A bye week has come at the perfect time for the Gators.
Following a 21-16 loss to Miami on Saturday in Sun Life Stadium, No. 18 Florida has several important players on the mend. With a week off, coach Will Muschamp expects most of them to be healthy enough to return against Tennessee on Sept. 21.
Quarterback Jeff Driskel is on crutches after suffering a sprained knee while scrambling against the Hurricanes. Driskel did not miss a snap in the game despite sustaining the injury in the first half.
“He will be fine for Tennessee,” Muschamp said on the weekly Southeastern Conference Coaches Media Teleconference on Wednesday. “We’re just precautionary, just trying to get him off his knee a little bit; we’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
Safety Marcus Maye (shoulder), cornerback Marcus Roberson (knee), left tackle D.J. Humphries (knee) and Buck linebacker Dante Fowler (hip) are all expected to be ready to go against the Volunteers, Muschamp said.
Right tackle Tyler Moore, who was called for three penalties against Miami, suffered an ankle injury while filling in for Humphries along the left side of the line. If the Gators had a game this week, Moore would not be ready to play, Muschamp said.
Muschamp added that Moore “probably should be fine” to play against Tennessee.
The news is not as promising for freshman defensive back Nick Washington, who suffered a shoulder injury during practice Monday that will require season-ending surgery.
Washington re-aggravated a shoulder problem he developed during high school.
“[He was] just reaching in for a ball,” Muschamp said. “It was a non-contact injury, knocking a ball off a guy in a skeleton period. Unfortunate. He was really progressing well at defensive back for us and on special teams. He was doing a good job.”
As expected, Muschamp said right guard Jon Halapio is nearing a return from injury.
Halapio, a second-team All-SEC selection, missed Florida’s first two games after suffering a partially torn pectoral muscle during the offseason. Prior to the injury, the redshirt senior had made 27 consecutive starts for UF.
With nine days to go until the Gators face the Volunteers, Halapio appears to be on schedule to return for the game.
Despite the long list of injuries, Muschamp said he would have liked to play this weekend because of the sour taste left in his mouth after Florida’s showing against Miami. The Gators racked up more than 400 yards of total offense, but five turnovers and multiple failures in the red zone sunk UF.
The loss dropped Florida from No. 12 to No. 18 in the Associated Press Poll. Miami, unranked entering the game, vaulted to No. 15.
“Anytime you lose, regardless of who you’re playing next, you want to get back on the field,” Muschamp said.
“I wish we could line up and play this weekend. Unfortunately, that’s the way our schedule falls. We created this issue, so now we need to circle the wagons here.”
Follow Phil Heilman on Twitter @phillip_heilman.
Jeff Driskel rushes during Florida’s 21-16 loss to Miami on Saturday in Sun Life Stadium. Driskel suffered a knee sprain in the game but is expected to face Tennessee on Sept. 21.
