Dealing with the continued effects of a serious viral infection suffered prior to the start of fall camp, sophomore running back Matt Jones remains out indefinitely.
With fewer than three weeks remaining until Florida plays Toledo on Aug. 31, coach Will Muschamp acknowledged the possibility that Jones could miss the start of the regular season.
“Well, that may be a reality, but I don’t know that,” Muschamp said. “Beginning of the season at some point whether it’s the first week or the second week or as you head into the open week, he’s going to play for us this year.”
Jones, who is expected to be Florida’s starting running back when healthy, has not practiced with the team after spending time in the hospital earlier this offseason.
Muschamp said Jones has recently begun doing cardio work but no timetable exists for his return. Given how gradual Jones’ recovery has been to this point, it is likely the Gators will begin preparing as if he will not return prior to the start of the season.
“We’re in a little bit of unchartered water coming into having the type of infection he had and then you’re talking about the heat we’re in and that sort of thing,” Muschamp said.
“I talked to one of the doctors at Shands and he said when you’re dealing with the human body, you never know. You don’t know how he’s going to respond and how quickly.”
As a freshman in 2012, Jones served as Mike Gillislee’s primary backup. He carried the ball 52 times for 275 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Jones rushed eight times for 81 yards and a touchdown — a 32-yard plunge late in the fourth quarter — in Florida’s 37-26 victory against Florida State on Nov. 24.
“Obviously I’m a little concerned about the running back position with Matt Jones being out,” Muschamp said. “Mack Brown has done some nice things, but from an experience standpoint we take a huge step (back) from where we’ve been. That’s a concerning issue.”
UF has several options to replace Jones’ production for however much time he misses. Brown, a junior, has the most experience in a group that also includes sophomore Mark Herndon and freshmen Kelvin Taylor and Adam Lane. Last season, Brown carried the ball 25 times for 102 yards and had three receptions for 10 yards.
Taylor, the son of former Gators running back Fred Taylor, has garnered the most attention after completing one of the most prolific high school careers in the history of the state of Florida.
Lane, a 5-foot-7, 222-pound bruiser, has also received attention for his size that is similar to that of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. As a senior last year at Winter Haven High, he rushed for 1,624 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“Adam’s done some nice things,” Muschamp said. “He’s a guy that’s really a tough guy to tackle. There’s not a lot of soft spots on him.”
Of Taylor, Muschamp said: “He did some nice things in the scrimmage Saturday. We’ve got to continue to preach ball security. He put it on the ground last night, and that’s something we can’t have happen. But, again, been very pleased with his progress. He’s very quick in his lower body, gets north and south, and he runs the way we want it to be run at Florida.”
The Gators will have a two-a-day session of practices Tuesday, a single practice Wednesday and Thursday and a scrimmage on Friday. Fan Day is Saturday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Freshman runningback Matt Jones runs the ball towards the Missouri endzone on Nov. 3 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during Florida's 14-7 win.
