GAINESVILLE -- Florida is the enigma of the Southeastern Conference no more. The nation learned all it needed to know about the Gators on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. This was the sum of that knowledge: They haven’t really changed much from last season.
Periodic cross-divisional rival Alabama made it three in a row against Florida, defeating the No. 12 Gators 38-10 in a game that answered plenty of questions about a Florida team in its first year after Urban Meyer but produced even more. Most importantly, how will Florida (4-1) respond to the seemingly serious injury sustained by its starting quarterback during the second quarter?
John Brantley appeared to injure his right knee with 35 seconds left in the first half after a sack by Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw. His team trailing 24-10, Brantley headed to the locker room under the care of two trainers and never returned.
True freshman Jeff Driskel replaced Brantley in the second half and likely would be the starting quarterback next week when UF plays at LSU if Brantley doesn’t return. Driskel completed 2 of 6 attempts in the second half for 14 yards. The Oviedo native also rushed for 18 yards.
“You lose John and it took a little bit of the wind out of sails there in the second half,” UF coach Will Muschamp said.
“You’ve got to go to the next guy.”
After moving his team into the red zone, Brantley was sacked on back-to-back plays in the final seconds of the second period. Muschamp said he noticed nothing out of the ordinary about UF’s poor pass protection.
“Just got to block better,” Muschamp said.
Muschamp declined to discuss Brantley’s injury after the game, saying only that the quarterback would be evaluated Sunday.
“We’ll make the best decisions for out football team and we’ll make them [Sunday],” Muschamp said.
If Brantley is to miss an extended period of time — or worst-case scenario, the rest of the season — UF’s offense will be placed in the hands of a true freshman dual-threat quarterback who was the nation’s top quarterback recruit last season.
Driskel’s 31-yard scramble in the third quarter was his only highlight. It was UF’s only rush for positive yardage the entire game. UF was held to minus-17 yards rushing on 13 carries in the first half.
UF finished with 15 rushing yards on 29 carries one week after gaining more than 400 yards on the ground against Kentucky. Chris Rainey, UF’s formerly elusive senior running back, carried the ball eight times for minus-2 yards. Jeff Demps, the Gators’ running back/track star, carried the ball three times for only 4 yards.
No. 3 Alabama (5-0) effectively iced the game when it sent Brantley to the locker room, but UF’s defense showed heart in the third quarter. Alabama went scoreless in the period and didn’t take a 31-10 lead until running back Trent Richardson snapped off a 36-yard run with 12:25 left in the fourth quarter.
Richardson’s backup, Eddie Lacy, sent UF’s fans to the parking lots early when he rushed 20-yards for a touchdown with 8:45 left in the game. Richardson finished with two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 181 yards on 29 carries.
“Early in the game I’d say we were a little too excited to get rolling,” UF defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd said.
An announced crowd of 90,888 — Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s second-largest ever — was hoping for another classic game between the SEC’s flagship football teams. Florida and Alabama have combined to win 10 of the past 19 SEC championships. The Crimson Tide might add to that statistic this season but Florida is far from returning to its former glory under Meyer, the coach who two national championships in three years but quit unexpectedly last season.
It was clear from the game’s opening drive that Alabama wanted to take away Florida’s running game. The Crimson Tide stacked the box, challenging Brantley to throw downfield. For awhile, Brantley did just that. He was 5 of 7 for 115 yards in the first quarter.
UF offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said earlier this week that he was going to “throw the kitchen sink” at Alabama’s defense. He wasn’t bluffing.
Brantley threw a bomb on UF’s first offensive play of the game, connecting with Andre Debose for a 65-yard shocker.
UF took a 10-7 lead with 5:19 left in the first quarter on a 21-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis. Brantley moved the ball well on the 10-play drive, converting twice on third down with impressive throws. UF receiver Deonte Thompson dropped a potential touchdown pass on third-and-goal from the Alabama 4.
Alabama went ahead 17-10 no long after when Upshaw, the same linebacker who would later knock Brantley out of the game, intercepted a poor pass by UF’s quarterback and returned it 45 yards for a score.
