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Florida players excited to have Jalen Tabor, C’yontai Lewis back in Week 2
By Jason Hall
Published:
Florida standouts Jalen Tabor and C’yontai Lewis will make their season debuts Saturday against Kentucky after missing the Gators’ season opener due to suspensions.
Both players were involved in a fight during fall camp that left Tabor with several stitches above his left eye. With the incident behind them, both players are expected to contribute in Week 2.
Several teammates told Thomas Goldkamp of GatorBait.net that they are excited to have Tabor and Lewis back in the fold, especially after a sloppy debut against UMass in Week 1.
“We’re going to have a lot more exciting plays,” linebacker Jarrad Davis said. “I think a lot of guys are going to be able to really let their guard down and go play now. We’re locked tight back there and it’s going to be really exciting to see what goes down when he’s there.”
Tabor was an All-SEC defensive back in 2015 and started in nine of 13 games. He recorded 39 tackles, four interceptions and one sack. His absence was felt on Saturday, especially after nickelback Duke Dawson suffered an arm injury, providing even less depth to an already thin Florida secondary.
Freshman Chris Williamson struggled to fill the void left by Tabor and allowed two catches for 77 yards.
“You never know when you have young guys going out there, especially for their first game,” Davis said. “And then, they did a pretty good job, they really did. Chauncey (Gardner) and Chris, they stepped up and they played really well this weekend.
“With (Tabor) back there though, it’s going to make things a lot easier. We’re going to be able to communicate with him and he’s going to know what’s going on. And just his experience as a player and being in the moment, we’re not going to have anything to worry about, he’s not going to have anything to worry about. Just going to give those younger guys a great example of really how to play football as a game.”
With Lewis, the Gators return arguably their best pass blocker, which should allow DeAndre Goolsby to see less coverage on Saturday. Both tight ends are expected to excel as pass catchers, which is good news for quarterback Luke Del Rio, who makes his second start.
“Absolutely, really athletic, long tight end,” quarterback Luke Del Rio said of Lewis. “He’s extremely coachable and has good hands. We are definitely excited to have him back. The guys did a good job with C’yontai suspended, but we are definitely excited to have him back.
Jason covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
