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 on the day and led the Orange squad to 31-21 victory.
"I was a little nervous coming into the game, but the coaches reminded me that it's just like practice," Brantley said. "It felt good to come out and get all the reps."
Tebow was 7-for-9 passing for 83 yards and had a touchdown for the Blue in the first half, but he was replaced by Brantley, who quarterbacked both teams in the second half.
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 quarterback made the flashy plays with his arm, but it was his legs that caught teammates and coaches off guard.
The redshirt 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.
UF coach Urban Meyer compared Brantley's style of play to former Utah quarterback Alex Smith.
After the game, Tebow led Brantley on his usual victory lap around the field.
"(Tebow) drug me out there," Brantley said. "He tells me I've got to do it when he's gone."
Walk-on running back Christopher Scott was the big surprise on the ground for the Gators. The junior rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries.
Scott spent 2 1/2 years away from football while he was a student at Santa FeCollege, 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. The entire first-team defense was held out of the game as well as tight end Aaron Hernandez.
"You can't coach scared, but there were certain guys that I saw enough from (this spring)," Meyer said.
