HOOVER, Ala. — There's an upside to Jeff Driskel hearing not-so-subtle whispers of 33-23 wherever he walks on Florida's campus or the metro Gainesville area.
At least he's not hearing boisterous chants of '33-10' — the onetime score between Florida and Louisville ... before the Gators tacked on a pair of late touchdowns in last season's Sugar Bowl defeat.
"We're definitely embarrassed by the loss," said the junior quarterback, while holding court Tuesday at SEC Media Days. "There's not a lot of places you can go without hearing about it."
A year stronger and wiser, Driskel still feeds off the heartbreak and disappointment of the Gators' bowl setback, putting a damper on a season that included victories over Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina and Florida State. An untimely loss to Georgia crushed Florida's hopes of making the SEC title game and perhaps the BCS national championship.
Driskel is also more prepared for what lies ahead and has spent an inordinate number of hours breaking down film with the Gators' offensive linemen.
His process: It begins with self-evaluation, in terms of understanding his patterns — good and bad — for hanging in the pocket and holding onto the ball. Then, he figuratively wears the shoes of the linemen, empathizing with their anguish on pass plays that don't always run smoothly.
Of course, the sobering act of being your own worst critic has its merits. This summer, Driskel (2,054 total yards, 16 TDs last year) doesn't have to worry about playing time or earning the respect of unfamiliar teammates.
After all, he's the only Gators quarterback on the roster who's thrown a pass in college.
"When you're set at quarterback, everyone views you a little bit differently," said Driskel, who tossed four touchdowns against Jadeveon Clowney and the Gamecocks last year, on just 93 yards passing. (Florida won that East clash, 44-11.)
That productive start may have prompted NFL execs to take notice of Driskel's size (6-foot-4), powerful arm and general upside. At the very least, it got the attention of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, who drafted and signed the Florida QB over the summer.
The draft flier was a surprise to those who hadn't seen Driskel play baseball since high school — the kid included.
"Very surprised. I didn't even know I was eligible" to be drafted, Driskel said, half-joking. "The plan is to NOT play pro baseball, but it's nice to have it as a backup (plan)."
