Nice article. Better, coming from a supposedly unbiased observer. Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI Real Estate Broker Bob Parks, LLC 1517 Hunt Club Blvd Gallatin TN 37066 615-972-4239 615-826-4040 Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message: > From: Woody <[email protected]> > Date: October 3, 2012 8:17:06 AM CDT > To: gatornews <[email protected]> > Subject: [gatornews] ESPN.com Driskel has been a key in Gators' ascent > Reply-To: [email protected] > > Driskel has been a key in Gators' ascent > > October, 3, 2012 > Oct 3 > 9:00 > AM ET > By Chris Low | ESPN.com > Recommend0 > Tweet0 > Comments4 > Email > Print > Jeff Driskel was a restless spectator a year ago when LSU pinned a 41-11 > beating on Florida. > > He didn’t play a snap and instead watched from the sideline after spraining > his ankle the week before against Alabama. > > “I didn’t even dress,” Driskel recounted. “It was a hard game to watch.” > > On Saturday, when No. 4 LSU invades the Swamp, Driskel won’t have to worry > about finding a good vantage point on the Gators’ sideline. He’ll be right in > the middle of the fray. > > This will be his fourth consecutive game as Florida’s starting quarterback, > and in a lot of ways, his progress since nailing down the job in the opener > has mirrored that of the entire Gators team. > > There’s a steadiness and a blue-collar, get-it-done approach about him. And > when the second half rolls around, he seems to be at his best. > > “Having confidence in the quarterback is huge,” said Driskel, who’s > completing 69.6 percent of his passes and has turned the ball over just once > this season. “The offense feeds off the quarterback and gets momentum from > the quarterback, so the quarterback has to have confidence and go into the > huddle and command the huddle and be the leader of the offense. > > “I feel like that’s probably the biggest improvement that I’ve made thus > far.” > > Of course, it only builds the confidence of everybody around him when he > stands in there and makes the kind of throws he did in both of the road > victories at Texas A&M and Tennessee. > > [+] Enlarge > Jim Brown/US PresswireJeff Driskel's cool under fire has helped Florida pull > out a pair of SEC road wins. > The Gators haven’t called on Driskel to throw the ball a lot to this point > (79 pass attempts). But when they have, he’s delivered. > > Driskel’s 39-yard pass to Omarius Hines in the fourth quarter set up the > go-ahead touchdown against Texas A&M. A week later, he connected with Jordan > Reed for a 23-yard score and then hit Frankie Hammond with a 75-yard > touchdown pass to fuel a second-half rally against Tennessee. > > On Reed’s touchdown, Driskel had two defenders bearing down on him, but > bought just enough time to throw a strike before taking a big hit. And on > Hammond’s touchdown, Driskel stood in there against a corner blitz and > delivered the ball to Hammond with plenty of room to run. > > “Those are plays I have to make,” Driskel said. “It’s my job as the > quarterback of this team.” > > LSU coach Les Miles said this week that Driskel has gotten better with each > throw, which is true. But he’s also gotten more comfortable, and the game is > beginning to slow down for the 6-foot-4, 237-pound sophomore. > > “My internal clock has gotten a lot better just from a couple of games ago > against Texas A&M,” Driskel said. “I took eight sacks, and that can’t happen. > I’ve gotten better, watched the film and learned from it. I’ve gotten used to > the speed and have a much better feel for when it’s time to take off and run > and when it’s time to get rid of it.” > > Driskel’s ability to run makes him that much more difficult to defend. He’s > the Gators’ second leading rusher with 148 yards, and his 21-yard scramble > late in the Texas A&M game was a big reason the Gators were able to keep the > ball and not have to punt it back to the Aggies. > > Driskel has seen all the tape he needs to see of LSU’s defense to know how > good and how talented the Tigers are on that side of the ball. It will easily > be the toughest assignment of the season for the Gators. > > Even so, Driskel’s role doesn’t change. > > “I think Jeff needs to be Jeff,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “We don’t > need any superhuman effort out here. We just need to go out and execute and > play our game, and that’s what we plan on doing. He doesn’t need to do any > more than he’s done in the previous four weeks.” > > Along those same lines, Driskel said the Gators won’t be wowed by LSU’s depth > or talent in the defensive line. They’ve averaged 224.5 rushing yards in > their first four games, and they’re not about to veer away from the run now. > > “We’ve got to be able to run the ball. That’s who we are on offense,” Driskel > said. “We’re not going to change for different teams or anything like that. > We understand that they have a great defensive line and are really fast up > front and really physical, but you have to be confident against them. You > can’t go in saying, ‘Oh, their front four is better than our line,’ because > we feel we have a great line and they’ve played great all year. > > “We’re going to keep riding them.” > > And for anybody who thinks this might be a repeat of a year ago when the > Gators also started out 4-0 before losing four in a row starting with No. 3 > Alabama, Driskel said this is an entirely different team. > > “There’s no comparison,” he said. “We have guys now who have bought into our > program. They’re program guys, and they put the program before anything else. > That’s what coach Muschamp drills into our head, and that’s the way it’s got > to be if you’re going to be a part of this team.” > > Driskel’s emergence is a big reason this team has been able to climb into the > top 10 of the polls. > > He and the rest of the Gators get to prove Saturday that they belong there. > > And this time, Driskel gets to do a lot more than watch. > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
