The Gators’ defense was far from perfect against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, but they definitely showed signs of improvement over the debacle of 2020.
When the starters were in the game in the first three quarters, they limited the Owls to 173 total yards and zero points. They forced a couple of turnovers and sacked N’Kosi Perry six times.
The defensive line put up strong resistance against the running game at times, and the secondary avoided the major communication breakdowns that plagued them last year.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was generally pleased with what he saw from his players.
“The biggest thing we talked about is being able to handle the tempo, getting lined up with some young guys, and I thought they did a really good job with that for the most part,” Grantham said. “Communication was pretty clean.
“We understand that we’ve still got to work hard and continue to improve, but when you can go into the fourth quarter not giving up any points – because, at the end of the day, the most important thing is not giving up any points — that’s a good thing.”
Grantham mentioned several times throughout his 15 or so minutes at the podium on Monday night that he was pleased by how well the players adjusted on the fly. There were several things the Owls did early in the game that gave them problems. As expected, the Owls tried to go back to those things later in the game.
When they did, UF’s defense was ready for it and shut it down.
He was also impressed by how effective they were at rushing the passer. Even though FAU threw a bunch of quick passes early on, the Gators finished with seven sacks on 40 dropbacks, if you count one sack that was negated by a penalty. He’ll gladly take a 17.5 percent sack rate every time out.
That dominance up front was spearheaded by Zachary Carter, who established a new career high with three sacks despite sitting out much of the second half. The Owls simply didn’t have anybody who could match his strength and quickness off of the ball.
While Carter’s sacks were certainly important, Grantham said that it was what he did on the sideline that stood out to him the most.
“Not only did he make plays and production, but he was a good teammate to other guys with his energy, his leadership, coaching guys,” he said. “He didn’t really play probably midway through the third quarter on — there was really no reason to play him — but he was in the game, working the game and helping some of the guys we’re going to need from a depth standpoint get the coaching they needed.”
On the back end, the defensive backs provided tight coverage for the most part and held FAU to just 4.3 yards per pass attempt through three quarters. That was especially impressive when you consider that they have 14 defensive backs who are in their first or second seasons as Gators.
“I liked the way they worked the game,” Grantham said. “You’ve got to figure there were a couple guys out there that hadn’t been in front of that kind of atmosphere, that crowd. When that happens, you have to learn to keep your poise and stay within yourself. It’s great to be excited and charged up, but, at the same time, you have to make sure you can execute. I thought those guys did a good job of staying within themselves.
“They did a good job of working the game as far as understanding ‘Here are the things that are coming,’ and we played them a little bit cleaner the next time that they saw them. I think we’ve just got to continue to coach them that way and progress them that way because they’re talented guys that just need reps.”
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the defense, though. Freshman cornerback Jason Marshall was flagged for an easily avoidable pass interference penalty, while cornerback Elijah Blades committed a face mask penalty. Antwaun Powell was penalized for roughing the passer. All three of those penalties extended drives after they had gotten stops on third down.
Cornerback Jadarrius Perkins committed a late hit penalty near the goal line in the fourth quarter.
While those penalties didn’t make much of a difference against FAU, they will kill the Gators when they take on a team like Alabama where stops will be at a premium.
“There were a couple third-down penalties there that were more of maybe not having awareness or panicking a little bit,” Grantham said. “‘Just use your ability, and you’ll be fine.’ I think it’s just understanding ‘You’re a good player. Understand your leverage and what’s getting ready to happen relative to the situation, and then just go execute the call.’”
Grantham also thinks there were some throws that the defensive backs could’ve reacted a little quicker to. Even the slightest hesitation can be the difference between a catch and an incompletion or an interception.
They also struggled to get off of the field at times. FAU converted five of 12 third downs, and the Gators only forced one three-and-out. The Owls had plenty of opportunities to score, but the Gators found a way to get stops when they needed them.
That style of play was good enough against FAU, but it won’t be acceptable moving forward.
“We’re not going to be a bend-but-don’t-break [defense],” Grantham said. “We’re not going to give up points. That’s the biggest thing.
“It was some young guys that played a little bit cleaner as the game went along in some of those situations, and they’ll work to improve this week, and we’ll work to get better, and, hopefully, when those things come up this week or next, be able to make those plays in the first quarter.”
All things considered, it was a successful opener for UF’s defense. They pitched a shutout while the starters were in there, created some turnovers and got some younger players into the game.
But they’re capable of playing even better.