Driskel, Gators Seek Same Result as Last Trip to Tennessee
Saturday, October 4, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The career of Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel has been full of twists and turns, where perception and reality often collide, scattering opinions across social media like a bag of rice exploding as it hits the floor.
Driskel was the No. 1-rated quarterback recruit in the country coming out of Hagerty High in Oviedo, even drawing comparisons to Tim Tebow due to his powerful build and physical style of play. Driskel was a certified hit when he arrived at UF in January 2011, the same month as Will Muschamp officially took over the program from Urban Meyer.
In the three-plus years since, Driskel has endured three offensive coordinators, won a high-profile quarterback battle, signed a professional baseball contract, posted a 13-4 record as the Gators' starter, missed almost an entire season because of a broken leg, and most recently, received an apology from Emmitt Smith, a UF graduate and the NFL's all-time leader rusher, for an insensitive tweet Smith posted as Driskel struggled in Florida's 42-21 loss at Alabama two weeks ago.
As Driskel maneuvered his way from there to here, handling himself as well as can be expected amidst the sound and the fury, the Tennessee game has proven to be a defining moment for Driskel the past two seasons.
That trend is expected to hold true again Saturday at Neyland Stadium, where Driskel and the Gators will try to bounce back from their subpar performance at Alabama and extend their winning streak against the up-and-coming Vols to 10.
A year ago at The Swamp, Driskel's season came to a crashing halt when Tennessee's Marlon Walls fell on his lower right leg in the first quarter. Driskel suffered a broken fibula and missed the rest of the season as Florida stumbled to a 4-8 record.
The memories of Driskel's only visit to Neyland Stadium are much more pleasant for the fourth-year junior. Not only for Driskel, but for Florida's passionate fan base too.
In perhaps his finest performance, Driskel led the Gators to a 37-20 win over the Vols before a sold-out crowd of more than 100,000 that quickly emptied late in the second half as Florida scored 24 unanswered points.
Driskel finished 14 of 20 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, the go-ahead score coming on a 23-yard strike to tight end Jordan Reed that remains arguably Driskel's finest collegiate pass. He added 81 yards on eight carries in the type of all-around performance fans envisioned when he stepped onto campus.
“That was when I first realized how athletic Jeff was,'' said offensive lineman D.J. Humphries. “I was like, 'man, this kid is a freak athlete.' Going into Tennessee and seeing him show up like that, it was definitely something I was glad to be a part of.”
The Gators trailed 14-10 at halftime and fell behind 20-13 in the third quarter before their comeback.
An 80-yard run by Trey Burton tied the game late in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, after Tennessee moved from its 25-yard line out to the 44, the Vols faced second-and-7. With linebacker Lerentee McCray applying pressure, Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray threw a pass that was intercepted by Matt Elam at UF's 30.
A 45-yard run by Mike Gillislee on the next play gave Florida the ball at Tennessee's 25. After a 2-yard run by Gillislee to the Vols' 23, Driskel rolled to his right under pressure. With Vols linebacker Curt Maggitt in his face, Driskel threw across the field and hit Reed in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Gators never trailed again as Rocky Top fell silent.
Driskel was in no mood to reflect on past glories when he met with reporters this week.
“You really have to focus on right now,'' he said. “What happened in the past doesn't matter at all.”
While his answer to a question about the 2012 visit to Knoxville didn't yield a colorful quote, Driskel's approach to Saturday's game could prove beneficial considering the tone of the last two weeks.
In perhaps his worst outing for the Gators, Driskel finished 9 of 28 for 93 yards and two interceptions against the Crimson Tide in a matchup viewed as a barometer game for the Gators.
“Jeff's a guy that takes ownership in his play,'' Muschamp said. “He needs to play better. He's a guy that recognizes that.”
Muschamp said Driskel pressed and forced some throws. Four dropped passes didn't help the cause, either. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper accepted some of the blame for his aggressive play-calling on third down.
The Gators have focused on regrouping and improving the past two weeks with the SEC East race wide open.
“We have 100 percent confidence in Jeff right now, and he's the guy we feel like we're going to win football games with,” Roper said.
Driskel's teammates voiced similar sentiments.
“Everybody makes mistakes and at the quarterback position, when you make mistakes, you get criticized a lot,'' junior running back Matt Jones said. “It's been tough for him because he's getting the steam right at him. But we know it's a team effort. He's going to do better and we're all pushing to be great so that's what we were are going to do. We're going to stand behind him.”
As usual, Driskel has handled the criticism with class. He has tried to stay away from social media and refuses to hit the panic button the way so many outside the program have.
The job ahead is simple: win. That is the best silencer of critics.
He's won at Tennessee before, so Driskel knows what to expect.
“We just want to go in and play hard and hopefully we get the same result as last time we went in there,'' he said. “It's business as usual. One loss, one bad game is not going to change how you go about practice. We've just got to make more plays and that's going to happen.”
