College football

UF turns to Brantley as post-Tebow era begins

Starting against Miami of Ohio, No. 4 Gators out to 'prove everybody wrong'

Phil Sandlin / AP

Florida's John Brantley, left, takes over at quarterback for Tim Tebow, one of the most decorated players in college football history.

By MARK LONG

updated 3:21 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida coach Urban Meyer believes his team has more questions now than it did in 2007.

Could it happen again? Maybe, but Meyer doesn't anticipate a similar rebuilding effort.

"I think we've got better answers than we had in 2007," Meyer said. "There's a lot of questions. But you're returning a lot of guys you're anxious to see play. In '07, we had no idea what we were dealing with. We actually know what we're dealing with now, and we're real excited about this group."

No. 4 Florida gets its first chance to respond to those looming questions Saturday against Miami (Ohio). Will quarterback John Brantley emerge from Tim Tebow's shadow? How will Florida's revamped defense perform? Who are the team's new playmakers?

"People are expecting this huge drop-off," guard Carl Johnson said. "We watch TV just like everybody else. We see, 'They lost this and they lost this guy.' We're just going to prove everybody wrong."

That might have to wait at least a week or two.

The Gators have won 20 consecutive openers and haven't lost a non-conference game at home since 2003. The RedHawks, meanwhile, have dropped back-to-back openers against Southeastern Conference teams (Kentucky and Vanderbilt) in lopsided fashion and are coming off a 1-11 season.

"It's going to be a true experience for our young team," said Miami coach Michael Haywood, whose team is a 35-point underdog.

Haywood has talked to his players about "embracing the atmosphere" at Florida Field. He's been to The Swamp several times and knows how loud the partially sunken stadium can get.

The RedHawks have simulated crowd noise all week in practice and worked on silent cadence, but Haywood knows it still doesn't come close to the real thing.

"As far as the intimidation factor, you talk to guys about what our goals are," he said. "We want to be a dangerous, relentless football team. We want to compete for 60 minutes, where the clock doesn't matter, the scoreboard doesn't matter. We want to win the one-on-one battles, and if we win the majority of the one-on-one battles, then we'll be in this football game."

Meyer expects to see some "wide eyes," especially in guys making their first starts.

Brantley could be one of them. He spent three years waiting for this opportunity, coming to Florida a year after Tebow and sitting behind the bulky left-hander. Brantley's career highlights have come in mop-up duty, but the Gators are confident he's ready for his new role.

There are even more questions around him. Can receivers Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore and Chris Rainey, and tight end Jordan Reed be legitimate playmakers? Can speedy running back Jeff Demps handle a bigger workload? Can running back Emmanuel Moody stay healthy and be the team's short-yardage specialist, the role Tebow handled the last four years?

How will the offensive line hold up after losing its top two left tackles? Xavier Nixon (knee) and Matt Patchan (wrist) won't play, prompting several shifts for the first two games.

"You're probably going to see a bunch of real wide eyes because there's a bunch of new players going to play," Meyer said. "But I expect to see a bunch of energetic, enthusiastic guys that are ready. It's payday for them. You don't come here to practice. You come here to prepare and train and get ready to play in The Swamp."

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Florida has similar concerns on defense.

How will cornerbacks Moses Jenkins or Jeremy Brown fare in place of first-round draft pick Joe Haden? Will the defensive line, filled with guys returning from injury, hold up? Are ends Justin Trattou and Duke Lemmens capable of getting the same kind of pressure as their predecessors? Will linebackers Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins shore up the middle of the defense like Brandon Spikes did?

"There's always those doubters out there," Brantley said. "But that's what keeps a chip on our shoulders and that's what's kept us hungry this offseason. People who might doubt our defense or our receivers, that's just going to make us play better on Saturdays."

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