Midgett has 'good time' for Orange

By Emily Hedges

"It's been my only day, really."

These were Justin Midgett's words when asked by a reporter if his outing in the Orange and Blue spring intrasquad football game was the best day of his career.

Although his Orange team lost to the Blue 41-13 before 24,500 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Midgett, UF's backup quarterback, put up impressive numbers in the game. He completed 16-of-31 passes for 286 yards and directed three scoring drives for the Orange. His longest completion was a 52-yarder to Reggie Lewis.

"I just wanted to go out there and have a good time," Midgett said. "I knew it'd be a good game."

The 6-foot-3, 199-pound Midgett, a political science major who confidently said he would be UF's starting quarterback in 2003, was outshined last season by his competition, true freshman quarterback Chris Leak, the Charlotte, N.C., product.

"I ate my words, didn't I?" Midgett said with a chuckle. "That was just confidence run amok. I didn't prepare myself well enough for last year."

Although Punta Gorda product's performance in the Orange and Blue game probably will not propel him into the starting quarterback position, his numbers were promising, perhaps a sign of things to come.

"Justin did some good things today," Gator coach Ron Zook said after the scrimmage. "I thought he started to grasp the offense last week, but there are things he needs to improve on, and he will get better."

Even Midgett's chief competition, quarterback Chris Leak acknowledged, "He's getting a lot better."

And that's just what Midgett wants.

"I'm just going to keep working hard and make it a competition," said Midgett, who played his high school ball at Charlotte High School in southwest Florida. "This is my opportunity. I want to work as hard as I can."