The Gators escaped their homecoming game with a 24-17 victory over the Missouri Tigers. The defense led the charge for Florida today, totaling 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, and a pick-six in the contest.
Gator Country provides you with early takeaways from the Gators week six victory in the Swamp.
HATS OFF TO VENTRELL MILLER AND JAYDON HILL
The Gators don’t win this football game without these two. Miller finished with 11 tackles (10 solo), two TFL, and a QB hurry. Miller was all over the field Saturday afternoon.
“I don’t know how many times where they got a play that looks like it is going to develop and then 51 just comes out of nowhere,” Billy Napier said about Ventrell Miller’s performance.
This was a very accurate description from Napier. Miller did much more than stop the run in week six.
Miller lined up on the line of scrimmage on both of Jaydon Hill’s interceptions, dropping back in coverage and knocking receivers off their routes. We also saw Miller blitz often today, affecting Brady Cook’s game.
Jaydon Hill entered today without an interception in his Gators career; he finished the day with two. Hill’s preparation for the game led him to his first career pick-six.
“Really the route combination came from a lot of film study. Honestly last night, I watched that same play like three times,” Hill said during the post-game press conference.
Florida would love for Jaydon Hill to pull apart from the cluster of Gator corners and establish himself as an every down corner.
DISCIPLINED FOOTBALL
The Florida Gators were not called for a penalty until four minutes left in the game. Florida finished the game with one penalty for five yards. This is a major step forward for a team that hasn’t met their team goal regarding penalties.
It’s critical for teams to take control of every advantage they can, especially in a close game like todays. Missouri had six penalties for 55 yards in the contest.
3RD AND LONG
The Gators took a step forward on defense today. Florida totaled 13 tackles for loss, the most since the 2019 opener against Miami. The one glaring issue was 3rd and long. The Gators gave up WAY too many today. Late in the game the Gators gave up a 3rd and 23 and 3rd and 14, nearly back-to-back. The good news is the Gators forced 17 third downs today. Napier said he believes this issue is easily correctable.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
This coaching staff and team deserve a lot of credit for the adjustments made at halftime. Almost nothing was working offensively in the first half; Gators mustered just 66 yards of offense and failed to find the endzone. The Gators totaled 231 yards in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the process.
The offensive line and running backs made the biggest adjustment. We weren’t seeing huge rushing lanes and RBs making it to the 2nd level early on. The Gators had four rushes of over 30 yards in the 2nd half. Florida had just one explosive play in the first half before bursting for seven explosive plays in the second half.
Florida has struggled to make adjustments at times this season; this was a really good sign.
GATORS’ OFFENSIVE LINE IS STILL REALLY GOOD
The Gators’ offensive line has only allowed four sacks this season, which is tied for 12th-fewest in FBS. Florida has rushed for 200 yards in four games this season. This offensive line unit is special.
Gators improve to 4-2 on the season. The Gators will look to keep their momentum next week against LSU.