A promising ECU transfer cornerback faces a setback as Florida head coach Jon Sumrall slams defensive effort and tackling consistency following the Gators' first high-stakes fall scrimmage.
The Florida Gators didn't come out of their most recent scrimmage unscathed.
On Saturday, the Gators held a scrimmage that let new head coach Jon Sumrall and staff evaluate where the team was at with three to go before they host FAU in Week 1.
During Monday's news conference with reporters, Surmall revealed ECU transfer cornerback Jordy Lowery suffered a soft-tissue injury during the scrimmage. He had made progress in the defense before suffering the injury.
“Jordy Lowery was the only injury in Saturday’s practice," Sumrall said, via gatornation.com. A little soft tissue deal. Played 12 or 13 plays before it happened. Really frustrating because honestly, his arrow was up off a training camp in the spring.
"He looked like a new guy that transferred and was swimming a little bit at times. And this training camp, he’s been a pleasant surprise. So disappointed for him. It’s not going to be a terribly long-term deal, but a soft tissue deal that we’ll just have to see how he responds.”
Lowery wasn't expected to be a Week 1 start for Florida, but he's a valuable piece of depth on a talented secondary.
Sumrall was unhappy with the play of his secondary during the scrimmage, noting that the two touchdowns that came via the air came from blown coverages. He wasn't impressed with the way his defensive backs decided to tackle on Saturday.
“Some space tackling I didn’t love on the perimeter," Sumrall said. "One of the touchdowns we gave up in the passing game. The effort on tackling was poor with a couple of DBs at times. There was two of them in particular that I was ready to lose my mind on.
"Not going to name names, but there was two DBs that their effort on the tackles on touchdowns I was really disappointed in. But for the most part, scrimmage one, pretty good…I felt like most of the tackling was decent for a first scrimmage, to be quite honest.”
The effort will need to be there for Florida when they face FAU in Week 1. The Gators are expected to have a solid secondary this season, but Sumrall's remarks about the scrimmage weren't promising about the group.
