The Florida defense has some work to do

The Florida defense may have sealed the game with a play for the ages against Utah, but there is still plenty of work to do heading into game two against Kentucky.

DL TAKES SHAPE FOR FLORIDA DEFENSE

A common question that was asked throughout the offseason: who will step up alongside Gervon Dexter on the Gators’ defensive line?

There was plenty to be desired in terms of the on-field play, but we did get our first look at who defensive coordinator Patrick Toney plans to feature next to Dexter (#nextadexta).

I went through and charted each snap to see which defenders had their hand in the dirt (ex: Brenton Cox rushing off the edge from a standing position does not count).

As expected Dexter was a mainstay throughout the night while we saw a fairly even rotation of Princely Unmanmielen, Jalen Lee, big fella Desmond Watson, and Tyreak Sapp, though Waston and Sapp notched nearly half of their snaps over the course of Utah’s final three drives.

Florida played with three down lineman for the majority of the night, which explains why the numbers for both Cox and Powell-Ryland Jr. are so low as each played primarily as a standing edge. However, on the final 10-play drive, Cox and Powell-Ryland Jr. each played with their hand in the dirt four times.

True freshman Chris McClellan, who should see an increased role as the season progresses and attrition begins to set in, was only asked to play a limited role.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

Montrell Johnson’s opening drive fumble – which was returned by Utah to the UF 25-yard line – put the Florida defense on its heels early and the defense promptly allowed a quick Utes touchdown. The early 7-0 deficit felt eerily similar to last season, but from that point on in the first half, the defense allowed only one drive longer than 25-yards and forced Utah to settle for two field goals.

The goal line stand and interception to close things out will get a lot of love, but Florida standing firm against a 3^rd & 3 from the UF 8-yard line to force a field goal on the 4^th Utah drive of the game should be recognized as a key turning point in this contest. Utah had taken over with a short field on the UF 38-yard line thanks to a three-and-out and a 10-yard punt return, yet Toney’s defense rose to the occasion. When you factor in the goal line stand, the interception to close the game, and this key stand with just under five minutes to go in the first half, the Gators’ defense held the Utes to a single field goal on three separate drives inside of the Florida 10-yard line.

The sweet feeling of victory sure helps to cover up some stink – and for the Gators, that stink lied primarily in the second half.

Utah’s offense put up about 70% of its yardage in the second half of play as slowly and deliberately  bludgeoned the Florida defense. The Utes pieced together four lengthy drives and forced Florida to make two historically good stops to prevent scores.

Kyle Whittingham and the Utes were slow to put the game in the hands of their best player. As soon as the defending Pac-12 champs’ strategy shifted, the Utes showed that the Gators defense will have plenty to work on as the season continues.

Utah RB Tavion Thomas, a 2021 1^st Team All-Pac-12 Selection who rushed for 1,100+ yards and 21 touchdowns last season, was silent in the first half. Florida had their way with the powerful Utah running game, holding the Utes to under 60 rushing yards. Utah clearly made it a point to focus on the run game in the second half and finished with 230 rushing yards on the day.

The Florida defense held Thomas to just 21 yards on 6 carries in the first half. He did not post a run longer than 7 yards as Utah leaned too heavily on the arm/legs of QB Cam Rising.

Utah clearly made an adjustment in the second half and began to feed its bell cow running back and the 1^st Team All-Pac-12 performer responded with 94 yards rushing and a touchdown in 17 attempts.

Rising was also a problem on the ground, accounting for 91 yards (34 first half/57 second half) on only 7 carries. His 29-yard run on the final drive of the game was meant to serve as Utah’s play of the night as it put the Utes inside of the red zone to close out the game. Though Rising will be remembered for the last-minute pick, his 141 yards passing in the second half (216 total) – particularly his connection with TE Brant Kuithe (9 rec/105 yards/1 TD) – kept Florida’s defense honest and allowed Utah open things up in the running game.

Toney and the Florida defense will continue to face challenges with highly touted Kentucky QB Will Levis and Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker set lead offenses that will test the Gators in the coming weeks, but the name of the game in college football is survival and Toney’s defense came up with enough plays to survive a major test in the season opener.

We talk about playing with legendary finish. It’s time to go do that.

– Florida head coach Billy Napier in his post-halftime interview

FINAL THOUGHTS

We have spent the offseason focusing on the 1-2 punch that was Utah and Kentucky to open the year. Both teams play a physical brand of football which relies heavily on their defense and running game. Florida showed they were up to the test in game one against Utah and, though some concerns remain, Billy Napier said it best after the first half, “This group’s got some fight. We haven’t always executed the way that we’d like to, but I think we’ve made some good adjustments here, and I’m excited to watch them play in the second half.”

Winning is a hell of a lot more fun than losing, but if this team continues to fight the way it did on Saturday, Gator Nation is about to go on a great ride through the rest of the season.

For more coverage on Florida’s 29-26 win over Utah, be sure to check out Will Miles’ recap: Gators take down Utes.