Duke Clark returned to Florida‘s lineup with the burst its struggling offense has sorely missed.
The sophomore running back caught two passes for 70 yards against Oklahoma after an ankle injury sidelined him for several weeks. Although the Gators scored only once, Clark said his return felt normal and allowed him to begin rediscovering his rhythm alongside his teammates.
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Clark also discussed Florida’s offensive decline, his role in the passing game, the challenge Kentucky presents and why the final three games remain essential to the program’s future.
Here’s everything Clark had to say.
It felt good. Honestly, it felt normal. I missed being out there with the guys. It was about getting back into the rhythm.
It comes down to execution. Everything is there. We just aren’t doing the right things and executing them correctly.
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They’re big up front and fly to the ball. Their safeties fit the running game, and they have a pretty good team.
The passing game is pretty good. He has plenty of ways to spread us out. I do my job when the ball comes, catch it and try to do my best.
It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle because the training room is always going to be there. You’re going to enter it regardless. Being in and out of there wasn’t bad. I took it on the chin, kept my head down and returned to work.
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Everybody is preaching execution and doing his job. You have to worry about yourself because everybody has one job. If everybody does his one job, everything will take care of itself.
Everybody is going to hit a bump in the road at some point. I’m not saying I knew it was coming, but everybody reaches one. You have to be prepared for it.
There’s still a standard. It isn’t, “We only have three games remaining.” We have to win these three games if we want to reach where we want to go.
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Everybody has to put his head down and work. Once they see what happens at the end of this season, it will flow into next season.
He’s the same guy every day. He enters the building the same way and doesn’t act differently. He’s always the same guy. There’s no frustration or any of that.
Cold weather happens everywhere in December. It’s cold everywhere. As a running back, I’m not worried about it. Once you get going, you get going. You don’t even worry about the cold.
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It’s about creating momentum. During an away game, you have to build your own momentum because you aren’t at home. There aren’t many fans in that stadium rooting for you. They want to see you fail and everything else.
You have to build your own momentum, especially with Kentucky having a good crowd.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Duke Clark gives Florida offense a needed jolt before Kentucky
