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Grossman's ankle injury not serious

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 8, 2001

Quarterback Rex Grossman remained sore after spraining his right ankle during the first quarter Saturday against LSU, but it is not serious, defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said.

Grossman left the game on crutches, and Hoke said he believed the redshirt sophomore still was using them Sunday. "From what I understand from the trainers, he was sore last night but that he feels a lot better this morning," said Hoke, who filled in on coach Steve Spurrier's weekly teleconference.

"It is still a little stiff, but nothing serious."

Defensive end Bobby McCray also sprained his ankle and is day to day.

UNSUNG HEROES: Amid all the talk about UF's 632 yards in its 44-15 win over LSU, one thing was missing. There wasn't much said about the offensive line.

And that's the way the linemen want it.

In their eyes, if nobody is talking about the line, then everything must be right. "That's how you want it," junior tackle Mike Pearson said. "As long as you're not getting your name in the paper, most of the time you're doing a pretty good job. Hopefully, we can just keep doing that, keep jelling and getting better as a group."

A big part of Grossman's success Saturday was he had plenty of time to get the ball to his receivers.

"Right now, we're doing a pretty good job," Pearson said. "We just have to keep working on the little things."

MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Senior tailback Robert Gillespie's 41 receiving yards gave him 906 and moved him past John L. Williams (1982-85) and into second place for receiving yards by a Florida running back. His 3,005 total yards moved him past Larry Smith (1966-68) and Cris Collinsworth (1977-80), leaving him 12th. DAVIS DETERMINED: After missing 11 games last season with a knee injury, linebacker Andra Davis wasn't about to let something like a broken bone in his hand keep him out of action.

"Andra doesn't want to be out anymore," safety Todd Johnson said. "I asked him if he was coming back in. And he said, 'Heck yeah. I missed all last year. I'm not missing any this year.'

"He's a fighter, and he's a tough player."

Hoke said Davis should be able to practice this week with tape and padding.

MAKING THE PICK: Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff had his first regular-season interception, and Johnson had the first interception by a UF defensive back this year.

UP NEXT: Florida travels this week to Auburn, the only unbeaten team in the SEC West, in a rematch of last season's SEC Championship Game.

The Tigers beat Mississippi State 16-14 Saturday. Damon Duval kicked three fourth-quarter field goals for a come-from-behind win. It's the second week in a row he has kicked a field goal to win a game. He had a 49-yarder to beat Vanderbilt 24-21 two weeks ago.

QUOTABLE: "When they had good coverages on, it seemed like he threw the perfect pass. He was throwing beautifully." -- Spurrier on Grossman's 464-yard, five-touchdown performance.

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