Florida Gators Returning to DBU Form Ahead of Georgia Showdown
The Florida Gators’ pass defense has shown significant improvement in the last three games, just in time for their upcoming matchup against Georgia.
The transformation began after their first bye week, with a dominant performance against UCF. The Gators held UCF to just 165 passing yards and intercepted starting quarterback KJ Jefferson, limiting him to a 55% completion rate.
Next, the Gators faced the Tennessee Volunteers, led by preseason Heisman hopeful Nico Iamaleava. The Gators’ defense shut him down, holding him to just 169 yards, a 62% completion rate, and one interception.
In their most recent game against the Kentucky Wildcats, the Gators’ defense was stifling. Wildcats’ starter Brock Vandagriff completed just 12 of 26 passes for 165 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Backup quarterback Cutter Boley struggled even more, going 0-for-6 and throwing a pick-six.
Remarkably, the Gators matched their entire interception total from last season in this three-game stretch, picking off three passes in the Kentucky game alone. Over these last three games, the Gators have allowed just 166.3 passing yards per game, with one passing touchdown and five interceptions—a major improvement.
This is in stark contrast to their first four games, when the Gators gave up an average of 236.8 passing yards per game, allowed six passing touchdowns, and recorded just one interception.
Whatever adjustments were made during the first bye week clearly paid off, and with another bye week before the Georgia game, the Gators may have a fighting chance against the formidable Bulldogs.
