John Brantley Injury: Can Jeff Driskel Pull out a Miracle Against LSU?

The Florida Gators went from being one of the most surprising teams in the country to having their season come crashing down in just three hours.

Florida not only lost to Alabama by 28 points, they also lost their starting quarterback, John Brantley, to a high ankle sprain. The senior quarterback has already been ruled out for the huge SEC matchup against the LSU Tigers.

This is not looking good if you're a Gators fan.

This now leaves true freshman quarterback Jeff Driskel to step in to play the No. 1 team in the country. The same guy that has received many comparisons to quarterback Tim Tebow will make his first career start against one of the toughest defenses in the nation.

Driskel has one of the strongest arms in the country and has the running ability to extend plays and make something out of nothing. That is one thing that he has over Brantley if you're looking for a positive.

Driskel has great size at 6'4", 235 pounds and will drop his shoulder and fight for the extra yard if he needs to. There isn't a whole lot that this young man can't do, but everybody needs to remember that he only a freshman.

He has all of the tools to be a great Division I quarterback someday. But that's the key word: someday.

Like most young quarterbacks, he still has to make better decisions with the football and not force the ball into a crowd. He also has to learn how to tuck the ball away when he's taking off and learn when the play is over. It's cool to run and make something out of nothing, but you need to slide and protect the ball when doing so.

Looking at the bright side of things, John Brantley hasn't really "wowed" anybody with his play this season. He has been more of a game manager this season than anything, and the majority of his passing yards have come off of short dump passes to his speedster running backs.

Driskel I'm sure can do much of the same, but much like the game against the Crimson Tide, it won't work against LSU.

The Gators have a solid team and will hold their own against the top team in the country, but asking a freshman quarterback to earn a win in Tiger Stadium is a bit much. This defense is stifling and will show Driskel several looks he hasn't seen before.

Driskel will be a fantastic quarterback in a year or two when he gets the chance to work with Charlie Weis, but this week is a completely different story. 

Can he lead the Gators to a victory over LSU? It's possible. But so is getting struck by lightning twice or sneezing with your eyes open. Both are extremely unlikely and hard to do. 

Jeff Driskel has his work cut out for him.