travisduncan
Gator Fan
photo by ICON Sports Media
No, this season has not gone the way he has wanted it to, or for anyone in Gator Nation for that matter. But Coach Will Muschamp took a moment Wednesday to say how proud he was of senior quarterback John Brantley.
He spoke with regional reporters Wednesday morning on teleconference hookup on and said that practice has gone well this week in preparation for Vanderbilt.
But Muschamp's most telling comments on Wednesday revealed a gentle side which is not often highlighted in comparison to his sideline demeanor, which is now legendary.
"It really kind of hit me Saturday night, in the locker room, after an unfortunate defeat," the coach explained.
"[John Brantley] was really hurting, obviously physically a little bit, but mentally. You walk over to his locker and you just see a guy whose father played at Florida, his uncle played at Florida. Has been a Gator his whole life. He's over there hurting. He's fought through adversity. He's handled adversity like a true-class person does. And to see him hurting like that was very disappointing for me. But I'm very proud of him. He's pushed through everything. He's the leader of our football team. "
"I saw his parents as I was getting on the bus, leaving the stadium. I told them how proud I was of him and they ought to be proud parents because of the type of young man they've raised."
Branley's career at Florida will be over in two short months. It has been surmised here and elsewhere that Brantley may not a chance to play quarterback professionally. So an awful lot of people, including his coach hope he gets to go out with a sense of success even though his career a whole probably has not gone the way he had hoped it would.
Meanwhile, Brantley is practicing taking snaps under center this week, and the plan is to have him do so against the Commodores. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was coy on exactly how the offense would line up Saturday.
If Brantley can take snaps under center, that alone should improve the Gators offense, including the run game.
Injury Front
Chris Rainey is said to be "probable to questionable" for Saturday's game against Vanderbilt because of a sprained ankle he suffered against UGA.
As of Wednesday Muschamp said the senior running back was "hobbled" and not at "full speed".
The most recent updates on running back Mike Gillislee (ankle) and kicker Caleb Sturgis (leg) were not given on Wednesday but both are said to be practicing week and their status for Saturday's game is to be determined based on this week's practices. Offensive tackle Chaz Green missed last week's game with an ankle injury but is expected to play this Saturday.
Gary Danielson
CBS College Football color analyst Gary Danielson has evolved into a polarizing figure among SEC fans depending on which side you root for. Danielson believes the Gators troubles have to do with the talent level on this current team compared to Florida's opponents in the SEC.
Danielson said via the Tampa Bay Tribune, "I believe Will Muschamp is doing about as good as he can. To me, I really think Will Muschamp has a butter knife, basically a dull butter knife of talent in a league that everybody else has steak and you need a steak knife to win in this league. He has no chance. He does not have a team put together to compete at the highest level at this league, especially with an injured quarterback.''
James Franklin has Vanderbilt headed in the right direction
The new Vanderbilt coach is not worried about past history against the Gators. Vandy hasn't won in Gainesville since 1948 and has not defeated the Gators anywhere since '88.
“We don’t talk about things like that," Franklin said via ESPN.com. "It’s not a focus for us. Where we’re at as a program, every win, every week is a significant win for us. We don’t look at one game or one venue, whether it’s out of conference, whether it’s in conference, as any more significant than the other. We try to be the best Vanderbilt we can be, week in and week out. We want to be at the end of this week. That’s our schedule and our philosophy in how we do things around here."
Vanderbilt comes into the contest 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the SEC having defeated Ole Miss on Sept. 17, 30-7.
Vandy is coming off a 3-point loss to No. 10 Arkansas, a game they let get away. The Commodores led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter last Saturday in Nashville, but allowed a 94-yard fumble return for a touchdown a late field goal to fall to Arkansas 31-28.
Vanderbilt is probably more skilled as a whole offensively than they are defensively. Against Arkansas they ran up 462 total yards. They rushed for 222 yards, and that is an area where Florida's defense has struggled the last four games (UGA rushed for 185 yards, Auburn rushed for 155 yards, LSU rushed for 237 yards and Alabama rushed for 226 yards against the Gator defense.
Vandy's quarterback Jordan Rodgers is the younger brother of another quarterback, by the name of Aaron. You may have heard of him from the Super Bowl winning Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers took over as the team's starter just two weeks ago prior to Vandy's 44-21 win over Army on October 22. He has thrown for 662 yards and three TD with five interceptions in two games.
Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy has rushed for 707 yards and six TD. LB Chris Marve leads the defense with
61 tackles, including 6.0 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack and one interception.
Kickoff is at 12:21 p.m. ET Saturday from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the game will air on the SEC Network.