Two truths and a lie for Florida Football after losing to Tennessee

Coming on the heels of losing to Tennessee in overtime, there is a lot of frustration surrounding Billy Napier. Saturday felt like a game Florida Football had for the taking, and instead, let the moment slip away due to a series of poorly thought decisions.

Beyond solidifying our belief that no amount of talent is going to save Napier, the following are two truths and a lie for Florida heading into this week's game against Kentucky.

Truth: The Defense Looks Different In A Good Way

One of the big moves Napier made in the offseason was bringing Ron Roberts of staff. He was originally sold to Gator fans as "The head coach of the defense," who would act as a mentor for Austin Armstrong.

Well, then it morphed into Roberts straight-up calling the plays for the defense, and the results were awful for the first four games. At the core of the problem was Florida's insistence on playing a soft shell that allowed teams to shred them underneath.

It's not clear if Roberts is still calling plays coming out of the bye week or if Armstrong has a bigger role since he is now visible on the sidelines. Still, for the past two weeks, the unit has felt far more confident in coming downhill to make plays. After looking woefully unprepared for Mississippi State's uptempo offense, the Gators have looked ready for UCF and Tennessee.

Yes, there was some good fortune for Florida, including an unforced fumble by Tennessee and some wide-open deep shots that were missed, but as a whole, this feels like a unit that might be morphing into what we thought they could be at the start of the season.

Truth: Chimire Dike Is A Weapon As A Punt Returner

We've stated this a few times, but Chimire Dike was not a player we were excited about when he transferred to Florida from Wisconsin. His metrics across the board lagged behind other players and after two games he only had two catches.

We still have some lingering questions on whether or not he can catch the ball in traffic, but one is Dike has become a bonafide threat as a punt returner.

He had two long punt returns against Tennessee and is now 8th in the country in total punt return yards and is 4th in the country in yards per return (for players with at least five returns).

Lie: The DJ Lagway Experience Will Be A Smooth Ascent

With the unfortunate season-ending injury to Graham Mertz, it is time for DJ Lagway to formally take the reigns of the Florida offense.

Following his start against Samford, we made the case Lagway needed to be the starter going forward simply because his ceiling is far higher than the ceiling of Mertz.

That's not to say there won't be bumps in the road as Lagway closes out the season. He had another interception against Tennessee that set the Volunteers up for a field goal.

With four interceptions for the year, and yes one was a Hail Mary attempt, Lagway is tied for the 53rd most interceptions in the country. Lagway is one of only four QBs with less than 100 passing attempts but at least four interceptions.