Gators defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. joined Florida's mounting list of injured players on Saturday as the Gators prepare to face LSU with the SEC East on the line. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/For UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: McElwain-Muschamp Matchup, Injury Report, More Tidbits
Sunday, November 13, 2016 | Football
Florida's 20-7 victory over South Carolina included a career-high 134 yards from sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The most anticipated storyline of the week was UF coach Jim McElwain against South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, the latter returning to face the team he helped build.
Following some political jawing after Muschamp's departure – and McElwain's subsequent hiring – this was a game that many fans were quick to circle on the calendar.
Not only did the win bring the Gators one step closer to the SEC East title, but it provided a golden opportunity for McElwain to relish in his coaching triumph.
Relish, he did – but only in his own players' on-field success. With regard to Muschamp, it was all football business and complimentary remarks.
"It's a neat deal with us," McElwain said. "He's a great guy. He's helped me out with this deal, let's not get that wrong. He's very forthright. When I took over, he helped me. He talked about some of the deficiencies and I respect that. That's the kind of guy he is."
As McElwain made sure to note, many of the Gators' top tier defensive players were first recruited by Muschamp. Florida's success on that side of the ball certainly owes the former Gators coach some due credit.
So while McElwain's victory over his predecessor is being hailed as one of his biggest accomplishments in his tenure at Florida thus far, he didn't seem to see past the battle on the turf in this game.
The mutual respect was epitomized by the hug shared by the two men on the field following the game – and the praise exchanged on either side shows both are far from bad blood and anything else but a healthy SEC rivalry.
The two spoke prior to the game at midfield for a few minutes and exchanged a hug after Florida's 20-7 victory.
"I just said No. 1, that there were some great defensive players here and that he just did an outstanding job," McElwain said. "The biggest thing I said was he is doing a great job with that football team. That team is playing inspired. They play excited. You can feel the energy. He's doing it the right way. You know, I told him, I know a lot of his coaches, he's got a good staff and the guy's a good coach, man."
*****
INJURIES CONTINUE TO TEST GATORS
The injury bug has been quick and merciless to the Gators this season, but these last two weeks have been particularly difficult.
It's the second year in a row the Gators are deep in an SEC East run with a backup quarterback operating under center. The difference between the two late-season pushes is that LSU stands in the way this time – and apart from quarterback, Florida may be down as many as eight additional starters due to injury.
"You got guys dropping left and right and new guys go in there," McElwain said. "I think we sold some extra programs because they didn't know who the jersey numbers were in there and I think the director will be excited about that. That'll help them budget," he joked.
The humor was well received, but the underlying message was clear. This is a banged up football team in every aspect of the roster.
Safety Marcus Maye exited early with a broken arm, the same injury that linebacker Alex Anzalone suffered last week against Arkansas.
Linebacker Jarrad Davis, who unexpectedly played in the win against Georgia two weeks ago, re-injured his left ankle at Arkansas and will likely be out against LSU next Saturday. David Sharpe and Bryan Cox Jr. also suffered leg injuries and were ruled out for the rest of the game. Cece Jefferson is questionable against the Tigers with a leg injury of his own. The Gators will monitor their status as the week goes on.
Replacing Cameron Dillard on Saturday, sophomore center Tyler Jordan went out on the Gators' first play on offense. T.J. McCoy stepped in and despite a solid overall performance, there was a fumbled red-zone exchange between him and quarterback Austin Appleby – the type of turnover that could prove costly in a tight contest.
"Well, I deal with the twos the entire spring camp and the entire fall camp, so those are my dudes," Appleby said to laughs. "I actually felt more comfortable with them."
Despite two more injuries to the offensive line, Appleby expressed confidence in both the backup line and the team as a whole, citing the depth on both sides of the ball.
"We settled in, same with [Kavaris] Harkless and some others," he said. "We just go play football the Gators way. We're so deep, we've got so much talent on this team, that it doesn't matter who's out there. If we play to our standards, we'll be successful."
*****
LINEBACKERS REESE, JOHNSON EXCEL
With Alex Anzalone and Jarrad Davis out, freshman linebackers David Reese and Kylan Johnson have stepped up in a big way for Florida.
This game alone, Reese had 11 tackles – 10 assisted – as he was a constant presence in the middle of the field. Johnson added seven tackles to the defensive effort.
"The young guys played tremendously well," junior safety Marcell Harris said. "They ran to the ball, they made calls they needed to make at the D-line. They heard the calls and played fast. That's what we need them to do."
For Reese, it wasn't just hearing the calls, but giving them as well. Senior nose tackle Joey Ivie had high praise for the freshman linebacker, pointing toward there being very little difference between receiving calls from him and Davis for those on the line.
"I was really proud of David Reese," Ivie said. "Those guys really held it down. Anzalone and Jarrad Davis, those are two guys who play a big, big role on the defense. Everyone knew, 'hey, we've really got to step up with those two guys out.' They did the job."
Anzalone and Davis, when healthy, have been a forceful combination at linebacker for the Gators. Saturday's game against South Carolina marked the first time neither of them saw the field, but the defense didn't seem to miss a beat under the young leadership in the middle.
The Gamecocks failed to score in the first half and put up just 256 total yards in the game, a far-cry from what SEC fans had been seeing from Jake Bentley, who many would argue struggled for the first time since taking over the starting quarterback job. Saturday was his first loss at the collegiate level.
*****
SCARLETT SHINES BEHIND BATTERED LINE
Jordan Scarlett has gradually emerged as the every-down back for the Gators. He proved trustworthy in that role once again on Saturday by eclipsing the century mark for the second time this season.
He also reached a new career-high with 134 yards on the ground, helping to set the pace for Appleby under center early on.
"It was a great feeling," Scarlett said. "My offensive line did a great job of establishing the line of scrimmage and getting a good push. I was able to find some holes and make some good plays."
The depth of the offensive line was proven by the performance, as Scarlett was running behind three brand new offensive linemen against the Gamecocks, including the team's second replacement at center this year.
"We had some guys go down and some new guys come in,'' he said. "They were ready for the challenge. They came out with the energy to get it done. I just followed them."
What was once a three-headed – or even four-headed – rotation for some time in the first few weeks has yielded the answer at the position for Florida. Lamical Perine gets touches as the speed back, but the rest of the load has largely fallen on Scarlett's shoulders.
With good reason.
The sophomore back has shown that he can do it all – he's been effective inside and outside the tackles, he has enough power for short-yardage situations, and he has the elusiveness to break out for chunk gains.
Even with the responsibility, Scarlett knows that a lot of talent remains at this position for the Gators, who have been known to ride the hot hand.
"I don't want to get too complacent and start thinking that I'm supposed to get all those carries every game," he said. "We've got a lot of great backs behind me and I know how this rotation is, so I'm just here to play my part."
Against LSU, the Gators likely will ask him to play quite the part.
*****
EXTRA POINTS
Florida's 257 yards of offense in the first half against the Gamecocks was higher than the 241 yards of total offense against Arkansas the previous game … Eddy Pineiro made a 54-yard field goal, tying his career long as a Gators kicker. It was his third field goal of 50-plus yards this season, tying Caleb Sturgis for the most by a Gator since 1996 … Appleby completed 17 of 21 passes, including 11 of his first 12, for an 81.0 completion percentage. His 33-yard run was also the longest play of the game … Ahmad Fulwood's touchdown in the first quarter was his first since Jan. 3, 2015 against East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl … The Gators finished 5-0 at home in an abbreviated schedule, marking first time UF has gone unbeaten at The Swamp since 2012 … Antonio Callaway had a 32-yard punt return and looked a great deal more explosive on special teams against South Carolina. His punt return for a touchdown was nullified by penalty … Florida's secondary has secured 12 interceptions thus far this season, 11 of which have come against SEC opponents.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
OL
/ FootballInside Gators Football presented by UF Health 9-30-25
Tuesday, September 30
Play Breakdown presented by Tower Hill Insurance 9-30-25
Tuesday, September 30
Gator Insider presented by Talon Wealth 9-30-25
Tuesday, September 30
DJ Lagway Media Availability 9-29-29
Monday, September 29
