TALLAHASSEE - As late as Thursday, nose guard Brodrick Bunkley didn't expect to play against Virginia, let alone start.
The 6-foot-3, 291-pound junior from Chamberlain High in Tampa sat out Oct. 9 at Syracuse and had seen little improvement in his sprained left ankle. But by Saturday morning, the ankle felt great, and he returned.
But he left two plays in after a Virginia lineman rolled over his ankle on a running play.
"I regret trying to play last week," Bunkley said after practice Monday. "I wasn't 100 percent, and I regret practicing because if I didn't practice last week, I'd probably be 100 percent right now getting ready for Wake Forest."
Bunkley is considering practicing today, though the decision is difficult.
"I'm going to try to go, but the thing about that is when you try to go, you might mess it up again," he said. "You take two more steps back instead of taking that step forward."
GAME TIME: The game at Maryland on Oct.30 will be at 3:30 p.m. on Ch.28.
WEEKLY AWARDS: Senior tackle Ray Willis , who helped pave the way for 470 yards of offense, and sophomore linebacker Ernie Sims , who had nine tackles, two sacks and a blocked punt, were named ACC players of the week.
- ZACHARY SPAIN, Times correspondent and BRIAN LANDMAN, Times staff writer
USF: Selmon sits out
TAMPA - One factor that allowed Army to rally Saturday was a knee injury that sidelined senior defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon Jr. in the third quarter.
Selmon did not practice, but coach Jim Leavitt said he expects him to play Friday at Louisville.
Running back Andre Hall , who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns before a neck strain sidelined him in the third quarter, practiced but was held out of contact drills. Cornerback Mike Jenkins , who sat out with an ankle injury, practiced, and guard Chris Carothers also sat out but could be back today.
BIG COMPLIMENT: Leavitt said he has huge respect for the job Bobby Ross has done in turning around Army after a winless 2003.
"Those kids played their butt off all the way through that game," Leavitt said. "They kept building and got stronger as the game went on.
"We didn't get stronger. They never gave up."
-GREG AUMAN, Times staff writer
UF: QB returns to team
GAINESVILLE - Gators redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Midgett was reinstated after he was suspended for a violation of team rules before the opener.
Midgett, who coach Ron Zook said is out of the doghouse as long as he maintains his classroom attendance, likely will be behind Chris Leak and Gavin Dickey on the depth chart.
BAD MEMORIES: Mississippi State is the site of one of the darkest moments of Zook's career.
In 1992, Zook, then Florida's defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, left with a 30-6 defeat, one of his four worst coaching experiences, he said.
"I remember ... going recruiting the next day, driving up somewhere in Mississippi and getting lost," he said. "It was a bad night."
During the ESPN telecast, quarterback Sleepy Robinson led the Bulldogs to almost 200 yards rushing while the Gators managed only 53 on 33 carries.
"We couldn't slow him down," Zook said. "If Larry Kennedy hadn't knocked him out of that game, he might still be running."
- BRIAN SHAFFER, Times correspondent
UM: Line banged up
CORAL GABLES - Eric Winston , the Hurricanes' top returning starter on the offensive line, already is out for the season with a torn knee ligament. Saturday against North Carolina State, three of the five starters will play with injuries.
Left guard Tony Tella sprained his wrist Thursday against Louisville and is wearing a cast. Rashad Butler , who replaced Winston at left tackle, dislocated a finger Thursday, and center Joel Rodriguez has a sore hamstring.
In addition, Chris Myers is playing right tackle after two seasons at right guard.
GAME TIME: Saturday's game will be at 7:45 on ESPN.
