Rewind, if you can, to this time last year.
Florida was embroiled in a three-game losing streak. The mighty Gators had fallen from the perch of competing for national championships to the depths of needing help to contend in the Southeastern Conference East. Urban Meyer was probably wishing he had chosen to stay at home instead of enduring a season without his wunderkind, Tim Tebow.
And everyone, and I mean everyone — fans and media alike — had zero faith in John Brantley.
My, how things change.
Now, the Gators are again on a three-game skid, but there’s a big difference: The only hope to end that streak is the same quarterback we loved to hate even as recently as a few months ago.
Never mind that guru Charlie Weis was coming to town, never mind that he was installing a pro-style offense that suited Brantley’s abilities — a poor performance in the spring game was all it took for people to once again call for Brantley’s head, or, at least, his job.
Now, those same fans are counting the days until Brantley’s injured ankle is healed and he can trot back onto the field. Now, those same writers, people like Clay Travis from Outkickthecoverage.com, are calling Brantley one of the ten best offensive players in the SEC.
Who could blame them?
The last time anyone saw Brantley in action he was marching the Gators down the field against arguably the nation’s best defense, attempting to pull his team within striking distance before the break. Sure, he threw an interception that Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw returned for a touchdown, but Brantley was proving to be a different player in that game.
And that’s what is so disappointing.
The 190 yards passing Brantley and the Gators put up in the first half are more than five of Alabama’s other six opponents have accrued in an entire game. The Crimson Tide defense is disgusting (the kids tell me that’s a good thing) and makes a habit of shutting down the opposition’s offense.
But Brantley exposed that ‘Bama D from the opening snap. And he did it with the same pieces around him that have struggled to score points and move the ball the last two weeks.
After five games, Brantley was fourth in the SEC in average passing yards per game (188.4) and pass efficiency (152.6), but more importantly, he kept the defense honest and kept an eighth man out of the box.
Without the fifth-year senior, the run game has been nonexistent. The Gators can’t throw the ball, either, as Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel passed for just 228 combined yards in losses to LSU and Auburn. They scored 17 points, with only one touchdown.
To start the season, Brantley was effective, and he was downright good against the Tide, which begs the inevitable question: What if?
What if Brantley had not suffered the injury? What if he played against Auburn?
Surely, with such a solid performance by the defense, UF could have won if only Brantley was under center instead of a freshman, right?
We’ll never know the answer to that question. We should not even spend time wondering.
What we need to do is give John Brantley the respect he has earned. There’s no denying Florida does not have a good football team this season, but one thing is certain: The Gators are far better with Brantley than without him.
And that’s a statement no one could have imagined saying, writing or believing this time last year.
Contact Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
