"I had such high expectations in that last home game, I just couldn't believe how it was going for me," Burke said. "When I left that game, I didn't want to talk to anybody about anything. It took me some time to think things through."
Turns out, he was hurt. Like most players, Burke didn't want to make a big deal of it. Maybe he should have. At any rate, he says he's healthy now. His coaches believe him. So he'll get the start against the Gators. But this isn't a blank check. "Our quarterback will have to play well for us to win," offensive coordinator Morris Watts said. "He's got to be able to throw the football. "He's the quarterback starting the game. If he has trouble with his shoulder and arm, we'll do whatever it takes to win the football game." Which would probably mean benching Burke and going with sophomore Ryan Van Dyke. This season hasn't been a lot of fun for Johnson, either. Playing for a coach as demanding as Steve Spurrier can sometimes be the toughest test a quarterback faces. Johnson is a two-sport star who signed a contract that allows him to play professional baseball in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization while competing in collegiate football. Spurrier was never in love with the concept. Johnson, whose 62 career touchdown passes are third-best in school history, started 10 games for Florida this season. But he was pulled after a so-so performance against Vanderbilt, and Spurrier started junior Jesse Palmer the next week against South Carolina. Turns out, Spurrier was just warming up. He pulled Johnson in a loss to Florida State, then gave Palmer the hook in the Southeastern Conference championship loss to Alabama. Spurrier alternated quarterbacks on each play the remainder of that game. Since then, however, Spurrier seems to have reconsidered his rash behavior. Johnson will start against the Spartans. "Doug has played most of this year," Spurrier said. "Just looking back, I think he deserves the game since he was our quarterback most of the season. He's ready to play and we feel like he deserves it the most." The pressure on both Burke and Johnson will be intense. Who wants to go out a loser? Still, there probably is more at stake for Johnson. Football is king at Florida. At Michigan State, the basketball team draws away some of the venom. If the Gators don't win this game, Johnson will go down as the quarterback on a Florida team that lost three straight for the first time since 1988. If he can pull out a victory, the Gators would reach the 10-win plateau for the seventh straight season. "You don't want to have a bitter taste in your mouth when you leave as a senior, losing your last game," Johnson said. "It's your last game and you want to be able play well and perform well. It's important. It's going to be the last memory you'll have as a Gator." When both teams were rolling along undefeated, both had visions of playing in a Bowl Championship Series bowl game. The Spartans, for example, beat Michigan. Yet the Wolverines -- not the Spartans -- are in the Orange Bowl. "This is a bowl game that wanted us," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "We're very happy to be here." If only these quarterbacks could say the same thing.