The Gators won their game on Saturday but lost their quarterback.
Junior Jeff Driskel will miss the rest of the season after suffering a fractured right fibula in the first quarter of No. 19 Florida’s (2-1) 31-17 win against Tennessee (2-2) on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“I’m disappointed for Jeff,” coach Will Muschamp said. “He’s worked extremely hard for this season.”
Driskel left the game in the first quarter. On a third-and-three play, Volunteers defensive end Marlon Walls hit Driskel as he threw the ball, pinning Driskel’s leg against the ground.
Driskel called for trainers and limped off the field. He did not return.
“I knew something was wrong with him because he never tells trainers to come,” running back Mack Brown said.
Driskel walked into the locker room on crutches, and Florida’s offense was placed in the hands of junior Tyler Murphy. In Driskel’s absence, Murphy threw for 134 yards and a touchdown while running for 84 yards and another score.
“One man’s misfortunes are another man’s opportunities,” Muschamp said.
Muschamp said Driskel will have surgery tomorrow, but the junior will not be physically able to return until 2014.
Driskel will likely earn a medical redshirt for this season. NCAA rules say in order to be eligible for a medical redshirt, a player must not play past the midway point of the season and must play less than 20 percent of his team’s games.
With only two full games played, Driskel should qualify.
Aside from Driskel, several Gators missed time during the game due to injury.
Redshirt senior Jon Halapio and junior Loucheiz Purifoy both came out of the game with injuries. Halapio returned; Purifoy did not.
Halapio, who made his first start of the season after missing the first two games with a partially torn pectoral muscle, was poked in the eye by a Tennessee defender. According to Muschamp, Halapio had trouble seeing out of it for the rest of the game.
Purifoy suffered a contusion on his right thigh, and Muschamp said he believes Purifoy will be fine to play next week at Kentucky.
Several other Gators were absent from Florida’s win.
Prior to the game, Florida announced cornerback Marcus Roberson (knee), right tackle Tyler Moore (ankle) and running back Valdez Showers (ankle) would miss the game with injuries. The Gators also announced wide receiver Demarcus Robinson would miss the game due to a suspension.
Moore and Roberson both suffered their injuries against Miami in Week 2 of the season. Both were considered game-time decisions, according to Muschamp.
“We didn’t feel like [Roberson’s] knee was well enough to go in and play today,” he said.
Muschamp said Showers’ injury occurred during practice on Wednesday, and Showers will likely miss a week or two.
Poole ejected: Florida was on the losing side of the first targeting penalty called during a Gators game this season.
Referees ejected sophomore Brian Poole early in the fourth quarter when he tackled Tennessee tight end Brendan Downs.
The new NCAA rules calls for an ejection in addition to the preexisting 15-yard penalty. Poole was flagged for targeting, and the ruling was confirmed after a review.
Because Poole was ejected in the second half of the game, he will also be ineligible for the first half of Florida’s game against Kentucky on Sept. 28.
“I don’t have any problem with the call,” Muschamp said. “I have a problem with the rule.”
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @ALichtenstein24.
Quarterback Jeff Driskel tries to escape a tackle during Florida's 31-17 win against Tennessee on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
