JACKSONVILLE — Zero sacks, zero turnovers.
That’s all Florida’s vaunted defense managed to do Saturday, aside from allowing 398 yards to Georgia’s offense at TIAA Bank Field. The Bulldogs dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 11 minutes longer than the Gators in a 24-17 win that didn’t feel nearly that close.
The most damning number for Florida, however, was 12. That’s how many third-down conversions it allowed to UGA, the most the Bulldogs have gotten in a game against a ranked team since the 2014 Belk Bowl against Louisville. UF Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham was the Cardinals’ defensive play-caller in that game, as well.
Coach Dan Mullen didn’t give a straight answer on why UF’s defense struggled to get off the field so much.
“We called a lot of different defenses,” he said. “There’s a lot of different answers for why they were good on third downs, not one thing. We mixed up different looks.”
Senior linebacker David Reese II — arguably the defense’s biggest leader — put it much more bluntly.
“It sucks,” he said. “We make some third-down stops, we win the game.”
UGA quarterback Jake Fromm operated from a clean pocket all game. Protected by one of the top offensive lines in the nation, he was only hurried twice. Having ages in the pocket allowed him to dink-and-dunk his way down the field — averaging 9.3 yards per attempt — against a Gators defense that sold out to stop the run. That was mostly effective, as star running back D’Andre Swift was held to 86 yards on 25 carries (a relatively pedestrian outing by his standards). But with Mullen and Grantham’s attention directed elsewhere, Fromm threw for 279 yards on 20-of-30 passing and added two touchdowns.
Georgia’s intermediate passing set up big plays in the second half, most notably a 52-yard touchdown pass to receiver Lawrence Cager. The graduate transfer from Miami’s score answered Florida’s first touchdown of the game, which brought it within six points.
He torched UF’s secondary all game for his first 100-yard outing of the season, gaining 132 yards and a touchdown on just seven catches.
Injuries also still remain a grave concern for the unit. Defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga — slated to return from injury — was limited and only made two tackles, while linebacker Jeremiah Moon headed to the locker room during the game. Mullen didn’t give an update on Moon’s status moving forward Saturday night.
Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard — another leader on defense (and the team’s leading tackler against the Bulldogs with nine) — wasn’t satisfied with his effort in the loss, which will likely cost the Gators a chance at the SEC Championship Game.
“They had some really good o-linemen,” he said. “I’ve got to do better. I was ineffective today. No excuses. I didn’t get to the quarterback as much as I needed to. I didn’t affect the game as much as I needed to.”
Follow Tyler Nettuno on Twitter @TylerNettuno. Contact him at tnettuno@alligator.org
Florida's defense allowed 398 yards to Georgia's offense.
