The Ben Hill Griffin Stadium scoreboard may have read 52-3 Saturday night, but numbers can be deceiving.
The Gators trampled Campbell by 49 points following UF's history-making 45-point win against Florida Atlantic Sept. 5. Despite the gaping hole that was the margin of victory, head coach Jon Sumrall was less than pleased by the defensive showing coming out of the wins.
“You get an opportunity to prove people right or prove them wrong; some guys proved us right why they're not playing yet right now,” Sumrall said. “We were really sloppy, we had way too many penalties … If we play like we did in the second half, we're about to have a real rude awakening, and we have got a lot of improvement to do.”
Florida watched as Fighting Camels quarterback Kamden Sixkiller drove his club 63 yards in just seven plays in the contest's opening series, including a 24-yard completion to kick things off. Despite the drive ending in just a field goal from 29 yards out, the Gators’ defense got a wake-up call early.
“We do need to start faster,” Sumrall said. “It'd be nice to get a three-and-out the first drive. We haven't done that yet.”
As the contest progressed, though, they quickly smoothed out many of the glaring problems that allowed the score on the opening drive.
Like FAU, Campbell flourished in a hurry-up offense. It relied heavily on the screen game and quick throws to the outside. Sixkiller connected with wideout Stevie Keener on an inside zone screen and the sophomore tore through the middle of the field for 33 yards. The defense adjusted to the Camels’ screen-centered scheme and started swarming to the ball following the opening series.
Seventy-four of Sixkiller’s 127 passing yards came in the first quarter, with 57 coming in the first drive alone.
“The defense did a better job once we settled into the rhythm of the game,” Sumrall said. “I thought our guys settled in and played with more confidence at times in the back end.”
Spearheading the positives from defensive coordinator Brad White’s crew was the defensive line.
One of Sumrall’s most crucial offseason retentions, sophomore JACK Jayden Woods, emerged against the Camels. He logged five tackles — which ranked second on Florida’s squad — and posted 0.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss.
Defensive lineman LJ McCray also had a standout outing. He posted two solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry.
“The defense flying around, fast and aggressive,” McCray said of the group’s standard. “We’re gonna play disciplined football.”
Sophomore defensive tackle Jeramiah McCloud also anchored the line for the second straight contest. He logged four tackles, a pass breakup, 0.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss. He has adopted a much larger role this season compared to last. The Sylvester, Georgia, native logged 52 snaps against FAU, four times greater than his previous career high (14).
Linebacker Myles Graham had another elite showing. After logging a career-high 10 total tackles against FAU, he posted seven Saturday and tacked on a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. The junior has emerged as a leader and anchor for the Gators’ front seven after starting every game for Florida in its 2025 campaign.
However, Florida’s secondary is still the glaring problem area on the defensive side.
Florida allowed just 210 total yards of offense against the Camels, but 148 of those yards came in the passing game, with the Gators finding far more success stopping the run. Campbell came into the contest averaging 521 total yards, but Florida was able to mitigate Sixkiller and Co.’s explosive play-making ability down the stretch.
Despite failing to reel in a pick off the Norman, Oklahoma, native, Florida’s secondary tallied 10 pass breakups, three more than in its beatdown of FAU.
Sophomore safety Lagonza Hayward finished Saturday as the Gators’ most productive player in the secondary. While he did much of his damage in the fourth quarter, he added four tackles (three solo), two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. He finished second for Florida in pass breakups, behind only cornerback J'Vari Flowers, who added three to his otherwise empty stat line before exiting the game again with an apparent leg injury.
When evaluating the team as a whole Saturday, Sumrall was far from content with where the team is at as he and his crew stare down a rigorous slate of conference play.
“We have to get better,” Sumrall said. “I'm a little uneasy with where we are. I think you can win games in the fashion we won them, and it feels good for everybody. But if we are not really urgent and detailed in our preparation, the outcome next Saturday will not be what we desire.”
The Gators' next test will come Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium as they face SEC opponent Auburn for the first time since 2019.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @avadicecca24.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @rileyorovitz.
Ava DiCecca is a senior sports and media journalism student and a Fall 2026 sports editor and football beat reporter. Now in her fifth semester with The Alligator, she previously served as the Summer 2026 assistant sports editor, Spring 2026 sports editor, Gators volleyball beat reporter and an enterprise writer. In her free time, she watches Boston sports (Brad Marchand we still love you).
Riley is a junior sports journalism student and a Fall 2026 sports editor and Gators football beat reporter. Currently in her third semester with The Alligator, she has previously covered Gators swim & dive and Gators gymnastics. She is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
