Increased Buy-In, Cohesion Propelling Gators' Defensive Resurgence
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After flickering at points this season, the light bulb has finally come on for the Gators' defense.
A once-maligned defensive unit coached by safeties coach and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney has seemingly turned the corner in the past two games. After a lackluster start to the year that allowed teams to score on them at will — culminating in LSU's 45-point performance in The Swamp — the Gators have produced their best six quarters of the season on that side of the ball over the last two contests.
According to defensive lineman Gervon Dexter, an unquestioned leader on the defensive line, the increased buy-in to Toney's system is having a major effect on their on-field performance.
"We're just finally buying in and trusting what Coach PT is calling, and we're all just trying to do our job a lot better," Dexter said on Monday. "We finally, I think like once you see it work once, it's like okay, it works. So when he calls it again, do the exact same thing we did last time."
Gators head coach Billy Napier, who has endured the grief surrounding Florida's poor showings
"I think the pursuit is better, the energy is better," he said. "It's year one in a new system, but information, knowledge, when applied, can make a difference. So if I'm processing quicker, if I'm communicating better, if I'm anticipating, I get more production, and there's a compound effect.
"If each individual's doing that, I think there is a result that comes with that."
That fact was evident on Saturday but isn't limited to the playing field. The intensity is showing at practice during the week as well, according to Dexter.
"We're practicing that way, and it's translating to the game," he said. "It's going to the game. We also noticed that, if we practice that way, that's what will happen to the game."
The unit's cohesion has drastically improved as the seasons rolled on in many different forms. The defensive front and secondary, notably, are playing complementary football with increased usage of press-man coverage and higher win rates from the edges resulting in more pressure on the quarterback even without Florida's former top pass rusher Brenton Cox Jr. in the fold.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. and Princely Umanmielen have served as the sparks off the edge for Florida in that regard as they've accounted for 12 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the last two contests, which in turn helps the interior defensive line find success in collapsing the pocket against the pass and plugging holes in the middle against the run.
"It helps a lot when you have two edge rushers competing and getting after the quarterback, it sometimes opens a lot of doors for interior D-linemen, and that way, the tackle can't come down on the three-technique when he has somebody rushing with all of their ability," Dexter said. "So it really helps."
What also helps is the Gators' ability to force turnovers. That has been a quiet positive for Florida's defense this season, even during the spell of poor play, but it has ramped up over the past two weeks by forcing five total turnovers to propel the unit to pitch six scoreless quarters.
Again, Dexter emphasized that it isn't by accident. It's a focal point in practice.
"We practice that," he said. "We have like a tackling circuit, and three of the tackling circuits is just us like punching the ball out, stripping the ball, getting on the ball when a fumble is recovered, stiff-arms and all the stuff like that when we do get a turnover. We practice that a lot. We actually practice that every Wednesday practice.
"So that's just coming from practicing, and we do it every week, and it's just starting to show up."
The Gators are now leading the SEC in turnovers forced and are No. 7 in the nation with 21 turnovers this season.
All in all, the defensive resurgence the Gators have had is an encouraging breakthrough for the future of the unit beyond this season. Showing the signs of an elite defense that many fans wanted to develop rapidly in the early stages of the program rebuild down the stretch of the season, Florida's stout, opportunistic style of play has them firing at a higher rate than the unit has since 2019.
While it is unlikely that Florida continues to pitch shutouts in the modern era of offensive firepower, the newfound success on defense strengthens the Gators' overall attack to unforeseen heights thus far in Napier's tenure.
"We haven't been very good. So I think there's a little bit of a pride element there, and I think we've gotten good leadership on that side of the ball within each room, coaching and players being more vocal about the things they know can be done better.
It's the exact type of play he is looking for out of his team moving forward, and it's paying dividends in the short term in the win column.
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