Defensive struggle becomes trend

GAINESVILLE – Last season was supposed to be a fluke for the Florida Gators’ defense, a one-season stumble never to be repeated.

Instead, the Gators’ defensive struggles are becoming a trend, born of bad habits and inferior recruiting during three years under former coach Jim McElwain.

The collapse of the Gators’ defense against Kentucky continued the rapid decline of a unit that ended last season ranked outside the nation’s top-15 defenses for the first time since 2007.

“We got our tails kicked, OK? You can’t hide that,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “We always talk about playing to a standard and playing to an identity. We didn’t do that.”

Expected to be an aggressive, attacking unit under Grantham, the Gators spent Saturday night on their heels. By game’s end, UF’s defense had been exposed in every phase of the game by the Wildcats.

UF allowed 303 rushing yards, 8 yards per play and nine of 13 third-down conversions. Expected to be a strength, the Gators’ pass rush failed to record even one quarterback hurry.

The once-vaunted secondary, claimants of the fictional title DBU (Defensive Backs University), gave up two touchdowns to quarterback Terry Wilson. A week earlier, Wilson, a sophomore junior college transfer, threw for 78 yards and two interceptions before he was benched at home against Central Michigan.

By coach Dan Mullen’s count, the Gators finished with 20 missed tackles allowing 168 yards to the Wildcats.

“That’s not us,” sophomore cornerback C.J. Henderson said. “Defense is what we’re known for.” Those days are fading. When the dust settled Saturday night, UF defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s guarantee of victory became empty words rooted in past achievements.

The current team’s failures likely are rooted in the past, too. A seeming lack of depth and top playmakers on defense and poor practice habits could be catching up with the Gators.