Leak and Muschamp Remember Gators Winning at LSU with a True Freshman QB
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A few years later when Ran Carthon and Joseph Addai became teammates with the Indianapolis Colts, the two running backs would often chat about their college careers.
During those conversations Addai would usually remind Carthon about the national title he won at LSU in 2003. Carthon would quickly remind him of LSU's only loss that season.
“That was my one thing,'' Carthon, now a professional scout for the Falcons, said this week. “I always had that.''
LSU went 13-1 that season, winning its first national championship since 1958 thanks to an efficient offense and the No. 1-ranked defense in the country, a unit that surrendered just 11 points and 252 yards per game.
The Tigers' only loss was to a Florida team that arrived in Baton Rouge with a 3-3 record and on shaky ground with a true freshman starting quarterback in Chris Leak, only the fourth Gator to ever start at quarterback in his first year on campus. The No. 6-ranked Tigers were expected to feast on Leak, who had replaced Ingle Martin as Florida's starter two games earlier.
In his first career start two weeks earlier, Leak led the Gators to a narrow win at Kentucky and followed that victory by throwing three interceptions in a 20-17 home loss to Ole Miss, the Gators' second consecutive loss at The Swamp.
The prospects appeared grim for UF to turn its season around on a 76-degree afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
“The main thing I wanted to do was protect the football, get the ball out of my hand quick, make quick decisions, and when there were plays to be made, to make them,'' Leak said. “You are going to have one, two or three opportunities to make big plays, and you have to make them.''
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Eight years later the Gators face a similar predicament when they visit Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a clash with No. 1-ranked LSU. Either Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Brissett will likely become the first true freshman quarterback to start for the Gators since Leak in '03.
Between them, they have thrown 16 collegiate passes, all by Driskel in four appearances. Driskel was tossed into the huddle in an emergency role last week during a 38-10 loss to Alabama when starter John Brantley suffered a lower leg injury at the end of the first half.
As they prepare to face another formidable SEC West opponent, the Gators are trying to rally around their young quarterbacks the way the Gators did around Leak his freshman season.
“We are confident in whoever comes in and plays,'' said tight end Jordan Reed, who spent a majority of last season in UF's three-quarterback rotation. “We lost our starting quarterback, so we've got to compensate for that a little bit. With young quarterbacks, we've got to make every play we get a chance to.''
To help Driskel, Brissett and redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy be ready if called upon Saturday, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has scaled back the playbook and is taking other precautions to hopefully minimize mistakes.
Weis is also stressing to the other offensive players that they must pick up their production on Saturday because one player can't overcome the loss of Brantley.
“We know it's a formidable opponent. They are ranked first in the country, they've got a great defense, you're playing them on the road, it's loud, and you're playing without your starting quarterback,'' Weis said. “What that does is that gives you [a] us-against-the-world mentality.
“Everyone knows that part of the responsibility with Brantley out is everyone on both sides of the ball and on special teams has to pick up some of the slack. It isn't just the back-up quarterback coming in alone that picks up the slack.''
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If the Gators need a reminder that leaving Tiger Stadium on Saturday with a victory is not impossible, all they need to do is talk to their head coach.
Will Muschamp was the architect of that smothering LSU defense in 2003, serving as Nick Saban's defensive coordinator. His memory of the game isn't as fond as those of Carthon, who caught a 22-yard touchdown pass, or Leak, who finished 18 of 30 for 229 yards and two touchdowns in Florida's 19-7 victory.
“Florida was extremely talented at the skill positions,'' Muschamp said. “They did a nice job with their tempo offensively.''
The ground literally shook under the Gators when LSU's Skyler Green returned a first-quarter punt 80 yards for a touchdown, but those were the only points the Tigers could muster in what Carthon considers one of the most memorable wins during his time at UF.
“I remember walking out as a captain for that game,'' Carthon said. “It was gut-check time. We weren't playing Florida Gator football. We had lost two in a row at home. Going out to make a statement against LSU was huge.
“That was our signature win that year.''
It was a loss that made Muschamp reconsider the way he prepared for young quarterbacks. The LSU plan was straightforward entering the game: pressure Leak constantly and force him into freshman mistakes. That was the way you beat inexperienced quarterbacks.
The Tigers sacked Leak six times but the mistakes never came.
“I thought Chris played well,'' Muschamp said. “It really changed a little bit – that game – how we approached certain quarterbacks. The old adage is that when you play a young quarterback, pressure him, go after him and frustrate him. We were a pressure defense and that's what we did in that game and we got hurt. That was a mistake I made in the game.
“It cleared the picture for him to where to take the ball. His completion percentage vs. pressure throughout the year and into the next season was very high because he understood where to go with the football vs. pressure. And he was a very accurate thrower.''
Carthon, a senior when Leak was a freshman, said the Gators expected LSU to come with the pressure and to try and rattle him. During the game, Carthon regularly yelled out to Leak – often lined up in the shotgun – where to expect the pressure to come from.
On his touchdown reception that tied the game at 7 five minutes after Green's punt return, Carthon said the screen pass was something they stole off Georgia's film against LSU a couple of weeks earlier.
“We knew that was coming,'' Carthon said. “There was a high-percentage of LSU blitzing as soon as the team entered the red zone. We called it up and Chris and I kind of looked at each other, like, 'here it is.' We ran that twice.''
The other time was in the third quarter when Leak's screen to Ciatrick Fason went for a 35-yard score.
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Leak was at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night and saw Brantley get injured when Alabama's Courtney Upshaw sacked him with 11 seconds left in the first half. He understands what practice is like this week for the trio of young quarterbacks competing to play at LSU.
They are spending extra time in the film room and doing whatever it takes to get ready. Regardless of who starts, Leak said mental preparation is the key.
Once kickoff comes, it's all about execution.
“As a young guy, you just have to trust your instincts,'' Leak said. “Trust what you've seen on film and just trust your game plan and go into the game thinking you're going to win. You need to go in there with confidence, because your teammates are looking at you. That's part of being a leader in that quarterback role.''
That's why Carthon was never that concerned about Leak taking over the team as a true freshman in 2003. He had seen enough to know that Leak was ready.
After the win at LSU, the Gators reeled off five consecutive wins, including becoming the first Florida team to ever knock off three ranked opponents in three consecutive games. The Gators followed their win at LSU with victories at No. 11 Arkansas and over No. 4 Georgia in Jacksonville, which is the highest-ranked opponent that Florida has ever defeated with a true freshman quarterback starting.
“Guys were confident in Chris because we knew he put the time in, we knew he was prepared,'' Carthon said. “It was just a matter of our receivers making plays for him and the backs and O-line keeping him upright. He started to take more command in the huddle [in that game]. By the Florida State game, you saw a different him.''
His teammates' confidence helped Leak guide the Gators to that upset win in Baton Rouge eight years ago. He would like nothing more than to see a similar outcome on Saturday.
“As a young guy, when you know you have those guys' confidence, it makes a world of difference,'' Leak said. “You can go out there and not be afraid to make mistakes. It's definitely a game that would be a huge win for Florida.
“It can prepare you for some great things throughout the season just like it did for us back in '03.''
