Gators Notebook: McCalister Pushes Forward, Harris Remains Confident, More Tidbits
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida defensive end Alex McCalister, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week, is one of the Gators' most affable players.
He has yet to meet a stranger and is quick with a one-liner, such as Tuesday after practice when asked what he says to quarterbacks he sacks.
McCalister leads Florida with 6.5 sacks and had three tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks in Florida's 9-7 homecoming victory over Vanderbilt.
At first, McCalister passed on the question. Then asked for a tame account, he replied: "Nice version? 'You can't get away from me chump.' But that's just like the real, real rated G version."
McCalister's penchant for dropping quarterbacks has made him a favorite subject of Florida fans skilled at making gifs. McCalister leads the team in sacks and continues to develop into a dominant pass rusher like many projected the 6-foot-6, 239-pound redshirt junior from Winston Salem, N.C., would when he arrived at UF.
"He's getting there,'' teammate Bryan Cox Jr. said. "He's definitely good now, but I think he can be really, really good. Add a few more pounds and he's dangerous.”
McCalister was a project when signed by the Gators. He was rail thin and not ready to challenge SEC offensive linemen. That began to change last season when McCalister had six sacks, second on the team behind Dante Fowler Jr., the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
McCalister has reached another level under first-year defensive line coach Chris Rumph, who joined Jim McElwain's staff after spending last season at Texas, and prior to that, three seasons at Alabama.
"All I had to do was get some technique and get some weight behind me,'' McCalister said. "Coach Rumph got me right, really. A whole bunch of new moves, he's letting me be free, that's my biggest thing, I feel like way more free."
McCalister uses his long arms to keep offensive linemen away and his speed and athleticism to do the rest.
Quarterbacks beware.
"The coaches really did a good job of making me personally feel comfortable and being myself and just like feeling free of doing what moves I wanted getting to the quarterback,'' he said.
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STAYING CONFIDENT
Sophomore quarterback Treon Harris has struggled to find consistency the past two games in wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Harris is 20 of 43 for 313 yards over that span after throwing for a career-high 271 yards in his first start after replacing Will Grier, a 35-28 loss at LSU on Oct. 17.
Harris finished 12 of 24 for 158 yards on Saturday, throwing his first interception of the season and losing a fumble.
"I had some bad plays,'' he said.
Still, Harris is not lacking for confidence as the Gators prepare to face South Carolina on the road this week. Harris is 7-3 as UF's starting quarterback the past two seasons and has a knack of making a big play when you least expect it.
“It's been a great season for me,'' he said. “When I was watching Will play, I was still in the playbook learning what I could do on the field when I'm our there. We have a lot of work to do to get better moving forward.
"They're going to have a big environment just because the Gators are coming up there.”
It's not always pretty with Harris, but McElwain emphasized that the offense's sputtering against Vanderbilt had a lot to do with Vanderbilt's defensive line and the players around Harris needing to do their jobs better.
Teammate Kelvin Taylor has faith that Harris can get the Gators to where they want to go despite recent results.
"I feel like he's learning the offense pretty much a whole lot more,'' Taylor said. "He's feeling more comfortable every game. I feel like he's getting better and better, just like picking up the different schemes of the defense and just feeling more comfortable while going through the different progressions he has to go through."
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DEFENSIVE DEPTH TESTED
The Gators opened practice Monday with some questions about player availability at South Carolina, including that of senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard.
Bullard suffered an arm injury against Vanderbilt in one of his better games of the season. He had six tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and half a sack.
“He's probably doubtful,'' McElwain said. “We'll see how that goes as the week goes on.”
McElwain said safety Keanu Neal (foot) is questionable and defensive lineman Joey Ivie (knee) is out. Ivie has missed two of the last three games. With defensive lineman Jordan Sherit suspended for the first half Saturday for a targeting penalty against Vanderbilt, and redshirt freshman Thomas Holley sidelined by a hip injury, the defensive line depth will be thinner than usual.
If Bullard is unavailable, Caleb Brantley and Taven Bryan are projected to start at defensive tackle with redshirt freshman Khairi Clark in reserve. In addition, true freshman CeCe Jefferson could be used inside and outside on the line.
“CeCe will obviously play a bunch more,” McElwain said. “Khairi Clark is doing a great job in there. We'll have some guys step up and play good.”
The Gators have not lost hope in Bullard being able to play. He has started 21 consecutive games and is having his best season. He leads Florida with 13 TFL and his five sacks rank second behind McCalister's 6.5.
“I've got faith he'll be out there,'' defensive back Brian Poole said.
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DON'T LOOK FOR HBC
The Gators face South Carolina for the first time in a decade without Steve Spurrier on the opposite sideline. The former UF Heisman Trophy winner and head coach resigned last month.
Spurrier went 5-5 against his alma mater as South Carolina's head coach. He recently called McElwain following Florida's 27-3 victory over Georgia.
“That means a lot,'' McElwain said. “That guy's a Gator, man.”
For those wondering if Spurrier plans to show up at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday to watch the No. 11-ranked Gators face the Gamecocks, you can stop.
“I don't think I should," Spurrier told The State newspaper. "I think I need to get out of the way and let the coaches here and players have a go at it. The Gamecocks have got a chance to win this one this week, but I'm not going to be around.”
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QUOTE OF NOTE I
“As I've told all the scouts, this guy has come farther than any guy in our program, and I'm proud of him. He played his tail off [Saturday] and it showed.” – Gators coach Jim McElwain on receiver Demarcus Robinson
QUOTE OF NOTE II
“If you're hungry you know where to go to get a sandwich.'' – Defensive back Brian Poole on McElwain's habit of making sandwiches in his office
QUOTE OF NOTE III
“I felt like before the season started we had a great shot to do whatever we wanted to do. I've been here three years and guys are tired of losing. We were willing to do whatever it takes to have a great season.” – Running back Kelvin Taylor on clinching SEC East
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EXTRA POINTS
Gators LB Antonio Morrison had a team-high 11 tackles Saturday following corrections made to the final game book; Morrison leads the Gators with 71 tackles … The Gamecocks are wearing tribute stickers on their helmets this season in honor of the nine victims of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston on June 17. The sticker is garnet and depicts a Palmetto tree shaped by nine flying doves.
