Gators to be without Treon Harris and Jalen Tabor on Saturday against Tennessee
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | Football, Volleyball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Will Grier's grip on the Gators' quarterback job got tighter Wednesday.
At least for the Tennessee game.
Florida head coach Jim McElwain announced after practice that sophomore quarterback Treon Harris and sophomore defensive back Jalen Tabor will not play Saturday.
“They chose not to play in this ballgame,'' McElwain said. “It's a choice. Each one of us have a choice, and they made a choice to do whatever. It hurts, because we've got a lot of guys that really care about this team, and we'll have to have some of the guys to step up and play.”
Harris and Tabor will serve one-game suspensions for undisclosed reasons and McElwain said “they will be back the following week.”
Harris led the Gators to a 10-9 comeback win over the Vols last season, replacing starter Jeff Driskel in the second half and directing the Gators on a pair of scoring drives.
Harris started the final six games of last season and the season opener against New Mexico State. He played much of the second half against East Carolina but did not play in last week's 14-9 win at Kentucky as Grier went the distance.
Harris is 19 of 27 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He also is fifth on the team with 55 rushing yards.
With Harris unavailable against the Vols, graduate transfer Josh Grady will serve as Grier's backup on Saturday. Grady has rushed twice for 21 yards and thrown one pass for three yards in Florida's first three games.
Grady opened preseason camp at quarterback but took most of his reps at receiver as camp progressed. Grady played quarterback and receiver at Vanderbilt prior to transferring to Florida for his final year of eligibility over the summer.
“Obviously that things you out at the quarterback position,'' McElwain said of losing Harris. “But that's why we make sure to work our Gator Tail stuff and have some packages for Josh to be ready to go in. Feel good about that.”
As for Grier, he is 39 of 57 for 442 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in his first three college games. He is second on the team with 114 yards rushing after leading the Gators with 61 yards on the ground at Kentucky.
This is an opportunity for Grier to distance himself from Harris in a quarterback battle that started in spring practice, continued in preseason camp and extended into the first two games.
“He's going to have an opportunity to run the ship,'' McElwain said.
McElwain confirmed Wednesday that former Oregon State quarterback Luke Del Rio, who transferred to UF over the summer, must sit out this season after not receiving a waiver from the NCAA.
The loss of Tabor means once again the Florida secondary will be without a primary contributor. Due to injuries and suspensions, Florida was absent at least one key member of the secondary until safety Keanu Neal made his season debut at Kentucky. Neal missed the first two games with a leg injury.
Still, sophomore cornerback Quincy Wilson and redshirt freshman Deiondre Porter can play opposite Vernon Hargreaves III. Tabor has 10 tackles, four pass break-ups and returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown in the victory over East Carolina.
“Defensively, we've got some guys,'' McElwain said. “Really, where it's going to hurt a lot is probably the depth on special teams. Deiondre Porter's got to step up.
“Somebody else gets to play. That's it. Disappointed? Yeah, but there again, we all have choices and decisions to make in everything we do. It wasn't anything we did. The team didn't do. I feel bad for the team is who I feel bad for.”
