Jelani Jenkins feels back at full speed after a frustrating first half of the season.
The Gators were counting on Jenkins to be a fixture at weak-side linebacker, where he was a starter each of the past two seasons, but he broke his thumb in the second game of the season. When he hurried back and agreed to play with a massive cast on his right arm, he suffered another setback with a hamstring injury.
Heading into No. 3 Florida’s game against No. 12 Georgia in Jacksonville on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS), Jenkins finally seems healthy and comfortable, particularly with the “club” on his hand.
“I’m used to it now,” he said. “It’s not the same as having a regular hand that you can move all your fingers around with, but I’m used to it — whatever I gotta do to get on the field.”
The UF staff puts a new cast on him for every practice or game, though it is possible he could stop using it by next week’s game against Missouri.
He needed surgery after breaking the bone Sept. 8, and a permanent screw was installed in his hand. Jenkins does not anticipate any additional procedures.
He missed two consecutive games after the injury before he returned for the LSU game, where he tweaked his hamstring. He sat out against Vanderbilt, then returned last week to face South Carolina.
Jenkins had four tackles against the Gamecocks, including a huge sack for the Gators (7-0, 6-0 in the SEC). South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw rolled out for a pass, and Jenkins raced into the backfield to drop him for an 8-yard loss.
“Jelani has obviously been hurt but when he’s played, he’s played really well,” coach Will Muschamp said.
Jenkins, a redshirt junior, has nine tackles in four games. He started every game but one last season and finished third on the team with 75 tackles. He also had two sacks, an interception and six pass break-ups.
He is projected as a second- or third-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft if he opts to skip his senior season.
“When he’s healthy, I think he’s the best cover linebacker in college football today,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “Great speed and instincts and anticipation in coverage.”
Pease knows Georgia: After spending the past six seasons at Boise State, Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease has familiarized himself with a slew of new opponents.
However, he already knows the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) after beating them 34-21 in last year’s season-opener. Pease’s Broncos hit Georgia with 390 yards of total offense, the fourth-highest mark against the Bulldogs in 2011.
“There’s a lot of those guys back, so I think just from a personnel standpoint, (I’m) feeling comfortable with what our guys can handle and match up with,” Pease said.
Jones a threat: The Gators struggled with South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney last week and now move on to a similar challenge with Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones.
Jones is not quite at Clowney’s level, but Jones had four sacks in the Bulldogs’ 24-20 over the Gators last year. He had 19.5 tackles for loss last season, and currently leads Georgia with 9.5.
He missed last week’s game against Kentucky because of an ankle injury, but has practiced and is expected to be fully available Saturday.
Highly penalized: Florida had a problem with penalties and still has issues.
The Gators had at least 70 penalty yards in four of their seven games, including 154 in the past two weeks. They are the second-most penalized team in the SEC at 66 yards per game.
Muschamp noted in August that plenty of great teams draw a high volume of flags, but recently conceded there are “some silly penalties we need to get out of our game as we move forward, as the stakes get a little higher.”
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