- Sep 8, 2014
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https://www.seccountry.com/florida/live-blog-jim-mcelwain-meets-the-media-Monday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jim McElwain held his usual Monday news conference, touching on the quarterback situation, the rivalry with Tennessee and wide receiver Antonio Callaway’s status.
Here were the highlights from his comments:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jim McElwain held his usual Monday news conference, touching on the quarterback situation, the rivalry with Tennessee and wide receiver Antonio Callaway’s status.
Here were the highlights from his comments:
- “There was an awful lot of good things that went on (last Saturday). Rushing the ball the way we did, I’d still like to make a safety miss and finish as we’re getting out, but that was a great effort. Especially without Tyler Jordan, I thought the guys did a really job of getting in there.”
- “I thought our tight ends really for the time first I saw them finishing blocks as well as getting involved in the passing game as they have.”
- “Defensively, anytime you can hold somebody to negative yards rushing and force somebody to be one-dimensional, that was pretty awesome. The beauty of the whole deal was, that statistic in being the best in the history of Florida football, that being said, it’s because of the unselfish nature in which the guys played. Our player of the game on defense was the whole defensive line.”
- On playing Tennessee: “Let’s face it, they ran it down our throat a year ago. They probably feel pretty good about that and they should. We have to maintain our rush lanes and … not let (Josh Dobbs) take over the game with his feet like he did last year.”
- “When you look at their red zone production offensively, they get down and they score. That’s what makes them successful. … Defensively, obviously with a new defensive coordinator, I’ve got so much respect for this guy. Bob Shoop, we call all the way back when he was at William & Mary … I’ve become a huge fan of his. … He comes at you with things from everywhere. It shows up because they keep you out of the end zone, and very opportunistic.”
- “Obviously we’ll be going in with a new quarterback, and that will be fun. It’s a great opportunity for Austin, Feleipe and Kyle (getting them) to do what they do best, helping them be successful.”
- “This is what makes it fun. I love playing road games. I love playing in hostile environments. It’s like going up to Butte, Mont., playing. There’s nothing like it. … I’m looking forward to our guys having that opportunity.”
- Florida is closing practice this week. “There’s some things we kind of need to do that I’d just appreciate we kept to the Gators. Nothing drastic, but obviously we have some new things we have to work on.”
- On injuries: “Looking at it, Kylan Johnson, he’s out today. I’m thinking we’ll get him back. He’s got a leg. Chris Williamson had a knee, but I think it’s tendinitis. We’ll try to get Callaway back a little bit. We’ll see what happens. He’s hurting pretty good. Tyrie ran pretty good yesterday, so hopefully we’ll get him back and see what that part means. We haven’t seen it yet. Tyler Jordan is still out so that rotation in the O-line will stay about the same as it was last week.”
- On Luke Del Rio: “He’s got a bum leg. He should be back sometime. I don’t know when it’s going to be. I’m not going to rush him back. You know me, I’ll never put somebody out there until they’re ready to go. … I feel horrible for him, especially how it happened, but that’s part of the game as well. That’s just how it goes.”
- On the RB rotation: “When we got this philosophy was when we were at Alabama. When we had Eddie Lacy as our fourth-team running back, that was a pretty good option. Come the fourth quarter, we wore on people. Wearing them down a little bit was something we like. … Rotation, we have a set way of going, and then we look at it in the fourth and kind of go from there a little bit.”
- On Austin Appleby: “He’s been great, and from the get-go since he’s been here, I think him being here as early as he was is great. The guy, he’s played, he’s been in games, he knows how to prepare. He does some things differently, so we’re going to have to highlight some of those things, and at the same time we’re going to have to make sure Feleipe and Kyle are ready too.”
- On Antonio Callaway: “I don’t know whether he’ll play or not. The guy’s got to be ready to go. … I will never play a guy that’s not ready to play. That’s not fair to that person. That’s how much I care about our players. I’m not going to put a guy out there on half a leg. Life is too short, and there’s other guys who will step up and play.”
- On Appleby: “His maturity, his love of the game, how he’s really invested in his teammates, but more than that, the preparation piece he put in even when he wasn’t name the starters. He’s been in Big Ten stadiums and now he gets to go to a really fun place in the SEC. The reason you come to Florida is to play in games like that.”
- On who will be backup quarterback: “We’ll work through that this week and see who gives us the best chance to be successful.”
- On the defense, McElwain said there has to be credit given to former coach Will Muschamp for getting many of the pieces in place.
- “Our team knows me. They know how much I care. They know much I want them to be successful — not just successful as a player but when this football thing is over. I’m there for them. I’m a passionate guy. … That’s who I am.”
- On the Tennessee rivalry: “Here’s the great thing about the University of Florida. You’ve got a bunch of these. Looks, I’ve been at places where you’ve had to make one up just to think it was a rivalry even though it really wasn’t because the other team had a rival. When you look at these games that we play, I mean, that’s fun, man. To go out and let it loose and have fun with it, enjoy the environment, enjoy the attention. … I just think it’s a lot of fun.”
