Florida got some good news on Monday when head coach Will Muschamp said that injured running back Matt Jones will return to play against Miami on Saturday, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Jones, a 6-foot-2, 226-pound sophomore, won the starting running back job for the Gators coming out of spring, but suffered a viral infection in fall camp and did not play in the opening win over Toledo.
Junior Mack Brown started in his stead and came through with 125 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries against the Rockets.
Jones was third on the team in rushing last season with 275 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries.
With Jones back, the Gators now have a solid 1-2 punch at the tailback spot -- a bruiser in Jones and a more nimble runner in Brown. They’ll need both to step up so long as quarterback Jeff Driskel continues to struggle with the downfield passing game.