Senior defensive lineman Cece Jefferson is ready to make the most of what little time he has left with the Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Veterans Jefferson, Reese Back for Gators at a Good Time
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cece Jefferson returned quietly, coming off the bench in the win over Colorado State and not recording a tackle in his season debut.
Junior linebacker David Reese came back vigorously, finishing with a team-high 11 tackles in the victory at Tennessee and recovering a fumble that led to Florida's first score.
The fact both veterans are back is a boost the UF defense felt significantly in last week's win at Tennessee. The Gators are looking for the same impact from Jefferson and Reese on Saturday at Mississippi State.
A senior defensive lineman, Jefferson missed the first two games of the season while serving a suspension for failing to meet academic standards.
"I had my nights of crying, but I picked my head up,'' Jefferson said. "I apologized to [my teammates]. I took that on the chin as a man. We're just moving forward from that and I'm enjoying what little time I have here left."
Meanwhile, Reese sat out the first three games due to an ankle injury he suffered in preseason camp. The team's leading tackler as a sophomore, Reese's presence was sorely missed in the first two games as Charleston Southern and Kentucky combined for 525 yards rushing and 6.3 yards per carry. The Wildcats burned the Gators for 303 yards on the ground to win for the first time at the Swamp since 1979.
In the victory over the Vols, Tennessee managed only 2.9 yards per rush with Reese manning the middle of UF's defense.
"He's definitely a physical presence, and I think anytime you can add a physical presence that has leadership qualities to your team, I think, one, that position becomes better, but I think he makes other players around him better,'' Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "It allows him to have maybe a little comfort and his leadership and his communication to them on how we need to play better."
Jefferson and Reese spoke to the media for the first time this season after practice on Monday. A difficult moment for each was watching Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. and the Wildcats run over the Gators on the way to snapping a 31-game losing streak to UF on Sept. 8.
Jefferson winced at the memory.
"I wanted to sneak and put my uniform on, get back out there that night. It definitely hurt me knowing that I could have gone out there and made a difference. Not saying I would have,'' Jefferson said. "It definitely hurt me a lot, knowing I could have made a difference in that game, just my presence. Not being out there really killed me and I let my teammates down. That's what hurt me the most."
Reese had similar emotions. After the loss, Gators coach Dan Mullen challenged the Gators to be more physical.
Over the past two games, UF's run defense has allowed only 226 yards on 96 carries compared to the gash wounds in the two games when neither Jefferson nor Reese played. Jefferson, who made three tackles in the win at Tennessee, was a disruptive force all game. He made his biggest play when he blew into Tennessee's backfield and dropped Vols running back Tim Jordan for a safety with the help of fellow defensive lineman Adam Shuler.
Jefferson's upbeat personality and leadership skills make him invaluable for a young defense in a first-year scheme.
"He had a great impact," Reese said. "It's just great when we've got all our guys healthy and everybody back together. We're a tight unit and a big family, and we play for one another. It's just like when you get one of your boys back. It just changes the dynamic of the team."
In his season debut, Reese did not need long to stand out as the Gators forced six turnovers. On UF's first takeaway, which came on Jachai Polite's sack and forced fumble, the ball dropped into Reese's arms on a delayed blitz. Reese's fumble recovery at Tennessee's 21-yard line set up the Gators' first score.
Reese made the first tackle for the Gators when he drilled Vols running back Ty Chandler on Tennessee's first play from scrimmage, a sign of what was to come in one of his best games at Florida.
Junior linebacker David Reese finished with a team-high 11 tackles in the win at Tennessee after missing the first three games due to an ankle injury. (Photo: Alex de la Osa/UAA Communications)
"I like being physical. That's part of my game. I like to play downhill,'' Reese said. "As a unit, we can be more physical. I understand where [Coach Mullen] is coming from.
"I just wanted to make sure that I could go 100 percent. It was a mental thing. As soon as I got out there and got my first tackle, I was at ease, I was calm. I was able to make some plays out there and have some fun. I didn't think about the injury."
On Saturday in Starkville, Florida faces another dangerous runner in Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. The Gators not only had trouble stopping Snell in the loss to Kentucky, but Wildcats quarterback Terry Wilson chipped in with 105 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Most of Wilson's running yards came when he escaped pressure. The Bulldogs' offense plays off Fitzgerald's threat as a runner, so containment on the edge and protecting the middle will be key for UF's defense.
In other words, Jefferson and Reese are back together at a good time.
"This quarterback is probably not as electric as the one at Kentucky, probably not as fast,'' Reese said. "But he is a good runner, kind of reminds a lot of a Tebow-type of guy. He's a big, powerful guy, probably going to try to run through you and not around you. We're excited about that. We've going to have to put pressure on him and control the tempo early."
