Meyer: Tebow limited by shoulder injury
GAINESVILLE - Coach Urban Meyer said he talked with Tim Tebow, his injured sophomore quarterback, late Saturday night and his bruised right shoulder was still numb from the injection he received. Obviously Meyer and the Gators hope this isn't an ongoing issue.
"I'm hoping not because obviously that makes Tim Tebow different than most other quarterbacks," Meyer said. " ... And he just doesn't tell you, he just fights through. But we only had four quarterback runs, and they were all goal-line plays, which is a big part of our goal-line offense."
Tim Tebow said after Saturday's 42-30 loss to Georgia that his arm was hurting, but that it didn't significantly affect his play. He did not run nearly as much 13 carries or effectively as he had all season, rarely raised his right arm when trying to pump up the crowd. He was sacked six times.
The Bulldogs quickly realized Tim Tebow wasn't himself.
"We knew he had gotten hurt, we didn't know how hurt he was," coach Mark Richt said. "But as the game went on, it was pretty evident that they were not going to run him as much as normal. I just had to assume that his shoulder was bothering him enough that they weren't going to do that."
If Tim Tebow is out this week against Vanderbilt, which isn't likely, backup Cameron Newton or reserve Bryan Waggener would step in, Meyer said, though Cameron Newton has a sprained left ankle that kept him out of practice two weeks ago, and limited him last week.
NO COMMENT: Two freshmen were suspended for selling their tickets, which is an NCAA violation, according to reports on various Web sites. Neither running back Chevon Walker nor safety Jamar Hornsby was listed on the dress roster Saturday, though both usually travel with the team. Walker hasn't played in three weeks, but Hornsby, a Jacksonville native, has played special teams all season.
Asked during his Sunday morning teleconference if he would comment or offer information on the situation and whether the suspensions were a distraction to his team, Meyer replied, "No, and no."
INJURY UPDATE: Defensive end Javier Estopinan suffered a left knee injury, but the extent won't be known until further evaluation. He had a right ACL injury last season. Meyer hopes receiver Riley Cooper (broken finger) can return this week.
DEFENSIVE WOES: The Gators (5-3, 3-3), who fell nine spots to No. 18 in the AP Top 25, have given up 124 points in the past four games, three of them losses. Meyer dismissed the notion that lack of talent is the major reason for the defensive struggles, but acknowledged it's a problem.
"There's been times we've played excellent defense early in the year," he said. "And then other times, it's been combination health issue, combination youth, combination not playing very well."
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