Like he ever had a chance. Embrace it, kid. It’s only going to get worse.
If it weren’t for the fourth, fifth and sixth touchdowns—if it weren’t for the way they were scored and how he energized an offense and how a struggling team has finally came together—the ridiculous comparison would be comical.
But there it is: Trey Burton, meet Tim Tebow. It’s 2006 all over again.
“No, no pressure at all,” Burton said of the shadow of Timmy Terrific.
Keep telling yourself that, Trey. The only thing we’re missing from this scenario is Chris Leak, Florida’s embattled quarterback who was once booed in 2006 when he replaced Tebow after one of Tebow’s many short series substitutions.
Playing the role this time around is Gators quarterback John Brantley, whose struggles to begin the season were part of Florida’s stuck-in-neutral month. That all changed last weekend against Kentucky, when Burton ran five times on the zone-read play Tebow made famous in Gainesville—and scored all five times.
Burton also caught a touchdown pass, and if Omarius Hines hadn’t tripped after catching a throw from Burton, would’ve accounted for a touchdown passing. One of the first players to commit to Florida’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class last year, Burton has lined up at quarterback, tailback and tight end this season.
And suddenly has Alabama thinking more about a Florida offense that was vanilla the first three weeks of the season.
“He’s done some of the quarterback run stuff that Tebow used to do,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “(Burton) is a very good player and Brantley is a very good passer. This will be a very challenging game for us, and very challenging preparation for us relative to what they do.”
That was the problem before last week: just what was Florida on offense, post Tebow? The offensive line was dealing with injuries, and Brantley was limited by a scheme that didn’t allow him to throw downfield.
It was all running game, all the time—and all very predictable. That might work against Miami (Ohio) and South Florida and the SEC’s middle class. It’s not working against Alabama.
That’s why the emergence of Burton is so significant to the Gators, allowing Florida to do what it has done best under Meyer: run the zone-read play and force defenses to chase speedy tailbacks in space—or bring down a physical presence at the quarterback spot.
Burton (6-2, 220) isn’t the battering ram Tebow was, but he’s built like a tailback and can throw off the zone-read play. In other words, he’s not in the game for specific run sets only.
But much like 2006, Florida has to find a balance of Brantley and Burton to keep defenses honest. Meyer did it with Leak and Tebow and won a national title.
This Florida team isn’t a strong defensively as the 2006 team, and the Alabama team Florida beat in the 2006 regular season isn’t in the same stratosphere as this Alabama team. But the emergence of Burton suddenly makes the best rivalry in college football even more intriguing.
“I did the best that I can do,” Burton said. “Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’m all for it.”
Sounds just like someone we used to know. If Burton can continue playing like You Know Who, it’s going to get interesting Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Embrace it, everyone.
If it weren’t for the fourth, fifth and sixth touchdowns—if it weren’t for the way they were scored and how he energized an offense and how a struggling team has finally came together—the ridiculous comparison would be comical.
But there it is: Trey Burton, meet Tim Tebow. It’s 2006 all over again.
“No, no pressure at all,” Burton said of the shadow of Timmy Terrific.
Keep telling yourself that, Trey. The only thing we’re missing from this scenario is Chris Leak, Florida’s embattled quarterback who was once booed in 2006 when he replaced Tebow after one of Tebow’s many short series substitutions.
Playing the role this time around is Gators quarterback John Brantley, whose struggles to begin the season were part of Florida’s stuck-in-neutral month. That all changed last weekend against Kentucky, when Burton ran five times on the zone-read play Tebow made famous in Gainesville—and scored all five times.
Burton also caught a touchdown pass, and if Omarius Hines hadn’t tripped after catching a throw from Burton, would’ve accounted for a touchdown passing. One of the first players to commit to Florida’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class last year, Burton has lined up at quarterback, tailback and tight end this season.
And suddenly has Alabama thinking more about a Florida offense that was vanilla the first three weeks of the season.
“He’s done some of the quarterback run stuff that Tebow used to do,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “(Burton) is a very good player and Brantley is a very good passer. This will be a very challenging game for us, and very challenging preparation for us relative to what they do.”
That was the problem before last week: just what was Florida on offense, post Tebow? The offensive line was dealing with injuries, and Brantley was limited by a scheme that didn’t allow him to throw downfield.
It was all running game, all the time—and all very predictable. That might work against Miami (Ohio) and South Florida and the SEC’s middle class. It’s not working against Alabama.
That’s why the emergence of Burton is so significant to the Gators, allowing Florida to do what it has done best under Meyer: run the zone-read play and force defenses to chase speedy tailbacks in space—or bring down a physical presence at the quarterback spot.
Burton (6-2, 220) isn’t the battering ram Tebow was, but he’s built like a tailback and can throw off the zone-read play. In other words, he’s not in the game for specific run sets only.
But much like 2006, Florida has to find a balance of Brantley and Burton to keep defenses honest. Meyer did it with Leak and Tebow and won a national title.
This Florida team isn’t a strong defensively as the 2006 team, and the Alabama team Florida beat in the 2006 regular season isn’t in the same stratosphere as this Alabama team. But the emergence of Burton suddenly makes the best rivalry in college football even more intriguing.
“I did the best that I can do,” Burton said. “Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’m all for it.”
Sounds just like someone we used to know. If Burton can continue playing like You Know Who, it’s going to get interesting Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Embrace it, everyone.
