Gators Notebook: A Defining Stop, Freshman Phenoms, Improved Defense

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A silence fell over Ben Hill Griffin Stadium almost instantaneously. DJ Lagway’s first Southeastern Conference start had gone awry as the Kentucky offense abruptly rose from the bench and wandered onto the field joyously. In the freshman’s introduction to starting under the bright lights of SEC football, the crowd expected errors, but when the errors arrived, fans still found themselves unprepared.
 
In the middle of the second quarter, the jury was still out on Lagway’s first start as the Gators’ unquestioned quarterback. Florida led 13-6, but there had been swings in the contest, and a win was far from certain as the Gators received the ball again. The UF offense trotted out confidently after having scored on its previous drive. It was ready to open the game up.
 
Then, disaster struck.
 
Lagway dropped back and launched the ball downfield the same way he had multiple times in the game already. Meanwhile, 11 seconds and 63 yards later, Kentucky’s offense lined up glaring into Steve Spurrier-Florida Field’s north end zone, only 11 yards from potentially tying the game.
 
“One black eye was the pick. Probably forced that one into coverage,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said.
 

Lagway’s interception didn’t come as a surprise (he had four entering the game), but it’s rare for an opposing offense to need only one first down to reach the end zone. With momentum quickly shifting, the Gators’ defense faced a challenging situation.
 
In the first half of the season, Florida was inconsistent at stopping the run, the pass, or anything else opposing offenses did. The Gators still rank in the bottom half of the FBS in points allowed per game, much to the fault of their early performances. Recently, though, it has been a different story. In Florida’s last two contests, UCF and Tennessee, it allowed a combined 36 points, a far cry from the 27.6 per game it has averaged on the season.
 
So, when backed up against its goal line, the onlooking crowd had reason to be optimistic about the Florida defense’s chances of a stop.
 
It got just that.
 
Florida crammed into the middle of the line and halted a Kentucky run on fourth-and-1 at the 2-yard line for no gain. Lagway and company ran back onto the field as the stadium exhaled into the late October air. From there, it only took Florida…