As the Florida Gators take on the Tennessee Volunteers, there are more questions than answers for Florida now that Kyle Trask and Emory Jones will split duties at quarterback.
But, there have been plenty of pieces written about Florida’s new situation under center and plenty more will be written.
Here’s the gist: Franks has shown tremendous improvement since Mullen took the reins and, despite inconsistencies, probably has a greater number of raw tools to succeed at the position than Trask. Trask, who hasn’t started at quarterback since his freshman year of high school, is a consistent passer with good vision who doesn’t feel the pressure; however, just because Kentucky’s defense left receivers open doesn’t mean Auburn, LSU or Georgia will. Emory Jones, the future, is not ready to be a full-time starter. He will not be rushed either. The end.
But one place there are not any questions is on the defensive line. While the quarterback situation gets all the attention, a huge reason the Gators are 3-0 is because of its dynamic defensive front
Defense, Defense, Defense
Against Kentucky, the Florida defense had difficulty getting off the field. The Wildcats finished 8-15 on third downs and had a nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession.
But in the fourth quarter, Kentucky went 0-4 on third downs, turned the ball over twice and threw the ball 13 times but only averaged 3.6 yards per attempt.
In the season opener, the Gators had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss against the Hurricanes. This time the Gators imposed their will on the opponent in the third quarter, as Miami lost two yards on nine plays, only moving forward after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against DB Trey Dean.
There are still questions to be answered on that side of the ball. After all, Florida is ranked 70th in yards per pass attempts against FBS opponents.
But one area where there aren’t questions to be answered is at defensive end, where Jonathan Greenard is helping Gators fans forget how important Jachai Polite’s 11 sacks were last year.
Ends at the Quarterback
What the Gators bring to the Swamp this weekend is one of the strongest defensive lines in the nation.
Statistically speaking, the Gators’ 16 sacks rank first in FBS, and the lethal duo of DE Jabari Zuniga and BUCK Jonathan Greenard grade out as two of the three highest-rated defensive linemen in the country.
Zuniga leads the team with 3.0 sacks, but Greenard is more than holding his own with 2.5.
After Saturday’s come-from-behind victory over Kentucky, most Gators took to Twitter to dedicate the win to their fallen leader. Greenard expressed plenty of sadness for Franks to the media on Monday.
But the win in Lexington was personal for Greenard.
Jon Greenard ran out to midfield and stomped on the UK logo at midfield. Louisville transfer, no love lost for Kentucky.
— Nick de la Torre (@NickdelaTorreGC) September 15, 2019
A 3-star recruit (ranked 1282 nationally) out of Hiram, GA in the 2015 class, Greenard’s recruitment came down to Louisville, Missouri and Kentucky. He chose to play for the Cardinals and then-defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.
That meant Greenard used to be a part of this rivalry in his time at Louisville.
During his four seasons there, the Cats and the Cardinals split the four games 2-2. Greenard only played in two of those – going 1-1 – and serving up his best performance in 2017 with five tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
After missing all but the opening series of 2018 with a wrist injury, Greenard followed Todd Grantham to Florida and joined the Gators as a graduate transfer.
You would think Kentucky would have known he has a pretty good first step.
Obviously, he wasn’t blocked on that one, but Kentucky took notice. And on perhaps the biggest play of the game, Greenard was instrumental in creating a key turnover.
Kentucky tried to block him with a tight end. Greenard threw him aside and put pressure on Kentucky QB Sawyer Smith. Note that Kentucky only ran a two-man route because they kept in eight blockers to pass protect.
Greenard still got to the QB and forced the throw into double coverage.
Stepping up against Tennessee
Greenard fits the bill for what the BUCK position demands in Todd Grantham’s defense.
At 6-foot-3 and 263-pounds, he’s big enough to hold the edge against the running game. But he also played tight end and receiver in high school (11 receptions, 249 yards and 5 TD his senior year), allowing him to flash the speed and athleticism necessary to get after the QB.
It would be understandable to have a little bit of rust coming into 2019. After all, Greenard missed all of 2018 and has had to adapt to a new home and new teammates.
But instead, he’s come out firing, with 12 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in the Gators first three games.
Tennessee has only surrendered 5 sacks this year. But we do need to put that in context a little bit.
- Georgia State had 4 sacks against the Vols…..and has had 3 sacks since against juggernauts Furman and Western Michigan while giving up 105 points.
- BYU ranks 113th in the country with 3 sacks on the season while giving up 28 points per game.
- Chattanooga was – and should have been – overmatched.
The Volunteers haven’t seen anything like this Florida defensive line, or Jonathan Greenard.
Greenard will need to be a problem this weekend for Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and the Vols’ offensive line. With his compatriot Zuniga nursing an ankle injury, a steady dose of Greenard in the backfield will force Guarantano into mistakes.
That’s what happened last year, as Rocky Top was quieted immediately as Guarantano fumbled on the Vols’ first drive and an interception on their second. Florida converted both of those into touchdowns and the rout was on.
Florida made Guarantano uncomfortable at home last year, and now he gets to come into the Swamp for the Volunteers first road game of the year.
Florida has all those sacks and all that pressure this year with its two Power-5 wins coming away from the Swamp and the advantage the home crowd brings.
If Florida can get to Guarantano consistently, Tennessee doesn’t have a chance. And a big part of that pressure will be Greenard – a first-year Gator trying to soak it all in like he’s been in Gainesville since the start.