The Gators started 4-0, including handing then-No. 4 Ole Miss a 52-28 loss in Week 4, and had people in Gainesville talking about playoff contention. Two weeks later, Florida is 4-2 and 2-2 in the SEC after two straight beatdowns, a 45-7 loss at Missouri and a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina. Jon Sumrall isn’t pretending that it’s just an unlucky stretch, as he acknowledged the roster having problems in the same places every Saturday.

Speaking during the press conference after the upset loss to South Carolina, Sumrall addressed the coverage issues that have plagued Florida all season, highlighting the program’s efforts to flip the switch. Florida’s coaching staff has tested every player on the roster in different game situations to see who can step up. They have tried different defensive approaches, including man and zone coverage, blitzes, dropping eight defenders into coverage, and using a spy to track the quarterback. While several players have shown flashes of promise, the team has yet to find consistent performances across the board.

“We’re throwing a lot of different things at it to try to get it fixed,” Sumrall said during the presser, according to the Gators Online YouTube channel. “I think when it’s not going the way you want it to, you’re searching for answers, and there’s nothing you won’t look at. I mean, we’ve looked at different front groups. We’ve subbed some nickel fronts, some dime fronts, some penny fronts, and some different personnel groupings to try to create advantages for us, maybe in the line of scrimmage.”

South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns, ran for another score, and the Gamecocks converted 10 of 16 third downs. Florida finished minus three in turnover margin, and the Gators took an early 10-7 lead before South Carolina outscored them 31-9 the rest of the way. Three sacks did not slow Sellers down. However, it wasn’t the case of the staff failing to adapt or draw new strategies, as every adjustment faced some problem. It was either nobody was winning one-on-one, or the line wasn’t holding up.

Sumrall admitted that South Carolina dominated for most of the game, disrupting the Gators’ running game and putting pressure on the passing attack. He also pointed to missed reads on some running plays and poor protection on obvious passing situations as areas Florida needed to improve.

“But I think the physical component of the game, we didn’t win at the line of scrimmage,” Sumrall said. “In the SEC, you’re going to get challenged every week. It doesn’t change. It’s been the same every week we’ve played. There’s been a physical challenge on the other side. We have not answered the bell for that the last two weeks, and that’s disappointing.”

Despite a breakout win over Ole Miss, the Gators lost to South Carolina, which came with a three-game losing streak and had lost eight straight SEC games. Florida couldn’t get past that. Running back Jadan Baugh was held to 59 yards on 15 carries after recording just 13 yards on 12 attempts against Missouri, while the Gators ran for a total of 120 yards on 38 carries and gave up three sacks.

Sumrall expressed frustration with the current reality, as the team hadn’t made progress in the area he flagged during the winning streak, where the second-half issues still persisted in the South Carolina game.

“We’ve cut practice a little this week lengthwise, not a lot but a little, because I’ve been worried about, are we hitting that stretch of playing five, six, next week on seven games, and are you maybe a little bit fatigued, worn down?” Sumrall said. “Because I do think we’ve looked a little bit worn down in the second half. I would completely agree. I think we’ve looked maybe a little sluggish, a little slow, and not maybe as strong as we need to be to finish the right way.”

Though the fatigue, coverage, and physicality issues are all fixable on paper, the next two opponents leave little margin for error. The Gators play No. 1 Texas next on the road on October 17, followed by No. 2 Georgia on Halloween in Atlanta.

At 4-2, one more loss would hurt the CFP case Sumrall’s team has been building over the past month. Florida can only focus on being better prepared for the next game and making sure its defense wins individual matchups.