'We played well at all three levels': Billy Napier credits Florida's defense in win vs. UCF

Florida football (3-2) earned a big victory over the UCF Knights (3-2) in Week 6, winning 24-13. The Gators didn’t trail once in the game in what was a fantastic showing on both offense and defense.

Coming into the game, there were some uncertainties surrounding the Gators’ defensive unit and their inability to stop the run. Going up against a rush-heavy team like UCF was a recipe for disaster but, the defense held their ground and didn’t let the Knights get anything going on offense.

The Gators’ defense gave up just 274 total yards (165 passing and 108 rushing), had seven tackles-for-loss that included five sacks. Florida also managed to get an interception.

“I think that we played with better gap integrity,” head coach Billy Napier said about the Gators’ defense. “And I think we got after it up front. I thought we tackled… We played well at all three levels.”

The Gators’ offense started off strong in their opening drive. They put together a 15-play, 75-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes and resulted in a 13-yard touchdown pass thrown by Graham Mertz to senior receiver Elijhah Badger that gave Florida an early 7-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, UCF attempted to go for it on fourth down on their own 43-yard line, but the Gators’ defense stuffed it up and took over with great field position.

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway manned the ensuing drive for the Gators and threw a 37-yard strike to receiver Chimere Dike that set Florida up on the goal line. Ja’Kobi Jackson would rush it in for the touchdown that gave the Gators a 14-3 lead.

A 3-yard touchdown run by Montrell Johnson Jr. capped off what felt like a flawless first half for the Gators. Florida took a commanding 24-3 lead into halftime.

Both of Florida’s quarterbacks played well. Mertz ended up going 19-for-23 with 179 yards passing and a touchdown. Lagway was 4-for-4 for 50 yards through the air.

Florida’s defense in the first half played just as well as the offense. They limited UCF to just 119 total yards and forced two punts and two turnovers-on-downs while allowing three points.

The Gators didn’t get as much going offensively in the second half as they did in the first, but the defense continued to cause havoc in the Knights’ backfield. They managed to not let go of their lead and played with 100 percent effort on defense throughout the entire 60 minutes.

Sophomore defensive back Bryce Thornton intercepted Knights quarterback KJ Jefferson to ultimately seal the victory for Florida.

The Gators have won back-to-back games and look to make it a third-straight victory next week. The only problem is that they have a tough road matchup ahead.

Up next for the Gators

Florida travels on the road to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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