Florida struggled at time on defense against UMass because All-SEC and preseason All-American Jalen Tabor wasn't on the field due to a suspension. That forced Duke Dawson into a bigger role than coach Jim McElwain anticipated, but he didn't get to fill it for too long as he went down with an injury against the Minutemen.
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The depth in the secondary took a significant hit for the game and the difference between second-stringers and third-stringers was pretty big as sophomore Chris Williamson gave up a huge 24-yard completion on fourth-and-14 and then later a 53-yard completion. Fortunately, Dawson's injury is not serious and he will be good to go next week.
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However, not all the injury news was good as JUCO transfer receiver Dre Massey will miss the rest of the season after he went down with a knee injury against UMass.
Just confirmed Dre Massey knee injury will keep him out for the rest of the year.
— Pat Dooley (@pat_dooley) September 4, 2016
Massey shot his way to the top of the depth chart as the slot receiver and even pushed Brandon Powell to the outside because he was so talented. Florida had big plans for Massey as a receiver, but it looks like those plans will have to be put on hold.
