Things just keep getting worse in Gainesville.
After losing to Vanderbilt on Homecoming Saturday, Gators coach Will Muschamp revealed linebacker Antonio Morrison will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury (via GatorZone’s Scott Carter). Specifically, Morrison has a torn meniscus.
He’s the 10th Florida player and seventh starter to suffer a season-ending injury. The Gators will have to win on the road at South Carolina or at home vs. Florida State to become bowl eligible, with a game against Georgia Southern sandwiched between those two critical contests.
Florida’s been to a bowl game every year since 1990 and hasn’t had a losing season since 1979.
While Muschamp took Florida to the Sugar Bowl last year, the Gators have ranked in the final AP Top 25 just once in the last three seasons. Unless they miraculously beat South Carolina and Florida State, they’ll be out of the final top 25 for for the third time since Urban Meyer’s final season in Gainesville.
Still, this is only Muschamp’s third season coaching the Gators, and while things have been bad this year firing him might come off as an overreaction. After all, a fellow SEC East team was blasted by an avalanche of injuries last year and turned everything around with a far-healthier roster (and new offensive coordinator) this year.