Franks vows to learn from his four-turnover game

GAINESVILLE — Before taking the field for the final time this season, UF quarterback Feleipe Franks washed down a couple of Advil.

The redshirt freshman from Tallahassee figured his first meeting with Florida State was going to be that kind of day.

Franks had no idea. By day’s end, nothing was going to ease the pain he sustained during Saturday’s 38-22 loss to Seminoles (5-6).

Battered physically and emotionally, Franks’ four turnovers gift-wrapped 28 points for the Seminoles and a fifth consecutive win against their rival Gators (4-7).

“I don’t think I ever did that,” Franks said. “It’s part of the game. It’s something for me to learn from and get better at it.”

He hopes he will get the chance.

A new head coach is on the way and will decide how Franks fits into Gators’ plans.

Until then, Franks braced for the speculation about his future at UF and inevitable pummeling on social media by the Monday morning quarterbacks throughout Gator Nation.

“There’s always going to be somebody who hates you and wants you to leave and all this crazy stuff,” he said. “Everybody has their own opinion about me. That’s OK. At the end of the day, I’m going to keep going out there. I’m going to keep on grinding.

“I’m going to keep on working, keep on competing.”

Franks had every reason to quit against the Seminoles.

FSU sacked Franks five times and hurried him during eight other plays. At the end of a 6-yard run late in the first quarter, the Seminoles knocked around a leaping Franks like a beach ball until he came crashing to the turf. On the next play, he threw his first of three interceptions to set up an FSU score.

The Seminoles returned Franks’ next interception for a touchdown. Earlier, a a strip-sack of Franks by FSU defensive end Brian Burns led to a touchdown by linebacker Jacob Pugh.

“Can’t win games that way,” interim coach Randy Shannon said.

Franks kept the Gators hanging around. A perfect pass on a fade route to Brandon Powell cut FSU’s lead to 24-13 in the final minute of the first half.

Any glimmer of hope soon faded. A fourth-quarter interception by Franks allowed the Seminoles to build their lead to 38-16.

When Franks met with reporters after the game, his ribs were so sore he barely could breathe. His left shoulder ached.

The 19-year-old still fielded questions for more than eight minutes, displaying character, toughness and leadership any team would want from its quarterback.

The 6-foot-5, 227-pound Franks also offers an abundance of physical tools, evidenced by his 63-yard Hail Mary to beat Tennessee and 79-yard run against Texas A&M. But Franks’ arm strength and athletic ability too often were overshadowed by poor decision-making and happy feet in the pocket.

UF’s shaky offensive-line play did not help. Too often, Franks’ receivers struggled to get open.

Franks, though, praised his teammates, especially UF’s seniors, and did not point fingers.

“The guys fought hard, man, and we didn’t send them out the right way,” he said. “A big part of that was me — the turnovers. I wish I could go back, but you can’t. I mean, that’s not my personality.

“I’m always looking at how I can get better in everything in life.”

Whether Franks’ next step as a quarterback is with the Gators remains to be seen. But wherever and whenever the light goes on, he will remember the 2017 season and the FSU game as critical steps in the process.

“I’m going to look back one day and hopefully the dream, in the NFL, I’m going to look back,” he said. “I’m going to be like, ‘I’m glad that happened to me. When everybody was hating me. I’m glad that happened to me because it made me dig deeper, made me be a better person, made me work harder.’ One of these days I’m going to look back and it’s going to be like that.

“I have that drive in me. I’m not going to stop.”