Jalen Tabor spoke quietly and confidently.
The junior cornerback and potential 2016 All-American knows the questions will swirl around the program with quarterback Luke Del Rio potentially having to sit out for the next month with an MCL sprain.
But Tabor doesn’t care who the starting quarterback is.
“He has a great defense behind him,” Tabor said, “so he doesn’t really have to force anything.”
Great might be an understatement.
Three weeks into the season, the Gators are making a statement that they might be the best defense in the country.
And with a top-20 road matchup with Tennessee on the horizon and a backup quarterback taking charge of the offense, it looks like Florida’s defense will once again need to step up and be the difference maker for the Gators to pull out a win in what will probably be their biggest game of the year.
In front of more than 100,000 fans in Neyland Stadium with ESPN’s College GameDay on site, the winner will likely represent the Eastern Division in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
“I feel like our defense is ready for any team in the country,” defensive lineman Joey Ivie said.
“Tennessee, whoever. Obviously the focus is Tennessee this week, but I feel like we have that type of defense that we’re ready for whoever we play.”
Following a 32-0 shutout of North Texas and the best performance by a Florida defense in program history, the group is nothing short of confident.
UF limited the North Texas offense to just 53 yards of offense — the lowest yardage total allowed by a UF defense ever.
The Gators sacked Mean Green quarterback Mason Fine seven times, an accomplishment Florida hasn’t done since (coincidentally) a 23-21 win over Tennessee in 1999.
The defense opened scoring with a Caleb Brantley sack-safety, giving UF a 2-0 lead two defensive plays into the game.
The success transcends Saturday, though.
Three games into the year, Florida’s defensive numbers speak for themself.
The Gators lead the country in yards allowed (129.7/game), points allowed (4.7/game) and total sacks (16).
“That’s just what we do,” Tabor said.
“When we get on the field, that’s what we do.”
On Saturday, they’ll have to do it again.
Jordan McPherson is a sports writer for the Alligator. You can contact him at jmcpherson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @J_McPherson1126.
Bryan Cox signals for a safety during Florida's 32-0 win over North Texas on Sept. 17, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
