Randy Shannon explains why Malik Zaire returned to game after knee injury
By Adam Spencer
Published:
During Florida’s loss to South Carolina on Saturday, QB Malik Zaire suffered a knee injury and went to the medical tent on the Gators’ sideline.
However, shortly thereafter, Zaire returned to the game, but on a running play, he went down without being touched, clearly in pain.
Obviously, in hindsight, it’s clear Zaire shouldn’t have been put back in the game, so interim coach Randy Shannon had to answer some questions about that decision following the 28-20 loss. He said he trusted his medical staff’s evaluation of Zaire’s injury:
https://twitter.com/MattB_727/status/929476754665885698
Zaire was only 7-for-14 for 49 yards before his injury, but backup Feleipe Franks didn’t fare much better, completing 10-of-25 passes for 174 yards and an interception.
How much time Zaire misses remains to be seen, but the injury didn’t look good. Non-contact injuries are never good, but this one looked particularly bad.
With not much to play for down the stretch, Florida should keep Zaire healthy and not return him to the field until he’s ready.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
