The Florida football program earned a much-needed win last weekend, heading on the road and beating up a lowly Mississippi State Bulldogs squad 45-28. In the win, the quarterback tandem of Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway shined, with the passers going 26-for-28 for 277 yards and three scores. They also added 46 yards and a touchdown through the ground. However, the defense sometimes labored before Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen went down with an injury.
Although Florida’s offensive struggles are well documented through the first four games of the season, the defense has floundered regarding allowing explosive plays. Following last Saturday’s win, Florida football’s defense is near the bottom of the country regarding plays of 20 or more yards.
Florida Football Defense Near FBS-Worst at Allowing Big Plays
According to “SEC Mike” of That SEC Podcast:
SEC Explosive Defensive Plays (20+) entering Week 5 *national rankings Georgia #1
Alabama #3
Tennessee #4
Texas/Missouri #8
Oklahoma #15
Miss State #32
Arkansas/Ole Miss/South Carolina/Texas A&M #41
Kentucky #55
Auburn #61
LSU/Vandy #91
Florida #123
It’s not the Vanderbilt Commodores or the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but the Florida Gators have surrendered the most plays of 20 or more yards this season. Florida football is not just the worst in the SEC in coughing up explosive plays, but they are 123rd out of 134 FBS teams regarding the key defensive metric. In their victory against Mississippi State last weekend, Florida allowed four plays of 20 or more yards. The counting statistic is also ballooned from their 41-17 blowout home loss in the season opener against the Miami Hurricanes, permitting a ludicrous ten explosive plays.
Florida football is in year two of having Austin Armstrong as the team’s defensive coordinator. Last season, Florida surrendered 27.6 points per game, a slight decrease from the prior year. However, despite playing FCS Samford earlier in the year, the Gators have allowed 27.2 points per game this season, the 91st-best mark in the country.
More Florida Football News by Gridiron Heroics
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Florida Gators Snap 5-Game Conference Losing Streak With Solid Blowout Win
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Florida Football Fans Call For Graham Mertz to Keep Starting Spot During Thrilling 3 TD Half
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Nick Saban Won’t Blame The Coaches For Florida’s Struggles But Stated Another Alarming Issue In The Program
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Florida Football: Fans Claim Star Receiver Will Transfer After Being Ruled Out For Week 4 Battle
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