Florida Football: Three stats the Gators are near the bottom of nationally

It has been an up-and-down year for Florida football. It felt like the sky was the limit following the win over Tennessee, and now it feels like the bottom could potentially fall out following their overtime defeat to Arkansas.

There are various reasons why the Gators are sitting at 5-4, but here are three key stats the Gators are near the bottom of the country in.

These stats are only for games played between two FBS teams, so the McNeese State game is not counted for these rankings.

Florida Football Bad Stats

Opponent’s Yards Per Play

• 6.1 yards per play
• 111th nationally

There were some high hopes for this Gator defense after the debacle we had in 2022 under Patrick Toney. And through the first half of the season, Florida felt like a vastly improved unit on the defensive side of the ball that would keep the Gators competitive all season long.

While their play-to-play success has been mostly solid, their susceptibility to explosive plays has been an Achilles heel all season long. Injuries and lack of depth are contributing factors, but Austin Armstrong’s unit is now giving up 6.1 yards per play.

For as much as we maligned Toney, he finished the season at 5.9 yards per play.

Offensive Sack Percentage

• Sacked on 8.33% of passing attempts
• 104th nationally

It’s no secret that the offensive line for Florida football is a bit of a liability. After being a perceived unit of strength last season, Graham Mertz just hasn’t had time back in the pocket with any consistency.

Dameion Geroge and Austin Barber have tried to hold the fort at the tackle spots but have been too prone to be beaten by simple speed rushes.

The problem is that due to the lack of explosive plays on Florida’s offense, the Gators are not set up to overcome a setback like a sack compared to some other squads.

Opponent Fumbles Not Lost

• 1.3 opponent fumbles not lost per game
• 128th nationally

Chalk it up to bad luck or something else, but one of the reasons why the Gators are near the bottom of the country in total turnovers at just 0.8 per game (122nd nationally) is that they haven’t been able to capitalize when they do force the ball onto the ground.

Against Arkansas, the Razorbacks were able to hop on their own loose football twice. Flip those two moments, and perhaps the game plays out differently.