Defensive Line
Daniel: This group got after Jeff Driskel for much of the day. Driskel never looked comfortable in the pocket (nothing too new there though) and really the only success for Florida came on the ground when the Vols missed a few assignments against Driskel, backup quarterback Treon Harris and running back Matt Jones. Still, this group, like the defense overall, played more than well enough to win. Yes, it’s a team game, but it’s hard to pin much – if any – of the loss on any part of the defense. Grade: B+
Houston: Mixed reviews for this group in my opinion. They did get fooled by some of the misdirection in Florida’s running game and also missed some tackles on Matt Jones and Jeff Driskel at times, but they also played well enough to win on Saturday. Derek Barnett is this team’s best defensive lineman and looks like a true star in the making. Barnett had six tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack in yesterday’s game and was easily the most consistent performer along the defensive line. Florida only averaged 3.3 yards per carry on 48 attempts, so the defensive line did their job in this one. They did let Florida punch in a touchdown when given a short field, but they were put in an extremely tough spot so I can’t deduct too much for that one. Grade: B+
Reed: The defensive line bounced back after a subpar performance at Georgia. They did a nice job pressuring Driskel all day and, for most of the day, kept Matt Jones from finding any significant running lanes. Florida’s rushing attack is nothing to laugh at, and the defensive line deserves a ton of credit for holding the Gators to 3.3 yards per attempt. Barnett is a star in the making and made multiple plays on Florida’s skill players in space. The few times they didn’t control their gaps, they often came up big during the following plays. Grade: A-
