Florida’s offense took a major blow Monday, as coach Jim McElwain announced that Dre Massey will require season-ending surgery on his right knee.
The junior JUCO transfer wide receiver suffered the injury on the opening kickoff of UF’s 24-7 win over UMass Saturday. Somehow, Massey played through the ailment until halftime.
“There’s obviously a disappointment anytime something like that happens,” McElwain said. “And yet, the beautiful thing about teammates, family is they’re there to support, elevate, pick him up. That’s what we saw. He had a lot of family members here too for the first time. I know it was disappointing for him, and yet he’s got a lot of ball in front of him. He’ll get this thing handled.”
Massey, known for his electric speed, was likely going to be a big piece of the Gators’ passing and kick return games. He was Florida’s starting slot receiver Saturday.
Quarterback Luke Del Rio said the loss is hard to swallow, but he’s confident the team can overcome the obstacle.
“You know, it’s going to be tough to lose a great player like Dre,” Del Rio said. “But we’re talented in that room and we’ll rally around him and support him through the rehab process.”
Massey’s injury leaves a hole that will likely need to be filled by everyone, including younger players.
Freshmen wideouts Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond helped carry the load in their first action on the field, combining for seven catches and 49 yards.
Fellow first-year receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells could help, too. McElwain said both will return to practice this week following a one-game suspension after an on-campus BB gun incident in July.
Senior Ahmad Fulwood will especially need to step up. The 6-foot-4 receiver hauled in just one pass for 13 yards Saturday.
And the team hopes junior C.J. Worton, who’s nursing a high ankle sprain, will practice at full health this week.
“Reconfiguring some things at the wideout spot,” McElwain said. “Getting some bodies back, that’s going to be huge.”
McElwain also plans on getting creative with his running backs and tight ends in the wake of Massey’s injury.
“Obviously our use of multiple running backs, which we haven’t really done a ton of in the past, is something you’ll see more of,” he said. “That’s a position that we’ve got to lean on a little bit. Same thing with [DeAndre Goolsby] and [C’yontai Lewis] in the pass game.”
More injury notes:
Senior linebacker Daniel McMillian suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday and could be out for an extended period of time. McElwain said he doesn’t think it’ll be season-ending but acknowledged high ankle sprains can linger longer than expected.
“We’ll see…He’s a tough guy,” McElwain said.
Junior Duke Dawson left Saturday’s game with a right shoulder injury that McElwain described as “a little loose.” The cornerback was cleared for limited contact reps in practice and McElwain said he should be OK for this weekend’s game versus Kentucky.
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12.
Jim McElwain talks with players during stretches before a fall practice at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
