After not seeing as much playing time as they would have liked in their freshman seasons, Dominique Easley, Ronald Powell and Sharrif Floyd were humbled.
“When you come from being leaders on your team and being the stars from where you’re from and stuff like that, and you get sat down, it’s kind of frustrating,” Powell said.
The highly touted 2010 recruits combined for just 52 tackles and one sack last season. But they made the most of their time on the field Saturday in the Orange and Blue Debut.
Despite not racking up gaudy statistics, the trio forced their way into the face of Florida’s quarterbacks throughout the scrimmage. They limited John Brantley to just four completions and 45 passing yards.
“We can be one hell of a force if we really, really come together,” Floyd said before clarifying himself. “We will be.”
The defense didn’t reveal much of its playbook in the scrimmage. Powell noted that he didn’t even get to play in his new spot, the “Buck” position, because the unit presented such a vanilla look.
Floyd led both teams with four tackles, while Powell finished the day with one pass breakup. Easley did not record any stats Saturday, but he was in the backfield most of the day.
“It’s fun, man,” Powell said of playing with Floyd and Easley. “You got a lot of competition. If you don’t get to the ball before they do, it’s a wrap.”
INJURY REPORT: Freshman wide receiver Javares McRoy missed the scrimmage because of a medical procedure on his lung, according to coach Will Muschamp.
McRoy has been out a week and a half, but Muschamp made it clear McRoy’s health problem will not be a long-term issue.
“He’s fine,” Muschamp said. “There’s no serious situation right here.”
Versatile sophomore Trey Burton and wide receiver Andre Debose were also kept on the sideline Saturday. Both missed the scrimmage because of ankle injuries they suffered during spring practice.
Muschamp said Burton could have played if it was the regular season, but he decided to sit him out for precautionary reasons.
Florida’s new coach didn’t sound so encouraged by Debose’s injury, though. Debose admitted to having trouble picking up last season’s offense, so it was critical for him to spend as much time on the field as possible to understand offensive coordinator Charlie Weis’ system.
“I’m disappointed that Andre Debose hurt his ankle,” Muschamp said. “I wish we could have gotten some more reps with him. … He’s a guy that really had a good offseason and was having a good spring up to that point.”
