Gators appear set to start true freshman Brissett at QB
Saturday, October 8, 2011 | Football, Cross Country, Scott Carter
BATON ROUGE, La. – A true freshman quarterback is expected to start for the Gators for only the fifth time in school history today. However, his name is not Jeff Driskel.
Instead, it appears Jacoby Brissett will join Wayne Peace (1980), Donald Douglas (1989), Jesse Palmer (1997) and Chris Leak (2003) as the only Florida true freshmen to start at quarterback when he takes the field against No. 1-ranked LSU. If Brissett does start -- he is out on the field warming up here at Tiger Stadium with redshirt freshman QB Tyler Murphy -- he'll be the first UF true freshman to take the first snap of his college career as the starter.
Brissett's opportunity arrived due to an injury to regular starter John Brantley, who suffered a lower leg injury in last week's loss to Alabama. Brantley made the trip to LSU but is unavailable to play.
Brantley was replaced by Driskel against Alabama. Driskel finished 2 of 6 for 14 yards and added a 31-yard run. However, he suffered an ankle injury that hampered him in preparation for LSU, opening the door for Brissett.
Brissett, who is 6-foot-3, 239 pounds, signed with the Gators over Miami in a last-minute coup for the Gators. He played football and basketball at Dwyer High in Palm Beach, drawing interest from several major schools as a pro-style quarterback.
Florida is 3-8 all-time against an opponent ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, its last win over a No. 1-ranked team away from home coming in the 2008 SEC Championship game over Alabama.
