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Friday, March 29, 2024

After an upset-filled first two weeks of the college football season, the Gators are pretty happy to be sitting at 2-0.

But with several players suffering injuries during UF's 59-31 victory against Troy on Saturday, the Gators may not be as unscathed as their record indicates.

Wide receiver Andre Caldwell and safety Bryan Thomas both suffered MCL sprains, and running back Brandon James sprained his ankle.

Meyer said after the game that Caldwell would undergo an MRI to find out the severity of the injury, but as of Sunday morning, Meyer still wasn't sure about his or Thomas' status.

"I don't have final word on them, but obviously there's some concern there," Meyer said. "I don't ever comment until I hear it right out of the doctor's mouth."

Meyer had yet to learn the specifics of James' injury as of Sunday morning.

Wide receiver Jarred Fayson had to be helped off the field after he hurt his knee late in the third quarter, but he returned to the game in the fourth, and Meyer said he thinks the sophomore is fine to play.

If Caldwell and James are forced to miss some playing time, Meyer said he is not sure he would rely on freshmen Chris Rainey and Deonte Thompson to help out next week against Tennessee.

"I'd say they're not ready," Meyer said.

In addition to Rainey, who played a minimal role, and Thompson, who didn't play a down against the Trojans, the Gators barely utilized their offensive reserves Saturday.

Meyer said his first priority is always to win the game, and he was not confident about pulling the starters in the second half against Troy's capable passing game.

"If that was a team that had a problem with throwing the football, I would imagine the twos would have been in much faster," Meyer said. "At no point did I even consider putting the twos in because the third quarter was just awful."

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UF was outscored 17-0 in the third quarter, and the Gators' young defense gave up 118 yards.

Meyer said he has a great deal of work ahead of him this week to prepare his team for Tennessee on Saturday.

He said the Gators will have to approach Saturday's game a little different.

"It has to be different when you walk into the facility on Monday," Meyer said. "The biggest thing is getting the team ready for this week. We cannot play this game on Tuesday or Wednesday. They need to understand that the intensity of everything involved is a lot different. … You want to hit your peak on Saturday afternoon."

BROWN CLEARED: After more than a month of waiting, freshman John Brown was deemed academically eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse to play for the Gators this season.

The news came late Friday night, and Meyer said the staff is still working out scholarship matters with the defensive tackle.

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