The circumstances weren’t ideal, but Jacoby Brissett wasn’t caught off guard.
When starting quarterback Jeff Driskel went down late in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle with Florida leading 13-10, Brissett entered the game for his first meaningful snap since the season opener against Bowling Green.
“I could kind of put my helmet on with the fact that I'd kind of end up going in,” Brissett said. “And just make sure I know the plays to run and know that we were going to do a simple play just to get the start, my blood flowing and the drive going again."
It took Brissett a few drives to get going, but he made enough plays to keep the Gators in the game at they narrowly escaped an upset against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday with a 27-20 win.
He gained just nine yards on 11 plays in his first three complete drives. Brissett overthrew Frankie Hammond Jr., as the wide receiver ran open deep down the sideline near the end zone.
But on the Gators’ final drive of the game, Brissett hit tight end Jordan Reed deep down the middle of the field for a 39-yard pickup that put Florida on the ULL 3-yard line. On the next play, the sophomore quarterback rolled out to his right and found wide receiver Quinton Dunbar in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 20.
Reed gave the both Brissett and the coaching staff credit for the quarterback’s performance off the bench.
"I think that's great coaching on coach Pease to have both quarterbacks ready at all times,” Reed said.
However, Saturday was supposed to be Driskel’s day to explode.
With a critical game against Florida State and its third-ranked rush defense looming at the end of the month, Florida needed to put together some semblance of a passing attack to keep defenses honest.
The Ragin’ Cajuns and their 114th-ranked pass defense seemed like the perfect scenario for the fledgling UF passing game. Driskel hadn’t thrown for 200 yards since the Gators’ win over Kentucky on Sept. 22.
Instead, the aerial attack was mostly ineffective with Driskel in, as the banged up offensive line struggled in pass protection. The Ragin’ Cajuns recorded 13 sacks in their first eight games, but sacked Brissett and Driskel a combined five times on Saturday. Driskel had just one completion of more than 11 yards and averaged just over 6 yards per attempt.
While Driskel’s status going forward is uncertain, Muschamp remains comfortable relying on Brissett if need be because of the attitude his backup has taken all season.
“You’re one snap away,” Muschamp said. “That had been his approach… I’ve got a lot of confidence in him, and we didn’t even blink as far as the different things we knew he would be able to do and the success he would have.”
Brissett made it clear that he was not happy that Driskel went out with an injury. But he was pleased that he made the most of his opportunity.
"It was great,” Brissett said. “That's what you dream about. No matter who it's against. … You go down there, and as any quarterback would say, that last drive is probably the best drive. The best feeling you'll have in the world."
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Wide receiver Quinton Dunbar (1) catches the game-tying touchdown during Florida’s 27-20 win against Louisiana on Nov. 10 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
