Florida Gators Football Vs. USF: Comparing QBs John Brantley and BJ Daniels
When the South Florida Bulls visit "The Swamp" to take on the Florida Gators, a very interesting matchup between two very talented players will take place on the Gainesville gridiron.
While they will not be on the field together at any point during Saturday's contest, their performances will be compared and contrasted throughout the game.
John Brantley and B.J. Daniels will lead the Gators and the Bulls, respectively, into battle this weekend.
Which team has the advantage at quarterback?
Accuracy
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In his three-year career as a Florida Gator, John Brantley has completed 71 passes in 101 attempts, registering a 70.3 percent completion percentage.
Although he has attempted considerably fewer passes than his successor, Brantley does have a completion percentage that is 7.5 points greater than Tim Tebow's mark at Florida (62.7 percent).
Overall, Brantley does a very good job of hitting his receivers, but a full season as a starter could very well change his luck.
B.J. Daniels, on the other hand, hasn't had as much luck with completing his passes.
In his 16 games as a Bull, Daniels has connected on 141 of his 254 passing attempts for a completion percentage of 55.5 percent.
However, despite his low career completion percentage, Daniels showed improvement in South Florida's 59-14 win over Stony Brook, completing 15 of his 22 passes for a 68.2 completion percentage.
Advantage: John Brantley
Experience
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Redshirt junior John Brantley made the first start of his college career when the Florida Gators defeated the Miami (OH) RedHawks last Saturday.
In addition to last Saturday's appearance, Brantley has appeared in 12 other games for the Gators during the past two seasons, but most of the time, he was just taking over for Tim Tebow in mop-up duty.
B.J. Daniels went through a situation similar to Brantley's last season with South Florida.
Granted, Daniels wasn't replacing one of the greatest players in college football history, but taking over the starting quarterback job for any team is a challenge.
However, Daniels has performed well since he became the Bulls' signal-caller, leading South Florida to eight victories last season, including a 27-3 Independence Bowl victory over Northern Illinois.
After earning the respect of his teammates as the starting quarterback last season, Daniels should become an even football player this season because of that experience.
Advantage: B.J. Daniels
Mobility
3 of 7When talking about the 2010 version of his spread offense, Florida Gators head coach said that the team would look similar to the Chris Leak-led offense...in other words, pre-Tim Tebow.
So, don't expect to see John Brantley ramming it up the middle on fourth-and-short.
If the Gators need to convert on a short-yardage play, they will most likely use true freshman quarterback Trey Burton or senior running back Emmanuel Moody.
South Florida's B.J. Daniels is one of the nation's best dual-threat quarterbacks and is a perfect fit for an offense that relies on both his arm and his legs.
Daniels was a dynamic weapon in the Bulls' running game last season, leading his teammates with 175 carries, 772 yards, and nine rushing touchdowns.
Expect more of the same from Daniels in 2010.
Advantage: B.J. Daniels
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Offensive Weapons
4 of 7With the offensive weapons John Brantley has at his disposal, he has an opportunity to put up huge numbers for the Florida Gators in 2010.
Among those playmakers are running backs Jeff Demps and Emmanuel Moody and receivers Deonte Thompson and Chris Rainey.
Last season, those four players combined for 2,439 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns.
As for the Bulls, B.J. Daniels will have running back Moise Plancher, who had 129 carries, 581 rushing yards, and five rushing touchdowns last season and running back Marcus Shaw, who led the Bulls with 86 rushing yards on four carries in the season opener against.
However, Daniels' favorite target will be the guy that the quarterback nicknamed "Mr. Surehands",,,sophomore Evan Landi.
Head coach Skip Holtz is relying on Landi, who led all South Florida receivers with six catches and 104 yards in the 59-14 win over Stony Brook, to have a big season for the Bulls.
Advantage: John Brantley
Passing Prowess
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In limited action backing up Tim Tebow for the past two seasons, John Brantley has been able to put up respectable statistics, passing for 758 yards and 12 touchdowns while only throwing one interception.
After an anemic performance against Miami (OH) last Saturday, Brantley has nowhere to go, but up from here and he has the talent to become one of the nation's top quarterbacks by season's end.
B.J. Daniels is also a very talented passer, but he only threw 14 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions last season.
Daniels and the Bulls hope that he can improve on his touchdown-to-intereption ratio this season, which would give South Florida a much more reliable passing game as they try to contend for a Big East title.
While Daniels may the more dynamic player of the two, Brantley has a better arm.
Advantage: John Brantley
The Venue
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John Brantley plays his home games in "The Swamp," one of the toughest places to play in college football.
The Florida Gators have won 14 out of their last 15 games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and in home games that Brantley has played in, Florida has yet to lose in 10 tries.
B.J. Daniels and the Bulls will aim to hand the Gators their first loss in "The Swamp" since 2008 when come to Gainesville Saturday.
Daniels has a 3-3 road record as South Florida's starting quarterback, racking up 1,095 yards of total offense and eight touchdowns in those road games.
However, the most important factor working in the Bulls' favor is that Daniels and his teammates went to Tallahassee and defeated the Florida State Seminoles 17-7 in Doak Campbell Stadium last season.
Look for Daniels and South Florida to give the Gators a run for their money at Florida Field Saturday.
Advantage: John Brantley
Recap: John Brantley Vs. B.J. Daniels
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Accuracy Advantage - John Brantley
Experience Advantage - B.J. Daniels
Mobility Advantage - B.J. Daniels
Offensive Weapons Advantage - John Brantley
Passing Prowess - John Brantley
The Venue - John Brantley
Final Score
John Brantley - 4
B.J. Daniels - 2
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