Fortunately for the Gators, there’s no center-quarterback exchange on defense.
On a day when even the simplest task was too much for Florida’s offense to master, Janoris Jenkins and Ahmad Black -- a cornerback and a safety -- were the Gators best offensive players.
With Miami (Ohio) leading UF 3-0 early in the second quarter, Jenkins stepped in front of a pass by quarterback Zac Dysert and scored the Gators’ first touchdown of the season after scampering 67 yards down the sideline.
Jenkins said the coaching staff told the cornerbacks all week that the Redhawks like to throw out of a three-step drop on third and short, and that enabled him to read the route and pick off the pass.
“Any time you can have a pick-six like we did it’s a great momentum swing for your team,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “They’re all at the right time. Any time you have a pick-six it’s the right time, and it really got a little juice going for us on the sideline.”
Two MU drives later, Dysert sailed a high pass into Black’s arms on third and 10, and Black returned the interception 40 yards down to Miami’s 3-yard line. Freshman Trey Burton punched in a 2-yard touchdown two plays later, and the defense was one broken tackle away from scoring 14 points for their struggling offense.
The offense wouldn’t eclipse the 107 combined return yards on those two plays until 7:43 in the fourth quarter, when Brantley and Hines hooked up for 21-yard strike.
“At the end of the day, we had to make something happen,” said Black, who led the team with 12 tackles. “Ever since I been here when the offense struggles sometimes, we have to step up. And usually that motivates the offense to play a little bit better. We knew we had to cause turnovers, and our plan to win is cause turnovers.”
Sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic recorded his first career interception in the first quarter, tipping a pass into the air before securing the takeaway.
And sophomore cornerback Jeremy Brown picked off a pass to seal the game late in the fourth quarter, giving the Gators their fourth takeaway of the game.
The defense would’ve been within their rights to gamble for turnovers and big plays in order to make up for the offensive ineptitude, but Bostic said the defense never went into scramble mode.
“We still go out and try to play the same defense,“ Bostic said. “[We] try to force a three and out every time we go out there.”
