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Luke Del Rio regains UF starting job, for now

 
Luke Del Rio provided a needed spark when he replaced starter Feleipe Franks and rallied Florida past Kentucky.
Luke Del Rio provided a needed spark when he replaced starter Feleipe Franks and rallied Florida past Kentucky.
Published Sept. 25, 2017

GAINESVILLE — Luke Del Rio is once again the starting quarterback for No. 21 Florida.

Coach Jim McElwain announced Monday that Del Rio would take the first-team reps this week before hosting Vanderbilt on Saturday, ahead of redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks and Notre Dame grad transfer Malik Zaire.

"We'll see where it goes kind of from there," McElwain said.

McElwain didn't rule out Franks starting again, but Del Rio will be leading the way this week for an offense still trying to find itself, against the SEC's top pass defense.

The redshirt junior replaced Franks after UF stalled early in the second half at Kentucky. Del Rio finished 9-of-14 with an interception and the winning touchdown pass with 43 seconds left. Franks was also pulled (in favor of Zaire) in the opener against Michigan.

"We needed a jumpstart," McElwain said. "It was like, sometimes maybe not all cylinders were hitting, and yet I think he came in and gave us that boost."

While Del Rio doesn't have Franks' arm or Zaire's athleticism, he does have the best grasp of McElwain's offense. That's why he started last season, when he won his first five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury at Arkansas.

Del Rio finished 2016 with 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions but was more injured than he let on at the time. He required offseason surgeries to repair both shoulders, which hampered his development heading into fall camp.

Two Bulls earn AAC honors

USF nickel back Deatrick Nichols and placekicker Emilio Nadelman, both of whom had career games in Thursday's 43-7 romp of Temple, were named the American Athletic Conference's defensive and special teams players of the week, respectively.

Nichols had two interceptions, three tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble Thursday, when the Bulls forced six turnovers and surrendered only 85 yards. He now has three career two-interception games, including last season at SMU and the 2015 home triumph against Cincinnati. Nadelman set an AAC record and tied the school mark by going 5-for-5 on field goals (44, 44, 37, 28 and 25 yards). His four PATs gave him 19 points for the night, setting a single-game record for a Bulls kicker.

HARBAUGH, MEYER HAVE SAME COMPLAINT: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer both said something needs to be done about locker rooms for visiting teams in the Big Ten. "It's unsportsmanlike," Harbaugh said of the facilities at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium, where the Wolverines topped the Boilermakers 28-10 on Saturday. He wants the Big Ten to investigate and develop standards for space, cleanliness, technology and comfort for visitors. The locker room Michigan used was not air-conditioned. Some players went out to the air-conditioned charter bus for relief. Meyer said Ohio State has had problems with substandard dressing rooms. "In my very strong opinion, that should not be allowed," he said. Purdue spokesman Tom Schott said opponents get advance notice about the lack of air conditioning and can ask for "preferred temporary accommodations."

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GEORGIA: Coach Kirby Smart said injured quarterback Jacob Eason might play this week at Tennessee. Eason is recovering from a sprained left knee he suffered the first week of the season. Smart wouldn't say if a healthy Eason would reclaim the starting job from Jake Fromm. He said that will be decided in practice. Eason wore a brace on the left knee as he threw passes during Monday's practice.

TENNESSEE: Coach Butch Jones, asked whether a teammate caused the injury that prevented defensive tackle Shy Tuttle from playing last week, said Tuttle merely landed on a helmet, then expressed displeasure with the "drama" surrounding media coverage of Tennessee's program and cited "all the positive things we've done."

WASHINGTON: Starting receiver Chico McClatcher is out for the season with a broken left ankle.

Times staff writer Joey Knight contributed to this report, which used information from Times wires.