Florida 27, Bowling Green 14: Jeff Driskel had a big second half to unseat starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett and Mike Gillislee rushed for 148 yards as No. 23 Florida stepped up late to dispatch visiting Bowling Green.

Driskel, who was splitting snaps with Brissett in the first half, was under center the entire second half and finished 10-of-16 for 114 yards and a touchdown for the Gators (1-0), who are trying to bounce back from a disappointing 7-6 campaign in 2011.

The Falcons (0-1) gave Florida a scare, tying the game in the third quarter and missing several opportunities to keep the game closing in the fourth quarter.

The Gators looked disorganized in the first half, getting called for 10 penalties while relying heavily on Gillislee. Bowling Green took an early 7-0 lead when John Pettigrew tumbled into the end zone for a 1-yard score late in the first quarter.

Gillislee scored twice in the second quarter, breaking for a 15-yard touchdown and taking another in from 38 yards to give Florida a 14-7 lead at the half.

The Gators would grab the lead for good on Caleb Sturgis’ 34-yard field goal with 6:03 left in the third and had to sweat out a missed field goal by the Falcons.

Marcus Robinson intercepted Bowling Green quarterback Matt Schilz on the first play of the fourth quarter and Florida got some breathing room on the ensuing possession. Driskel found Frankie Hammond on the left side and the senior wide receiver broke a tackle before outrunning the Falcons defense for a 50-yard touchdown and a 24-14 edge.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brissett was only given five pass attempts in the first half, completing three for 31 yards. … The Falcons fell to 3-7 against ranked teams since 2003. … Schilz finished 24-of-49 for 204 yards and Anthon Samuel rushed 13 times for 39 yards and a score for Bowling Green. … The Gators are installing a new offense under first-year coordinator Brent Pease. Former coordinator Charlie Weis left after one year to take over the head coaching job at Kansas. … The Falcons dropped to 1-4 all-time against SEC schools.