Elam: Gators have no excuse for poor defense
GAINESVILLE — UF cornerback Kaiir Elam was a bit embarrassed and more than a little angry after watching the team’s dismal defensive performance at Ole Miss.
The sophomore rising star also was determined not to let it happen again.
“Looking back on the film, I’m not going to lie; I was kind of pissed off,” Elam said Monday.
During Florida’s 51-35 season-opening win two days earlier, Ole Miss racked up 613 yards against a defense with high expectations this season. Of the total, 43 yards came through the air against a secondary annually one of the best in college football.
“This is DBU,” said Elam, referencing the fictional “Defensive Backs University.” “This is our job to lock down opposing offenses. Watching the film, it’s just something that can’t happen again.”
This fix might come overnight for a defense replacing six starters and missing some other key pieces.
Coach Dan Mullen also expects a much better showing when the No. 3 Gators (1-0) host South Carolina (0-1) at noon during the home opener in the Swamp.
“I expect us to make a really big jump from Week 1 to Week 2 defensively with tackling, the effort, with running to the football, with communication,” Mullen said.
He blamed some of the defensive lapses on the transition from preseason camp to a game and the long stretch without much 11-on-11 full-contact football due to the coronavirus pandemic canceling spring practices.
Two live scrimmages during camp were the only times the Gators engaged in live tackling since their Dec. 30 Orange Bowl win.
Like Elam, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is not looking for excuses.
“At the end of the day, you have to be honest, we made too many mistakes and we didn’t play to our standard,” Grantham said following Tuesday’s practice. “Right, wrong, for whatever reasons, it doesn’t matter. You are who you are.
“You’ve got to own it. The biggest thing to me is moving forward, playing to our standard and understanding that we must play better.”
The Gators’ defense is not the only one a step behind right now.
Most teams in college football are facing similar challenges as offenses are getting the best of defenses more often than not.
“Normally at the beginning of the season, everybody is like, ‘OK, the defenses are great and the offenses are going to take a little time to catch up,’” the offensive-minded Mullen said. “I think now that you have eliminated spring ball; when you eliminate the amount of tackling that you have done at this time; you expand this long training camp with the limitations that we had in it; I think it’s an advantage for the offense, really.
“… This is what you are seeing.”
The Gators 642 yards of total offense set a school record in SEC play, while Kyle Trask became the first Mullen-coached quarterback to throw six touchdowns in a game.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, who built a career on an uncanny ability to coach defense, said Trask’s skill and experience give the Gators a big advantage as defenses continue to get on the same page.
“It would be hard for me to answer for everybody,” Muschamp said. “We had some guys miss a considerable amount of time … because of what we’re going through [for COVID-19]. I think that’s team by team.
“I would probably go back and see if the quarterback position is a guy with experience that has played.”
Ole Miss faced myriad challenges from Trask and the Gators attack.
The Rebels finished last in the 14-team SEC in pass defense in 2019, leading the school to hire coach Lane Kiffin and a new staff. The Gators ranked sixth against the pass, but led the league in sacks and red-zone defense, while finishing second in total defense under veteran coordinator Todd Grantham.
Kiffin’s offensive acumen and the Rebels talent at quarterback, tailback and receiver turned out to be a challenge for a rebuilding Florida defense. Besides replacing a half dozen starters, the Gators were without starting tackle Kyree Campbell and linebacker Jeremiah Moon, who started seven games in 2019. Starting senior safety Shawn Davis also was ejected early in the game for targeting.
Whatever the case, Elam, a member of the SEC’s 2019 All-Freshman Team, said the Gators defensive effort was inexcusable.
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” he said. “We didn’t play up to par. I feel like it wasn’t on the missing spring or anything like that. We didn’t play up to par. A lot of our players and coaches feel the same way.
“I think it’s just something we’re going to have to improve on.”