Jacob Eason danced out of the pocket and dashed toward the sideline, keeping his eyes locked downfield.
At first, blue jerseys blanketed his teammates. But with grass running out, Georgia’s freshman quarterback finally saw separation.
Receiver Riley Ridley had gotten loose, and Eason tossed him the ball for an easy touchdown.
In Florida’s 24-10 win over Georgia on Saturday, that play was the exception for a UF defense that dominated the Bulldogs.
But while the defense managed to play well for the most part, the offense failed to produce more than a handful of highlight plays.
That pattern — stout defense and mediocre offense — has been a consistent one for the No. 10 Gators this season.
And yet, the Gators are still in the running for a spot in the SEC Championship Game in December.
“The Florida Gators are a good team, all right?” coach Jim McElwain said following the win.
“I’ll go with these guys against anybody. And we’ll figure out a way to get it done.”
So far, that has been with an elite defense and an offense that has been just decent enough to not lose games.
So, naturally, when McElwain stood at the lectern to address reporters after the win over Georgia, one of the first questions asked was about the disparity between the two sides of the ball.
“Do you think you can win the SEC with your defense carrying an inordinate amount of the burden?” he was asked.
He replied with a one-word answer: “Sure.”
Asked to elaborate, he added that he believes the “ingredients” are there on offense, defense and special teams to make a “heck of a run.”
With Tennessee losing to South Carolina on Saturday, the Gators are primed to at least have an opportunity to make that run. UT’s loss means the Gators can lose one of their remaining conference games — Arkansas, South Carolina or LSU — and still make it to the SEC Championship.
It’s clear, though, that the offense won’t get them there. McElwain has preached gradual improvement from the beginning of the season, but now, more than halfway in, it doesn’t seem to be happening.
The defense, meanwhile, has continued to excel.
In addition to ranking second in scoring defense, UF also ranks second in passing and total defense as well as ninth in rushing defense.
“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” defensive lineman Khairi Clark said, “because us as a defense, we feel like we’re the best defense in the nation.”
However, Florida has yet to play against an above-average offense.
The Missouri Tigers, who rank No. 42 in the nation in total offense, are the most elite squad Florida’s defenders have gone against, and they still have to play Florida State (No. 34) and — possibly — Alabama (No. 8).
With UF’s continued offensive struggles, those higher-powered offenses will be burdens the defense will have to overcome on its own.
But McElwain believes — whether with help from the offense or not — his players will.
“That’s the way they are in that locker room,” he said. “‘Coach, we’ll figure out a way to get it done and we’ll get it done.’ And that’s what I love about their mentality.”
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Luke Del Rio looks to the sideline for instruction during Florida's 24-10 win over Georgia on Oct. 29, 2016, in Jacksonville.
