As the week goes on, Skyler Mornhinweg continues to receive more first-team snaps with the Florida offense.
Mornhinweg, a redshirt freshman, would be next in line at quarterback for the Gators if Tyler Murphy were unable to play against No. 10 South Carolina on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2).
“Skyler’s been taking all the snaps this week,” coach Will Muschamp said. “We feel comfortable with him.”
Muschamp was hopeful Wednesday morning that Murphy, who has battled a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder for about a month, would be able to throw in practice later in the day. The redshirt junior was held out of the first two days of practice this week and remains questionable for Saturday’s game.
“He’s got some soreness in there, and he’s had some swelling on it, so there is some discomfort as far as his movement is concerned,” Muschamp said. “That was kind of the situation in Missouri. We didn’t think he would play. We got out there, and I guess he got his adrenaline flowing there in the morning and felt pretty good and felt like he could go out there and give it a shot, and he did.”
Losing Murphy, who has completed 60.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions, would be another blow to an already reeling Florida offense. The Gators are 13th in the conference in scoring and last in total offense.
Mornhinweg has not thrown a pass during his college career but has impressed teammates with his maturity while taking snaps with the first-team offense this week.
“He plays his game,” left tackle Max Garcia said. “He’s comfortable in managing the offense now. You can hear it in his voice when he’s in the huddle and he’s calling plays. You can see he’s getting more confident back there.”
Muschamp praises Spurrier: Despite their 26-year age difference and positions on opposite sides of a conference rivalry, Muschamp and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier have developed a strong friendship.
“I admire the job he’s done as a head coach, period,” Muschamp said of Spurrier. “He does things the right way. He does things first class. He handles things the right way. I really have a lot of respect for the man.”
Since taking over as coach of the Gators in 2010, Muschamp has reached out to Spurrier on several occasions for words of advice on leading the program and living in Gainesville.
Asked why he felt the need to establish a relationship with Spurrier, who coached at Florida from 1990 to 2001, Muschamp said, “Well, he’s got a statue in front of the stadium.”
Freshman linebacker emerging: After being used mostly on special teams, freshman Jarrad Davis will start at linebacker against South Carolina.
With Antonio Morrison out for the season because of a torn meniscus, Mike Taylor will shift inside to fill the void, opening a spot for Davis. Despite playing in a limited role, Davis has seven tackles, including one for a loss, and has impressed the Florida coaching staff with his physicality and instincts.
“That’s a guy that is someone we build around here,” defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said. “He’s about all the right things. He practices and works really hard (and) prepares himself well. He’s going to get more opportunities.”
Injuries: Muschamp said that left tackle D.J. Humphries (knee) will be out Saturday, and cornerback Marcus Roberson (knee) is still day-to-day. Morrison and Jeremi Powell (ACL) were each scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday.
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