Florida defensive back Fromm-related chatter not quite backed up by numbers

For years, Florida has been known for speed on defense, and a secondary loaded with it.

          Of course, Florida also used to be known for quarterbacks, but that's another story.

          So it drew some raised eyebrows - and chuckles if not outright guffaws - earlier in the week when a Florida defensive back took a shot at a freshman quarterback.

          “I mean, you say they have a great quarterback — I get it,” Gardner said by way of 247Sports. “He’s throwing simple passes — I get it. Anybody can throw a slant — I get it. If you call him the best quarterback, so be it, but he has to play Saturday. We’re going to see what his best attribute is.

          "If he can beat us with his arm, whoopty do. But we’re not focused on what he can do, what he can’t do. We’re just going to go out and focus on us and just play football, like I said, the past three or four weeks.”

          The slants may not be in Florida's offensive game plan, since the Gators are 57th in passing efficiency, 120th in passing touchdowns, 100th in passing yards per game, and 66th in passing yards per completion.

          Florida is rated 54th nationally in pass efficiency defense, 57th in pass defense yardage allowed. The Gators have given up nine passing touchdowns.

          Gardner is second on the team in tackles, but has no interceptions and two pass breakups.

          All that is against a collection of offenses that averages a No. 77 national ranking in passing efficiency defense and 92 in passing yards allowed per game.

          There is the concern of a freshman quarterback's first game in Jacksonville. Of course, Georgia junior and senior quarterbacks haven't necessarily fared all that well in multiple tries.

          And Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks is a redshirt freshman, who was likely only a little closer to the action as a redshirt than Fromm was as fan.

          With more experience in practice and less personnel and staff transition on the team, Franks' numbers trail Fromm, whose three rushing touchdowns would rank him second at Florida.