Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton (83) runs past Tennessee defensive back Brian Randolph (37) after a reception during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013.GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The stat sheet will show that the Tennessee quarterback the Florida defense didn’t expect to see Saturday afternoon inside the Gators’ Swamp finished with 5 passing yards, two interceptions, a fumble and minus-3 yards rushing.
That same stat sheet will show that the Florida quarterback the Volunteers’ defense didn’t expect to see finished with 134 passing yards, a touchdown, no interceptions and 86 rushing yards with a second TD, fumbling once.
“This is the guy that gets the game ball,” said Florida coach Will Muschamp said of redshirt junior reserve QB Tyler Murphy, who’ll start for the Gators now that Jeff Driskel broke his leg on Florida’s second series of the game.
“For a backup guy that takes about one-fourth of the reps during the week to do that … that’s very difficult to do, and he did it very well.”
First-year Tennessee coach Butch Jones obviously hoped his decision to start redshirt freshman Nathan Peterman at quarterback over junior Justin Worley would pay similar dividends.