The Florida Gators will start sophomore Jeff Driskel at quarterback this weekend against Texas A&M announced Coach Will Muschamp Monday afternoon.
The decision comes after Muschamp split playing time at quarterback between Driskel and fellow sophomore Jacoby Brissett in the team’s opener against Bowling Green. The Florida Gators coach had announced early last week that he had not decided on a starter and would instead have the two rotate what quarters they played. At halftime, Muschamp said he would decide who played in the third and fourth quarters against Bowling Green. He expected this to be the rotation for the season’s first couple of games.
However, the play of Jeff Driskel and that of his Florida Gators teammates around him forced Muschamp’s hand.
Driskel completed 10 of 16 passes against Bowling Green for 114 yards, 5o of which came on a touchdown strike to wide receiver Frankie Hammond. He also added three rushes for 24 yards on Saturday. Jacoby Brissett completed three of five passes for 31 yards and no touchdowns. Brissett also had a rush but managed to only gain a yard on it.
While it is obvious that Driskel outperformed Brissett in the team’s opening game, it must be noted that neither quarterback lit the world on fire Saturday.
Subtract the 50 yard touchdown from Driskel’s totals, his yardage total for the day would have been 64 yards. Both quarterbacks seem to have been rather accurate against the Falcons but they could not stretch the field enough with their arms. The Florida Gators do possess some electric pass catchers such as Andre Debose and Jordan Reed but their abilities will be underutilized if their quarterbacks cannot move the ball effectively.
Though Driskel did move the chains better than his competitor, Driskel sparked the offense with more than just his arm. 24 yards is not a noteworthy number for a dual-threat quarterback but the sophomore quarterback’s ability to run added another dimension to the Florida Gators offense on Saturday. The defense had to respect his ability to run because if they played the pass and forgot about Driskel, the young quarterback could scamper for a first down.
His ability to influence the game with his feet is one feature Muschamp likes about his new starting quarterback.
“(I) just feel like Jeff with his legs gives us some different variables in our offense that can help us as we move forward,” Muschamp told ESPN’s Gatornation. “It’ll be Jeff’s game to play. I told Jeff, ‘I don’t want you looking over your shoulder but you need to play well.’
Jeff Driskel will get his chance to show he belongs as the starting quarterback of the Florida Gators but Jacoby Brissett is waiting in the wings if Muschamp’s plans go awry. No matter what happens though, this offense will lean on running back Mike Gillislee for its offense.
Chris Lionetti covers the Southeastern conference (SEC) for Rant Sports.
Follow him on Twitter at: @ChrisLionetti
