GATOR GRIDIRON
ROGER FRANKLIN WILLIAMS
One thing Gator fans learned Saturday about the new Will Muschamp-era Gators is there appears to be a couple of good QB prospects on the roster for 2011. That much was expected; what was not expected is the talented QBs names are Tyler Murphy and Christian Provancha.
As projected starter John Brantley turned in his typical performance and highly touted mega-recruit Jeff Driskel failed to get untracked, two new faces provided the fireworks in the annual Orange and Blue Spring Game. Murphy was able to move the chains and put a touchdown on the board with a respectable 7-11 passing day which also included several nifty runs. Provancha, an unherald walk-on from Cocoa Beach High, proved to be the star of the game, hitting WR Robert Clark with a 39 yard TD pass late in the 4th quarter to provide his Blue team with an exciting come-from-behind victory.
Further inspection of the nimble, athletic Murphy reveals a young QB who should not be overlooked when the real life QB battle begins in the fall. Murphy, a lanky 6' 2'' 190 lb redshirt Freshman compiled an impressive high school career as a dual threat QB in Connecticut. Known as much for his running ability and impressive 4.4 speed as for his passing, Muphy caught the eye of then-Gator Head Coach Urban Meyer based on his competitiveness and flair for making the big play at the crucial time. Thus far Murphy has impressed new Coach Will Muschamp with his ability to run the offense and move the chains with a combination of knowledge of the offense, knack of hitting a high percentage of passes as well as his ability to provide an extra dimension with his ability to run.
As the focus shifts to Fall Coach Muschamp has said that Brantley starts fall practice as No 1, but that the QB position, same as all positions, is still an open competition. Before Saturday that competition appeared to be a lopsided contest between an experienced, redshirt SR and two green Freshmen---Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. Today, that competition has one more name---Tyler Murphy.
No comments:
Post a Comment