SEC Power Rankings: Georgia, LSU Do Battle To Keep SEC, National Championship Hopes Alive
By Ben Nielsen
Sep 21, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Tyler Murphy (3) drops back during the first quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
7. Florida Gators
Record: 2-1 (1-0)
Previous Ranking: (Trend: — )
Last Week: Florida 31, Tennessee 17
This Week: at Kentucky
Next Week: vs. Arkansas
Exit Jeff Driskel after a broken leg in the Tennessee game ended his season. Enter Tyler Murphy, who came off the bench to complete eight-of-14 passes for 134 yards and touchdown. He also rushed 10 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Is he the answer to the Gators offensive woes?
Murphy seemed quicker than Driskel when he chose to tuck the ball and run, and seemed efficient enough in the passing game to forced the opposition to respect it. Whether or not that is enough to turn the Gators offense around is unknown, but they did appear to have an extra boost of energy with Murphy at quarterback.
Florida has two weeks to figure it out with a road game against Kentucky and a home tilt against Arkansas before their huge road game against LSU. Can Murphy mature quick enough to pull off the upsets over LSU, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida State, or is the season doomed for the Gators?
The next two weeks will go a long way towards answering that question.