Jeff Driskel lines up in the shotgun.
Florida is poised to take the lead against rival Tennessee — a team it has beaten eight straight times — as the Gators cross midfield into Volunteers territory only five minutes into the game.
Down.
Driskel stands ready for the ball. The second-year starter is 3 for 5 on the day. He has been facing criticism for his previous game against Miami.
Two weeks earlier, he set a career high in passing yards but had three turnovers in an upset loss to the Hurricanes. Now is the time for him to prove his worth and endear himself to the Florida faithful.
Set.
Tyler Murphy looks on from the sidelines. The only snap of Division I football he has played was a two-point conversion attempt against Miami. It failed.
In a moment, both quarterbacks’ seasons will change. One will hobble into the locker room; the other will be thrust into the spotlight.
Hike.
♦ ♦ ♦
Murphy never should have started a game for Florida. That was not part of the plan.
Four years ago, when Murphy was a senior at Wethersfield (Conn.) High, his future as a Division I football player was uncertain. A career at Florida was not even a thought.
He played all over the field and ran track. His legs separated him from the competition. John Campanello, Murphy’s high school coach, said he set school records in kickoff and punt returns.
“He was a dynamic runner,” Campanello said.
Despite his speed, Murphy never garnered much attention.
Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, he was not on most schools’ radars.
“I wasn’t a highly recruited guy,” he said.
Murphy did receive some scholarship offers. UConn was the first school to offer him a spot on the team, but it was at safety. Other programs followed. Syracuse and Temple both offered him scholarships — if he played wide receiver.
But Murphy had no desire to switch positions.
“I wasn’t happy about it,” he said. “I played quarterback all my life. I wanted to continue playing quarterback.
“I thought if I changed positions I would have given up on myself. And I probably wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”
Some schools did give him an opportunity to play where he wanted. Fordham, a Football Championship Subdivision school in New York known better for its academics than its athletics, offered him a scholarship at quarterback.
Soon after, Temple coach Al Golden offered Murphy a scholarship to play quarterback for the Owls.
Temple was on an upswing. Coached by Golden, the Owls were in the midst of a 9-4 season — their best record in 30 years — and had a bid to play in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C.
Murphy committed to Temple before the end of the 2009 season and looked to compete for a quarterback spot.
“We thought we were getting a steal,” said Golden, who is now Miami’s coach.
And maybe Temple would have been getting a steal — a sparsely recruited prospect with real talent. Then Murphy’s highlight tape made its way to Gainesville and into the hands of Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio.
“He’s from Connecticut, like I am,” said Addazio, who is now Boston College’s coach. “I’m always excited for Connecticut guys.”
The tape intrigued Addazio enough to call Murphy and invite him to Florida for a visit.
Although Murphy had already committed to play for Temple, he decided to take the 1,100-mile trip down to Gainesville.
Murphy called Golden to let him know he was visiting Florida. Golden encouraged him to make the trip.
“It was a tremendous opportunity for him,” Golden said. “I was happy for him at the time.”
On Jan. 24, 2009, Murphy decommitted from Temple and announced his decision to play for Florida.
His commitment put the finishing touches on Florida’s 2010 class, which included the likes of Quinton Dunbar, Dominique Easley, Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell.
Murphy was far from the star of the class. He was not even the highest-rated quarterback of the group. That honor belonged to Venice native Trey Burton.
Murphy was the nondescript cherry on top of a delicious sundae Florida fans could not wait to dig into.
But while other players got their chance in the limelight quickly, Murphy waited for his.
♦ ♦ ♦
Florida’s quarterback situation was a mess in 2010.
Tim Tebow, arguably the best signal-caller in the program’s history, graduated after the 2009 season, leaving a dearth of talent in his wake.
Junior John Brantley was deemed Tebow’s successor but failed to fill the void.
In a panic, the Gators turned to a rotating system at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Jordan Reed got a chance to run the option, as did Burton. Brantley performed traditional quarterback duties when their running attempts failed.
The three quarterbacks combined for a 60.4 completion percentage and 12 touchdowns. Together, they threw 12 interceptions.
Murphy never got a chance.
“It was tough,” he said. “Sitting on the sidelines is never fun.”
While Murphy redshirted his freshman season, Brantley solidified his grasp on the starting spot. In 2011, Burton and Reed moved to different positions — running back and tight end, respectively.
Murphy’s first offseason with the Gators was as tumultuous as the 8-5 season.
Addazio and coach Urban Meyer both left the program after the 2010 season. Meyer became an analyst for ESPN — he is now the head coach at Ohio State; ironically, Addazio took the head coaching spot Golden vacated at Temple.
Florida brought in Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as the new head coach and Charlie Weis as the new offensive coordinator.
With no chance to play in sight and a new staff taking over, Murphy thought about following Addazio to Philadelphia, where he originally planned to play.
“It was definitely something I considered,” he said. “But I had a lot of friends here.”
Murphy was rewarded for sticking it out by being passed on the depth chart again. Florida brought in Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett — the No. 1 and No. 3 high school quarterbacks in the nation.
“Sometimes you have to be patient when you come to a big football school like this,” Murphy said. “They always bring in the best guys in the country.”
The two freshmen leapfrogged Murphy and got their first college snaps when Brantley suffered an ankle injury. Murphy led the scout team.
“He never complained to me,” Campanello said.
Even in 2012, as Murphy entered his third season at Florida, he was overshadowed by younger players.
Brissett and Driskel battled throughout training camp to replace Brantley; Murphy was never mentioned.
“It was always in the back of mind that I might never play,” Murphy said. “I just kept working hard and just keep fighting and kept faith in myself and kept praying for my opportunity.”
Driskel won the job and started all but one game in 2012. When he suffered an injury and did not play against Jacksonville State, Brissett took the snaps at quarterback.
After the season, Brissett transferred to N.C. State, opening a hole in Florida’s depth chart.
Murphy finally had a chance to move up, but it still looked like he would not get a chance to play. Driskel was entrenched as the starter after leading Florida to an 11-2 season and a Sugar Bowl appearance.
A brief opportunity fluttered before Murphy’s eyes in August. Driskel underwent an appendectomy and missed the first week of training camp.
For a week, Murphy was the starter. For a week, he got to enjoy what being the No. 1 quarterback at Florida was like. But it did not last. Driskel recovered from the surgery and quickly took his place atop the depth chart.
“When he started fall camp … he hit the line, he was running,” offensive coordinator Brent Pease said. “You wouldn’t know where he was on the depth chart.”
Said Murphy: “I’ve always tried to prepare myself as if I was the starter. I try to take every rep as if it’s a game rep.”
But with Driskel back in action, Murphy expected to sit on the bench.
“There have been times where I felt like giving up,” Murphy said. “The coaches, they’ll come up to me and say, ‘You’re looking good, keep working, you never know when your chance is going to come.’”
When Driskel suffered a season-ending fractured fibula during the first quarter against Tennessee on Sept. 21, Murphy got that chance.
♦ ♦ ♦
Two weeks into his playing career, Murphy is the most popular name on campus. But he is still unrecognizable to most Florida fans.
“A few people come up to me and tell me good game,” he said, “but those are just a few people I’ve had class with or something.”
Through two games, he’s thrown for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He has completed 71.9 percent of his passes.
“He hung in there,” Campanello said. “He’s making the most of his chance.”
It has not all been roses for Murphy. He took a snap to the face mask against Tennessee that made its rounds on Twitter before Murphy even got off the field.
But otherwise, the transition has been smooth. Teammates said Murphy has been a calming presence in practice and during games.
The redshirt junior has proven hard to rattle, showing a confidence and demeanor usually reserved for longtime starters.
“He’s extremely intelligent,” Muschamp said. “He doesn’t get caught in the moment, so to speak, as far as his emotions, and that’s something you want at that position.”
Murphy has performed better in relief of Driskel than anyone could have expected. But he’s trying to not let that get to him. The Gators’ hopes for the season rest on his arm, but he wants to continue doing what got him to where he is now.
“It probably didn’t hit me until that first practice,” he said. “I kind of came out and tried to do too much ... I think it kind of hit me then that I was the guy. I realized I couldn’t change who I was.”
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @ALichtenstein24.
Tyler Murphy runs the ball during Florida’s 31-17 victory against Tennessee on Sept. 21 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Tyler Murphy calls a play at the line during Florida’s 24-7 victory against Kentucky on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky. Murphy made his first career start against UK.
