Taylor’s strong play rare bright spot for struggling UF
COLUMBIA, Mo. — For the second straight week, freshman RB Kelvin Taylor provided a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal performance by the Florida Gators’ offense.
Taylor accounted for nearly half of Florida’s season-low 151 total yards during Saturday’s 36-17 loss at Missouri. He finished with a career-high 74 rushing yards on 12 carries. Taylor’s 20-yard touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in the third quarter cut the lead to 23-17.
The touchdown — Taylor’s first at Florida — capped a 70-yard drive featuring 52 yards on four carries by Taylor.
“He did a good job of hitting the hole and getting to the second level,” QB Tyler Murphy said. “I told him to keep going, you’re going to break one. He’s a very elusive guy.”
With starting TB Matt Jones out with a knee injury, Taylor stepped in. It was his first action in three games.
“Kelvin’s a natural, instinctive runner,” Gators coach Will Muschamp said.
Redshirt junior Mack Brown, the Gators’ starting tailback, gained 19 yards on eight carries Saturday.
Under consistent pressure from the Tigers’ pass rush, Murphy was off his mark during much of Saturday’s loss.
It did not help he did not throw a pass for six days after injuring his throwing shoulder at LSU. Murphy returned to practice Thursday but did not throw the ball until Friday.
“Any time you miss practice it can hurt you,” he said. “But I was at practice doing everything but really throwing the ball.”
After being sacked six times by Missouri, Murphy said his right shoulder was OK: “It’s sore but nothing crazy.”
Starting DT Damien Jacobs and LB Ronald Powell sat out Saturday’s loss with injuries.
Muschamp said Jacobs, who did not make the strip, had “lingering effects” from a hit suffered after his helmet came off during a firstquarter pile-up on the goal line at LSU.
Jacobs’ injury further depleted Florida’s interior defensive line, already smarting from the loss of star DT Dominique Easley (torn ACL). Florida had two defensive tackles available Saturday — Darious Cummings and redshirt junior Leon Orr.
Powell injured his ankle last week at LSU. Reserve Darrin Kitchens, who had six tackles at LSU, also sat out Saturday with a shoulder injury.
Adding insult to injury for the Gators defense, officials ejected S Cody Riggs for targeting Missouri WR L’Damian Washington at the end of a 41-yard catch.
“We have a lot of depth,” senior S Jaylen Watkins said. “Coach and everybody on the team is confident in the guys that played. I don’t want to say if we had a certain person we would have played better.”
Watkins, the team’s leading tackler, injured his right hand at Missouri and will have it evaluated.
Freshman P Johnny Townsend justified Muschamp’s decision to start him in place of struggling junior Kyle Christy.
Townsend, a former standout at Orlando Boone, averaged 45.6 yards on eight punts, including a 61-yarder. Christy, the SEC punting leader in 2012, averaged 39.6 yards on 21 punts before he was benched.