The offense gets all the print, but it’s the Gators defense, ranked second nationally in points allowed, that has keyed the Gators’ early success.

> S Tony Joiner, the two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week: “We feel we really do have the best defense in the nation. That’s how we feel, that’s how we are going to play and that’s what we’re going to look forward to doing, week in and week out: Shut a team out.”
> Joiner: “We’re just playing with unbelievable confidence right now. We have a bunch of guys who are very, very talented who are getting the job done every time we step on the field. We just feel like it. We have a great scheme. We have great defensive coaches. Everything is in place. … There’s not much resistance. It’s much more of a team. There’s more chemistry on defense.”
> Joiner with an odd metaphor: “We really want to get into somebody else and take their cheese. Make a sandwich in the kitchen. Ham and cheese with a little turkey, mustard and mayonnaise.”