Defensive improvements by the Florida Gators are overshadowed by the result

Despite the disappointing Saturday evening Overtime lossThe performance of the Florida Gators defense far exceeded expectations.

Prior to last night's contest, Tennessee's high-powered offense averaged 519 yards per game, fifth-best in the country. Notable performances from the Volunteer offense include 740 yards and 71 points against Kent State and 51 points and 460 yards against NC State.

The Gators held the Volunteer offense to a season-low 312 yards and didn't allow a single point until the third quarter. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed just 61% of his passes for 169 yards and one interception second worst statistical performance of the season.

Gators junior linebacker Shemar James explained that while the outcome of the game left a lot to be desired, it was encouraging to see progress on his side of the ball.

“It’s been great for us to see the improvement week on week,” James said. “It starts in practice: When we go after the offense every day, they make us better. So it’s great to see the product.”

The 2022 Freshman All-SEC selection is currently fifth on the team in tackles.

Last night, James helped lead a Gator defense that limited the nation's fifth-ranked rushing attack to just 41 yards at halftime. Florida forced two turnovers in the first half, the most Tennessee has allowed all season.

While the overall improvement in defense was evident, its resilience is also worth noting. On third-down situations, Tennessee converted just 26% of the time (4-15). James says the team's intensity in practice helped prepare the defense for high-stakes situations.

“It’s the competitiveness in practice, the support staff that helps us get better every day, a lot of hands-on learning experiences,” James said.

One obvious area of ​​improvement was the team's quick defense. In the first four games of the season, the Gator defense gave up four yards per carry. They have allowed just three yards per carry in the last two games (2.7 vs. UCF, 3.3 vs. Tennessee).

UF head coach Billy Napier, who now falls to 14-17 in nearly three full seasons at the helm of the program, explained that the team's performance at the helm helped give the Gators a chance to take control of the game to take over.

“We played with good gap integrity. I thought we handled the line of scrimmage well on the edges and mixed the pressure,” Napier said. “We were able to make some negative plays, create some situations from distance and then finally get off the field.”