Gators try to keep the sword sharp

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators limped into October with their head coach under fire, their fan base tantalized and a revamped two-quarterback plan. The atmosphere was hot and spicy, with a hint of heartburn. Anyone with an orange-blue helmet or headset seemed vulnerable to criticism.

That’s what a 2-2 record and lopsided home losses to Miami and Texas A&M get you. Even after a 17-point win in their Southeastern Conference road opener at Mississippi State, much of the talk focused on a defense allowing 425.5 yards per game (499.0 against FBS opponents) and a possible home loss before brother UCF loomed.

No amount of noise-canceling headphones could have stopped the rage. The Gators had only one option in the bye week before the UCF game: work, work, work to improve.

“Ultimately, that week was about our players taking ownership of the first part of this season,” Napier said Wednesday. “I think the staff did a really good job. There was a lot of collaboration between players and staff. That’s what made it work. This group has character. I really respect the resilience they have shown.

“It obviously could have splintered a while ago.”

Instead of falling apart, Florida’s defense has discovered the benefits of solid tackling, a quicker lineup and a renewed commitment to assignment football. Meanwhile, the offensive line has settled in with a more consistent lineup and a true freshman quarterback DJ Lawayafter playing in spots behind the starter Graham Mertzis now QB1 and Mertz’s college career is over due to a torn ACL.

The Gators have won two of three since the bye week — and had ample opportunity to win at Tennessee before losing in overtime — to rekindle hopes in November with games against No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Texas , No. 8 LSU, No. 18 Ole Miss and rival Florida State.

While Lagway’s dynamic ability has generated the most excitement, the defensive turnaround among co-defensive coordinators Ron Roberts (working from the stand) and Austin Armstrong (working on the sidelines) has set the table. Florida is limiting opponents to 127.5 fewer yards per game (from 425.5 to 298.0) and 8.6 fewer points (from 27.3 to 18.7) since returning to the starting lineup and leading the league in a week of physical training during the bye week.

“We knew what we were capable of,” the defensive back said Trikweze Bridgeswho took on a more important role during the turnaround. “I would say a lot of our improvements and changes came after our first bye week. I’m a bit of an old head now. I’ve been in the game for a minute, so just see how things are if you don’t communicate If you’re not there trusting that your teammate will be in that position, it’s quite difficult to play fast and trust your abilities and their abilities.”

The increase in confidence has increased production.

The Gators had three interceptions in Saturday’s 48-20 win over Kentucky, with Bridges, Devin Moore And Cormani McClain chooses each recording. McClain returned his pick for a 29-yard touchdown in his UF debut. Florida now has nine points on the season (six interceptions, three fumbles), two more than last season’s total.

No matter who you ask, a common theme emerges.

“As you can see from the tape, we’re playing so much faster and we’re playing together,” sophomore safety Jordan Castell said. “That bye week really helped us.”

Moore returned an interception 52 yards from Kentucky’s 1-yard line with less than two minutes left in Saturday’s first half. Freshman running back Jadan Baugh scored from a yard out on the next play, putting the Gators up 27-6.

Moore said afterward that the team’s improvement over the past week lifted the mood in the locker room.

“It can bring you to tears,” Moore said. ‘It’s priceless. One hundred percent praise for the technical staff.”

The Gators returned to practice on Tuesday and Napier, who appeared on the SEC weekly coaches teleconference on Wednesday, said the plan for Wednesday and Thursday was similar to the first bye week. He said the team’s practice habits had improved significantly, both from a competition perspective, execution and situational drills.

“I think we have some areas in our team where this week will be crucial,” Napier said. “These will be very competitive training sessions. We will be working on some situations that we think we need to improve on, and we are certainly trying to develop some of these young players in our team for the journey ahead.

‘That’s what we’re doing now. I think this will help us keep the sword sharp.”

The Gators faced Kentucky with 14 players listed as “out” on the SEC player availability report, including starting tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. Meanwhile, safety Bryce Thornton was not on the roster, but undrafted and started cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. left the game with an apparent shoulder injury.

Florida is trying to get healthier from the extra week before facing Georgia in Jacksonville in 10 days, which should give some injured players a chance to get back on the field.

Regardless of who can and cannot play against the Bulldogs, the Gators have played much better since the first four games had everyone on high alert.

“It’s really important to them in terms of how they represent the University of Florida,” Napier said. “I would tell you that this group felt like maybe they had let the place down, let people down in terms of the way we played earlier in the year.

“They took that personally.”