Bryce Thornton prepares to catch the game-clinching interception -- his second in the final two minutes -- in Saturdays' victory over Ole Miss. (Photo: Maura Schaeffer/UAA Communications)
Florida's Defense Bends, But Rebels Break
Saturday, November 23, 2024 | Football
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By: Noah White, FloridaGators.com Student Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It appears that 67 degrees is when hell freezes over in The Swamp.
On a chilly (by Florida standards) late-November afternoon, the Florida defense dominated in the grandest moments. Ninth-ranked Ole Miss entered the contest with the Gators leading the Southeastern Conference in scoring (40.7 points per game) and near the top of the national standings in multiple categories.
The Rebels finished Saturday's game with 464 yards, but it was all Florida on the most significant plays.
Ole Miss — specifically head coach Lane Kiffin — has been known for its aggressive nature in third- and fourth-down situations. The Rebels entered their penultimate regular-season contest with 21 fourth-down conversion attempts and had been successful on 12 for a 57.14% rate. Against Florida, the Rebels attempted another four.
The first came in the opening quarter, with Ole Miss having driven down the field to the Florida 11-yard line. The Rebels brought well-documented defensive tackle and part-time linebacker-punisher JJ Pegues in to pick up a 4th-and-1. The 325-pounder rushed to the right, but the Florida defensive line met him immediately. Eleven plays later, UF scored to take an early lead.
And that's how the game went — when Ole Miss picked up third and fourth downs, it would sometimes score, but more often than not, the Gators held up in their 24-17 win at sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"It was just confidence,'' UF defensive tackle Caleb Banks said. "We knew we were a great defensive line. We just needed to believe in ourselves."
After allowing two fourth-down conversions in the second quarter (Ole Miss scored touchdowns within two plays of each), the Gators faced another Ole Miss attempt late in the third quarter. Trailing 17-14, Ole Miss decided to go for another 4th-and-1 at Florida's 10-yard line, and in almost identical fashion to the play in the first quarter, the UF defense stuffed Pegues. Before the Florida matchup, the senior defensive lineman had yet to be unsuccessful in picking up a fourth-down conversion.
Ole Miss faced those fourth downs because of Florida's third-down defense. The Rebels and star quarterback Jaxson Dart faced 14 third downs Saturday afternoon but only picked up three for a meager 21.43% success rate.
"I think our main thing with [Dart] was just keep him in the pocket. Don't let him break out," said Gators defensive lineman Cam Jackson. "He had a few big runs today, but just keeping him contained and getting pressure on him [was the focus]."
In the final four minutes of the contest, Ole Miss faced two critical third downs. With the game on the line down 24-17 and time dwindling, Florida's defense pressured Dart and forced him to launch the ball downfield both times. That's when an unexpected player became one of the most recognizable men in Gainesville on Saturday night.
Bryce Thornton, a sophomore defensive back, recorded two interceptions over Dart's final five throws to seal the game.
Only three hours earlier, he wouldn't have been most Gators fans' prediction to be the star of the contest. Ole Miss' first touchdown came on a deep pass to Tre Harris. In coverage on that play? Thornton and cornerback Dijon Johnson. But on a similar throw to the end zone in the final three minutes, Thornton made up for his previous mistake.
Injuries nagged the sophomore over the last few weeks, making the breakthrough performance even more special.
"Coming off of injury, it was big for me," Thornton said. "Just trying to stay mentally locked in ... it meant a lot." Defensive linemen Caleb Banks, left, and Cam Jackson celebrate a big stop on Saturday. (Photo: Lorenzo Vasquez/UAA Communications)
Florida head coach Billy Napier raved about Thornton's progression over the past few weeks.
"He's been a huge bright spot, stepping up in a major way. Obviously, we had some injuries," Napier said. "Two picks and a career-high in tackles."
Thornton's presence was all that more noticeable after Florida lost STAR Aaron Gates to an injury on the game's second play. Gates joined fellow injured defensive backs Jason Marshall Jr., Devin Moore and Asa Turner on the sideline. Meanwhile, they watched Thornton make 14 total tackles while senior defensive back Trikweze Bridges added 11.
Napier emphasized the value of having a positive turnover margin against an efficient offense like Ole Miss' and was complimentary of how his defense followed through on that request.
"The game was a game of turnover margin, red-zone scoring," Napier said. "The defense was lights out, played field position. We played complementary football."
Led by a career performance from Banks (4 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks), the Gators recorded four sacks and nine TFLs. Two of those sacks came on third downs as part of the Gators' stressful yet impressive bend-but-don't-break defense.
Banks, who had recorded two sacks this season and four in his career, turned in his biggest against the Rebels on a third down with seven minutes left.
"I tell him, I'm about to go get a sack. He'll tell me he's going to get a sack," Jackson said. "Just competing with each other and just pushing each other to that limit. It's great playing beside Caleb."
Florida's defensive line being the star of the show wouldn't have been on many people's bingo cards for the Week 13 matchup. While the Gators recorded six sacks in the win over LSU a week ago, the Ole Miss defensive line entered the game leading the nation in sacks. With potential early-round NFL draft picks Princely Umanmielen and Walter Nolen bearing down on opposing backfields, the Rebels averaged 4.6 sacks per contest.
But the script flipped on Saturday. Ole Miss only got to Florida quarterback DJ Lagway three times.
"To be a championship contender and to play consistently every week, you gotta be good up front," Napier said.
While Florida won't contend for any championships this year, the last two weeks have shown the growth of Napier's program, especially on defense. The Gators have 10 sacks and have knocked off back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since 2018.
With the win, UF is bowl-eligible with one opponent remaining: Florida State.
The Gators' defense must prove its increased efficiency isn't the product of its home environment when it travels to Tallahassee. While unwilling to speculate about the next matchup, an air of confidence seemed to overtake the podium when Thornton spoke about Florida's defense. Something has finally changed in Gainesville. The Gators are producing.
"I feel like the team — just everybody is coming together,'' he said.
