GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Top-ranked Florida received positive news Monday about injured quarterback Tim Tebow, but the Gators are prepared to start backup John Brantley against LSU on Oct. 10 if Tebow isn't ready to play.
Florida coach Urban Meyer said Tebow has performed well in medical tests. Tebow suffered a concussion Saturday against Kentucky after he absorbed a brutal hit that caused his head to bounce off the knee of offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, hasn't missed a game because of injury in three seasons as Florida's starter.
"He's still got a little bit of a headache, - which I guess is normal - but he feels good," Meyer said. "He's eating well. Other than a little soreness and a headache, that's it."
If Tebow can't go, Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said redshirt sophomore John Brantley would be ready to take over the offense. "He's got a good grasp of the whole offense," Addazio said. "He's been here. He knows what he's doing. He can run the whole offense."
Brantley said he hopes Tebow recovers in time to face the Tigers, but the backup understands he may have to step in and play. "I've considered it a little bit, I guess," Brantley said. "I'm just going to prepare like I do every week."
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Brantley is more of a pure drop-back passer than Tebow. As a senior at Trinity Catholic High in Ocala, Fla., in 2006, he threw for 2,766 yards and 41 touchdowns. Brantley originally committed to sign with Texas, but he changed his mind during the recruiting process and followed in the footsteps of his mentors. Brantley's father, John, played quarterback at Florida from 1977-78. His uncle, Scot, was an All-America linebacker for the Gators in the late '70s. Brantley's high school coach was former Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell.
Brantley is well aware that he isn't the battering ram Tebow is, but he believes Florida coaches will adjust the scheme to fit his strengths, the most obvious of which is an accurate deep ball. "Of course I'm not the fastest quarterback," Brantley said. "But these coaches will work with what I do well."
Addazio said coaches constantly tweak the offense to suit the strengths of Florida's players. "The bottom line is he's been trained to run our offense," Addazio said. "We tailor that to accentuate different guys." In 2005 and 2006, Florida ran a more drop-back-oriented offense to suit quarterback Chris Leak. Of course, Leak's 2005 trip to Baton Rouge ended with the offense flailing and Meyer shedding tears in his postgame press conference.
Since signing Brantley, Florida coaches have more often compared the sophomore to former Utah quarterback Alex Smith, who was a Heisman finalist under Meyer in 2004. Addazio said Smith's success in the offense should give Brantley confidence that he can have equal or greater success if called upon. "You saw Urban run all that stuff with Alex Smith," Addazio said. "John Brantley's a bigger, stronger guy than Alex Smith."
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Glad nothing else happened in college football this weekend
etc_04
Total Comments (401)
Waaahhhh....
D-Gator
Denver , CO
Total Comments (126)
We really need to get to the philosophy that if have nothing good to say, keep your mouth shut. Life would be so much better.
CasualObsevrver
Marietta , GA
Total Comments (2)
Andy, if you watched the Tech-UNC game, what did you think about the out-of-bounds call at the end of the first half that got PJ so riled up?
Georgia Tech…
Rome , GA
Total Comments (3408)
Well, there was yet another OSU debacle....
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/28/coleman.ohio.sta te.ap/index.html?eref=sircrc
Yes, that's the same Jim Tressel that decided to go for it on 4th down from his own 29 in the NC game against Florida. It's no wonder the rest of us think it's time for him to go.
godofdetailing
Total Comments (225)
Brantley may indeed be a respectable QB, but Florida's offense still relies on a QB that can run the ball, because they lack any deep-threat, playmaking receivers this season.
serotonin
Total Comments (715)
Link doesn't work. I assume it's taking about Kurt Coleman's late hit that Tressel took him out of the game for?
etc_04
Total Comments (401)
Is there a video on Youtube of that hit? I haven't seen it yet.
Georgia Tech…
Rome , GA
Total Comments (3408)
Time at the top is short lived. My hat's off to the Florida program for one heck of a run. To the guy that thinks Tressel should go ... exactly who were you planning on replacing him with that would give you a record even close to his?
Toeside slide
Total Comments (192)
Good observation, unfortunately right on the mark.
Emmanuel Moody, Demps and Rainey will have to pick up the slack and then open up some play-action stuff over the linebackers. Gotta make the run a legit threat first, though.
I think Meyer does a good job of gameplanning to meet his players' skill set like Staples says, so while I'd of course like to have TT back, I think we can certainly win with Brantley.
GatorRobster
Houston, TX
Total Comments (6171)
"Short lived" is right. Better enjoy it while it lasts, because everybody's got a bulls-eye on you when you're defending champ and rated number 1. It's only a matter of time til you get whacked down a notch.
GatorRobster
Houston, TX
Total Comments (6171)
They might lack a deep threat receiver only because Tebow really can't throw the ball as well as everyone thinks. It's about time that Meyer is able to play a QB who ACTUALLY FITS his system. Compare Alex Smith (only in college, the pro tenure doesn't count) and Tebow, and they are two completely different guys. Yes I understand that Smith's opponents weren't SEC defenses, but (especially this year for a down year for the SEC defensively) Tebow isn't much of a passing QB. He can run, He can throw it down the middle, but damn you if he throws it to the sidelines, because 7 times out of 10 he's throwing a pick.
Brantley is Urban's QB of the SEC future. Just remember. I said it first. Brantley will be GOD in 8 months. Florida doesn't win the title this year, but next year, it's all theirs when Urban Meyer unleashes his real plan.
pusciferschild
Kingsland , GA
Total Comments (1)
The scheme will change from time to time. Remember the Gators won a NC with Chris Leak, who is more of a drop back passer. Just get tired of hearing all the negative BS form all the (living room) coaches. Meyers has made liers out of must of these type of haters, and will continue to do so. NOBODY here or anywhere else predicted that Florida would win the NC lAST YEAR EITHER.
GatorBoy42
Camp Lejeune , NC
Total Comments (33)
Short lived,, lol. Here we go again. Now was your post about Florida, Tressel, or both. Then maybe there's a connection there. First off, your wishful thinking won't emerge into fact. First of all, it's arguably to say that Fl won the NC last with defense. Remember Florida held UO twice inside the 20YL. Oklahoma's offense was putting up somewhere near 50 points a game. Tebow is a great player, but the last NC was not based around one player. We had the top five linebackers, defensive ends, cornerbacks, receivers, tightend, ect. You act like it was all offense, have you forgotten. Our defense was so ggod, it allowed Tebow to make slow starts when he was a little off, when Florida turn over the ball in key situations. When Florida wins a game 48-3 for example, rarily would someone say 'damn, that defense was awsome'. But, everyone, and all the headlines would be 'Florida racks up 300 yards of offense, Tebow got 250 yards passing'. My point is, Florida is a very balanced team, we will adjust when Tebow move on. 4 star High school kids want to come there, we will be fine.
GatorBoy42
Camp Lejeune , NC
Total Comments (33)
Did that dude say it's time for Tressel to go? LOL!!! Oh god, please let him go. PLEASE!!!! That would be Ohio's biggest gift to Michigan of all time. I can understand though, 1 national championship, numerous Big 10 Championships, it's a pitful record.
I want some of what he's smoking.......
tz3ppb
Total Comments (6)
Yes, Florida is great, no doubt. As long as UM is prowling the sidesides they will be for years to come. Before you get lost in your greatness, remember your neighbors are pretty good too, and they want nothing more than to beat the Gators. I expect the Gators to go down at some point this season. LSU's not there yet. Bama may be.
I'll also add, that Iowa defense looked pretty good on Saturday night. They're my pick to win the Big 10. My boys in Ann Arbor need a couple more years, but god it's nice to win games again.
tz3ppb
Total Comments (6)
The reality is that Tressel has yet to show he can win the big games. Yes, he somehow managed to (barely) beat Miami in that NC game, but look at his record since then. He got outcoached against UF and LSU, and simply cannot win the big out of conference games.
Sure, winning Little 10 championships makes you feel good, but his "brand" of football will not translate into anything more than that. Let's face it --- he could not beat an average USC team at home this year, against a freshman QB.
Tressel is a lot like Bobby Bowden -- he simply is cashing checks off of his past accomplishments. You know Tressel is nothing more than an average coach when you look at the NFL rosters and see just how many OSU players are there. If you can't win big games with future NFL talent, then it's all on you. The rest of us will be shocked if he ever wins another big bowl game.
godofdetailing
Total Comments (225)
You are quoting the obvious, every team will fade at some point, are you serious. NOONE stay at the top FOREVER, then some teams will never get to the top. Yes are neighbors are pretty good, but most SEC teams are respectable. Yeah Michigan appears to be on the up swing, however when I watch them, I see a slight need for some break away speed, but they did me a good favor when the beat Notre Dame.
GatorBoy42
Camp Lejeune , NC
Total Comments (33)
Make up your mind. UO is actually Oregon. Oklahoma is OU. People don't call Florida FU, do they?
Florida is already experiencing a drop off, because Demps and Rainey can't fill the shoes of all-world Percy Harvin.
Recruiting will fall off with Kiffin in Tennessee and Shannon keeping south Florida prospects in Coral Gables.
All that said, it will be interesting to see Meyer's offense with a quarterback who can run it. I think the receivers for UF are fine, it is just that Tebow is not accurate enough on intermediate routes to find them.
But back to the story. TT experienced a grade 3 concussion. For a comparison, it is similar to the concussion that Trent Green suffered in the NFL. He missed 9 games with PCS. Even after nine weeks, his cognitive functions were still affected.
I think that it is an excellent opportunity for Brantley, should he be tagged to start. He throws the ball well and gets rid of the ball quickly.
If Tebow plays, it will remove the excuse that obnoxious gator fans in Jax have if they lose.
I just hope that the medical staff has his best interest at heart when they make their decision to clear or not. I don't personally like the guy, but I would hate to see anybody get a second concussion in two weeks that could jeopardize his future as a tight end in the NFL.
pharaoh
Kingsland , GA
Total Comments (540)
Well Shannon and Kiffin are there now, and FLorida currently sits at number 1 in the recruiting polls for next year, so I tend to doubt your assessment of recruiting...as for the Gator receivers, they're not fine. Most have been injured, or sick for the past two weeks...just look at the guys who figured to be the top pass catchers on this time before the year began. Hernandez (flu), Thompson (injured) Cooper (flu) Moore (injured), and even DeBose (injured was supposed to contribute...the Gator receiving corp is dinged up pretty badly, and unless they can get healthy, or start to see more production from guys like Nelson, and Hammond Florida will be in trouble....as for Brantley, I think he'll be fine, and when Tebow left, the offense immediately started the throwing the ball more often, and doing it well. Florida, like any potential national champ, needs some things to fall their way, and so far that hasn't happened. They are probably talented enough to win out, and get to Atlanta but if the team that showed up against Tenn, and Kentucky shows up against Bama, it might not be pretty...stay tuned.
BBK
Total Comments (16354)
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