The Florida defense opened up SEC play in Week 3, taking on the second-worst scoring offense in the conference. Though they haven't had the cleanest outings so far this season, they showed that they can make big plays when it matters.
Against the Auburn Tigers, the Gators allowed only 102 rushing yards, and 65 of those came from quarterback Byrum Brown. The Gators' stifling run defense can be credited to their front seven, who also got to the quarterback 7 times. The last time that happened for Florida was in the 2024 season.
Multiple players on the Gators' defensive front contributed to the onslaught on backfield appearances, but Emmanuel Oyebadejo consistently wreaked havoc for the Tigers, earning him Gators Wire's defensive player of the game
for Week 3
Oyebadejo's final stat line for the Gators was four tackles, three of which were solo, plus two-and-a-half sacks and tackles for a loss. He also added a pass deflection as well.
The Florida defensive lineman was the highest-graded defender in the game against Auburn and the highest-graded pass rusher, with grades of 84.5 and 85.7, respectively. Of his seven total pressures, PFF credits Oyebadejo with four sacks in the Gators' road victory, with the other three counting as quarterback hurries.
With elite quarterback play throughout the conference, a consistent pass rush will be costly if the Gators want to be a formidable team.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Emmanuel Oyebadejo stands out for Florida's defense against Auburn
