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Gators eager to play after restlessly waiting for Hurricane Irma to pass

Josh Hammond’s family has no power, but he knows it could have been worse.

“Other than the power going out, the house is fine,” said Hammond, a sophomore receiver on Florida’s football team. “It's just out of their control."

The Florida football team returned to practice on Tuesday, nearly a day after Hurricane Irma finished passing through Gainesville, causing minor flooding, downed trees and power outages.

Some players, including Hammond, whose family lives in Hallandale, a city about 20 miles north of Miami, treated practice as a welcome relief.

“When the hurricane hit, guys were ready to just go practice, just to get things off their mind, just tired of hearing about the hurricane and devastation,” Hammond said on Wednesday.