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A new man at UF helm

Brock Berlin starts at quarterback for the Gators in tonight's Orange Bowl, replacing the disciplined Rex Grossman.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 2, 2002

MIAMI -- Brock Berlin has waited patiently for two seasons for a chance to be Florida's starting quarterback. Thanks to a teammate's mistake, Berlin gets his chance tonight.

Florida coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday that Berlin will replace Rex Grossman when Florida (9-2) plays Maryland (10-1) at 8 p.m. in the Orange Bowl. Grossman, center David Jorgensen and defensive end Bobby McCray were benched for a violation of team rules. The three starters missed curfew Friday. Spurrier said two others who do not play also missed curfew.

Grossman, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, said Monday he missed curfew by a "couple of minutes." Spurrier said that is not true.

"This was not a barely miss. It was not five or 10 minutes (late) the way some people reported," Spurrier said. "It was a clear breakdown of one of our rules. So ... Brock Berlin will start at quarterback and will get an opportunity to go from there.

"I have a lot of confidence in Brock. I've watched him in practice and games for about two years now, and it has worked out that he's going to get his chance."

Berlin completed 53 of 87 passes for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns as Grossman's backup this season, which means Maryland's game plan likely won't change, coach Ralph Friedgen said.

"(Berlin) is pretty good," Friedgen said. "Somebody told me he has better stats than Grossman, and if he has better stats than Grossman, he's good. We don't have any control over that. I think Steve is still going to do what he has to do to win the game."

Before Grossman's benching, Spurrier said Berlin and Grossman would play.

How much time each will get is not known. "We're going to give Brock an opportunity to play the game," Spurrier said. "Whoever starts is always given an opportunity. That doesn't mean they're going to finish it, but it means they are going to get an opportunity.

"We're here to try to win the game just like we always do. We never start a guy and say if you screw up, you're out the next series. It takes a bunch of screw-ups usually before we take somebody out."

Spurrier said he doesn't expect the quarterback change to be a problem.

"I don't think it's a distraction at all," he said. "I've said before, with Brock and Rex sometimes in practice, you can't tell the difference who's out there. Brock is a very good player who just hasn't had a chance to play.

"If we lose the game, (the media will) blame it on me. And if Rex plays and we lose the game, (they are) going to blame it on me, too. We're going to play the guy that deserves to play and has earned the right to play."

Meanwhile, Maryland is having a Cinderella season in which Friedgen, in his first season, led the team to its first bowl game in 10 seasons. "It's like it's still kind of a dream," All-America linebacker E.J. Henderson said. "I don't think anybody on our team thought we'd even be close to a situation like this.

"I just hope (Florida) respects us. It is all going to come out whether they respect us or not."

The last time Maryland played in the Orange Bowl (1956), gas was 30 cents a gallon, a stamp cost 3 cents, minimum wage was $1 an hour, Dwight Eisenhower was president and Friedgen was 8 years old.

Florida last played in the Orange Bowl two seasons ago and is playing in its 11th consecutive bowl. But questions have arisen about whether the Gators have their heads and hearts in it. The loss to Tennessee in December ruined any national title hopes. The disappointment of not playing in the Rose Bowl has been hard for some to hide. But they say it doesn't mean they aren't motivated to win.

"I still feel it myself being down here. I was like, "What am I doing down here?"' sophomore receiver Jabar Gaffney said. "I had plans on going out to California and playing for the national championship.

"So we want to be ready for (Maryland). We're not going to let anybody come down to the state of Florida and just walk over us."

"You're only as good as the last game you played," senior safety Marquand Manuel said. "To get another opportunity to play is a blessing."

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