By: Gentry Hawk -- November 5, 2022 It wasn’t the start many fans had hoped for, specifically on defense, but the Gators looked like a different group in the second half and held the Aggie offense to no points and just 106 total yards after halftime. The Gators didn’t miss a beat in the absence of Brenton Cox. Princely Umanmielen and Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. had two pivotal strip sacks in the second half to ultimately put the Aggies out of reach. It wasn’t the best showing from the defensive backs, but the Gators got it done in the end and arguably played the best defense they’ve played all year late in the third and fourth quarters. The Gators win 41-24 behind a great second half from the defense | GatorCountry.com
ET - Great read. Thank you, Question: Do you know if Toney changed the scheme the second half? It seemed to me we brought pressure and blitzed quite a bit. The DBs seemed in tighter coverage. Just curious what your observations were. It would be encouraging to see them play like this going forward.
I agree but sadly I haven't seen it yet. I had to leave at halftime to attend my grandson's football "dinner banquet" moved-up to accommodate the UcheaT fans here where we live. LOL! I followed on play-by-play but that doesn't tell much. I think a lot came from last weekend's pretty intense team meeting.
I especially loved the second half of this game. Blitz the QB and he has to get rid of the ball in a hurry. We've been "wondering" out loud here on these boards why our coaches haven't pressured opposing teams' QBs with the blitz MORE than once or twice a half. Well... the coaches must be listening to us, and might even be reading these boards. I'm just happy that our defense is getting back to playing aggressive Gator football again... even if it is in spits and spurts. I don't think we will get that totally righted until next year when we get more of Napier's players on the field. We will need the off season to practice far more aggressive style of defense but I do think the coaches are doing more of that right now in season. I love the direction this team is heading towards, and I especially like the way the defense is responding to that end. By next year AR will be well into the full playbook, and expect that we'll see just how good a confident AR plays for the Gators after one more off season under his belt.
All great points... Refreshing game to watch, the second half and the win. Nice to be able to go into their place and come away with the big "W"! We almost pulled it off up in Tenn too. Once these kids settle in with some consistency, more recruits and more aggressive play-calling it should be pretty dominant. I would assume AR is returning. He should. And can you imagine with another year behind him? A few more right choices, seeing the field better. And I'm not picking on him, all QB's need to go through this. If we could jump to middle tier defensively and up our offense, suddenly with a little luck tossed in we're sitting pretty sweet! There seems to be a certain unity amongst the players too. When you're losing it must be tough. A few kids have left or been dismissed for different reasons, and that's probably a good thing. They are building the family unit and in the future that cohesiveness along with their indomitable spirit will make all the difference. It's great to-be a Florida Gator. Go Gators.
