Florida’s 45-7 win over Samford in The Swamp on Saturday wasn’t perfect, but both sides of the football took a significant leap in area’s that struggled in the week one loss to Miami. For only the fourth time in the Billy Napier era, the Gators’ defense held their opponent to seven points or fewer while also holding their opponent to under 300 yards (205) for the eighth time since 2022.
“I think getting our confidence back because it did take a shot at our confidence. It took a shot at just the way we felt about our whole team,” Sapp said on the focus at practice last week. “But we just wanted to show the Gator faithful that we actually have this team, and the things that we preach about, we can actually put that on tape and perform for them. That was just the main thing, just getting our confidence back.”
Against the Hurricanes, the Gators recorded only 1 sack, 2 TFL and 3 passes defended. In Florida’s week two matchup against the Bulldogs, the Gators totaled 4 sacks, 11.5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles (one recovery), 3 passes defended and 6 quarterback hurries.
Florida’s front seven also only gave up a total of 61 rushing yards on Saturday.
“It was difficult, but I feel like we picked ourselves up, and we said, you know, we dust ourselves off, and we say, you know what, that’s not us, and that’s not a reflection of the brand of football we play. That’s not a reflection of our effort, and that’s not a reflection of our execution,” Sapp said on their mindset after the week one loss.
One of Florida’s newest additions on the defensive side of the ball arguably had one of the best performances for the Gators in week two. Every play George Gumbs Jr. made against the Bulldogs was significant, and I would look for him to play a major role on this defense for the rest of the season. Gumbs recorded 3 total tackles (3 solo), 3 TFL, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry.
“The kid just works that hard. When he came in, he came in ready to learn. He came in ready to soak in,” Sapp said on Gumbs. “What he’s done from when he got here till now, it’s incredible. I love that dude because he comes in every day ready to work. He’s trying to find some ways to get better. I kind of know his journey, know his story, where he came from at NIU and how that went for him. Where he’s at now, it’s incredible. He’s a freak of nature. I call him a super hero. He’s an Avenger.”
Everything changes this weekend when Florida faces their first SEC opponent of the 2024 season in Texas A&M. Against McNeese State last weekend, the Aggies totaled 333 rushing yards with three running backs who recorded at least 60 rushing yards. This defense understands that they must work harder if they want to pull off the upset.
“We’re going to enjoy this win obviously, but we’re going to be realistic with ourselves and fix the things we need to fix because we understand there’s better competition ahead,” Sapp said. “So we understand that, and I think this confidence, we’re going to let this boost us, and we’re going to enjoy this for tonight. But when our head comes off our pillow in the morning, it’s going to be a whole different mindset, and I think everybody understands that from a leadership standpoint all the way down to the younger guys.”
It’s going to take more than what was put on display against Samford if the Gators want to find success this season. This team can’t regress and must continue to improve in every aspect for the rest of the year.
“We understand we can do so much more. We can be so much more dominant. We just have to continue to get to understand each other and continue to work together as a defense,” Sapp said. “I think tonight was a great stepping stone to doing that, and I know this week we’re going to work our tails off to get ready to pull this one off on Saturday.”
The Gators have an opportunity to make some noise on Saturday despite coming in as underdogs. Through two games this season, the Aggies have given up 378 rushing yards while the Gators have only given up 205. Coach Mike Elko will have to prepare for two totally different quarterback’s while prepping his defensive line for a running game that could give him major issues in week three. On the other hand, Florida’s run defense will need to be on their toe’s as six of the eight touchdowns scored by the Aggies this season came on the ground.
The Gators open up as +160 underdogs while having a 41.1% chance to beat the Aggies in The Swamp, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor.