| No. 6 Florida loses captain Trautwein for opener, maybe longer |
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| Written by Admin |
| Wednesday, 29 August 2007 14:14 |
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -No. 6 Florida will be without left tackle Phil Trautwein for Saturday's season opener against Western Kentucky, and he might be out for the season. Trautwein, a senior captain who started every game for the national champions last season, has a stress fracture in his right foot that could require season-ending surgery. ``A big loss, huge loss,'' coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday. ``The good thing is it's an area where there's a little bit of depth and a little bit of competition.'' Trautwein moved from left tackle to right tackle in the spring to protect left-handed quarterback Tim Tebow's blind side. He hurt his foot in early August and recently moved back to the left side in hopes of protecting the injury. But the foot didn't get better, and tests revealed a stress fracture - a recurring problem for Trautwein since high school. ``You lose one of your very finest off linemen. That doesn't happen every day,'' offensive line coach Steve Addazio said. ``But in the same breath, we've been preparing really hard to prepare No. 6, No. 7, No 8 and No. 9, and that's what football is all about. It's our job to make sure we have the next guy ready to go, and we do.'' To replace Trautwein, right tackle Jason Watkins moved to the left side, guard Carlton Medder switched to right tackle and freshman Maurkice Pouncey stepped in at right guard. ``We've been switching up lines throughout two-a-days, so a bunch of guys can play different positions,'' center Drew Miller said. ``I think we've got a solid backup at every position.'' Meyer said Trautwein could take a medical redshirt and return next season. Also Wednesday, Meyer said freshman running back Bo Williams will be out six weeks because of a dislocated ankle. Former USC running back Emmanuel Moody attended practice Wednesday, but Meyer could not talk about him because he had not completed the enrollment process. Moody was Southern California's second-leading rusher last season. He gained 458 yards on 79 carries before missing the final four games because of a sprained ankle. |
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