Injured Dawson ‘highly questionable’ Ground game key to Bulls’ success
GAINESVILLE — UF cornerback Duke Dawson says he will play, but coach Jim McElwain is not so sure.
Dawson sustained a head injury during the weekend’s win against Tennessee, leading McElwain to call the fifth-year senior “highly questionable” for Saturday’s visit to Kentucky.
“We’ll see where that is as we go throughout the week,” McElwain said Monday.
Amid McElwain’s press conference, though, Dawson tweeted, “Everything is fine, I will be playing this upcoming Saturday against UK.”
Dawson’s absence would be a big loss for UF. He had a pick-six against Michigan and prevented a Tennessee touchdown with a goal-line interception.
If Dawson is out, the Gators will rely more on first-year freshmen CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson.
Henderson had a pick-six in each of UF’s first two games while Wilson totaled seven tackles and three pass break-ups against Tennessee.
Meanwhile, linebacker Kylan Johnson is likely to miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury.
Freshman receiver James Robinson’s first game for the Gators could be a long way off. McElwain said Robinson will see a specialist this week about a heart condition detected last month on an echocardiogram.
Vanderbilt’s Sept. 30 visit to the Swamp will be shown at noon on SEC Network.
Next game: No. 20 UF at Kentucky, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
Edgar Thompson
It may have taken three games, but USF’s offense appears to be gaining traction.
The Bulls accumulated 680 yards of total offense in 47-23 win over Illinois last Friday and coach Charlie Strong knows if his team expects to remain on that offensive trajectory, it will require better rhythm and more explosive plays, especially from the ground game.
“The key thing is we have to be able to run the football,” Strong explained during the conference’s teleconference call Monday. “Because when you run the ball, you have a physical nature about you.”
USF ranks third in the American Athletic Conference in rushing offense this season with the team averaging more than 280 yards per game. Against the Illini, the Bulls rushed for a season-high 376 yards. There’s been a tremendous amount of balance in the run game with quarterback Quinton Flowers (243 yards) and tailbacks Darius Tice (256) and D’Ernest Johnson (215) leading the way.
All three players are physical runners, according to Strong, and the challenge defenses face is trying to figure out how to stop all three.
“You just can’t take one and just game-plan where you’re going to just stop one because all three are very effective,” he added.
Temple coach Geoff Collins admits his team will need to buckle down to slow down the Bulls.
“The personnel challenges and the speed of the game are things we really have to pay attention to,” Collins said. “We’ve got to be able to tackle in space.”
Matt Murschel