The Florida Gators are enjoying a bye week after seven consecutive games played. Coming off of a loss to LSU last weekend, Florida is using the off week to get back down to the basics, working practice on Tuesday and Wednesday like a spring camp practice.
Jim McElwain was on the road recruiting Monday before returning to Gainesville to oversee a practice on Tuesday afternoon. He then updated the status of his football team on Wednesday during the SEC Teleconference.
Injury updates
Alex Anzalone is still “a ways away” as he returns from a shoulder injury that has kept him off the field for most of the season. Anzalone is “ahead of schedule” but McElwain hasn’t specified what that “schedule” is. Anzalone would be “probably doubtful” — according to McElwain — in 10 days against Georgia.
Jorge Powell sustained an injury against LSU that will end his season.
Travaris Dorsey is expected back at practice and should be back for the Georgia game.
C’yontai Lewis continues to come back from a left hand injury. McElwain expected to have Lewis back last week against LSU but the trainers and doctors did not want to risk Lewis having a setback. McElwain expects to have Lewis back for the Georgia game.
On Treon Harris
Treon Harris played a solid game in his first start since the season opener but McElwain did note that Harris saw some things on tape that “he would like to have back.”
McElwain believes that Harris handled the environment well in Baton Rouge and that the sophomore signal caller has bounced back from the loss this week in practice.
Gators hold walk-on kicking tryouts
An injury to Austin Hardin opened the door for Jorge Powell to kick for the Florida Gators but Powell was injured during a kickoff against LSU and is done for the season.
Austin Hardin handled kicking duties after Powell’s injury and did a good job on kickoffs and extra points.
“We hope (Hardin) can help this football team and come out and kick like he did in the last game. He hit some pretty good ones,” McElwain said. “I’m expecting him to be there, but at the same time you gotta have plans and that’s what we’re doing.”
Still, with only one kicker now on the roster, the Gators need a backup plan. That led Florida to announce open tryouts on Wednesday to get an opportunity to kick for the Gators.
216 students signed up and will try out to win the backup kicker role for Florida. Jim McElwain did this at Colorado State and eventually needed to use his walk-on kicker.
“His name was kicker,” McElwain joked.
McElwain hasn’t delved too much into any of the kickers this season, an offensive coach, McElwain doesn’t seem to pay much attention to the kickers on his team unless they’re missing field goals and extra points.
“Well as long as they can flip it up there through the uprights, I’m good with it,” McElwain said Wednesday. “Yet we’re still working through it right now. There’s obviously a lot of things NCAA wise. You’ve got to make sure things are set that way before we make any decisions. But by the end of the week, we hope to have some candidates that could come out and help us.”
Do we know what the actual shoulder injury holding Anzalone out is? I know re-aggravated his previous shoulder injury, but what was it in the first place?
It’s painfully obvious that we need him back asap if we want to run anything other than the nickel. We’ve done well without him but LSU game proved we can’t stop a real power run game in our nickel
Anzalone suffered the same injury he had in 2013, a torn labrum in his shoulder. I doubt we see him again this season.