Florida knows from experience the true value of kicker Caleb Sturgis.
When Sturgis suffered an injury going into Florida’s 10-7 loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 16, 2010, backup kicker Chaz Henry missed field-goal tries of 38 and 42 yards, essentially costing the Gators the game.
Florida nearly ran into a similar problem in Saturday’s 14-7 win against Missouri. With Sturgis unable to put the proper leg strength on his kicks due to swelling in his kicking ankle, the Gators turned to junior Brad Phillips, who had appeared only sparingly before Saturday.
Sturgis attempted a 47-yard kick with 11:07 remaining in the second quarter and booted it into the line. The miss marked Florida’s only field-goal try until late in the fourth quarter, when Phillips missed a 24-yard chip shot that would have extended UF’s lead to 10.
A Lou Groza Award semifinalist, Sturgis has made 15 of 18 field-goal attempts this season.
Muschamp said Sturgis would “be full speed” for Florida’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday (12:21 p.m., SEC Network).
With Sturgis likely to put up points any time the offense can get the ball within the 35-yard line, Muschamp can call a more conservative offensive game.
“There’s no question [Sturgis is] a game changer for us,” Muschamp said. “You know if you get to the 35-yard line, you’re kicking a field goal. It changes the game dramatically for us.”
Injury update: Although Andre Debose (knee), James Wilson (knee), Xavier Nixon (knee), Lerentee McCray (ankle) and Jon Halapio (ankle) missed part or all of Saturday's game due to injury, running back Mack Brown (ankle) is the only player Muschamp said was questionable for Saturday's game. Muschamp considers the rest of the group probable, saying they are expected to return to practice to some extent on Tuesday.
Early departure: Freshman Jafar Mann has decided to transfer, Muschamp announced. Muschamp said he met with Mann on Sunday night.
“He and I agreed that it’s time for him to move on,” Muschamp said.
Mann came to UF as a three-star defensive tackle out of Stone Mountain, Ga., according to Rivals.com. The UF coaching staff had been experimenting with using him at guard in the weeks leading up to his transfer.
TV time: Florida's game against Jacksonville State on Nov. 17 will kick off at 1 p.m. and be made available via pay-per-view.
