Florida Gators DL Zachary Carter Gives Florida 'A Chance to Win the Down'
You might not have guessed it, but Florida ranks second in the SEC in sacks through two games of the 2020 season, tied with LSU.
The Gators' defense has, in the past, been known to help carry Florida to victory by generating consistent pressure and forcing turnovers. That hasn't been the case this year. It's been Florida's offensive firepower that has led the team to victory while the defense has surrendered 471 yards and 29.5 points per game.
One member of the defensive line, however, has generated pressure that others have capitalized on, which has led to the solid sack count for the Gators: Defensive tackle Zachary Carter. This marks Carter's first season as a full-time starter, lining up at three-technique tackle after spending his first three seasons at strong-side defensive end.
"He's been in our program, you know, for three years his strength has really picked up; his ability to hold the point and be stout,' defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said on Tuesday. "And that's really given us the flexibility to play him in there. He probably couldn’t have done that two years ago."
Carter has kicked out to the edge in some packages, splitting his 130 defensive snaps with 82 on the interior and 48 on the edge according to Pro Football Focus. PFF credits Carter with 10 quarterback pressures, second-most on the team behind defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (11), adding to Carter's box score of 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss.
For his eight tackle, 1.5-sack performance against South Carolina in week two of play, Carter was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
His first sack came from the end position on 3rd and 10 (2Q, 3:20), bull-rushing through the left tackle with Brenton Cox Jr. spinning his way into a pressure on the play as well, all of which causing quarterback Collin Hill to fall over and protect the ball. Carter followed that up by splitting a sack on 3rd and 8 (3Q, 6:52) with rush end Khris Bogle, as Bogle shot up the middle to hit Hill, with Carter keeping Hill in the pocket from the edge and helping bring him down.
"The thing it does from a matchup standpoint is, you know, in the passing game or the one-on-ones, his ability to make a guard move his feet in space can create the matchup problems," said Grantham. "So you're always going to work to try to take advantage of that."
Carter's matchup problems have allowed other rushers to make impact plays in the backfield. Florida's first sack of the season, by Cox on 4th and 3 (1Q, 10:45) against Ole Miss, came from Carter blowing past the left guard and forcing quarterback Matt Corral to step up out of the pocket and into Cox's reach. The next sack, from blitzing linebacker Ventrell Miller, was caused as Carter and Bogle closed in on Corral, which led him to spin out to the left and right into Miller's warpath.
The impact that Carter is making on the game has left his counterparts impressed and aiming to learn from his disruptive skill-set, as Florida's defensive front looks to take steps forward. Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Cox said that he watches Carter daily in one-on-ones to improve rushing and moving through tight spaces.
Florida's pass rush could stand to learn a thing or two from Carter, as his presence has been influential for half of the team's sacks this year and other plays that don't show up on the stat sheet. As Florida prepares to face an experienced, dual-threat quarterback in Texas A&M's Kellen Mond, Carter and the unit will have to be on their A-game in order to walk out of College Station with a comfortable victory.
"Everybody's seen the one-on-one matchups outside," said Grantham. "But you know there's one-on-one matchups in the front too, and being able to put a guy like him with his athletic ability in one-on-one, it gives us a chance to win the down.”
