Grier battling illness as UF aims to upset Ole Miss
GAINESVILLE — Just as the Florida Gators have found their quarterback, a sudden illness has thrown his playing status into question.
Will Grier is a game-time decision for the No. 25 Gators’ SEC showdown Saturday night against No. 3 Ole Miss, a source close to the program confirmed to the Sentinel.
The flu has made the rounds this week with the Gators, sidelining a dozen or so players and hampering preparations for the program’s biggest game in three seasons.
Grier might not have the flu, the source said, but is sick enough he might not play a week after leading Florida to a come-back win over Tennessee.
UF coach Jim McElwain said Wednesday evening he hoped the flu had run its course.
“This stuff has hit us pretty quick and who knows come game time where we’ll be at,” he said. “The same time, somebody can’t be there then somebody else will.”
Grier, a redshirt freshman, hopes to play.
The Gainesville Sun reported his father, Chad, fully expects his son to suit up against Ole Miss. The Miami Herald reported Grier participated in the Gators’ Friday walk-through.
But If Grier is unavailable, sophomore Treon Harris would start Saturday night in the Swamp.
Harris served a one-game sus- pension against Tennessee and did not play at Kentucky after he had rotated with Grier during the season’s first two games.
Grier struggled during long stretches at Kentucky and against Tennessee, but solidified his standing as Florida’s quarterback with two fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Vols.
The dramatic 28-27 win was yet another close win during the first month of the McElwain era and displayed remarkable maturity from his young team.
“There’s not a bunch of guys gripping, they’re focused on what do I have to do on the next play to win,” McElwain said. “There’s no sense of panic. Guys are in it together, they’re rooting for each other.
“We’ve just got to continue to support those habits.”
The Gators’ resolve will be tested by Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 SEC).
Florida is a 7.5-point underdog and facing the Rebels’ SEC-leading top offense — a unit averaging nearly 544 yards and 55 points.
“Oh man, they got athletes everywhere,” UF linebacker Antonio Morrison marveled.
If the resurgent Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC) can remain within striking distance, an upset win will hinge on making plays down the stretch once again.
The Gators now are convinced no game is out of reach after three consecutive wins by a total of 13 points.
“That’s what I said from the beginning: All we need is our confi- dence up,” defensive end Alex McCalister said. “I know we’ve got the talent. We’ve got the coaches. We just need to prove to ourselves that we can do it. “That was a perfect example.” McElwain, though, is not getting carried away.
“How good are we? I don’t know,” he said. “I do know this. Our guys will probably go ahead and run out of the tunnel.” It could be into a buzz saw. Two weeks ago, Ole Miss traveled to SEC standard-bearer Alabama and left with a convincing 43-37 win.
Rebels’ quarterback Chad Kelly, nephew of NFL Hall of Famer, Jim, leads the SEC in passing; defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is making a case to be the No. 1 draft pick; and coach Huge Freeze has stockpiled talent like no one ever has in Oxford.
“These guys are real,” McElwain said. “This is a heck of an Ole Miss team.”
Florida is slipping by opponents despite a roster featuring six scholarship seniors and a slew of firstand second-year players with key roles, like Grier and Harris.
Saturday night will be a litmus test.
“We’ve been in some battles early and we’ve come out on top,” sixthyear senior tight end Jake McGee said. “Hopefully we can keep it going.”
Grier’s availability against Ole Miss could be key.