Florida Football: 3 hot takes from Gators win over Florida Atlantic

Questions linger about defense

There were a lot of positives about Florida’s defensive performance on Saturday, but there were some questions that linger too because even against Florida Atlantic, the passing defense had some holes.

N’Kosi Perry was 19-of-33 for 261 yards and three different receivers were able to haul in passes down the field for at least 20 yards.

Zachary Carter was a major bright spot and he looked dominant in a three-sack performance. The defense notched six sacks total and also forced two turnovers as it recovered two fumbles.

But if Florida Atlantic, even with a talented quarterback, can throw the ball that well on the Gators, what will Bryce Young and Alabama do in a couple of weeks?

And it’s not like Florida Atlantic only moved the ball late in the game. In fact, Florida didn’t force a single three and out in the first half and the Owls moved the ball in scoring range before turning the ball over on downs just before the half at 14-0.

Yet, the first impression is still that this defense will be better. But will it be able to pass the major tests this season? That we still don’t know. And there are similar questions about the quarterback position but it’s also one game. We’ll learn more this week against South Florida.