John Brantley Injury: Why Florida Gators Won't Be Bowl Eligible Without Brantley

Florida Gators quarterback John Brantley went down with a right leg injury against the Alabama Crimson Tide in their blowout loss on Saturday.

Before the injury, the Gators held the lead for moments in the second quarter. Brantley went 11 of 16 for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception against one of the toughest defenses in the country. He did so without having any running production whatsoever.  

Brantley’s status is questionable at No. 1 LSU on Saturday. If Brantley doesn’t play this week, or misses any time due to his injury, this Gators team is in trouble for the rest of the season.

They play one of the toughest schedules of any team in the nation during October. After visiting No. 1 LSU they travel to No. 15 Auburn. This all comes before their game against Georgia.

Florida also travels to South Carolina and hosts Florida State later in the year.

Freshman quarterback Jeff Driskel wasn’t prepared to play on Saturday. He went 7 of 16 for 73 yards with two interceptions.

He didn’t have a chance because of how good the defense is from Alabama, but he looked overwhelmed. Once his first option was cover he would pull it and look to run with the football.

Florida doesn’t have too much of a chance to defeat Les Miles and the Tigers on the road anyway, but they can’t afford to have Brantley miss a long duration of time. If he does, Florida is in a world of hurt. Driskel will improve as a quarterback because of this, but Brantley gives them the best opportunity to win games.

No Brantley, no bowl game. Driskel isn’t capable of carrying this team past LSU, Auburn or Georgia. He isn’t ready at this point of his career. Florida will be in for a long season if Brantley doesn’t play the majority of the games.