GAINESVILLE —The Florida defense didn't play on Saturday against the quarterback it had prepared for all week.
It didn't put the unit at a disadvantage.
The Gators intercepted Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton three times en route to a 38-0 victory in their SEC home opener.
Newton,
a senior who started last year against the Gators, started in place of
Maxwell Smith, the SEC's leader in passing yards before Saturday. It was
announced after the start of the game that Smith was out due to a
shoulder injury.
"Yeah we actually prepared for 11 (Smith),"
Gators junior cornerback Jaylen Watkins said. "But then we saw 12
(Newton), and we just made adjustments because we know he can run, so
you've got to stay in coverage."
Watkins picked off Newton with
8:24 remaining in the second quarter. He recognized the formation and
jumped a slant route at the 26-yard line, returning it for a touchdown
to give Florida a 17-0 lead. It was the first interception of Watkins'
career.
"When they stack on top like that, they're pretty much
gonna pick the top corner, which was Louchiez (Purifoy), and run a sneak
route underneath," Watkins said. "So I just beat the receiver to the
spot."
Florida coach Will Muschamp gave the defensive line part of
the credit for the turnovers, noting that the front four generated
enough pressure that he was able to drop the linebackers into coverage.
This was evident on the third interception, which occurred on the
Wildcats' last possession of the first half when linebacker Mike Taylor
picked off a Newton pass over the middle with no receivers within 5
yards of him.
The first interception came on Kentucky's first
drive of the second quarter. Newton overthrew his running back, Jonathan
George, on the right side. Sophomore safety De'Ante "Pop" Saunders
reached down and caught the pass at the UF 48-yard line right as it was
about to fall incomplete and returned it 29 yards to the Wildcats' 23.
"We
zoned off," Muschamp said of the defense on the play. "They were in a
three-by-one set. We were in a strong rotation and Pop did really a nice
job. They're trying to run everybody off and hit the back out of the
backfield. We got pressure on the quarterback. The ball was floated. He
made a nice play on that."
Saturday was the first time the Gators
had forced more than two turnovers in a game under Muschamp. The last
time Florida had more than two takeaways was against Penn Sate in the
Outback Bowl two seasons ago when the defense recorded five
interceptions.
In 2011, Florida finished tied for 93rd in the country with just eight interceptions.
"It
felt pretty bad, not giving our offense the ball because they hold the
ball," Watkins said of the defense's turnover struggles. "Now, they're
holding the ball, and now we're giving them the ball. So it's all a team
effort. So it feels good to actually get that monkey off our back."
