Florida's defensive line has been thin all season and now the Gators will be without redshirt junior Javier Estopinan, who injured his left anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) in the 42-30 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville. Coach Urban Meyer said Monday that Estopinan will miss the remainder of the season.
That's not all.
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Terron Sanders will miss time with a high left ankle sprain. Meyer said freshman John Brown should focus on getting his academics in order and he is not expected to play when No. 18 Florida hosts Vanderbilt at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Gators have lost three of four but still have a chance to win the SEC East if they win out and Georgia and Tennessee each lose one game.
Fifth-year senior Clint McMillan has battled with a shoulder injury. The rotation at the other defensive tackle spot is freshman Torrey Davis and redshirt freshman Lawrence Marsh. Meyer said the staff is looking at putting Justin Trattou in the mix or possibly moving redshirt junior Derrick Harvey, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks, inside on a limited basis. Using freshman Carlos Dunlap is also an option.
Freshman safety Major Wright had a limited role on special teams against Georgia and played with a heavily bandaged hand after undergoing thumb surgery early last week. Senior Kyle Jackson filled in for Wright at safety. The Gators will also look for sophomore wide receiver Riley Cooper to get healthier this week. Cooper made the trip but did not dress against the Bulldogs.
Junior running back Kestahn Moore fumbled once in the first quarter which led to Georgia's first touchdown and later in the quarter he could not handle a high snap on first-and-10 from the 13. The 11-yard loss took Florida (5-3, 3-3 SEC) out of the red zone and then sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow was sacked twice to push the Gators out of field goal range.
Meyer said the running back job is open this week. Sophomore Percy Harvin finished with a team-high 97 rushing yards on 10 carries and sophomore Brandon James added 26 yards on five attempts. With Tebow's bruised right shoulder limiting his carries – and it might limit his rushing attempts again this week – it's up for grabs who might take over at running back. Meyer said it will not be redshirt freshman Chevon Walker.
"We want to get (Harvin) the ball as much as we can," Tebow said. "He's a phenomenal player that just makes plays. He's a game-changer…Brandon James can handle it. A lot of people underestimate him because of his size (5-foot-6, 181 pounds).
"Brandon James has a big heart. You can see it on special teams. Linebackers are running down trying to take his head off full speed and he never shies down from any contact. Since playing him in high school I've never seen him be afraid or timid in a game. I have the utmost confidence in him that he can get the job done."
Senior center Drew Miller said the play-calling was altered because of Tebow's injury. Tebow entered the game averaging almost 18 carries per game, but Meyer said there were only four designed quarterback runs. He finished with -15 rushing yards mainly because he was sacked six times. Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-3) enters this weekend third in the conference in scoring defense at 17.4 points per game and first in sacks with 24.
"I'm sure (the injury) affected him some," Miller said. "I really don't know. I haven't talked to him if it affected him at all. I know some of our play-calling was different because of it but as far as how he feels, I don't know. He didn't show any signs of being hurt at all.
"We never like to have him touched at all let alone have him sacked six times. We definitely didn't do a great job with that this week. We can get that fixed. We just have to focus on finishing blocks, staying alive, no play is ever dead."
Meyer said this is the best Vanderbilt team Florida has faced in his three-year tenure by far. The Commodores are coming off a 24-13 win over Miami (Ohio). They beat South Carolina, 17-6, two weeks ago and lost to Georgia, 20-17, earlier this month.
Florida has beaten Vanderbilt 16 straight times but the last two have not been easy. Quarterback Chris Leak ran for two touchdowns and the Gators blocked two punts in a 25-19 decision last season. In 2005, Leak hit wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius for a 16-yard touchdown pass and Florida hung on, 49-42, in double overtime. Leak finished 32 of 41 for 257 yards and three scores.
More Player Quotes
Tebow and Miller on Georgia's celebration after it scored the first touchdown and the entire team stormed the end zone. It drew two unsportsmanlike penalties and the Bulldogs were forced to kick off from their own 7 ½ yard line:
Tebow: "I have a lot of respect for coach (Mark) Richt and everything he's done. I wouldn't be expecting that from coach Richt. The guys came fired up and it got them ready to play and they played better than they had all year. I guess you can say it worked and you can look at it another way and say it wasn't very classy."
Miller: "I was sitting on the sidelines and I didn't know what was going on and then they said what happened and I was like that's pretty dumb. We get an extra 15 yards for B. James to take it on the kickoff. I didn't really mind that much. If that's what their coach thought they needed to do to get pumped up I don't think it's very sportsmanlike but I guess it apparently worked for them."
starter out for the year
starter out for the year
change it up. give guys a chance...we can't get worse or can we? i really don't think so...trattou had a tip/interception this year early...play dunlap...trial by fire baby!!!!
starter out for the year
I agree Rad. These are our horses next year. Trattou, Dunlop, Brown, Davis and Cunningham will make up our front four next year. Get the fire in them the last few games this year so they are battle tested next year. We have got to get better at the corner position as well. We are really bad in the defensive backfield. This sounds bad, but in all my years as a Gator fan, I can NEVER remember us being this young or this bad on D. I knew there would be lumps with all of the new starters on D, but I had no idea it would be like this.
I am the law, bitches!
starter out for the year
Oh, I definitely agree. I just know it's going to be painful to watch--heck, I knew that at the beginning of the year.change it up. give guys a chance...we can't get worse or can we? i really don't think so...trattou had a tip/interception this year early...play dunlap...trial by fire baby!!!!
Just think, though, how much this experience is going to help these young guys in a year or two. They're gonna be nasty.
starter out for the year
i hope so, right now the growing pains are difficult to stomach.
Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.
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annarborgator
- Posts: 8886
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starter out for the year
we're decimated right now. jeebus.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
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UFgirlfan07
- Posts: 2863
- Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:52 pm
starter out for the year
Javier tore up his knee last season too. I wonder if it's the same knee.
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Rad I agree...I think some of the problem is the coaches just don't trust the new guys...well, they don't really have a choice now...let them loose...so they may make some mistakes, with the talent we have they should do better than and old guy that wasn't too good to begin with! Right? Release the hounds.....
Okay, let's try this!
starter out for the year
we is fucked on D
“The Knave abideth.” I dare speak not for thee, but this maketh me to be of good comfort; I deem it well that he be out there, the Knave, being of good ease for we sinners.