Week 6 Florida Gators Stock Report: All About the Defense
Photo credit: University of Florida athletic association
After a thrilling night in Gainesville on Saturday, the Florida Gators topped SEC foe Missouri in a feel-good win heading into the Georgia game. Although the game felt relatively close, Florida had taken control late in the second quarter and didn't look back.
As 15 players were ruled out before the game for undisclosed reasons, some starters found themselves out which thrust many younger players to the forefront, especially on defense. Still, this did not hurt the Gators as they won and covered the spread, 41-17.
With that being said, who's stock went up, or down, from the Gators' victory?
Stock Up
Secondary
Despite being down three starters in Donovan Stiner, Marco Wilson, and Shawn Davis, the young secondary held their own. With help from the new-look defensive line creating more pressure, the defense looked much more relaxed and was playing their best ball of the year against a formidable Missouri offense. The Gators held the Tigers to 208 passing yards, UF's lowest ark on the year.
Guys like Rashad Torrence II and Brad Stewart Jr. picked up the slack at safety, making it easier for the secondary to communicate and work throughout the night as the Gators only allowed 10 points on defense (seven of which came in garbage time). The true freshman Torrence was especially productive in the run game, as his quick closing speed was put on display when finishing multiple plays.
Defensive Line
Florida's defensive line looked significantly better than it has in the past three games prior to Missouri.
This was in part due to veteran defensive tackle Kyree Campbell returning, who found himself having an effect on the game in more ways than one. Adding Campbell back set Brenton Cox Jr. up to play BUCK rush end and Zachary Carter to move to his more natural strong-side spot, allowing the middle to be plugged up by Campbell and Tedarrell Slaton.
Campbell did just that, finishing with a PFF run grade of 83.4, which was the best of the entire defensive line by a large margin. The senior also finished as the highest-graded lineman throughout all categories combined.
With the Gators holding a commanding lead, multiple freshmen such as Jalen Lee and Princely Umanmielen saw quality snaps and made plays as the clock dwindled down on a game that was relatively over, including a strip-sack by Lee at the end of the game. Getting reps to everyone was a major plus to the Gators, as they have not had much leeway in games this season to work in their reserves.
Brenton Cox Jr.
As mentioned earlier, Cox moving to BUCK was a move that everyone saw coming with the return of Campbell, as he is finally playing in his own position that defensive coordinator (and BUCK coach) Todd Grantham has catered to him.
Cox showed off his ability to rush the passer and set the edge, as he totaled five tackles, one tackle for loss, and a total of five quarterback pressures on only 39 snaps (PFF). The transfer from Georgia was all over the field and even caused a fifteen-yard loss on an end-around in which he kept contain and got to the ball carrier. Due to his discipline on the play, the Tigers drive stalled out, allowing the Gators to get the ball back into their offenses' hands.
Moving forward, I am ecstatic to see Cox play his natural position in which he looks much more comfortable compared to his play at strongside defensive end.
Stock Down
Zachary Carter
The lone person who's stock went down after the blowout win was Carter, simply due to the fact that he will be unable to play in the first half of the Georgia game as he was suspended for throwing punches in the infamous halftime brawl.
As the commotion got more dramatic it was hard to tell the intentions behind each player's actions, including Carter's as he was not on the broadcast the entire time. With that being said, along with the entire team, the odds are that Carter was simply defending his quarterback after a late hit, which I stand behind.
Still, losing Carter for the second half could have made a major impact if Florida hadn't begun to take control of the game by that point. It also hurts the team in that he won't see a snap in the first half against the Bulldogs.
However, a fresh Carter coming into the game in the second half may end up paying dividends against Georgia's run-heavy offense, as Carter is one of the best defensive ends that Florida has when it comes to keeping contain and setting the edge.
