On Saturday, LSU defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery will go after Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel. Which Gators offensive lineman will protect Driskel's blind side has yet to be determined. Either injured senior Xavier Nixon or freshman D.J. Humphries is expected to start at left tackle.
"Whoever practices the best will play," coach Will Muschamp said.
Nixon, who has started all four games this season, has been dealing with what Muschamp described on Sept. 24 as a "legitimate" shoulder injury. Humphries played nearly the entire second half in Floridaís 38-0 win against Kentucky on Sept. 22.
Although Nixon boasts 26 career starts, Driskel is not worried about Humphries potentially taking over the left tackle spot.
"He's a guy that's worked hard ever since he's gotten here," Driskel said of Humphries. "He came in in the spring a little undersized, but he's really fast and he's great in his technique. We have all the confidence in the world in him. If need be he plays, he'll be fine."
Jenkins back, but non-contact: Linebacker Jelani Jenkins returned to practice in non-contact drills on Monday. Muschamp was hopeful Jenkins would be cleared for contact prior to Wednesday's practice. Jenkins' status for Saturdayís game remains uncertain, but if he were to play, coaches have said he would do so with a cast.
"LSU, in most situations offensively, is going to give you some things they haven't shown before, so him being able to adjust some things out you haven't prepared for, because you can't prepare for everything," Muschamp said of how Jenkins' potential return would help UF. "Certainly, his experience, maturity, playmaking ability, being able to make some defensive calls and calm some guys down in situations in a game like this — there is no question it will be an added boost."
Jenkins suffered a fracture in his right thumb during Florida's 20-17 win against Texas A&M on Sept. 8. He underwent surgery on Sept. 10.
If Jenkins is unable to play against the Tigers, freshman Antonio Morrison will likely make his third consecutive start at weakside linebacker. Morrison has 16 tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry in 2012.
Other injury updates: Muschamp said Trey Burton (back spasms), Dominique Easley (swelling in left knee), Sharrif Floyd (shoulder) and Jordan Reed (undisclosed head injury) all returned to practice on Monday.
Burton and Easley sat out the entirety of Florida's 38-0 win against Kentucky, while Floyd and Reed played before exiting due to injury.
Muschamp said Monday that Cody Riggs (foot) and Matt Patchan (strained pectoral muscle) will not play against LSU. Riggs suffered a fracture in his right foot during the Gators' win against the Aggies on Sept. 8.
Patchan has not played since Florida lost to Florida State 21-7 last season on Nov. 26. This weekend's contest against the Tigers will mark the 32nd game Patchan has missed due to injury during his college career.
Offensive numbers: During the Gators' bye week, they missed out on the second-highest-scoring weekend in college football since 1937, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 52 FBS games during the weekend produced an average of 60.8 points.
Significant contributions to that total came from West Virginia's 70-63 win against Baylor and Georgiaís 51-44 victory against Tennessee.
"I'm glad we were off," Muschamp said. "I think with a lot of the tempo, there are a lot more snaps being taken on both sides for both teams. Everybody is into this tempo, getting on the ball and snapping it, and going as fast as we can."
Wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. likes to see a lot of scoring, and he does not think offensive shootouts are bad for college football. However, he said explosive offense without good defense is not worth much.
"If we score 70 and the other team scores seven, that's good," Hammond said. "If we score 70 and the other team scores 60, thatís not good."
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Linebacker Jelani Jenkins (3) waits for a snap against Bowling Green during Florida's 27-14 win on Sept. 1 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Jenkins suffered a fractured thumb in his right thumb the next week against Texas A&M.
