byDonavon Keiser
23 hrs-edited
Florida's 24-13 victory over Auburn this past weekend proved one thing: The Gators have one of the best defenses in the nation.
The Gators pulled out a remarkable “upset” last Saturday in The Swamp, as they outplayed their former rival, the Auburn Tigers, in their first meeting since 2007.
Florida played incredibly well on defense, as they bailed out the offense multiple times after posting five turnovers. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s defense only allowed 13 points, and the only touchdown given up came after head coach Dan Mullen called a risky fake punt deep in his own territory. Mullen even took responsibility for the touchdown, as the defense gave up a deep pass to Seth Williams one play after the turnover.
The Gators had a total of three interceptions, from safeties Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner, and one from cornerback Marco Wilson. Including the three from the Auburn game, the Gators are up to 12 interceptions on the season among seven defenders on the season.
Florida's defense was tough as nails and has still only given 17 points in the second half through six games in 2019. Grantham has been excellent with his halftime adjustments, and this is only further proof as to why he is a top defensive coordinator in all of College Football. Grantham’s play-calling was nothing short of elite, as he only gave up 269 yards to Auburn.
The Florida defense had complete control over Auburn all afternoon, and the Tigers struggled on 3rd down only converting twice on 14 attempts. Auburn also went for it once on 4th down, and that was also shut down by the tenacious UF front seven. The Gators stopped the run for the majority of the game, and the pass rush aided the defensive backs as Nix only completed 11 of his 27 passes for only 145 yards.
All of this came without one his best linemen, as Jabari Zuniga has remained sidelined since the Kentucky game for an ankle injury. Zuniga should return to the Gators for LSU, as he dressed for Auburn but has held out in order to make sure he was 100% going forward.
Let's take a look at some of Florida's best defensive plays on tape from the Auburn game, and how they prove that the Gators own one of the best defenses in the nation.
