The Florida Gators may still be trying to work out their offense. But the defense seems set.
Florida, which entered the day with the No. 2 total defense in the nation, held North Texas to only 53 yards of total offense in an easy 32-0 victory.
That victory ended with a question mark, however, as starting quarterback Luke Del Rio limped off with an injured left knee after being hit low on a pass rush. Florida coach Jim McElwain was irritated and yelled at the North Texas bench afterward.
“We’ll throw someone in there, and he’ll play his tail off,” McElwain said.
McElwain was pleased with the play of his defense, but frustrated at Florida’s inability to get into the end zone. “We left a lot of points out there,” McElwain said. “It’s something we have to get better at.”
Before he was hurt, Del Rio hit 14 of 25 passes for 186 yards.
North Texas struggled to move the ball at all. Quarterback Mason Fine hit just six of 22 passes for 55 yards. The running game was held to minus 13 yards.
Florida travels to Tennessee Saturday.
