Florida Football: Key Gators still suspended against Tennessee

Florida football will be handicapped again as they face one of their biggest rivals for the SEC East crown with suspensions lingering from their season opener.

“Am I so round with you as you with me/That like a football you do spurn me thus?/You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither./If I last in this service, you must case me in leather.” A Comedy of Errors”, Act 2, Scene 1. Sorry.  Couldn’t resist the Shakespeare reference. Gator fans will likely have a very disappointing Saturday as they will have nine crucial players sitting out their rivalry game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Gators’ week 2 game against Northern Colorado was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. The players that would have sat out in that game will most likely have to sit out this one to fulfill their 2-game suspension.  Yikes. That doesn’t bode well for the Gators’ chances to take the SEC East, particularly with Georgia looking as solid as they have been.

Florida head coach Jim McElwain made a statement via Twitter to Mark Long of the Associated Press that “there was no update on the suspended players”. Long took that to mean that they wouldn’t be playing on Saturday.

Wide receiver Antonio Callaway and running back Jordan Scarlett, in particular, are two of the top players on the Gator offense. Their absence was evident in the game against the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 3–the Gators’ offense only managed 192 total yards.  James Robinson, suspended for marijuana possession, may be out even longer.  He was just diagnosed with a heart condition. The other players were banned for misusing school funds.

Next: Bold predictions for Florida's 2017 season

I’m not saying a loss is imminent.  This is college football and weirder things have happened, but the Gators are lacking some of their finest players and it will hurt them.