While Tim Tebow and most of the other UF starters spent Saturday's Orange and Blue Game on the sidelines, John Brantley gave Gators fans a glimpse of the future.
Brantley threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns and led the Orange squad to a 31-21 victory.
"It's really clicked for me that I can do this," Brantley said. "Once Tebow leaves, and if I'm fortunate enough to get the starting job, I can run the show."
Tebow was 7-for-9 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown for Blue in the first half, but he was replaced by Brantley, who quarterbacked both teams in the second.
A spring-game-record crowd of 65,000 came alive when Brantley opened the second half with a 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr.
Hammond finished the game with 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four catches.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Brantley made the flashy plays with his arm, but it was his legs that caught teammates and coaches off guard.
The sophomore rushed for 45 yards on nine carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left in the first half.
"He's not a running quarterback, but he can make plays," Tebow said.
Meyer compared Brantley's style of play to former Utah quarterback Alex Smith.
"He had a great spring," offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. "You watch his presence in the pocket, his poise. He took a shot under the chin and delivered a strike, all the signs and evidence of a guy that's really developing into one heck of a football player."
Walk-on running back Christopher Scott was the big surprise on the ground. The junior rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries.
Scott spent two and a half years away from football while he was a student at Santa Fe College, but he walked on at UF in the spring of 2008.
He spent last season working as a strong safety on the scout team.
"I know when I first came out, I felt like I was one of those target dummies," Scott said. "I remember going out there and being at practice, and I'm just on a knee half the time last year. This year, I'm in there on a lot of downs. (The coaches) just said they want to try to get me on the field wherever that's at. I'm pretty much trying to earn their trust - and keep it."
Hardly any of the big names made an appearance Saturday. In all, 16 starters had the day off. The entire first-team defense was held out of the game, as was tight end Aaron Hernandez.
Tebow, receiver Deonte Thompson, running back Chris Rainey and three offensive linemen - Carl Johnson, James Wilson and Marcus Gilbert - were the only first-team players to see the field.
"You can't coach scared, but there were certain guys that I saw enough from (this spring)," Meyer said.
GATORS RECEIVE FIRST RINGS: Before the game, players received one of the three rings they earned for their accomplishments last season - one for winning the SEC championship, another for winning the national championship and the third from UF. This one was silver with an orange-and-blue "No. 1" etched between "National" and "Champions."
"My arm's already a little bit sore, and I've only had it on a couple of minutes," Brantley said.
