D.J. Humphries (right MCL sprain) returned to practice on Wednesday, coach Will Muschamp said during the weekly Southeastern Conference Coaches Media Teleconference.
Muschamp began the week by announcing that the offensive tackle would miss practice Monday and return in a limited fashion Tuesday before becoming a “full go” on Wednesday.
Dominique Easley (flu) returned to practice on Tuesday after missing Monday, and Darrin Kitchens (oblique strain) is still expected to play against Miami.
Humphries’ return puts Florida in good shape heading into Saturday’s game at Sun Life Stadium. After numerous injuries forced the Gators to alter their spring game format in April, Jon Halapio (partially torn pectoral muscle) is Florida’s lone injuredstarter.
“We had some offensive linemen miss spring ball, but since the start of camp, this is probably the healthiest we’ve been,” coach Will Muschamp said. “…We should be good to go heading into the game Saturday.”
Storm front: A quick look at the numbers shows Miami’s defensive front struggled in 2012.
The Hurricanes ranked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 114th nationally in rush defense, allowing 217.9 yards per game. The group did not prove much better in the pass rush, tallying only 13 sacks in 12 games for an average of 1.08 per game.
However, Florida is not underestimating Miami’s defensive front. Muschamp likes the returning talent UM boasts in a scheme similar to that of UF.
“They mix odd and even fronts,” Muschamp said. “Four down and three down, very similar to what we do.”
Offensive coordinator Brent Pease believes the familiarity with that style should benefit Florida’s offense, which will have starting running back Matt Jones (viral infection) back in the fold on Saturday.
“They do a lot of different mixtures of schemes on you,” Pease said. “They are able to get into an odd front without subbing guys in, which is what our defense can do, so I think we’ve got some good reps on that.”
Counting on Koehne: Kyle Koehne was the epitome of Florida’s “man down, man up” mantra in 2012.
He started only three games — all at right tackle — but played in all 13, bouncing all over the line during the Gators’ 11-2 season.
“The versatility has gotten me on the field faster than just playing at one spot,” Koehne said.
“So I learned to use it as an advantage of mine. It’s a good thing for me.”
His role looks to be more of the same in 2013.
Koehne started at right guard for injured senior Jon Halapio (torn pectoral muscle) in Florida’s season-opening win against Toledo and is listed as the backup center to Jon Harrison.
“He knows all the spots,” offensive coordinator Brent Pease.
“He’s kind of the guy across the board that causes a ripple effect. You know, he’s important to us.”
Learning the responsibilities of multiple positions may sound daunting, but Koehne insists that in the grand scheme of the offense, it is not all that difficult.
“It’s all about how you learn the offense,” Koehne said.
“You don’t want to learn it by one specific position. You want to learn the whole offense, conceptually. You always want to know what your buddy’s doing next to you. The whole time I’ve been learning the offense, I’ve been learning what the centers do and the tackles do, so I can know what I do better.”
Although Pease enjoys the luxury of a versatile guy like Koehne, the offensive coordinator acknowledges that UF should proceed with caution.
Overusing Koehne at any one spot can jeopardize his availability elsewhere, especially at center.
“He’s such a hard worker, and he’s just steady,” Pease said.
“But there was games last year, we’re beating Tennessee and somebody else where he’s playing tackle. OK, now all of a sudden, he’s guard.
“And [offensive line coach Tim Davis] rested him a little bit there and played [Ian Silberman] because, you know, we’ve got to be careful with ourselves, because if Jonotthan Harrison goes down, I mean, Kyle’s got to step in at center.”
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Defensive lineman Dominique Easley tackles Louisiana quarterback Terrence Broadway during Florida's 27-20 win on Nov. 10 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Easley returned to practice Tuesday after missing Monday with the flu.
