Florida's Murphy 'game-time decision'
Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy probably will be a game-time decision against No. 11 South Carolina.
Offensive coordinator Brent Pease said Tuesday that Murphy's throwing shoulder is still sore and could keep him out against the Gamecocks on Saturday night.
Murphy sprained his right shoulder against LSU last month. He started the last three games -- losses against Missouri, Georgia and Vanderbilt -- and completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 479 yards, with one touchdown pass and four interceptions. He also was sacked 15 times.
Murphy said Monday he landed on his shoulder against the Commodores -- he was sacked five times -- and possibly made the injury worse.
He sat out practice Monday and Tuesday, and Pease said his availability will come down to "how well he can throw the ball with spin."
"He's in a situation where he's spending time in the training room getting healthy again," Pease said. "I think it's day to day based on what the trainers have to say."
Murphy threw a career-high three interceptions in the 34-17 loss to Vanderbilt, and the Commodores turned them into 21 points.
"I need all the practice I can get," Murphy said. "It's just frustrating being banged up a little bit and having to sit out and try to get healthy. I'm just going to live in the training room and get healthy and try to get back out there as soon as possible."
Murphy declined to use the injury as an excuse, but he did acknowledge that he has been "fighting a little bit of pain."
The Gators have been decimated by injuries this season. They have 10 players sidelined with season-ending injuries and several others who have missed significant time. The list includes quarterback Jeff Driskel, defensive tackle Dominique Easley, running back Matt Jones, kick returner Andre Debose, linebacker Antonio Morrison and three offensive linemen.
If Murphy can't play, redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg would make his first career start. Mornhinweg, the son of New York Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, hasn't played a down in two years.
"He's ready to go," Pease said. "The thing that's tough on a kid in his situation is just experience. You hope you never really have to play with a redshirt freshman. Nothing against him because he's a smart kid, he works hard. But in a developmental situation, you hope that you get into your sophomore and junior year before you're in that situation, whether you're competing for the job or in a backup role ready to play."