GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida will be without leading receiver Eugene Wilson III against Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Gators (1-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) ruled Wilson out on Wednesday night, leaving coach Billy Napier scrambling for a replacement three games into the season.

Week 1 starter Kahleil Jackson (knee) is out for the season, and Florida won’t have senior Ja’Quavion Fraziars for the fourth consecutive game. Freshman Tank Hawkins is questionable, so Napier might have to turn to redshirt freshman Aidan Mizell, reserve Marcus Burke or former walk-on Taylor Spierto to play alongside starters Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike.

“We’re definitely a better team with Tre Wilson for sure,” Napier said.

A sophomore from Tampa and the son of a two-time Super Bowl-winning safety, Wilson has a team-leading 13 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown in two games.

He injured a knee in a 45-7 victory against Samford two weeks ago and was a game-time decision against Texas A&M. He warmed up before the game and then wasn’t in uniform when the Gators came out of the locker room for kickoff. The Gators lost 33-20.

Now, four days later and with the Gators seemingly on the verge of firing Napier, Wilson was ruled out during the initial release of the SEC’s availability report.

“He woke up the next day, and I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of what it is and all that,” Napier said. “So all good.”

Golden Tate spent more than a decade as a receiver in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl. He appeared in a Pro Bowl. He made a winning touchdown catch in the playoffs.

For everything he did on a football field, it was an impromptu decision as a Notre Dame player 15 years ago on this day that might stand out from the rest.

“It’s something I’ll never be able to forget,” he said.

The internet will not let him.

“It pops up every year,” Tate said. “It’s one of the main highlights of all time, which I had no clue it was gonna happen.”

Tate, of course, is referring to a spectacular catch in the end zone to give Notre Dame a fourth-quarter lead at home against Michigan State on Sept. 29, 2009. But it’s not exactly the score that has been memorialized in college football history. After making the catch, Tate proceeded to leap — arms extended as if to motion for a touchdown — headfirst into the Spartan Marching Band in what can only be remembered as one of the most iconic spur-of-the-moment celebrations of all time.

Did I do thaaaaatttt ??? (steve urkle voice) 🤓😂 https://t.co/f15zHYfCr5

— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) July 1, 2020

In what was eventually Charlie Weis’ final season as the Irish head coach, Notre Dame had just suffered a disappointing upset loss to Michigan the previous week. Michigan State had also lost the previous week, against Central Michigan, and was led by a redshirt sophomore quarterback named Kirk Cousins, whose only win as a starter had come two weeks earlier against FCS Montana State.

For Weis, a loss to that Michigan State team would have been an irredeemable sin. It all added to the gravity of the moment when quarterback Jimmy Clausen dropped back to pass, trailing 29-26 with just over five minutes to play.

After more than 65 yards in the air, the ball dropped perfectly into Tate’s outstretched hands and the rest Tate can relive as if it happened in slow motion.

“I didn’t even realize the band was there,” he said. “I was able to catch it, get my feet in and then my body clock was telling me I had to be getting pretty close to the end of the end zone.”

A careful analysis of the footage shows Tate took about three steps before he encountered the wall of band members. Impact was unavoidable.

“I can’t remember what the little girl played — I don’t know if she had like a little trombone or a flute or a clarinet or something — I see this little girl like right in my line and I know I couldn’t stop, so I’m going to destroy her [if I kept going],” Tate said. “And I got on full on gear. So, quickly I think, ‘OK, well if I just jump and land on all of them, everyone wins.’ I don’t want to completely hit-stick this little girl who’s in the band.

“They catch me and it’s a win-win. And I probably looked really cool doing it.”

Except Tate’s plan had an undiagnosed flaw.

“Little did I know, this marching band skedaddled out of there so quickly and all that was left to land on were these plastic chairs,” he said.

The adrenaline staved off any physical pain, leaving Tate more concerned about how it might have looked to a national TV audience.

“I go from, ‘This is gonna be cool,’ to now, ‘I probably look like an idiot.’ I was gonna jump in the band and now I just landed on a bunch of chairs,” Tate said.

Somehow, all of this happened in less than four seconds.

“They could have probably hit me with their instruments,” Tate said. “Someone could have poured a beer on me and I would’ve never noticed, because I was so locked into the game and had tunnel vision. I would have never known.”

Weis didn’t see the leap as it happened, but later had one critique.

“It was the wrong band,” Weis said.

Tate doesn’t remember why the band was that close to the field in the first place, but the response was a predictable one for college football.

“Michigan State fans and alumni sent Notre Dame a bunch of emails of their disapproval of me jumping into their band,” Tate said. “Which I thought was kind of hilarious.”

Archived message board conversations have preserved the opposing fan overreaction, some of which painted the moment as some kind of overarching referendum on Tate and Notre Dame:

• “It would be one thing to run into your own band, but what G. Tate did was unclassy.”

• “It looked somewhat intentional to me. I hope [MSU coach Mark] Dantonio raises a stink about it.”

• “The more I see of ND this season the less I respect them and Weis.”

The touchdown stood as the game-winner, and the bigger conversation after the game was more about what effect the result had on Weis’ job security.

“It’s a big win for Notre Dame, it’s not a big win for Charlie Weis,” Weis said after the game.

It was the first of a three-game winning streak that saw the Irish climb back into the AP Top 25 before falling apart late in the season. Weis was eventually fired two days after the season ended and replaced by Brian Kelly.

Fifteen years later, Tate’s leap is appreciated for the entertaining moment it was, and it holds a special place in Irish lore. It has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, and it continues to be discussed on online platforms. A few years ago, it was even memorialized in a Notre Dame children’s coloring book created to help Notre Dame fans help pass the time during remote schooling.

“Being a part of history from such a prestigious and traditional university is like pretty special,” Tate said. “It was my honor to represent the university for the years I was there and now to be just part of the history books. Not only for I guess my celebrations, but also for my play.

“Now that I think about these stories or retell these stories, they seem a lot better than they were back then because I guess that was just my life. And now it’s like, ‘Man, that was really cool.'”

After hockey fans went many years without best-on-best international competition, the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off will see the best players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States compete in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20.

Each nation has named six players to its roster, with the rest to be named closer to the tournament. All four teams have a plethora of talent, so for the first time in nearly a decade, fans will get to see the best players in the world compete against each other on the international stage.

Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid skating for Canada. Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and the Tkachuk brothers for Team USA. The stacked blue line for Sweden, and two-way center depth for Finland.

Before the NHL season gets rolling, here is our projection of what each of the four rosters will look like:

United States

The national team development program has done a fantastic job of developing American superstars. The reigning Rocket Richard, Norris and Vezina Trophy winners and the best goaltending depth in the tournament is a good start. The Americans are well set up at every position to have success, while the other three teams have weaknesses in one position.

It really doesn’t matter which centers play the wing, but Matthews, Eichel and Dylan Larkin make the most sense to be permanent fixtures in the middle for the all-around game. The luxury of a 40-goal man (Brock Boeser) as a spare — should any of the American forwards falter — is quite something. The forwards are likely to come down to who is in the best form when it comes to decision time, as the U.S. could take any of Clayton Keller, Cole Caufield or Vincent Trocheck. The gap between those on the team and those who just missed is razor thin, and it is easy to see a scenario where any number of those players make the team due to performance or injury.

The defensemen were relatively easy to select, with the Norris Trophy winners expected to the lead the power play. Charlie McAvoy and Jaccob Slavin bring proven shutdown ability, which will be key in this tournament. Brock Faber was brilliant in his rookie season and should make the team if that performance continues into his sophomore year. Zach Werenski may or may not be healthy, potentially opening the door for Noah Hanifin or John Carlson to get in the lineup.

The toughest decision was in goal, where the Americans are loaded. To put it in perspective, one of Jake Oettinger, Thatcher Demko or Jeremy Swayman will be left off the team. Any one of those goaltenders would be better than any current Canadian option — the depth is tremendous. Demko is there now, but mystery surrounding his injury may see him lose his spot to Oettinger or Swayman if he doesn’t get healthy and perform well. Regardless of which three the Americans choose, all three are capable of stealing games, including reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck.

Canada

Canada is loaded up front with the three generational players in Crosby, McDavid and Connor Bedard. Bedard is not a lock in the eyes of Hockey Canada, but he should be on the team if he gets off to a strong start.

The toughest choice up front was Nick Suzuki over Mark Stone, with Steven Stamkos as the extra. Stone’s injuries are a factor, and he will get significant consideration if healthy. Suzuki brings a valuable two-way game, can play multiple roles and should fit nicely in Canada’s bottom six. Stamkos is the spare, but no one should be surprised if he takes a spot in the bottom six to boost the power play. Other players who likely will be considered up front are Travis Konecny and Wyatt Johnston.

Things get complicated on the blue line, with Canada having quite a few elite defensemen on the right side. Cale Makar and Devon Toews make sense as a natural top pairing. Noah Dobson had a fantastic 2023-24 season, is better defensively and has flown under the radar. Shea Theodore and Josh Morrissey make sense on the left side, with Owen Power and Morgan Rielly likely to get consideration.

Evan Bouchard is the most interesting debate, given his ascension to stardom last season. Having four members of the electric Oilers power play must be enticing, but Makar is likely to run the top unit. If Canada doesn’t see Bouchard running a power play, they may look to the likes of Alex Pietrangelo or Aaron Ekblad for their defensive game, with Bouchard as the spare. Shaping the defense will certainly be the toughest for Canada’s brain trust, given the plethora of talent available.

The goaltending is … not great. While Canada has an overabundance of talent in the skater category, they lack in goaltending. Jordan Binnington, Stuart Skinner and Adin Hill have demonstrated they are capable of winning high-pressure games. However, all three have had moments or long stretches of games where they cannot be trusted. Canada can ill afford to choose pedigree over which goaltender is playing the best given who they will face in this event. If Tristan Jarry and Joel Hofer play well to start the season, Canada will have no choice but to consider them here, as having a goalie in form is vital.

Sweden

Sweden has some interesting decisions to make all over their lineup. Elias Pettersson, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mikael Backlund represent strong two-way play with scoring prowess. If Gabriel Landeskog returns without setback, it is easy to see how Sweden would consider bringing him to the tournament. Rickard Rakell will get consideration if he plays well to start the season, and could take a spot from Gustav Nyquist, Lucas Raymond or Leo Carlsson.

Sweden has the option to go young or give veterans one last kick at international competition; a mix of both is likely the best route.

About that blue line: Victor Hedman, Gustav Forsling, Erik Karlsson and Rasmus Dahlin is some kind of top four. The Swedish defensemen are a who’s who of Norris Trophy conversations over the past decade. Behind that group, Mattias Ekholm has been consistently steady, and Hampus Lindholm plays a key shutdown role on a great team. Their inclusion frees up Karlsson and Dahlin from penalty killing, and should allow them to thrive offensively. Jonas Brodin will be in the mix too, with Rasmus Andersson and Adam Larsson likely to get consideration for bottom-pair roles. Sweden’s depth on the blue line will be a major strength.

If Jacob Markstrom plays the way he’s capable of in New Jersey, he is likely to back up Linus Ullmark. Both goalies have been in the Vezina conversation in recent seasons, with Ullmark playing more consistently over the past few seasons. Lucas Wallstedt goes in favor of Sam Ersson, given that Sweden views him as a key piece of their international landscape in the future. If Ersson vastly outplays Wallstedt in the early season, he may get the nod, but it is unlikely either sees action in the tournament if Ullmark and Markstrom are healthy.

Finland

Finland’s strength is up front, where its center depth includes Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz and Anton Lundell. Other nations have more scoring depth, but Finland has three centers who are elite two-way players, while Lundell is developing into a two-way stud.

Outside of Mikko Rantanen, Finland lacks elite scoring talent on the wings. If Patrik Laine can find his form in Montreal, he’s likely to play higher in the lineup and score. Eeli Tolvanen and Joel Armia are on the bubble up front, if players like Laine or Mattias Maccelli don’t have good starts to the season. Expect Finland to play a tight checking game and rely on their elite two-way players to win low-scoring games. This is a country that has had significant success in recent international tournaments, so they shouldn’t be overlooked despite that relative lack of pop.

On the blue line, Finland is led by Miro Heiskanen — the only true star on the back end. He will log major minutes, play in all situations and quarterback the power play. Olli Maatta and Juuso Valimaki could trade places depending on their performance. Expect Esa Lindell, Rasmus Ristolainen and Niko Mikkola to be key penalty killers and bring a physical element to the defensive zone.

Juuse Saros will be a huge part of Finland’s ability to contend in this tournament, and is a shoo-in to be the starter. Saros will likely be backed up by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Kaapo Kahkonen, but is likely to remain Finland’s starter for the entire tournament.