John Brantley Injury: Florida Gators Are Doomed with Star QB Out

The Florida Gators are one of the better teams in the SEC, but the loss of starting quarterback John Brantley to a knee injury could be the beginning of the end.

During the 38-10 loss to the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, the Gators' prized quarterback Brantley went down from a tackle by Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw and looked to hurt his right knee.

With just seconds left in the first half, Brantley heading to the locker room wasn’t as concerning as it was when he didn’t come back into the game during the second half of the game.

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp told the Miami Herald about his situation after the injury:

"

You lose John and it took a little bit of the wind out of sails there in the second half. You’ve got to go to the next guy.

"

If this injury is serious enough to keep Brantley out of the lineup for an extended period of time, this is a devastating blow to a Florida Gators team that needs all the help they can get.

As fans saw with Florida’s replacement Jeff Driskel, the coaching staff can use the "Next Man Up" mantra all they want, but when the backup goes 2-for-6 with just 14 yards passing there is no confidence there at all.

With Charlie Weis calling the offensive shots for the Gators, he showed that with Brantley under center that Florida had a real shot to steal the show. Unfortunately, the loss of Brantley and the lack of a superior rushing attack led the team to their first loss of the season.

The team is in serious trouble in Florida, but there is a coaching staff in position that can get the new quarterback as ready as he will ever be for the Gators’ tough SEC schedule.

Check back for more on NCAA football as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Football Page to get your fill of college football.

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