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Bye week gives Gators’ offense a chance to catch up to defense
The Florida Gators enter a bye week after just one game, potentially stalling the momentum gained by a gutsy and emotional win against Miami.
The UF offense clearly can use the extra practice following Saturday night’s 24-20 escape at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
Good thing for UF its defense is ahead of schedule. The unit may have to lead the way while the other side of the ball plays catch-up.
It’s a familiar position for the Gators this decade, but not one either unit expected to be in so early in the season.
The Gators’ offense and quarterback Feleipe Franks seemed to turn the corner during a four-game win streak to end 2018 and returned many of the key components to the late-season success. But coach Dan Mullen’s attack struggled to find a rhythm and made too many critical mistakes against the Hurricanes, including three costly turnovers by Franks.
Meanwhile, the team’s defense entered 2019 looking to replace sack leader Jachai Polite, leading tackler Vosean Joseph and playmaking defensive back Chauncey Garnder-Johnson but was confident, in time, it would.
Against the Hurricanes, the Gators’ defense had its stumbles, missing too many tackles and giving Miami second chances following costly penalties by UF down the stretch.
In the end, coordinator Todd Grantham’s defense dominated a Miami team with a first-time starter at quarterback and a young offensive line. The Gators
finished with 10 sacks and stood their ground when it mattered most. During the fourth quarter, the ‘Canes ran 13 plays inside UF’s 30, but they came away with no points.
“We just kept going at it relentlessly,” Louisville graduate transfer Jon Greenard said of the Gators’ defense. “I’ve never been a part of something like that.”
Greenard and fellow end Jabar Zuniga set the tone, terrorizing the Hurricanes’ two freshman offensive tackles. The Gators’ duo combined for five of UF’s 16 tackles for loss and three sacks — 1.5 apiece.
Like Greenard, Mullen lauded his defense’s resiliency.
“They never flinched when things didn’t go well for us and that seemed to be whether we were missing tackles, whether we were getting penalties to give them first downs at key moments of the game,” Mullen said of his defense. “They kept going and we kept finding a way to win, and in the end that’s what you’ve got to do.”
The Gators’ defense was on its heels immediately as Miami marched 56 yards on nine plays to set up a field goal on the opening drive. At game’s end, UF’s defense was on the ropes following two late passinterference penalties, including on fourth-and-34, that kept the ‘Canes alive.
Miami’s offense could not match the intensity of the team across from it.
“It’s hard to coach that effort, that strain and that desire to find a way to win,” Mullen said.
A little more than a year ago, Mullen questioned his defense’s level of desire. During a Week 2 loss to Kentucky, the Gators yielded more than 300 rushing yards for the first time in 15 years and let the Wildcats snap a 31-game losing streak with a 27-16 upset in the Swamp.
Following the gut-wrenching loss, Mullen, in just his second game at the team’s head coach, called his team soft.
While the 2019 Gators’ defense showed its toughness, the unit remains flawed.
A 50-yard run by Miami’s DeeJay Dallas out of the wildcat formation featured three missed tackles by the Gators on a night when Grantham’s group repeatedly struggled to wrap up. The pass interference calls likely are less of a cause for concern from a talented, experienced group of cornerbacks.
The offensive-minded Mullen has more to worry about on his side of the football, a surprising development after an offseason of optimism.
The 2018 Gators averaged 45 points during the final four games of last season. UF then put up 95 points and more than 900 yards during April’s spring game.
Yet playing behind an offensive line that replaced four starters, Franks was either under pressure or off the mark much of Saturday night, failing to get many of the team’s bevy of playmakers the ball. The run game generated just 52 yards — the fewest under Mullen by 61 yards (during a 38-17 loss to Missouri).
Mullen’s ability to find and exploit mismatches, along with his willingness to take calculated risks, helped UF go 5-of-5 on fourth-down conversions. Remarkably, though, UF was just 2-of-10 on third down. With the Gators holding a 24-20 lead with 4:30 remaining, Mullen’s decision to call a pass for Franks on first down went from surprising to potentially devastating when Miami intercepted the errant toss.
But UF’s defense held firm and carried the Gators to win.
The formula has worked often in recent seasons. It ultimately was not enough, however. The Gators won 11 games in 2012 and reached the SEC title game in 2015 and 2016 behind stellar defenses and despite punchless offenses.
Going forward, Mullen hopes to create a balance. At least he might be halfway there.
“There’s a lot we can learn from that game and a lot we can get cleaned up defensively,” he said. “We can get that coached. We can be better coach and we can get them coached better, get the players to play better. It’s hard to coach that effort, that strain, and that desire to find a way to win.”