Tom: With senior John Brantley sidelined with a reported high ankle sprain, the Gators are going to rely on the arm (and possibly legs) of a freshman quarterback when they travel to Death Valley this weekend.
Freshmen Jeff Driskel, Jacoby Brissett and Tyler Murphy have all been splitting reps in practice this week, according to offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, and a starter won’t be decided until Thursday.
Although the three are sharing time in practice, the question remains: Does it matter which quarterback starts for Florida against No. 1 LSU?
The answer is simple: Yes.
It matters quite a bit, in fact, because with Brantley out, Florida’s best chance come Saturday is with Driskel taking snaps.
Matt: Lies.
Facing arguably a tougher defense than the unit that held Driskel to 2-of-6 passing for 14 yards, which Florida quarterback makes the start doesn’t matter nearly as much as the execution of the gameplan.
Weis said Tuesday that no matter who takes the snaps, the plan against LSU will remain largely the same.
And that’s how it should be, because to have a chance against the Tigers, the Gators have to establish the dominant run game it displayed in four wins to start the season.
Averaging 259 yards coming into Saturday’s shellacking, Florida ran for just 15 yards against Alabama.
Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps combined for 8 yards, and if that happens again, Driskel — or Murphy, or Brissett, or whoever — will likely suffer the same fate as Brantley.
Tom: Look, Matt, the chances of Florida establishing a dominant run game aren’t great.
Alabama’s run defense is the best in the nation, but LSU’s third-ranked unit isn’t far behind.
Of course, Rainey and Demps will do better than they did against the Tide, but the most likely way Florida is going to inflate those rushing numbers is with Driskel.
Driskel came to UF as the top-rated pro-style quarterback, but his knack for using his legs has become well known around these parts.
Those who saw him in high school can attest to it.
Alabama’s defense, which gave up its longest run of the season to Driskel, knows it.
The rest of the Gators know it, too.
Weis and the offensive linemen all praised Driskel’s ability to keep plays alive with his mobility and stretch the field with his legs when necessary.
Against the Tigers, it will be necessary.\
Matt: Murphy and Brissett aren’t exactly couch potatoes, Tommy boy.
Both quarterbacks are above-average athletes who can extend a play with their legs, or scramble and create positive yards through improvisation when a play breaks down.
Just because they have not had the opportunity to display that ability in a game doesn’t mean they aren’t just as elusive as Driskel.
Also, let’s not forget that Murphy was the best passer in the spring game, completing 7 of 11 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
The difference between the three available options just isn’t that big.
Sure, you could argue Driskel has the better skill set as a passer, but he hasn’t shown it yet.
Driskel has looked every bit the freshman he is. He was abysmal against Alabama on Saturday, and he did not fare much better in extended playing time against Kentucky.
Two weeks ago in Lexington, Ky., after Brantley left that game just before halftime, Driskel promptly turned the ball over twice, leading to the Wildcats’ only touchdown.
If I’m Muschamp or Weis, I’d feel just as comfortable letting Murphy run the offense on Saturday.
Tom: Oh, don’t get me wrong. All three know how to use their legs, especially more than Brantley does.
Still, Driskel gives Florida the best shot in Death Valley.
You can hardly blame Driskel for either turnover against Kentucky. On one, he was hung out to dry by Matt Patchan and the other was a fluky bounce for an interception.
Besides, if Driskel looked “abysmal” against ‘Bama, how do you think Murphy and Brissett will fare against LSU’s defense?
As Muschamp put it on Monday, Driskel has been through the fire already. That shock of facing a top-tier defense won’t be nearly as prevalent as it was against the Tide.
Murphy has never seen the field at Florida, and Brissett likely isn’t ready to handle the game just yet.
Driskel enrolled early and had the chance to learn the offense and practice with it since the spring.
Brissett was still in high school down in Palm Beach Gardens.
Sure, this would be a different story had they all started on even footing, but as of now, Driskel is clearly the most game-ready.
Matt: Make excuses for Driskel all you want, Tom.
We all know you have a man-crush on the freshman, anyway.
This back-and-forth is pointless because it really doesn’t matter if Florida starts walk-on Christian Provancha against LSU.
(Hey, he didn’t look half-bad in the spring game, either.)
Tyrann “The Honey Badger” Mathieu and the Tigers’ dominant ‘D’ will punish whichever Florida quarterback starts, especially if Patchan and the rest of the o-line continues its shoddy play.
Plus, Florida can win the Southeastern Conference East division and go to Atlanta even after losing the next two games to West division opponents.
Unless Les Miles goes all Les Miles, the Gators aren’t going to win Saturday. Heck, they don’t even need the win.
Free Provancha!
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org and Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
