This time last August, John Brantley joked about chucking the ball out of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the season opener.
A year later, Brantley insists his confidence has not waned, even if the energy the first week of the season is different.
“We’re probably going to keep it a little more controlled this year,” he said.
Brantley walked on the field against Miami (Ohio) in 2010 accompanied by so much hype that people half-forgot he was a new starter. Brantley was going to shred the RedHawks, deftly read the defense, hit receivers in stride and enliven a passing attack that grew stale the year prior — like a “real quarterback.”
Instead, Mike Pouncey sailed a snap to Brantley’s left. Loss of 27 yards. Then, Chris Rainey fumbled. Then, Emmanuel Moody bobbled a pitch on 4th and 1. Then, two more errant snaps.
The defense held water, and the offense scored a couple fourth-quarter touchdowns to walk off the field with a deceiving 34-12 win, but Florida’s preseason excitement was deflated in a little more than three hours. Brantley managed just 113 yards, indicative of a passing attack that would eventually rank 10th in the Southeastern Conference.
The poor showing in the season opener certainly is not to blame for the whole season, Brantley and other players said
At the same time, it didn’t exactly lighten the weight of expectations.
“It just killed the momentum, really,” Brantley said. “It sucked the wind out of it, I guess you could say. … It’s real important just to step on the gas pedal from the first play. Just keep going; don’t let off.”
Since spring, “confidence” has been the word of the day, every day. When asked about how the starting quarterback has changed, players talk about him being more of a leader, being unafraid to take charge in the huddle, being — well, confident.
But no matter how much he talks about a new era to outsiders, Brantley seems to always be tagged by the shadow of last season. Every time he’s available to the media, questions about 2010 creep up.
Monday morning, for example, Brantley fielded three different questions about learning from the pains of last fall. He handled them politely, but he was clearly annoyed, his responses increasingly curt.
“Last year definitely helped me grow up a lot and matured me a whole bunch. I think it will help a lot. I’m ready for this season.”
“I tried my best to forget about it. It’s tough sometimes. Growing up, from last year, I’ve definitely done better than that.”
“I’ve definitively matured and grown up.”
Later Monday, middle linebacker Jon Bostic talked about a leader who kept his head high through adversity. Coach Will Muschamp praised Brantley for growing through the changes of the team.
But for all that’s different from this time last year, there remains one constant theme: Can Brantley live up to the hype?
Contact Tyler Jett at tjett@alligator.org.
