Colleges

Caldwell to miss Vols game

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Published September 11, 2007

GAINESVILLE - Andre Caldwell came back for his senior year to prove he's still a great receiver after recovering from a devastating injury two years ago.

Now he's recovering again.

The redshirt senior from Tampa will miss Saturday's game against Tennessee with a sprained medial collateral ligament in a knee.

"Bubba's not going to play Saturday, and that's a blow," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "That's a frontal shot right there. He's a very invested player, as invested as there is that I've ever been around. He's a guy that took it real hard when Dr. Pete Indelicato said you can't play this week."

Caldwell suffered a season-ending broken leg against Tennessee two years ago. Meyer said his status after this week is uncertain.

"I'll just say he can't play this week," he said. "I'm a positive thinker, and he heals real fast, and he's a very positive person."

Caldwell's teammates expressed concern Monday but said they are determined to step up in his absence.

"He's going to bounce back. He's been through a worse injury than this," receiver Louis Murphy said. "I told him we're going to hold it down until you get back. He is our leader, and him going down hurts us. But we'll hold it down until he gets back."

"I feel bad for him, but I know he's going to come back strong and tear it up when he gets back," receiver Riley Cooper said.

Former Zephyrhills standout Bryan Thomaswill miss the game with an MCL injury. Meyer said Thomas had been making big strides at safety and on special teams.

Running back/returner Brandon James' sprained ankle will not keep him from playing.

TEBOW AND TENNESSEE:In Tim Tebow's mind, Tennessee is Florida's greatest rival, though he's not trying to diminish Georgia or Florida State. It's just he grew up enthralled by the Danny Wuerffel-Peyton Manning showdowns during UF-UT games in the 1990s.

Which may explain why he's a Gator and not a Vol. Tebow took a visit to Knoxville during the Tennessee-Florida game his junior year in high school - the year UT won 30-28 on a field goal with six seconds remaining.

"I knew that I didn't want to go there after that," Tebow said. "I tried to go in and have an open mind, but I knew after I left that wasn't the right place for me. ... I just didn't get a feel for it, and the coaches I didn't get a feel for them."

PROTECT THIS HOUSE: Florida enters the game on nine-game winning streak and has won seven consecutive over rivals Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State. Meyer is 2-0 against the Vols and looking to become the UF coach to start 3-0 against the Vols. The players said Meyer doesn't dwell on the issue, but he does remind them about protecting home turf. Florida has won 17 straight at Florida Field.

"He never really talks about it until we run out on game day," tight end Cornelius Ingram said. "We know we have to protect our home, so that's what we do. We're just trying to keep it up. Whenever we play at home, you want to make sure you win it."

HE'S NO TEBOW, BUT ...: Offensive lineman Carlton Medder has spent time out with Tebow and equates it to "hanging out with a star." But Medder defended the notion that offensive lineman live in anonymity with this story Monday. "I was walking in the mall just a couple of weeks ago, and I heard my name," he said. "I didn't know where it came from, but it was a fan who knew my name."

Unfortunately, it wasn't the type of co-eds Tebow attracts.

"It was a guy, though," Medder said. "It was a man and his son. But it's all good, just to know I had been recognized. That's good."

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 11, 2007, 10:24:49]