Caleb Sturgis watched as his 51-yard kick ricocheted off the right upright and fell to the ground. However, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin gave Sturgis two chances to pull Florida within a touchdown of the lead.
Sumlin’s timeout negated the first kick, so Sturgis split the uprights on his second try to make the score 17-10 shortly before halftime.
After kicking two field goals during the Gators’ 20-17 victory against the Aggies, the redshirt senior placekicker was named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. This is the third time Sturgis has earned the award during his college career.
“He’s very accurate and very dependable,” UF coach Will Muschamp said. “He never gets shook, he just lines up and does his job.”
Sturgis’ first kick came at a critical time for Florida. Texas A&M had scored 14 unanswered points on back-to-back drives, averaging 80 yards in length.
His 51-yard kick tallied the Gators’ first points since their opening touchdown drive.
The St. Augustine native’s second field goal was a 25-yard kick that cut Texas A&M’s lead to 17-13 on Florida’s first possession of the second half.
Sturgis’ 51-yarder was his seventh career field goal measuring 50 yards or more and his second this season. Against Bowling Green in the season opener, Sturgis made a 51-yard field goal that increased Florida’s lead to 27-14.
“In my two years as head coach, to have that opportunity to have a guy like him has just been a relief,” Muschamp said.
Offensive Injuries: Despite suffering a groin strain during Saturday’s victory, Mike Gillislee practiced on Monday and is expected to play against Tennessee.
So far this season, Gillislee has carried the ball 38 times for 231 yards and four touchdowns, each of which have either tied the game or given Florida a lead.
During the 2012 campaign, Gillislee has seen an increased role under new offensive coordinator Brent Pease. The senior running back’s early success has raised questions regarding his limited play behind Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey in 2011. Last season, Gillislee had just 56 carries despite averaging a team-high 5.9 yards per carry.
“We were a little different schematically, offensively, last year,” Muschamp said. “There was never any lack of confidence in Mike Gillislee.”
Matt Patchan’s strained pectoral muscle will keep him out for a third game. Last week, Muschamp said Patchan’s rehab was ahead of schedule and the oft-injured offensive lineman could potentially play against Tennessee.
Now Muschamp is hopeful for Patchan to return next week, but said the injury may sideline the redshirt junior until the bye week at the end of September.
“I know Matt’s frustrated,” Muschamp said on Sept. 3. “I’m frustrated for him, because he’s worked extremely hard. He had a really good offseason, so I hope it’s not that much longer.”
Saturday’s contest against the Volunteers will mark the 30th game Patchan has missed due to injury during his career at UF. He earned a medical redshirt after missing the entire 2010 season.
Chaz Green left Saturday’s game due to cramping, but there have been no further problems with the Tampa native, who returned to practice on Monday.
“Chaz Green had some cramps, probably could have returned, but Kyle Koehne came in and did a nice job for us,” Muschamp said.
Debose Absent in Passing Game: Florida receivers have caught 26 passes from Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett in 2012. Andre Debose has yet to record a reception.
When the depth chart was released on Aug. 27, Debose was listed as a backup behind Frankie Hammond Jr. at X receiver.
Brissett targeted Debose in the second quarter against Bowling Green on a deep post route, but the sophomore quarterback’s pass was overthrown.
Driskel said Debose’s lack of statistical contributions was not a reflection on the wide receiver’s play.
“That’s not him — he’s not the one throwing to himself,” Driskel said. “We have a bunch of playmakers. We’re trying to distribute the ball evenly. Obviously you have your progressions on each play. You don’t design them for certain people; you design them for certain routes. It’s not anything he’s done wrong.”
Muschamp said he has not had an issue with Debose’s play, praising his efforts in the ground game on Saturday.
“Andre Debose made a great block on the road that Gilly hit on their sideline for about 30 (yards) — an outstanding block to free us up there,” Muschamp said.
The junior wideout has seen most of his game action on special teams returning kickoffs and punts. As a returner, he has amassed 107 yards on six touches with one fumble.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Receiver Andre Debose (4) waits in the end zone to return a kick-off during the game against Texas A&M on Saturday at Kyle Field. Debose is out for 2013 with an ACL tear.
