Florida pass-blocking unit gets historically low grade from PFF
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Florida was a big underdog heading into its Week 4 game against Miami.
As expected, the Hurricanes beat the Gators at Hard Rock Stadium by a 26-7 count. That final score might flatter the Gators, though, because this wasn’t much of a contest. The Canes outgained Florida 344-141, holding DJ Lagway to just 61 yards passing as he was sacked 4 times.
How bad was the Gators’ pass blocking? Pro Football Focus graded it out at 0.2, the Sun-Sentinel’s Adam Lichtenstein noted on Sunday. It’s the Gators’ worst-ever grade in that department and, per PFF, it’s the lowest pass-blocking grade by any team since Kansas posted a 0.0 during a 62-9 loss to Oklahoma in 2020.
This was supposed to be a potential turnaround year for the Gators and the under-fire Billy Napier. So far, it’s been anything but. Lagway, who had been dealing with various injury concerns in the offseason, has regressed, throwing 6 interceptions vs. just 5 touchdowns. His offensive line hasn’t helped: he’s been sacked 7 times in the Gators’ last 2 outings.
Florida has a bye week to think things over before hosting Texas on Oct. 4. That’s followed by a trip to Texas A&M.
With the Gators sitting at 1-3, though, the season might be over before it’s truly begun.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
