Jacoby Brissett likely will get at least one more shot at being Florida’s starting quarterback.
Jeff Driskel, who beat out Brissett for the job at the beginning of the season, left last week’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette with a sprained ankle and probably will not play Saturday when No. 7 Florida hosts Jacksonville State (1 p.m., pay-per-view). Brissett, a sophomore from Dwyer High School, came in late against ULL and led the Gators to the game-tying touchdown in the final minutes before they won it on a blocked punt they returned for a TD.
Brissett has worked steadfastly all season despite being relegated to the backup spot and proved his capability last week. That game, along with the way he has played and practiced for nearly two years at UF, makes coach Will Muschamp think his team can win with him.
“He has prepared himself well, is very talented — he’s going to have the opportunities to make good choices and decisions on the field, which he’ll do,” Muschamp said. “I don’t think it’s any one day that gives you confidence. I think it’s over a period of time.”
Driskel’s right ankle is bruised and swollen. He is wearing a protective boot and is not expected to attempt practicing until Wednesday. Muschamp described him as “doubtful” for Saturday.
There is little at stake against Jacksonville State, an FCS team that is 6-4. However, the Gators (9-1) have a game at No. 10 Florida State next week that will have a major impact on whether they play in a BCS bowl.
This week would be Brissett’s first real start since October 2011, when he lost back-to-back games at LSU and Auburn. He and Driskel both were on the field for the first snap of this year’s season opener against Bowling Green, but Brissett exited after that play and returned for eight minutes in the second quarter. He went 3-for-5 passing for 31 yards.
Since then, he has appeared only three times. He played late against Kentucky and South Carolina when Florida had decisive leads, then came through with critical throws in the victory over ULL.
He completed 6 of 8 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. On the Gators’ final drive, he hit Jordan Reed for a 39-yard strike down the middle and followed with a 3-yard TD pass to Quinton Dunbar while rolling to his right.
“Man down, man up — that’s how we’ve been playing it the whole year,” defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. “Jacoby did a great job preparing every day in practice like he was going to be the starter. If that situation ever did occur, he was going to step up nicely.”
Florida will not let either quarterback talk to the media this week. Brissett said Saturday his approach was to “just make sure I go out there and do my part, stay composed, keep everybody together and just know that we’ll finish the game with a win.”
Brissett overtook Driskel partway through 2011 and finished the year as the No. 2 quarterback behind senior John Brantley. Driskel, also a sophomore, surpassed Brissett in the offseason competition for the starting job and helped Florida win its first seven games this year. The Gators currently stand sixth in the BCS rankings.
Driskel has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for an average of 132.4 yards per game this season and has 10 TD passes against three interceptions. He also is a threat to run, one of the key reasons he got the job, and has 640 rushing yards not counting sacks.
His injury occurred late in the third quarter on a zone-read play. He kept the ball and ran to his right, where ULL backup defensive lineman Jalen Fields wrapped him up after easily pushing past Florida right tackle Chaz Green. When Fields threw Driskel to the ground, Driskel’s right foot planted in the grass and his ankle twisted hard.
“We’ll see how the swelling goes on the ankle,” Muschamp said. “We’ll see Wednesday what he can do or if he can do anything. If not, then we’ll go forward and be fine. Jacoby will play well.”
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