Defensive Deficiencies, Slow Offensive Start Doom Gators, TJ Watt is Good for Gators.
The Deal is next week
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It was a dark afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. In a game delayed in the first half due to inclement weather, there were Gators fans who probably wished it had never restarted.
The UF football team opened the 2024 Southeastern Conference slate seeking its first conference victory since October 2023. Those hopes were dashed early in the Gators’ lackluster performance in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M.
In a first half reminiscent of Florida’s opening-week loss to Miami, the Gators didn’t seem to realize the whistle had blown. Never getting into a rhythm on offense and, more notably, struggling mightily on defense, Florida had no chance against the Aggies until it was too late.
The defense’s mission in football is to get the opposing team’s offense off the field without it giving up points. The Gators seemed to have a different plan early on Saturday.
The Aggies drove down the field on each of their first three possessions in the afternoon showdown, scoring 13 points, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Entering the first week of SEC play, Texas A&M starting quarterback Conner Weigman was listed as a game-time decision after suffering an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder. Marcel Reed got the nod for the Aggies, making his first career start.
For the second consecutive week, a first-time starter lit up The Swamp.
Three plays into Texas A&M’s opening drive, the Aggies faced second-and-21 on their 14-yard line. Reed dropped back, saw nothing open, and scrambled to his right with three Florida defenders directly ahead of him. Seconds later, he was walking out-of-bounds, having picked up 31 yards.
That was the tale of the first half. The Gators’ defense consistently put Texas A&M in challenging situations, forcing five third downs of eight or more yards. The Aggies would respond, though, picking up three of the five en route to 20 first-half points.
“It’s disgusting,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said of the ease Texas A&M seemed to have while rushing, especially while facing third downs. “Ultimately, it’s my fault.”
“As a defense, we need to be more resilient,” cornerback Devin Moore added, detailing the Gators’ early issues on later downs.
One of the most notable issues on the Florida defense could be found in its inability to set the edge and contain the quarterback. Throughout the evening, Reed was able to break the pocket, extend plays either on the ground or through the air. Reed finished with 49 yards on the ground in the first half, including a 1-yard dash into the end zone.
Napier explained the issues Florida faced containing Reed were a key reason Florida got behind early.
“We had the guy dead to rights a handful of times in the first couple drives of the game,” Napier said. “His legs caused some issues for us.”
The Florida secondary, plagued by injuries through the first two weeks of the season, got back starters Moore and Sharif Denson for the SEC opener. It didn’t seem to help.
Florida’s defensive backfield committed a variety of penalties in critical moments early. Leading by only three points, the Aggies’ offense stayed on the field for a short fourth down in the first quarter. Reed’s pass fell incomplete, but The Swamp rang with “boos” as Jason Marshall Jr. committed a holding penalty. Moments later, the Aggies scored their first touchdown.
At the end of the first half, Florida committed two penalties consecutively after Texas A&M found itself facing second-and-31. Following the same script as earlier in the game, the Aggies scored shortly thereafter.
Napier credited “mental errors” and “fundamental mistakes” for why the Gators defense struggled to stay penalty-free early in the game.
Florida’s early-game woes weren’t limited to just the defense. The Florida offense posted a goose-egg in the first half, stifled by Texas A&M’s front seven.
Florida was haunted by routine play-calling, running the ball out of the pistol on every first down in the first quarter. The Gators ran six offensive plays in the opening quarter, never seeming to get into any rhythm.
Napier noted the main reasons he believed Florida couldn’t get moving in the first quarter.
“We have struggled to rush the ball, and we have struggled to protect the quarterback,” Napier said.
The UF offensive line allowed two sacks and heavy pressure throughout, and is a unit that Napier has identified in the past as needing improvement.
Napier also mentioned the disparity in the amount of time each team had the ball as a key piece of the Gators’ offensive stagnancy.
“Time of possession was very distorted,” Napier said. “We had three real possessions there, on offense.”
After quarterback DJ Lagway threw for a UF freshman record 456 yards against Samford in the wake of quarterback Graham Mertz’s concussion the prior week, Napier was faced with a decision as to whom would start against A&M. After going through practice having the two split reps and emphasizing that both Lagway and Mertz would see the field, Napier opted to have Lagway and Mertz alternate drives against the Aggies.
While both passed for a touchdown in the losing effort, there never seemed to truly be any flow to the UF offense, especially early.
“There’s no time to waste, especially in the SEC,” Mertz said. “You need to start fast.”
The Gators failed to get off to that start on Saturday, sealing their fate before halftime.
Now, Florida moves on to their next SEC test, this time on the road at Mississippi State. The Gators are aware of the issues they are currently facing and know they need to answer the call.
“It comes down to just execution,” Moore said. “It’s on us…the players.”
