Muschamp Updates Injuries, Quarterback Situation

University of Florida football coach Will Muschamp held his weekly session with the media today and updated the status of team injuries and the quarterback situation as well.

Muschamp said the only players definitely out for Florida’s next game at Auburn are quarterback John Brantley and cornerback Jeremy Brown. Speaking of the quarterbacks, Muschamp said freshman Jacoby Brissett would be the starter today based on the fact the staff doesn’t know the status of freshman Jeff Driskel who did not play last week at LSU because of an ankle injury.

Other injured Gators like running back Jeff Demps, defensive lineman Ronald Powell and defensive back Josh Evans, all who were either hurt in the LSU game or not at full strength, are expected to play this week according to Muschamp.

Florida comes off a 41-11 whipping at the hands of top ranked LSU, the second straight lopsided loss for the Gators. However, Auburn is also coming off a tough loss, on the road at Arkansas in a game where its offense and defense both did not play well.

Most of Auburn’s troubles this year have been on defense, where the Tigers are last in the SEC in pass defense and total defense and next to last in the league in rushing defense and in points allowed at 29 points per game. Auburn gives up a total of 439 yards a game on defense.

But can a struggling and injured Gator offense take advantage of these poor Auburn defensive numbers?

What Auburn does have is a power back like the Gators have faced in the past two weeks in Michael Dyer, who is third in the league in rushing, averaging 113 yards a game and 5.5 yards a carry. He is very similar to Alabama’s Trent Richardson and LSU’s Spencer Ware, both of whom had big days running the ball against Florida’s defense. Can UF find a way to stop the Auburn run game?

Auburn employs two quarterbacks; the starter is Barrett Trotter and the relief is Kiehl Frazier who operates almost exclusively from the wildcat formation and runs almost every time he is in the game. Combined, Trotter and Frazier went 9 of 24 passing for 104 yards and three picks last week against Arkansas, prompting head coach Gene Chizik to say the position was “under review.”

Florida plays Auburn Saturday at 7pm eastern time.