The No. 5 Florida Gators may have lost some of their defensive bite.

According to reports out of Gainesville, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas has been suspended for the next five games after failing a drug test. Coach Urban Meyer would not confirm the report during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, but if the reports are true, Florida will be without one of its better defenders during the toughest part of the Gators schedule.

There is a chance the suspension will be reduced on appeal. Thomas had already been benched for the season opener against Southern Miss (a 34-7 Florida victory as a 19.5-point home favorite) after a test reportedly came up positive for marijuana. The Orlando Sentinel says the Thomas family believes the second positive result is for the same incident - which apparently took place at a party during the summer.

The line for Saturday’s matchup in Gainesville between Florida and the Kentucky Wildcats was unchanged after reports of the suspension first hit the newswire. The Gators held firm as 24-point faves with a total of 48.5. However, Thomas was the leading sack-getter on the Gators with three, and the senior nose tackle is one of the most dominant pass rushers in the conference.

Fortunately for Gators supporters, whatever deficiencies their defensive line will have minus Thomas will be masked by their tremendous depth, plus the star power of linebacker Brandon Siler. Already heralded as one of the best pass defenders in the SEC, Siler collected seven tackles (two of them for a loss) last week against Tennessee in a 21-20 victory. The Vols managed just minus-11 rushing yards in defeat, although they cashed in as 4.5-point home dogs.

What Florida cannot afford is another player missing on offense. Running back DeShawn Wynn and wide receiver Percy Harvin were both wearing protective boots after suffering sprained ankles against Tennessee. Meyer is confident Wynn will start this Saturday against Kentucky; Harvin, though, remains questionable. The Gators will miss his versatility if he is unable to suit up. Harvin ran for 81 yards against the Vols and added another 145 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Kick-off from Florida Field is 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time, with ESPN on hand for national television coverage.

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