Jim McElwain's injury report during his Monday press conference was a mixed bag.
While the Gators are hoping that sophomore defensive end CeCe Jefferson (foot) will be back against LSU and expect him to receive limited reps, redshirt senior defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. and left tackle David Sharpe - who both suffered injuries during Florida's 20-7 win over South Carolina and were seen wearing walking boots after the game - are "probably" out against LSU this weekend. Jefferson missed Saturday’s game after suffering his injury during the Arkansas contest on Nov. 5.
"I know how much it means to him," McElwain said of Jefferson. "I don't know. I'm not a doctor, but I do anticipate him trying everything he can do to play, which will be good for us up front in this type of game."
Meanwhile, sophomore center/guard Tyler Jordan (ankle) is still being evaluated and his status is questionable for the LSU game. "We'll see where that is," McElwain added.
A number of Gators will miss Saturday's contest, including: quarterback Luke Del Rio (shoulder), linebackers Jarrad Davis (ankle) and Alex Anzalone (broken arm), safety Marcus Maye (broken arm), center Cameron Dillard, wide receiver C.J. Worton (ankle) and running back Mark Herndon (hamstring).
McElwain added on Davis: "I don’t think … it’s going to be hard, but then again, like I said, we’ll see.”
------
* 3-2-1: Gators should keep feeding Scarlett
* The Day After Breakdown: Florida-South Carolina
* Recruit Reaction: Prospects impressed with coaches, players, atmosphere
* Five-star Leatherwood spends three days on campus
* Five Takeaways: Gators step up in light of injury situation
* GET YOUR 30 DAY FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP
------
Without Jordan, who suffered his injury on the first play of the game, redshirt freshman center T.J. McCoy filled in at center and performed well for the Gators. After Sharpe went down, sophomore Martez Ivey slid out to left tackle while Kavaris Harkless jumped in at left guard. For his performance, Ivey was named the SEC offensive lineman of the week for the second time this season.
"T.J. McCoy came in, and he was our third center of the year, and I thought he battled his tail off," McElwain said. "Tez battled his tail off, Tez did a really good job at left tackle. Then, can't say enough about Kavaris Harkless, who's been a guy who plays all those spots. Came in and really competed. I thought that was good."
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.
