Leaky defense among questions for Florida football following loss to No. 19 LSU

The season is spiraling downward for Florida football, as injuries and inconsistency has resulted in a humbling three-game losing streak.

The Florida Gators (5-5, 3-4 SEC) will look to turn the page from their 52-35 loss at LSU when they face No. 11 Missouri (8-2, 4-2 SEC) on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

"For us to go where we want to go here, as an organization, as a program, as a team, every single part of our organization is going to have to work their tail off," Florida football coach Billy Napier said. "We have to be relentless in finding an edge, relentless in seeking improvement, right, and taking experience and learning and growing from that, knowing that there’s going to be other opportunities."

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Florida linebacker Derek Wingo said he expects the Gators to stick together through the end of the season. After Missouri, UF will close with rival No. 4 Florida State at The Swamp on Nov. 25.

"There's a lot of leaders who have stepped up on this team. They talk about when adversity strikes to be able to get motivated," Wingo said. "I think that's been huge for us this season. We've had a good amount of adversity and to be able to come out each week and be able to make those corrections and still be motivated.

Here are three questions for Florida following the LSU loss:

Are UF football's defensive problems a talent or a scheme issue?

In giving up a school-record 701 yards against LSU, Florida's defense was unable to contain quarterback Jayden Daniels and LSU's talented receiving duo o Malik Nabers (6 catches 132 yards) and Brian Thomas Jr. (6 catches, 150 yards, 2 TDs). Cornerbacks Jalen Kimber and Jason Marshall Jr. had a hard time in man coverage. "Ultimately, you've got a challenge on your hands relative to matching up," Napier said. "You know, you're going to deny the ball, you're going to play man or match coverage, and then all of a sudden you've got your back to the guy and he takes off running, right? Or, you can choose to die a slow death and play zone, play coverage, try to keep him in the pocket. And we did a mixture of both all night. I do think the game comes down to matchups, and sometimes you can help your players and sometimes the players just gotta go play, right? So I think there's a little bit of both." Asked to assess the performance of defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, whose defense has surrendered 39 or more points in four straight games, Napier replied: "Austin’s done a great job leading that group. I think ultimately, we’re approaching 30 percent of the snaps this year from true freshmen. We’re probably playing more young players than anybody in America. There’s some issues that come with that. Look, Austin would tell you that he could do his job better. That’s what he would tell you." Napier said the issues on the defense are collective and not based on one individual. "The unit’s performance is a reflection of a lot of people, not one guy," Napier said. "We all like to think in those terms. But it’s position coaches, it’s analysts, it’s GAs, it’s the scout offense, it’s the head coach, it’s the strength coach. There’s a number of people who contribute to our ability to perform on a consistent basis."

Is Florida football QB Graham Mertz being too cautious in his decision making?

Mertz has done a masterful job avoiding throwing interceptions this season, as he broke Tim Tebow's school mark for pass attempts without a pick and is now at 226 pass attempts since his last interception. But at times, Mertz hasn't taken chances on throws, which has resulted in negative plays, as he's been sacked 31 times in 10 games this season, an average of 3.1 sacks per game. The risk-averse Mertz also hasn't taken many chances downfield, as Florida's pass plays of 40 or more yards (4) rank 105th nationally out of 133 FBS teams. "Obviously we need to be better on third down," Mertz said. "We talk about that every week as a point of emphasis. I can do a better job in that."

Would making a bowl benefit the Florida Gators this season?

Florida needs a win in one of its final two games, either at No. 11 Missouri on Saturday or home against No. 4 Florida State on Nov. 25, to clinch bowl eligibility for a sixth straight season. Last year, Florida traveled cross-country for a bowl trip, only to get blown out in a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. A bowl trip would give Florida up to 15 extra practices in December, but on the flip side, UF coaches could turn their attention to recruiting to currently keep a class ranked third nationally by most major recruiting websites together. "Any game you go into, our goal is to win every game," Mertz said. "I think if that's not your goal, you shouldn't play the sport. So we're gonna do everything we can to go out these next two weeks and do our best to win."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 3 questions for Florida Gators football following loss to LSU