Florida coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday that Chris Rainey would be available to play in the Oct. 30 game against Georgia.
"He's eligible to participate in the Georgia game," Meyer said. "I’m not saying he will, because that’s not been determined yet."
Rainey has not played since the South Florida game the second week of the season. He was arrested and charged with felony aggravated stalking after sending a woman he'd been dating a text message that said: "Time to die [expletive]." The woman didn't want Rainey prosecuted, and he reached a plea agreement with prosecutors to have the charge reduced to a misdemeanor.
The Gators have lost three straight games and have faced unprecedented struggles under Meyer on offense. They have a bye this week, and Meyer said a big part of their problems on offense has been the inability to create big plays in the running game. Jeff Demps has struggled with a foot injury since the Tennessee game and hasn't been healthy.
"We have not had a running back create a big play since the South Florida game, which is alarming," Meyer said. "Around here, we’ve always had hits in the run game."
Rainey could be an option at running back if he does indeed play against Georgia. He moved from running back to slot receiver prior to this season and possesses tremendous speed.
"Would I consider it? Sure," Meyer said about using Rainey at running back. " We’ll find out more next week."
