Thin Secondary Gets Thinner for Gators

Gators cornerback CJ Henderson went down with a back injury in the first quarter and did not return. (Photo: Kaila Jones/UAA Communications)

Thin Secondary Gets Thinner for Gators

Sunday, October 28, 2018 | Football

By: Ethan Hughes, FloridaGators.com Intern

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the Florida Gators entered Saturday's game with Georgia as underdogs, most observers thought they would have an advantage when the Bulldogs threw the ball.

Florida entered the game ranked first in the SEC and sixth nationally in passing defense and second in the conference in passing efficiency defense. Meanwhile, Georgia entered the day just 65th nationally in passing offense and quarterback Jake Fromm was coming off one of his worst career starts his last time out against LSU (16-for-34, 209 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions).

That all changed on the opening drive when sophomore cornerback CJ Henderson went down with an injury and did not return.

"CJ's a great player," senior defensive lineman Cece Jefferson said. "He knows the program and the scheme very well. So, losing him hurts really badly."

Florida head coach Dan Mullen said after the game that there is no structural damage to Henderson, but his absence certainly caused significant damage to UF's young and thin secondary.

Sophomore cornerback Marco Wilson is out for the year after tearing his ACL against Kentucky in the second game of the season. Additionally, sophomore safety Brad Stewart and sophomore cornerback Brian Edwards did not play Saturday. Rumors swirled online in the days leading up to the game about Stewart's availability, but Mullen declined to offer an explanation for his absence.

"If guys don't play that's something we do internally,'' he said.

As expected, Fromm (17-for-24, 240 yards, three touchdowns) and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney attacked UF's replacements early and often in the No. 7 Bulldogs' 36-17 defeat of the No. 9 Gators (6-2, 4-2) at TIAA Bank Field.

"We got beat deep in the pass game," junior linebacker David Reese said. "The depth there hurt us, of course. We lost Marco, CJ, so, you know, that obviously shown today."

The 240 yards given up through the air were the most allowed by the Gators this season.

Henderson, an All-SEC candidate, is somebody opposing offenses have to scheme around. He usually takes away one half of the field and frees up the safeties to provide help on the other side. Without his presence, Fromm could use the whole field and not have to worry as much about matchups.

"You look at two of the best players on the team are your two corners," Mullen said. "We like to play man coverage, and they're both out. That's a struggle. Probably not many teams are going to – you know, you take two of your best players and both of them play the same position and take them off the field."

Redshirt sophomore C.J. McWilliams replaced Henderson. McWilliams broke up two passes, including one on the goal line late in the first half to force a field goal.

However, he also allowed two touchdowns to Georgia receiver Jeremiah Holloman, including the one that gave UGA a lead it would not relinquish a little over four minutes into the third quarter. He was penalized for pass interference and delay of game, the latter of which coming when he was asked by an official to leave the game because his knee pads weren't covering his knees, and he didn't do so.

Without Stewart, the Gators' most well-rounded safety, they primarily played Donovan Stiner and Jeawon Taylor, with Shawn Davis also seeing some action.

Davis (four tackles) turned in a solid performance, stopping back-to-back jet sweeps on second- and third-and-1 to force a punt in the second quarter. Stiner recorded just two tackles and was beat badly for a 24-yard touchdown pass from Fromm to Terry Godwin that put the game out of reach at 29-17 midway through the final quarter. Taylor made seven tackles.

The Bulldogs converted 8 of 14 third downs, four of which resulted in touchdowns.

"Two of them we had blown coverages on," Mullen said. "Just poor execution, and as a team, we got to be much cleaner. We got to execute cleaner."

As he pointed out, however, the Gators' defensive line didn't help out the inexperienced defensive backs, as the unit recorded zero sacks and applied very little pressure to Fromm.

The defense also struggled in the running game, with UGA running back D'Andre Swift (12 carries, 104 yards) ripping off a 33-yard score in the final moments.

"The guys on the outside made plays when they needed to make plays, and the guys up front did as well," Fromm said. "Our running backs as well. All around our guys were very focused on their skills and what they needed to do to win the game."

With Henderson's status uncertain, the Gators' secondary faces an even greater challenge next weekend when the up-tempo, pass-happy Missouri Tigers visit Gainesville. Tigers quarterback Drew Lock entered Saturday third in the league in passing yards and tied for second in touchdowns. He is considered a likely first round NFL Draft pick.

"We're very, very thin in the secondary," Mullen said. "I mean, extremely thin. We're down like six or seven DBs on the total roster. Makes it always a challenge, but the next guy, that means there's opportunity for someone to go make a play. We got to look and find people that are ready to take advantage of that opportunity."