The Florida Gators defeated Georgia 24-10 last October behind Jordan Scarlett’s 93 rushing yards, Luke Del Rio’s 131 passing yards and Antonio Callaway’s 42 receiving yards.
All three of those players returned this season for the two-time defending Southeastern Conference Eastern Division champions. None of them will play this Saturday when the 3-3 Gators face 7-0 and No. 3 Georgia at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
Injuries and suspensions have ravaged Florida in Jim McElwain’s third season as coach, leaving its roster far closer to the 63 scholarship players allowed in the Championship Subdivision level compared to the 85 that Bowl Subdivision programs can possess.
“That is what it is,” McElwain said last Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. “I’m sure there is not a coach in America who hasn’t been through something like this or will go through something like this, yet at the same time, the guys who are here have played really hard. That’s all good and dandy, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to win.”
This marks the first time Florida has started 3-3 since 2003, which was the middle of Ron Zook’s three seasons. The Gators did upset Georgia 16-13 that year.