How Florida's Defense Can Spark a Turnaround After the Bye Week

With a third of their season over, the Florida Gators defense can take multiple looks in the mirror to see where they can change, despite being the best unit on the team.

Granted, at 1-3, no one is looking at the bright side. With a potential regime change in the offense, the defensive unit can be a galvanizing factor. Florida needs a spark. With the offense, particularly the quarterback, needing to fine-tune aspects during the bye week, what can the defense do differently to keep playing at a high level?

Send the House

Through four games in the season, the Gators tallied just three sacks. That number stands out because of a few aspects. First, the low number, even after facing LIU, should ring the alarm bell.

Granted, George Gumbs Jr. did miss the Miami game due to injury, and Florida will be without edge rusher LJ McCray and defensive tackle Caleb Banks for the foreseeable future due to foot injuries.

However, he did not provide the type of burst that people expect from a starting edge rusher.

Freshman Jayden Woods possesses the frame and ceiling to become effective, but he needs not only snaps but also technical refinement. Until then, the Gators need to resort to sending at least five rushers on passing down, something to put the opposing quarterback on edge.

Stellar Red Zone Work

For all of the navel-gazing and sadness around a 1-3 team, the Gators excel at stopping teams from crossing the goal line inside the 20-yard line. Currently, the team ranks tied for 17th in FBS, allowing just 40 percent of the trips inside the red zone to become touchdowns. Three of those came against Miami with two of the three coming off of Florida's offense turning the ball over on downs deep in their own territory.

That is a credit to the effectiveness of the tackling and the wherewithal of the pass defense to make plays with the ball aloft.

Leaving the Field

Opponents only convert 32.76 percent of their third downs. That is a testament to the players getting off the field and allowing the offense to execute.

Yet, Florida's offense doesn't.

Despite holding the ball for over 32 minutes a game, the Gators' offense routinely encounters problems, bad throws, or missed opportunities. Meanwhile, in modern parlance, the defense stands on business.

Overview

Is Florida's defense a lockdown unit that terrifies opponents? Of course not. However, you cannot pin the record squarely on their shoulders. Still, the lack of pass rush gives them zero margin for error. Under those circumstances, they will need to get creative or sell out, possibly risking their secondary.

Either way, the team needs something from the front. Contrarily, the unit plays together and swarms the ball, which could be a harbinger of better days to come. Honestly, a team with this much talent should play a little sharper. Can the Gators fix a few of the defensive bugs before the resume next week?