Be careful what you wish for.
When Florida coach Will Muschamp announced Tuesday that senior quarterback John Brantley would miss the LSU game due to injury, there was a collective sigh of relief from the Tiger faithful.
The Gators would now, in all likelihood, be forced to start true freshman Jeff Driskel in their match up with No. 1 LSU on Saturday in Death Valley. Muschamp’s other options are redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy or true freshman Jacoby Brissett.
This appears to be akin to throwing a wounded lamb into a pack of wolves, considering LSU’s suffocating defense.
The Tigers have allowed an average of 12.8 points and 262 yards per game. But the number that opens the most eyes is 60.4 — the number of rushing yards per game the Tigers allow.
With a freshman quarterback under center, Muschamp will want to rely on his running game, but that will be next to impossible.
LSU will make Driskel throw the football to beat them.
That request is a difficult one, but the last time Florida marched a true freshman out on the field in Tiger Stadium, it worked to perfection for then Florida coach Ron Zook.
Zook let true freshman Chris Leak start his first game in the fifth game of the 2003 season at Kentucky. After a home game versus Ole Miss, Leak started in Death Valley against then-No. 6 LSU.
Leak helped lead the Gators to a 19-7 upset win against the eventual national champions. He was 18-of-30 for 229 yards and had two touchdowns in the game. The Gators gained a total of 310 yards that day — the third most the defense would surrender during the 14 game season.
The season ended with top-of-the-mountain success for the Tigers, but it wasn’t an unblemished year. The 1958 Tigers still hold the distinction as the last team in school history to go undefeated.
When Leak pulled the sheets off the bed of LSU fans’ dreams of an undefeated season, it was reminiscent of the Tiger Stadium coming-out party for Georgia freshman quarterback Quincy Carter in 1998.
LSU was again ranked No. 6 nationally and looking to make the leap into national contenders after a 10-win 1997 campaign.
The Tigers were 3-0 when Carter — who played a season of minor league baseball before coming back to play college football — marched in and imposed his will on defensive coordinator Lou Tepper’s defense.
Carter completed 27-of-34 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled for 41 yards in the Bulldogs’ 28 to 27 upset of LSU.
Looking at Driskel’s performance in the second half against Alabama last weekend — 2-of-6 passing for 14 yards and six carries for 18 yards — LSU’s defense should be salivating at the opportunity to tee off on him.
But don’t assume Driskel will be as antsy as a whore in church.
Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis will have a full week to draw up a game plan for his new quarterback. Weis had made great strides with Brantley this season — before the injury, he had thrown for 942 yards and five touchdowns.
This will be a much steeper hill to climb, though.
But it’s been done before, and it can definitely be done again.
 
Rob Landry is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Mandeville, La. Follow him on Twitter @RobLandry85.
 
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]