Florida scored at least 44 points in each of its first four games. But since the Gators’ 4-0 start, they’ve totaled just 36 points and lost twice. The defense hasn’t looked the part of a contender either. The Gators have allowed more than 37 points per game on average against SEC competition, and their inability to get off the field on third down has led to back-to-back multi-score losses.
Those struggles on both sides of the ball have come, in part, due to Florida’s inefficiency in the crucial middle 8. Against Missouri, the Gators were outscored 17-0 in the final four minutes of the first half and first four minutes of the second half, which swung the momentum of the game in the Tigers’ favor.
And while UF was only outscored 7-3 in the middle 8 against South Carolina, the Gators had three full possessions in that time frame while the Gamecocks only had one. Florida, which finished the first half with a lackluster possession that ended with a missed 42-yard field goal, settled for three points coming out of the break. That allowed South Carolina to drive down the field for a touchdown, putting the Gators down by multiple possessions.
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said Tuesday that the lack of execution has snowballed, and his players have to be more detail-oriented. That starts with stacking short gains and striking early. The Gators have jumped out to an early lead often, but an inability to sustain drives late in the game has left Florida searching for comeback opportunities.
“We were the aggressor early on. We've got to get back to that,” Faulkner said. “We've got to get the confidence back.”
Another part of restoring that confidence is going back into the well to find more explosive plays, which could lie in the hands of UF’s deep wide receiver room. While Dallas Wilson has been a consistent force through the air, leading the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, and Bailey Stockton has stepped up in big spots when called upon, UF needs more from the rest of the unit.
And they seem destined to get more in the near future. Eric Singleton Jr., the prized transfer portal addition who has been ultra-productive in Faulkner’s system in years past, has been held to three catches for 50 yards as he works back from a left ankle injury. Faulkner, however, said Singleton is back as a full-go in practice, leading to optimism that the 5-foot-10 wideout could begin to make an impact in the near future.
Singleton’s return to 100% would be a major boost for the offense, but his impact could pale in comparison to Vernell Brown III. Brown, who missed UF’s last two contests with a PCL sprain, could return as early as Saturday’s game in Austin.
“His explosiveness is unbelievable,” Faulkner said. “Do we miss him? Yeah, we miss him. We love him. We can't wait to get him back whenever that is. He's working hard to get back."
Faulkner, who described himself as “always fiery,” is confident he can motivate his players to get back on track ahead of the daunting remainder of their SEC slate. That starts with cleaning up issues with execution and discipline while playing complementary football. The offensive coordinator said Florida’s better drives in its last two losses came when it got the ball to playmakers out in space on the perimeter.
South Carolina’s front six committed to stopping the run and eliminating deep passes from the jump, and Florida had to grind out short-yardage gains to move the sticks. A key to efficient play moving forward will be the Gators’ ability to lift themselves out of a slump when constantly playing from behind the sticks
“Show them what we've done ... We've got to get back to that,” Faulkner said. “In the game, there's gonna be adversity ... We've got to be able to get ourselves out of that rut."
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Brad White keyed in on two areas where the Gators have fallen behind defensively: third-down stops and forcing turnovers.
Through six games, the Gators have the worst third-down defense in the SEC, allowing conversions on 50.7% of attempts. Against South Carolina, Florida surrendered 10 first downs on 16 conversion attempts. And while the Gators did force multiple turnovers against Florida Atlantic, Campbell and Ole Miss, they haven’t recorded a takeaway in their two-game slump.
White said those deficiencies stemmed from lapses in communication, and his defense will have to play cleaner moving forward, or, as he put it, "being off in the SEC will get you beat."
Referencing the mindset of Tennessee Titans’ head coach Robert Saleh, White said his defense has to stay the course. He said that his players have to go through growing pains to ultimately become a dominant defense.
Simplifying the scheme or shying away from the current defensive identity is “the easy way,” he said, and it won’t allow the unit to reach its full potential. Instead, White is focused on working through early-season issues and is committed to shaking out the flaws to set Florida up for success in the future.
"We're trying to build this thing for sustained success. And I get it. It's a results-oriented business. Nobody knows that better than me,” White said. “I've been in this [expletive] league a long time."
For White, building toward “sustained success” means fighting through growing pains to become stronger on the other side. Despite his defense surrendering 29 points per game (113th of 138 FBS teams), White will continue calling plays from the sidelines, just as he has throughout his career.
While White acknowledged calling a game from upstairs could help him “see everything,” he said it would take away from his ability to communicate with his players and give them real-time feedback.
So while White’s scheme or location for his playcalling isn’t set to change, he made it clear that he feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel.
"We will not break,” White said. “We're going to lock arm in arm. We are going to continue to get better."
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
