Last week, Florida's defense was at the forefront of criticism for giving up nearly 300 passing yards and 21 points to Florida Atlantic, and the same almost happened this week against Campbell. The Fighting Camels came out firing on all cylinders, marching for 68 yards before the drive came to a halt.
Outside of the field goal allowed on the first drive, the Florida defense was essentially stout the rest of the way.
The Gators contained the run and didn't allow Campbell's quarterback, Kamden Sixkiller, to have his way on the field.
Plenty of Gators on the defensive side of the ball made positive impacts; however, Lagonza Hayward's performance on Saturday stood out more than others, earning him Gators Wire's defensive player of the game for Week
2.
Hayward's final stat line was four tackles — three of which were solo — two tackles for losses and two pass deflections. The second-year safety took four snaps on the defensive line, four snaps in the box, and 17 snaps in the slot.
Despite a limited number of snaps, the versatile defender received an 88.4 overall defensive grade and an 89.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. Those numbers rank him at Nos. 2 and 1, respectively, on the Gators' defense from Saturday's win.
The 6-foot-1-inch sophomore's ability to consistently get in the backfield as a safety, as well as his coverage and pass defense, earned him this award. Florida will need Hayward to continue to be active on the defensive side of the ball to give veterans like Bryce Thornton help on the back end.
Through two weeks of football, the Gators' defense has been fully tested. That changes next week with a showdown against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Lagonza Hayward leads Florida's defense in blowout win over Campbell
