Cody Riggs remembers practice on Sept. 24. That is when the injury bug struck again.
While defending a screen pass in preparation for a game against Kentucky, defensive tackle Dominique Easley suffered a torn right ACL.
For Riggs, like many other players on Florida’s defense, Easley’s injury hit close to home.
Riggs and Easley arrived together at UF under coach Urban Meyer after earning spots at the Under Armour All-America game coming out of high school.
Now, they will never play another snap together on defense.
“I was on the field the same time he got hurt,” Riggs said. “I was just like, ‘How does that happen?’”
That question has become all too familiar for the No. 22 Gators.
Florida lost running back Matt Jones to a torn left meniscus Saturday against No. 6 LSU.
Jones became the seventh Gator to suffer a season-ending injury this season. Florida lost its top defensive tackle, starting quarterback and starting running back in a span of three weeks.
“I’ve never been on a team with this many season-ending injuries,” Riggs said. “But we have a lot of guys that have stepped up, so at least we have the depth to make up for it.”
Tyler Murphy has filled in for Jeff Driskel, and the Gators have used a rotation of defensive linemen to help fill the void left by Easley.
Redshirt junior Mack Brown will replace Jones and make his second career start on Saturday in Columbia, Mo., against No. 14 Missouri.
Brown gained 112 yards on 25 carries starting in place of Jones during Florida’s season opener against Toledo on Aug. 31.
“I played ball for like 16 years and I’ve never seen nothing like this before,” Brown said. “You have got to step up and do our jobs. It’s not over yet. Just got to keep moving.”
Gators go under knife: Coach Will Muschamp announced Wednesday that Easley would undergo surgery today on his right knee in Pensacola with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
Jones underwent surgery on his left knee Monday.
As the Gators lost two players to season-ending procedures this week, another is waiting for his return to the field.
Redshirt junior Ronald Powell has missed the last three days of practice due to an ankle injury he suffered in Florida’s 17-6 loss on Saturday. Muschamp said he did not know the extent of the injury during Wednesday’s weekly SEC coaches media teleconference.
Florida’s third-year coach expects to know by game time whether Powell will be able to play. He missed all of last season due to two knee surgeries repairing a torn right ACL.
Early start time in Columbia: There will not be any nature walks this weekend.
Offensive coordinator Brent Pease helped his quarterbacks pass the time awaiting a 7 p.m. kickoff in Lexington, Ky., by taking them on an educational stroll around their hotel.
However, with a 12:21 p.m. kickoff at Missouri, Florida will be playing its earliest game of the season and will not have time for any additional activities.
“Personally, I like the early games just because you wake up and you just go out there and play,” right guard Jon Halapio said. “The night games, you’re just waiting around the hotel the whole day and watching the other games and just very anxious.”
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus.
Matt Jones takes a handoff during Florida’s 24-7 victory against Kentucky on Sept. 28 in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky. Jones (torn meniscus) underwent surgery on Monday and will miss the remainder of the season.
