The Gators' suddenly lethal rushing attack looks to be getting a key weapon back this week.
Emmanuel Moody, who suffered an ankle sprain in UF's loss to Mississippi, is expected to return to the lineup after missing the better part of the last three games.
Moody participated in practice on Monday and is expected to practice more on Tuesday.
The Southern California transfer was beginning to look like the hard runner he was supposed to be before he went down with the injury.
Since then, speedsters Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps have stolen the show with their exciting open-field running.
Running backs coach Kenny Carter hopes Moody, who is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, will gain a bit of toughness following his injury.
"He has no problems when it comes to running the ball," Carter said. "He has an injury that is very aggravating and painful, and he has to develop a pain tolerance for it and that's the only way he's going to overcome the injury. It's a tough deal to work through."
Carter also confirmed that Rainey, who injured his shoulder against LSU, is fine and would play this weekend.
BIG-PLAY OFFENSE: Though coach Urban Meyer harps on about defense and special teams any chance he can get, the fourth-year coach loves the big play as much as anyone.
LSU saw just how explosive the Gators can be when they're running on all cylinders after UF's 51-21 thrashing of the Tigers.
According to Meyer, the common denominator is the big play.
"I did a little study on the bye week on our scoring drives and almost every time we have a big play over 15 yards, we've scored, except for twice, and that's for the year," Meyer said. "Having the ability to hit a big play in the middle of the drive is just phenomenal."
Rainey and Demps have been the key characters in the Gators high-octane offense.
"When you think about the explosive plays, the yards per carry and the rushing yards overall over the last two games, they're about as good as you can get," Meyer said.
ROCK THE VOTE: With presidential elections just a few weeks away, questions are flying about which candidate the Gators support.
While most players brought out for interviews Monday declined to say who they were voting for, Carter said he does make an effort to stress the importance of voting to his players.
"Me being a military guy, there are too many people that have made sacrifices for this country to have that opportunity - especially African Americans," he said. "That's a big deal. They should exercise that right, so we will definitely talk about it."
