During halftime on Saturday, Florida coach Will Muschamp will have to make a choice: Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel.
Nearly six months have passed since the Gators held their first spring practice on March 14, but heading into the season opener against Bowling Green, Florida still does not have a starting quarterback.
“They both deserve the right to play,” Muschamp said. “They’ve earned that and they both deserve the right to start. They both have had really good camps.”
As Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease have constructed the rotation, each quarterback will play a quarter in the first half against Bowling Green.
Brissett and Driskel will each have 15 minutes to try to earn the starting job against Texas A&M.
“You just have to go with who’s moving the team,” Pease said. “The good thing about this is that they’re going to be in real game-time situations.”
After a fall camp veiled in ambiguity, Muschamp sat down with his quarterbacks to share his plan for the season opener.
As Muschamp explained the rotation, Brissett did not bother to hone in on the specifics.
“I wasn’t really paying attention to it,” Brissett said. “I knew I was going to play, that’s it. That’s all that really mattered. I was there, but when I heard that both of us were going to play, then all right, then that’s all that matters. As long as we both play.”
Driskel came into the meeting expecting a different development.
“I thought they were going to name a starter, but I knew it was going to be difficult for them,” Driskel said. “I wouldn’t want to be the guy to have to pick between us.”
As of Thursday night, Muschamp had yet to announce which quarterback would take the Gators’ first snap of the season. Pease joked UF should leave it up to chance.
“I don’t know,” Pease said. “Maybe a flip of the coin, see who gets it.”
▪ ▪ ▪
When Brissett committed to UF in 2011, he was joining a class already headlined by Driskel, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback recruit.
Brissett — ranked third overall — signed late with Florida instead of Miami, his mother’s preference.
Once Brissett signed his letter of intent, he issued a challenge to Driskel.
“[Driskel] will have to prove to me every day, every year that he’s going to be better than me for him to win that starting spot,” Brissett said on Feb. 4, 2011.
Driskel, who got a head start on the competition by enrolling in Januray 2011, originally bested Brissett coming out of preseason camp last year. The Oviedo native was No. 2 on the depth chart heading into the 2011 campaign.
However, as the season progressed, Brissett eventually passed Driskel on the depth chart. Driskel played in five of Florida’s first seven games; he made his final appearance against Auburn on Oct. 15, 2011. Meanwhile, Brissett appeared in the Gators’ final seven regular-season games, including two starts.
Both quarterbacks have their faults.
Pease said Driskel needs to work on “protecting himself on the run and still making quick decisions.”
“I’ve never really been one to slide or want to get out of bounds, but I’m going to have to be careful this year and not take too many shots if I don’t have to.”
Brissett’s problem revolves around his pocket awareness, Pease said. The West Palm Beach native gets “comfortable in the pocket.”
“Make a quick decision and go vertical,” Pease said. “Vertical runs, and protect yourself.”
Despite their shortcomings, both quarterbacks have progressed significantly. Pease has been impressed by their improvement since spring practice.
“They have both done a really good job with how they’ve handled the situation and how they progressed,” Pease said. “It would be difficult to say, to name a starter right now.”
▪ ▪ ▪
Pease is committed to employing the two-quarterback strategy against Bowling Green, but nothing is set in stone beyond this weekend.
Muschamp’s plans for the signal-callers moving forward are equally uncertain. Could the rotation return in Week 2?
“I don’t know — tough to answer,” Pease said. “I don’t think so. That’s my gut feeling. I don’t know if it’s sustainable from there. It depends how they play, I guess, and what they create. … I don’t know. Ask me that in a week. I don’t know that answer.”
Driskel added: “Obviously, that’s not the ideal situation, but if that’s what it comes down to, we’re going to have to make it work.”
Pease and Driskel are not inclined to believe lightning can strike thrice at Florida.
Most recently, the Gators experienced success with the duo of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow in 2006. With Leak manning the aerial attack and Tebow establishing the power run game, Florida cruised to a 13-1 record and won its second national title in school history.
The Gators succeeded with the Leak-Tebow model as a result of moderation.
Tebow would run the occasional play-action pass or throw a jump ball into the back of the end zone every once in a while, but Leak was the go-to guy.
Leak threw 91.5 percent of Florida’s passes in 2006.
Rewind all the way back to 1997 to find another two-quarterback scenario in Gainesville, one similar to the Brissett-Driskel race.
Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier famously alternated quarterbacks Noah Brindise and Doug Johnson in No. 10 Florida’s upset victory against top-ranked Florida State in 1997. The Gators’ win against the Seminoles marked the first time UF ever defeated a No. 1 team at Florida Field.
Spurrier decided to start Brindise while driving his son, Scottie, to school.
“I said, ‘Who should I start?’” Spurrier said. “And he said, ‘When Noah has started, you’ve never lost a game, have you?’ I said, ‘Hey, that’s right. I’ll put him out there for the first play.’ So, we put Noah out the first play, and they were both good.”
The Brindise-Johnson duo completed 18 of 34 passes for 318 yards, including a 63-yard connection between Johnson and wide receiver Jacquez Green on Florida’s game-winning touchdown drive.
“When you rotate quarterbacks, it can work one or two games or so,” Spurrier said. “But then after that, it sort of quits working. But as a change of pace, there’s nothing wrong with playing two quarterbacks.”
Spurrier has not had the same success with multiple signal-callers at South Carolina. Two separate quarterback battles involving Stephen Garcia have both spiraled out of control in the past four years. Last October, Garcia was dismissed from the team.
Now that the Gamecocks have Connor Shaw as their definitive man under center heading into the 2012 campaign, Spurrier said, “It’s been a little more peaceful around here.”
▪ ▪ ▪
No matter who ultimately earns Muschamp’s allegiance, the lengthy decision process speaks volumes — there is no job security for Gators quarterbacks this season.
Whether Brissett or Driskel line up under center, each quarterback will always need to make an extra read over his shoulder.
“The other guy’s got to be ready,” Pease said on Aug. 8. “He’s going to be the most popular guy in town anyway. You never know when your opportunity is. It could be one play in the season, it could come down to one play in a season.”
Driskel and Brissett both got a taste of the fire too early.
Last season, John Brantley was sidelined twice — after suffering a leg injury against Alabama and sustaining a concussion against Florida State.
That need to be ready at all times is why Brissett and Driskel keep working.
“I don’t think I’ll be competing harder, because I think I am going as hard as I can and doing everything to help it,” Driskel said. “I’m just going to prepare the same and be ready if my name gets called.”
Brissett added: “The battle will never end. Every day is a struggle and you got to go out and compete as hard as you can.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Jacoby Brissett
Jeff Driskel
