Usually, when a player of Brandon Spikes' caliber is in jeopardy of missing a game, it's cause for concern.
Then again, there isn't usually a jack-of-all-trades with the mind of a defensive coordinator ready to step in.
If Spikes isn't able to play Saturday at Kentucky because of Achilles tendinitis, senior Ryan Stamper will take his place, and it's almost a given that Stamper will fill the All-American's shoes well.
"You know if Stamp is there, the job is going to get done," cornerback Joe Haden said. "That's basically how we take it."
Now in his fifth season, Stamper knows the Gators' defense inside and out. He can play all three linebacking positions and knows where the safeties and defensive linemen should be on every play.
He might as well be an on-field coach, and UF coach Urban Meyer has already asked him to become an assistant when his playing days are over.
"I pretty much know what every guy has to do," Stamper said. "When it comes to the run, I kind of know what position everyone needs to be in, so I try to help everyone out the best I can."
Considering the task before him last week against Tennessee, it's astonishing Stamper didn't need any help. When Spikes left the game in the third quarter, Stamper had to fill in.
He had practiced all week at the weakside spot, but he made a seamless transition to middle linebacker.
Stamper finished with a game-high 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a sack in the 23-13 win, making the big plays that Spikes, clearly bothered by his injury, could not.
"I think that's a big reason why we won the game Saturday," Meyer said. "We don't hold that team, and those running backs, to what we did without a guy like Stamper coming to play."
Stamper credits his knowledge of the defense to his longevity, as he's one of just four signees left from the 2005 recruiting class (Jonathan Phillips, David Nelson and Dorian Munroe are the others).
His long-standing place on the team has made him a father figure, and teammates often look to him for the final word in arguments. That's a source of pride for the Jacksonville native - originally an Auburn commit - who is glad he stayed the course in Gainesville.
"I think about that all the time," Stamper said. "A lot of my guys got kicked off the team or transferred or something. To know that I'm still here and I made it through the tough times in this program, that means a lot to me."
When Stamper takes the field in Lexington on Saturday, he'll do so prepared to play just about anywhere on the defense.
And he'll be a calming presence for Meyer, even if it means Spikes is on the sidelines.
"The respect people have for him, he was elected captain before he was even a starter here at Florida," Meyer said. "I don't know what we'd do without a guy like him. He's the kind of guy who'd be the face of the program. He's tremendous, a really great player who holds the whole deal together."
