Quarterback John Brantley gave the Gators a scare Saturday when he headed to the locker room late in the second quarter after taking a hard shot to the ribs, but it appears he avoided serious injury given his second-half showing.
The hit that knocked Brantley out of the game — a shot from linebacker Danny Trevathen — was the second painful blow of the half. Brantley was also slow to get up on a first-quarter completion as well.
Brantley, who was 6 of 11 for 99 yards with a touchdown before he got hurt, has shown considerable progress this season. His absence, especially heading into Alabama week, would be as harsh of a blow as the hits he took.
Backup Jeff Driskel was unable to complete a pass in his short stint of action, taking a sack on bad protection from the line and throwing an interception to close out the second quarter in Kentucky territory.
Brantley dealt with back issues before the season started. It is unknown whether the latest problem Saturday is related.
