When Florida's starting quarterback takes the field at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, he will have gone through a week of prank calls from LSU fans.
It's just unclear who "he" will be.
While senior Tim Tebow returned to practice Tuesday, his status for UF's game Saturday is still uncertain.
LSU fans apparently wanted to take every precaution, so they acquired sophomore John Brantley's cell phone number and have been berating him with calls and text messages.
Tebow went through a similar thing in the week before the team's 2007 matchup. After scoring a touchdown two years ago, Tebow celebrated by pretending to dial a phone.
So far, LSU fans have treated Brantley like an equal off the field, but how will UF's offense change if it is No. 12 and not No. 15 taking the snaps Saturday night?
Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said any alterations would be slight.
"He's got a good grasp of the whole offense," Addazio said. "Obviously, like always, we'll always have little things that feature someone's personal strengths - John's a real thrower - that's something you can feature a little bit. The bottom line is he's been trained to run our offense, and he'll run the offense, and he'll do it real well."
All of Brantley's playing time so far has come after UF had secured a victory. He has appeared in three of four games this season and completed 22 of 30 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns, good for a 182.29 passer efficiency rating.
If he plays Saturday, he will face a LSU pass defense that's third-worst in the Southeastern Conference.
Sophomore wide receiver Deonte Thompson, one of the team's best deep options, is expected to play this weekend after missing the last two games.
"We've got so many playmakers at this school," Brantley said. "To go in there and see those playmakers in the huddle with you, that gives you confidence."
Brantley will also be aided by the nation's top rushing offense. The Gators are averaging 307.5 yards per game behind Tebow and their trio of running backs - Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody. Each of the three is averaging more than 8 yards per carry.
Running backs coach Kenny Carter acknowledged his guys might carry a heavier load if Tebow doesn't play but stressed the importance of throwing the ball.
"The passing game is a vital part of what you have to do to be successful in this league," Carter said. "You can't be one-dimensional. Us being productive is huge, but we have to play well at quarterback too."
While relatively untested in college, Brantley came to Gainesville as the sixth-best quarterback prospect coming out of high school, according to Rivals.com
Now Florida's undefeated record may rest on Brantley's shoulders.
"Anytime you don't have a guy like Tim Tebow who's arguably the best college football player in America - stop right there," Addazio said. "But John Brantley is a hell of a football player. I mean a big-time guy.
"We're going to have some wrinkles for John Brantley like we always would, but John Brantley will run our offense and John Brantley will compete. John Brantley would be starting for a lot of teams in this conference right now."
