A Giant Defensive Step Back

I could probably make an argument going into All Tel that our defense was continuing to make strides in the right directions. Walking out, you would've been able to put at least two giant holes in it.

Exhibit A

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Yards/Att	TD	Int	Rating
09/04/10	Miami (Ohio)	Grass	W 34-12	25	17	68.0	113	4.5	2	0	132.37
09/11/10	South Fla.	Grass	W 38-14	31	18	58.1	172	5.5	2	0	125.96
09/18/10	@ Tennessee	Grass	W 31-17	23	14	60.9	167	7.3	1	0	136.21
09/25/10	Kentucky	Grass	W 48-14	35	24	68.6	248	7.1	1	1	131.81
10/02/10	@ 5 Alabama	Grass	L 6-31	31	16	51.6	202	6.5	0	2	93.44
10/09/10	12 LSU	Grass	L 29-33	24	16	66.7	154	6.4	0	1	112.24
10/16/10	21 Mississippi St.	Grass	L 7-10	39	24	61.5	210	5.4	0	1	101.64
10/30/10	+ Georgia	Grass	W 34-31	25	16	64.0	193	7.7	0	1	120.85
	Totals			233	145	62.2	1459	6.3	6	6	118.18

via cfbstats.com

Those are obviously John Brantley's passing numbers for each game this season. The one that jumps out at me is the sudden passer rating increase Saturday night. Did we not have tape on what Bama's defense did to Florida? Why couldn't we hold them under 6 yards an attempt like the other Bulldogs?

We simply weren't able to ever make the 2010 FU Gators 2.0 a one-dimensional football team. And most of that falls on the inability to contain and defend their passing attack which had until Saturday been a toothless reptile.

Exhibit B


Trey Burton had 110 yards rushing against the Dawgs. Nearly half of them came on this play.

We had done a good job containing this wrinkle in Adazzio's gameplan. Dent gets muddled by the play-fake and out of position. Incomprehensibly, Williams does to. Suddenly Corch is getting credit where it's not really due. One play takes away a good second half effort by the defense and ultimately plays a hand in forcing overtime.

In short, this wasn't the defense we saw the last two and a half games (second half in Lexington notwithstanding). Sure, this wasn't the lowly Vols and 'Dores. But we didn't play or coach to the bar that had been raised.

I hope they do once we get to the Plains.