STARKVILLE, Miss. - Brandon Spikes is the best player on Florida's defense, but he isn't the reason the unit is great.
Obviously, when he is on the field, the Gators are better.
But even without him, the defense would still be one of the best in the nation.
The other players have shown they don't need Spikes on the field to shut down offenses.
In the three games he has mostly missed due to injury - Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi State - the defense still led Florida to victory.
Spikes couldn't play against MSU because of a groin injury, but instead of looking like an incomplete unit, the defense showed how many playmakers it has, starting with the corners.
Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins sometimes can be forgotten during games because they haven't made too many plays on passes this season.
And that's because they haven't had to.
By my count, each of them was thrown on once when they were in man coverage Saturday. The Bulldogs threw the ball 23 times, and only twice did the ball get thrown on the corners.
Teams are learning if they want to throw the ball, it is better to try to find other ways to do it because the corners are going to have their men on lockdown.
Although Jenkins did have a very uncharacteristic game against Arkansas when he gave up two big plays, that type of performance isn't likely to happen again.
The run defense had previously looked susceptible without Spikes, allowing 100-yard rushers in the Tennessee and Arkansas games.
It seemed like the Gators defense would give up a big game because Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon entered the weekend third in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards and had topped the century mark in five of six games (94 yards in the other).
Instead, Dixon was held to his worst game of the season, rushing 15 times for only 53 yards.
A big reason for that was Ryan Stamper, who moved over to the middle linebacker spot in Spikes' absence. Stamper made five of his 13 tackles on Dixon rushes.
The redshirt senior's big game put him ahead of Haden and Ahmad Black as UF's leading tackler this season.
With Stamper and company shutting Dixon down, Bulldogs quarterback Tyson Lee had more pressure to make plays. That's where Carlos Dunlap entered to remind fans why he was considered one of the best defensive ends in the country in the preseason.
Dunlap had only two sacks before the MSU game, and he now has five.
In addition to the three sacks, he also batted a pass by Lee into the air for A.J. Jones to intercept on the game's opening drive.
Then, the random playmaker of the game was Dustin Doe, who wouldn't have been on the field much had Spikes played.
Doe was playing the weakside linebacker spot, which is usually filled by Stamper. Although Doe's six tackles aren't overwhelming, his pick-six put the game away for the Gators despite his bone-headed celebration.
UF has big-time players who make plays when needed all over the defense, and that's why this is a top unit and would be with or without Spikes.
