No. 6 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review the team’s tight victory over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and preview Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
INJURY UPDATES
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who went down with what is being called a sprained ankle during the third quarter on Saturday and did not return to the game, was listed as “doubtful” by Muschamp on Monday. He is currently in a precautionary walking boot and will spend Monday and Tuesday trying to rehab his ankle before being given an opportunity to test it out on Wednesday.
Joining Driskel on the “doubtful” list were redshirt sophomore linebacker Neiron Ball (ankle) and redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose, who hurt his knee in practice two weeks ago and has yet to play since. Specifics have not been provided.
Muschamp said he expects senior left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee), redshirt senior left guard James Wilson (knee) and redshirt sophomore running back Mack Brown (ankle) to return to practice Tuesday and be ready to play on Saturday.
He was not as optimistic about four other players that got hurt on Saturday, noting that he expects redshirt junior WR Stephen Alli (shoulder), sophomore safety De’Ante Saunders (knee), redshirt freshman defensive back Valdez Showers (shoulder) and redshirt sophomore guard Ian Silberman (shoulder) to miss practice on Tuesday. All four will be reevaluated on Wednesday, which is when a decision will likely be made as to whether or not they can play in the home finale.
Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
PLAYER AWARDS
Offensive Players of the Game: Redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed
Big Plays: Driskel, Reed, sophomore QB Jacoby Brissett, redshirt senior TE Omarius Hines
Scrap Iron: Freshman left tackle D.J. Humphries, redshirt junior right guard Jon Halapio
“D.J. continues to play well for us, improves every time out. The number of snaps he’s getting and the number of looks and turns he’s getting, he continues to improve.”
Defensive Players of the Game: Junior defensive end Dominique Easley, sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy
Ball Hawks: Junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, senior Mike LB Jon Bostic
Special Teams Players of the Game: Purifoy
* Purifoy was also named SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week
“A guy that’s really fun to watch play. You want to turn the tape on, you’ll understand why we’re trying to get him on offense. You’ll see why, because he plays with relentless effort all the time … relentless effort in everything he does. He’s got great ball skills. He’s got a knack for making plays. I’m proud of the year that he is having.”
Big Play: Redshirt junior Will LB Jelani Jenkins
NOTES AND QUOTES
» On how he thought Florida performed: “I thought we played hard, just not very smart. Inconsistencies, especially on the offensive side of the ball, seven penalties that really cost us. … Inconsistent across the board is what’s hurting us right now offensively.”
» Muschamp said the Gators will have a flyover for Saturday’s game. U.S. Marine, Korean War veteran and Medal of Honor holder Duane Dewey (80) will be at the coin flip. His birthday is Friday and he will be 81 at the game.
» On Senior Day: “Eighteen seniors will play their last game here at The Swamp. They’ve been an outstanding group to work with as far as their buy-in to our program and what we’re trying to do and where we’re trying to go with this, certainly getting this started in the right direction and continuing the direction we’re headed. It’s a strong statement for them. They’ve been outstanding, and I’m very proud of them. The opportunity to be 7-0 [in The Swamp], only the third team in University of Florida history to do that. They understand what’s at stake.”
» On being 9-1 on the season, 3-1 against BCS top-10 opponents and having the toughest schedule in the country: “I don’t really worry about the perception and what might be out there. Unfortunately, in our profession sometimes, perception becomes reality. I don’t apologize for being 3-1 [vs. the BCS top 10] and being the only team in the BCS top 10 that has that record, that has a better record than anyone else and has a tougher schedule than anyone else in the country. I don’t know what else you need to do. As far as our players are concerned, we continue to focus on Florida and what we need to do to be successful and that’s preparation for Jacksonville State this weekend. You look at our record and you look at our schedule and what we’ve accomplished this year; we’ve had a hell of a year.”
» On the discipline penalties on Saturday: “We’re going to sit down and watch them as a team again like we did earlier in the year. As far as true discipline penalties, this has been the first [game] since Bowling Green where, to me, it has been a little bit ridiculous as far as that’s concerned. … It hasn’t been since then that we’ve had discipline-issue penalties. i think there’s a difference when you talk about an aggressive penalty – maybe you could have used better judgement – and then there’s a discipline penalty when you don’t lien up on the line of scrimmage on something you’ve run 6,000 times.”
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