Nine weeks into the NFL season, several former Gators are having success at the professional level:
Randy Shannon may not have gotten the offensive output he wanted in his first game as Florida’s interim head coach, but that hasn’t affected his plan at quarterback heading into this weekend’s matchup with South Carolina.
One week after the firing of their coach and a demoralizing defeat against No. 1 Georgia, Florida fans waited to see how the Gators would respond. On Saturday against Missouri, UF’s response was so heinous that interim coach Randy Shannon condemned it like a school-wide scandal.
CJ Henderson was running, chasing Missouri receiver Emanuel Hall down the right sideline.
Malik Zaire placed his palms on his helmet and stared at the video board.
As Randy Shannon stood in front of a group of reporters on Monday, his first appearance as the interim coach of the Florida football team, he was asked what — if any — changes he will make.
Malik Davis watched Georgia complete its beatdown of his team while propped up on crutches and wearing a large, black brace. He stood as an emblem of Florida’s season so far.
On Tuesday, as Florida football players stretched and jogged on the practice field, an unusual noise came blasting from the loudspeakers: a Tom Petty song.
Randy Shannon isn’t concerned with the past.
As the Gators try to move forward after the firing of Jim McElwain, they’ll have to do it without one of their top playmakers.
1. Dan Mullen, head coach, Mississippi State
Nothing has gone according to plan for Florida’s football players in 2017.
After a third consecutive loss and a media circus surrounding Jim McElwain’s claims that death threats were leveled against members of the UF football program, Florida fired McElwain on Sunday. He finished with a 22-12 record over two and a half seasons.
Gators coach Jim McElwain knew something was wrong before the game even started. Walking into Florida’s pregame meal, he was informed of rumors that he could be losing his job.
When examining Florida’s 42-7 loss — one in which UF’s offense appeared lifeless, its defense appeared lethargic and its coach appeared unsure of his job security — there was at least one positive to glean from the Gators’ performance: Malik Zaire.
Feleipe Franks laid face down on the 3-yard line of EverBank Field, his body dejectedly limp as Georgia’s players celebrated scoring another touchdown.
Malik Davis squeezed the handoff and darted around the right side of the Robinson defense. He rocketed down the field, spraying black turf pellets at the trailing defenders with each stomp and huffing air through his vampire-toothed mouthpiece. He arrived in the end zone 30 yards later, and the game stopped.
Michel and Chubb. Chubb and Michel. The more you hear those names in Saturday’s game, the more it means the No. 3 Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC) are doing what they want. Running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are the focal points of a Georgia offense that will face Florida (3-3, 3-2 SEC) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Jacksonville. The two backs blow through tackles, break defenses with long runs and rank top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards per game.
Seven of Florida’s nine players accused of credit card fraud are taking the first steps back to becoming eligible to rejoin the team. Receiver Antonio Callaway, running back Jordan Scarlett, defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis, receiver Rick Wells, linebacker James Houston, linebacker Ventrell Miller and defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones have agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program, which would lead to the dismissal of charges if completed, according to court documents posted by Alachua County public records.
Kerry Dixon saw it in the spring.
Solutions by The State News
