Florida Football: Why SEC Should Be Afraid of Gators' Defense

There'll be plenty of noise coming out of Gainesville this week surrounding Florida's offense, and with good reason.

The Gators' 65-0 win over Eastern Michigan marked the most points Florida has piled up since a 62-3 win over Florida International in November 2009, a validation of new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper's hurry-up spread attack.

But Florida fans should be equally excited about what their defense showed Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Florida clipped the Eagles' wings, forced four turnovers and scored its first shutout since a 23-0 whitewashing of Jacksonville State on Nov. 17, 2012. A year ago, the Gators managed just 18 turnovers all season. 

The Gators consistently swarmed to the ball and didn't let Eastern Michigan get anything going, allowing just 121 yards of total offense, although Florida head coach Will Muschamp was noncommittal about it afterward with SEC Network's Heather Mitts.

"It's one game," he said. "We'll play better than this bunch. We need to improve." 

John Raoux/Associated Press

With seven starters back from a unit that allowed just 21.1 points per game a year ago (No. 15 nationally), the Gators' SEC foes should have reason for pause this fall.

Entering this season, the Gators sought a talented pass rusher to pair with junior "Buck" end Dante Fowler, and they might have found him in linebacker Neiron Ball.

Ball showed up in a big way Saturday, strip-sacking EMU quarterback Reginald Bell and forcing a fumble recovered by middle linebacker Antonio Marshall.

The Gators' defense features five senior starters, but its best player is a sophomore—cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III—a third-team Associated Press All-American as a freshman.

Hargreaves is an excellent, aggressive cover corner who anchors an already good secondary full of playmakers. Freshman corner Duke Dawson showed the unit's depth with a 37-yard interception return score late in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 51-0.

Florida's defense will get its first big test in two weeks when Alabama visits, although the Crimson Tide still haven't officially settled on a quarterback between Blake Sims and Jake Coker.

LSU and sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings visit Oct. 11, with Missouri and sophomore Maty Mauk following a week later.

The Gators must face off against Georgia's potent offense in their annual Jacksonville neutral-site game on Nov. 1,  and they host South Carolina on Nov. 15 before traveling to defending national champion Florida State on Nov. 29.

If this salty defense can continue its progress as the season unfolds, it'll truly be a unit to be reckoned with. If the offense can follow suit, that’s great news for Florida fans. The rest of the SEC? Not so much.