JACKSONVILLE — Many things were shouted at Chris Rainey from the stands during Florida’s 34-31 win against Georgia on Saturday, some good and some bad.
But the reception he got on a postgame victory lap around EverBank Field left no doubt as to how Gators fans felt about his return.
Rainey received high-fives and plenty of “Welcome back” greetings, and when he reached the south end zone, a group of UF fans chanted his name, eliciting a bright, mile-wide smile from the junior.
Touchdown runs and that smile were Rainey’s trademark prior to recent events, when an aggravated stalking charge landed him a five-game suspension and the honor of being the butt of countless jokes for the “Time to die” text message he sent an ex-girlfriend on Sept. 14.
But Rainey took another step toward putting that incident behind him Saturday, when he ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in his return.
Rainey was not available for comment after the game and declined to answer questions on the field, but center Mike Pouncey said Rainey’s attitude was all gratitude when he addressed the team in the locker room.
“He thanked the whole administration — [UF athletics director Jeremy Foley and UF President Bernie Machen] — and he thanked God as well,” Pouncey said. “He thanked everyone for giving him a second chance because without Jeremy Foley and President Machen, it wouldn’t be possible for him to play right now.”
After sitting out since Florida’s win against South Florida on Sept. 11, Rainey was anxious to get back on the field, and it was clear UF’s coaches felt the same way.
Of the Gators’ first 17 plays, 10 were designed for Rainey, and he also returned six kickoffs for 148 yards, his longest of which came at an opportune time.
After a 69-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter cut Florida’s lead to 21-16, Rainey fielded a kickoff and bolted down the right sideline.
The junior was pushed out of bounds a yard shy of midfield after a 45-yard return. Eight plays later, senior Chas Henry converted his first of two field goals to extend the Gators’ lead to 24-16.
After Rainey’s second-quarter touchdown run, a 20-yard dash for the game’s first score, he knelt in the back of the end zone before being mobbed by teammates. Pouncey — whose family took Rainey in during high school — was one of the first to congratulate him.
“He had a great impact. He looked like — like I’ve been saying all year — the best player on our team,” Pouncey said. “I know that was one of the happiest moments of his life just to be out there with us playing.”
Rainey’s production dropped in the second half, but his presence on the field still made an impact. He mostly worked out of the backfield on runs to the outside, and UF coach Urban Meyer said that helped the inside run game. “The threat of a perimeter issue opens things up,” Meyer said. “If you have a threat of [running outside], it sometimes opens [the middle]. That’s the mix of perimeter and interior rushing.”
