Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

B.J. Daniels will make his first college start at quarterback on Saturday, with the following variables: On the road against No. 18 Florida State. In his hometown, in front of gobs of friends and family. Versus the school he grew up rooting for that didn't recruit him. While taking over for his own program's most famous player.

Whew. That's a lot to take in for anybody, especially a 19-year-old redshirt freshman. But Daniels presents a cool, calm exterior in the face of this week's challenge.

	AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
	South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels is confident he can replace the injured Matt Grothe.

"It's just another game," he says, matter-of-factly.

South Florida coaches aren't surprised by his demeanor. They say that Daniels has carried himself this way since he arrived on campus knowing he would back up Matt Grothe for two years.

"He's always had the confidence and always acted as if he was the No. 1 guy," head coach Jim Leavitt said. "He just handled things well, just worked and didn't worry about much. I'm sure he'll be anxious (Saturday); that's normal. But once he gets in there and gets playing, it'll be like it always is."

Well, the Bulls can hope that things don't change too much with Daniels under center, but the truth is he's replacing a guy who made 41 straight starts. There's simply no way to make up for the difference in experience between him and Grothe.

But when considering sheer ability, the dropoff shouldn't be too severe. South Florida observers have been talking up Daniels for the past two years. His arm strength is better than Grothe's, and though he may not have the uncanny knack for avoiding defenders that Grothe had, Daniels is fast and athletic enough to play basketball for the Bulls in the winter.

"He can throw it 60 yards down the field like it's absolutely nothing," offensive coordinator Mike Canales said. "He's not a 4.4, 4.3-burner type of kid, but you can see his basketball skills in his ability to make people miss. He's so quick and so elusive that he can make people look silly."

Daniels isn't stepping into this situation completely unprepared, either. He appeared in two games last year before getting hurt and receiving a medical redshirt. He played in the Bulls' first three games this season, completing 12-of-15 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and running for 149 yards and three scores while averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

This spring, because South Florida knew what Grothe could do, Daniels and backup Evan Landi received the majority of the repetitions at quarterback. And during fall camp, when Grothe missed about a week with a hamstring problem, Daniels took all the first-string snaps.

"I've grown a lot ever since the summer," Daniels said. "I tried to prepare myself as if I was the starter, and getting these reps live in a game helped a lot. I feel like I've been practicing forever."

Daniels grew up in Tallahassee and can remember going to a Florida State-Florida game in Doak Campbell Stadium as a young kid. He patterned his game after former Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward. Despite starring just a few miles away at Lincoln High School, however, he was never recruited by FSU.

He said that snub doesn't bother him, but he'll have a chance to show the Seminoles what they missed on Saturday. Canales won't change the offense much, except to tailor more plays to Daniels' strengths. Expect that to mean more downfield throws, and perhaps rolling him out of the pocket some.

It won't be an easy place to make a college debut, especially against a fast and aggressive Florida State defense. But the Bulls have confidence in their new quarterback.

"He's going to get everybody's respect and be a leader just from the plays he's going to make," Grothe said. "It's hard to stop somebody as talented as he is."