeremiah Moon, Amari Burney and Ty’Ron Hopper have rotated interchangeably at the two inside linebacker spots. Diabate leads the team with 37 tackles, while Moon (26) and Burney (20) rank among the top five. They’ve also done a solid job of covering running backs and tight ends and rushing the passer when called upon.
Grantham is pleased with the way the inside linebackers are playing, and he said that injury concerns are actually what prompted him to move Diabate and Moon inside after they began their careers as edge rushers.
“We obviously lost a good player in Ventrell Miller in there, but we’ve really been cross-training those guys for quite a while, and they can play multiple positions,” he said. “So, I think those guys have done a good job with that and have worked to improve themselves individually based upon the things that [linebackers coach] Christian [Robinson] and I have talked to them about being better at.
“Some of them worked on being a little bit more physical. Some have worked on being a little bit better at key and diagnose, and they’ve all worked to improve.”
Meanwhile, Avery Helm has stepped up as the Gators’ No. 1 cornerback in the last two games. He broke up a pass against Tennessee and didn’t make any noticeable coverage mistakes against Kentucky.
He only played in one game in 2020 – the Cotton Bowl beatdown at the hands of Oklahoma – but Grantham believes that experience served as a launching pad for him this offseason. He’s always had the physical abilities; now he’s starting to grasp the mental side of the game as well.
“When you are recruited out of high school, everybody has a perception of who they are and the kind of talent they have,” Grantham said. “But, in reality, when you get to this level, it’s hard. You’ve got to put a lot of work and preparation in. So, I really do think that by playing Avery last year, it allowed him to see where he needed to improve and the pace of the game for him to be the kind of player he is this year.”
Helm has been joined in the starting lineup in the last two games by five-star freshman Jason Marshall. Marshall has the measurables to be a future first-round pick, and he seems to be improving rapidly as the season goes on.
“He’s got size, he’s got play strength, he’s got speed, and he has a desire to be a really good player,” Grantham said. “That allows him to play to his ability because he will take coaching, and he’ll work to make the improvement, and, because of all of that, he’s worked to be a guy that we can count on and depend upon to do some good things. The sky’s the limit for him.
“We’ve just got to continue to keep him grounded and allow him to go play to his ability and continue to improve every week because he’s a good player. He’s going to get challenged the rest of the year because he’s a freshman. But … like I told him, that’s an opportunity for him to go make plays.”
While the defense might’ve put up some impressive statistics against the Wildcats, Grantham still considers the game a failure for his unit. Their goal as a team was to win the game, and the defense could’ve made a few more plays that would’ve made a difference in the final score.
“You want to be an elite defense, get a stop,” Grantham said. “So, yeah, I was really proud of the way our guys played, and I told them that, but, at the same time, ‘Here’s some things we could have done to make a play, to the finish a game’ because you win as a team [and] you lose as a team. And it doesn’t matter if the score is 34-31 or 10-7. It’s a three-point game, so ‘What do we got to do to win this situation?’
“So, it’s all about the next play. It’s all about the situation at hand. Like I told them, ‘You’ve got to be able to answer the bell. So, when our number’s called, whatever the situation you’re dealt, that’s life. Whatever situation you’re dealt, how are you going to handle it?’ And we’ve got to go finish it out.”