Florida may get quarterback John Brantley back for Georgia

photo Florida QB John Brantley (AP)
Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

When quarterback John Brantley last played for the Florida Gators, he was accomplishing the rare feat of posing problems for Alabama's defense.

Brantley completed 11 of 16 first-half passes for 190 yards and a touchdown against the Crimson Tide on Oct. 1, but then Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw became his personal nightmare. Upshaw scored off an interception return, which broke a 10-10 tie in Alabama's eventual 38-10 romp, and then he knocked Brantley out of the game with a lower right leg injury.

"He was really playing well against a very good defense," Florida coach Will Muschamp said Monday. "He threw for close to 200 yards in the first half, and we had a couple of dropped balls on third down that kept us from converting those. He hit a couple of deep balls and was doing a good job of managing the team.

"The first four and a half ballgames, he really played well."

Brantley hasn't played since, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pound redshirt senior from Ocala has been listed as probable for Saturday afternoon's game against Georgia in Jacksonville. His presence has been missed, as the Gators have averaged 1.7 points per quarter since his injury.

Monday marked Brantley's return to practice, though he was on the field last week working on throwing.

"He's looked good to me, that's all I know," senior tailback Chris Rainey said.

True freshmen Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel have taken turns replacing Brantley, combining on 29-of-58 passing for 287 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions. Muschamp said that if Brantley progresses this week, he will name one of the freshmen as his backup.

Brantley is expected to work on a limited basis during the first part of the week.

"The only thing I guess that is good is that we will have some video of all three of their starters," Georgia coach Mark Richt said, "but we don't know who's going to start, so we've got to have a plan for whoever is in there. It's kind of a pain in the rear, but it's kind of where we're at right now."

Muschamp said Brantley's return could provide a "huge psychological shock for our football team." Florida has lost its last three games to Alabama, LSU and Auburn, and the Gators enter Saturday looking to avoid their first four-game skid since 1988.

Brantley has completed 66 of 102 attempts this season for 942 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

"When John had his injury, he was very disappointed and down," Muschamp said. "He told me back then, 'I want to get back for Georgia.' It's important to John. His dad was a Gator. His uncle was a Gator.

"They understand the importance of this game."

Odds and ends

Georgia practiced Monday for two hours, and there are reports leading receiver Malcolm Mitchell may have aggravated the hamstring injury he suffered at Tennessee. ... Florida is last in the SEC in turnover ratio at minus-7, or minus-1 per game. ... Georgia's game next week against visiting New Mexico State will be televised by CSS with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. ... Muschamp on one of this week's storylines: "There is going to be a lot of wasted ink on the fact I played at Georgia."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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