Luke Del Rio looks to bounce back in “homecoming”

Luke Del Rio wasn’t able to make the 90-minute trip north to Jacksonville last Sunday when the Oakland Raiders, led by his father Jack, played the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank field.

As part of Florida’s bye week schedule the team was back in Gainesville on Sunday, going through a light practice. They did have the weekend off, which allowed Luke to spend some time with his father before returning to campus.

“We talked about it and yet we kind of have these things planned well in advance and actually prior to the NFL schedule being put out,” Jim McElwain said on Monday. “I know in Luke’s case growing up around it, you’re at the mercy of your own schedule.”

Jack Del Rio spent nine seasons as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Del Rio spent most of his childhood at EverBank Stadium, even if it won’t look quite the way he remembered it when he leads the Gators out of the tunnel on Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs

“The stadium is so different now. They improved it in every way, the screens, the stands, the club level. Everything they’ve kind of enhanced,” Del Rio said. “Growing up there for eight-and-a-half, nine years, being able to play with my dad and watch his team competes on that field is really special. We still have a game to win, but it will be fun to be back there.”

Del Rio recalled being young and following around the specialists, they had more free time to hang out with an energetic eight year old. A rookie at the time, Josh Scobee found himself in the stadium with the rest of the specialists and Luke. Del Rio skipped one towards Scobee who decided to skip one back to his head coach’s son.

“So he throws it pretty hard and it lands like 10 yards in front of me, and I didn’t throw it that hard at him. So my hands were late, I was like 8, my hands were late getting to the ball and the ball met my eye before my hands met the ball. Black eye,” Del Rio recalled on Monday. “My dad was like, ‘What happened to you?’ and I was like, ‘Ah, ran into a door’ or something like that because Scobee was a rookie, so he was like, ‘Don’t tell your dad! Don’t tell your dad! I’ll get cut!’ But yeah, fun times.”

Del Rio returned following a MCL sprain two weeks ago. The offense didn’t have an issue moving the football but, thanks to three interceptions and a slew of penalties, managed just 14 points. Del Rio got another week to get used to his new knee brace and another week to get healthier before getting back out on the field for a homecoming or sorts.

This won’t be an unfamiliar homecoming for a Gators player. Kelvin Taylor grew up watching his father Fred Taylor set records wearing the teal and black as well. Taylor saved his best performances for EverBank, where his father’s likeness is plastered all over the interior walls and in the ring of honor. As a freshman, Taylor rushed 20 times, which was a career-high at the time, for 76 yards. As a sophomore in 2014 he rushed 25 times for 197 yards and two scores. His finale saw 25 more carries for 121 yards and two more scores. That’s a career mark of 70 carries for 394 yards (5.63 yards per carry) and four touchdowns in three games, not bad at all. There isn’t a Georgia player or fan that was sad to see Kelvin Taylor leave school early and head to the NFL.

For three years Kelvin Taylor realized adolescent dreams running the ball on the same field as his father. Del Rio has a similar opportunity this Saturday and, thanks to the NFL schedule that has the Raiders spending the week in Florida with back-to-back games in Jacksonville and then Tampa, his dad will be in the stands.

“Hopefully, the Del Rio family can go 2-0, you know, back-to-back weeks (Oakland beat Jacksonville 33-16 on Sunday),” Del Rio said. “I know it’s hard to go west coast to east coast. They’ve done a great job with that. Hopefully, we can an hour and a half west to east. But, yeah, it’s kind of interesting the way it worked out.”

Georgia’s passing defense hasn’t had much bite this season. The Bulldogs are ninth best against the pass in the conference (228.6 yards per game) and have allowed 11 touchdowns (12th in the SEC). The pass rush hasn’t been anything to write home about either with just 14 sacks. Del Rio will try to bounce back from a three-interception black eye performance in Gainesville two weeks ago and keep the Gators moving towards their ultimate goal of making it back to Atlanta in the stadium he grew up in, with his father in the stands.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC