No. 21 Florida is turning to a familiar face to fix an all-too-familiar problem. Luke Del Rio will get another chance as the team’s starting quarterback when the Gators (2-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) host Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday.
A young, inexperienced starting quarterback is the talk of college football in the state of Florida. How will Florida State true freshman James Blackman do this weekend as he steps in for the injured Deondre Francois? The Seminoles are not the only ones starting a signal caller with precious little experience. Though he is now a legend among the Florida faithful, the Gators’ redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks has started a grand total of two games.
Feleipe Franks heaved a 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland as the clock expired, and No. 24 Florida beat 23rd-ranked Tennessee 26-20 in a wild, wacky and sometimes unwatchable rivalry game Saturday. Franks scrambled away from the rush on a first-and-10 play with 9 seconds remaining and found Cleveland behind safety Micah Abernathy for a Hail Mary that no one – especially the Volunteers – saw coming.