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UF | DEFENSE

Better, but not enough

The Gators gave up only seven points and stopped the Razorbacks twice on fourth down, but they wanted to make a bigger statement.

 
Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick (11) carries past Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes (51) and defensive lineman Matt Patchan (71) during an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick (11) carries past Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes (51) and defensive lineman Matt Patchan (71) during an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
DANNY JOHNSTON / AP

Miami Herald Writer

On paper, giving up seven points, making an interception and stopping two fourth-down attempts looks like a pretty solid afternoon, but No. 12 Florida's defense didn't have the showing it hoped for in a 38-7 win against Arkansas.

The unit improved since last week's loss to Ole Miss, but the Gators failed to make the kind of statement they were looking for on the heels of an emotional loss, especially with a clash against No. 3 LSU looming.

''We had a lot of blown assignments, and a lot of guys didn't hit their gaps like they were supposed to,'' linebacker Brandon Spikes said. ``We've got a lot of cleaning up to do before our next big game. Defensively, we're not satisfied, but hey -- we got the win, and we're going to ride that for the next week.''

The Razorbacks picked up 361 yards on offense, the most the Gators have allowed this season, and running back Michael Smith ran for 133 yards and a score, more than double the output of the previous individual rushing high against UF. He added six catches for 43 yards, accounting for more than half of his team's total yardage.

''We wanted to get a win, but they executed their offense, and we weren't as sound as we were supposed to be,'' Spikes said. ``We kind of took a step back, but we're going to get it back together.''

Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick was 24 of 38 for 220 yards, most of which came on crossing routes that befuddled the Gators at times.

The Razorbacks sent two receivers across the field, one high and one low, in the hopes of disrupting Florida's coverage, and UF coach Urban Meyer cited his team's execution on those plays as a disappointment.

Things didn't look good early for the Gators. The Razorbacks started their first two drives at their own 20-yard line and marched straight into scoring range.

But Arkansas failed to convert on fourth downs from the 32- and 28-yard lines instead of trying field goals. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said he wasn't comfortable kicking from outside the 25 because of the stiff breeze in the stadium.

Three other Arkansas drives ended in UF territory with no points, including a blocked 28-yard field-goal attempt by safety Ahmad Black and an interception by cornerback Joe Haden at the goal line, ending a drive in which the Razorbacks had marched 55 yards in four plays.

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