Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Jake Fromm started the season on different ends of the spectrum, Trask a relative unknown and Fromm as one of the Southeastern Conference's most visible players.

They both now have places on the marquee leading up to the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville in 10 days.

Trask's emergence since the season-ending injury to starter Feleipe Franks has helped the seventh-ranked Gators (7-1, 4-1) avoid any letdown heading into the annual showdown against No. 10 Georgia (6-1, 3-1).
 
"Kyle has done a tremendous job coming in and taking over and not skipping a beat,'' Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday. "He's a good quarterback. He's more athletic than you think he is. He does a great job running and has a great group of wide receivers."

Since leading the Gators to a comeback win at Kentucky in relief of Franks, Trask is 4-1 as UF's starter and is completing 67.5 percent of his passes (114 of 169) for 1,391 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has thrown at least two touchdowns in each of his starts and tossed a career-high four in last week's 38-27 win at South Carolina to keep the Gators in control of their own destiny in the SEC East race.

Meanwhile, Fromm has thrown for 1,406 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 70.7 percent of his passes (123 of 174). He struggled in the inclement weather during Saturday's 21-0 win over Kentucky, attempting just 12 passes, completing nine for 35 yards. The previous week in a loss to South Carolina, Fromm threw three interceptions.

Still, the player whose grip on the job led to the transfers of a pair of highly touted recruits – Jacob Eason to Washington and Justin Fields to Ohio State – has Florida's attention. In two games against Florida, Fromm has completed 21 of 31 for 341 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

Most importantly, he is 2-0.

"He does a great job,'' Gators head coach Dan Mullen said. "He's really a smart player. He gets them into the right plays, can check and manage what's going on. He can get things picked up. He's an accurate guy with the ball in his hand and also has the ability to extend some plays. He's athletic when he starts to scramble and can make things happen."

Mullen and Smart know each other's tendencies from their time as SEC West rivals when Mullen was head coach at Mississippi State and Smart the defensive coordinator at Alabama. In their first meeting as head coaches a year ago in the Florida-Georgia rivalry, the Bulldogs won 36-17 with a late surge.

The Gators led 14-13 early in the second half before the Bulldogs scored 23 of the game's final 26 points. Georgia outgained the Gators 429-275.

With Trask as the starter, the Gators have also used redshirt freshman Emory Jones more this season for a change of pace. Jones made an appearance in last year's Georgia game in a similar role.

"Dan has always done a great job with his quarterbacks,'' Smart said.

Trask is proof.

"We don't limit the playbook. When we develop our quarterbacks, we're developing all of our guys to be starters and to be able to run the offense. I don't try to limit that,'' Mullen said Wednesday. "Obviously, when you lose your starting quarterback, that's a tough deal. Our guys have taken the next-guy-up mentality. They get a lot of reps in training camp so they are ready for this when they get their opportunity."
   
During his appearance on the SEC media teleconference, Mullen was asked by a Georgia beat writer about the difficulty of mixing Jones into the lineup without disrupting Trask's rhythm.

Mullen offered a quick take.

"It's not real hard at all. You've just got to know how to do it and I've done it in the past,'' he said. "I've been doing it for years. They know what the plan its, so it really isn't very hard at all."
 

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Junior receiver Kadarius Toney has missed the last six games since suffering a shoulder injury against UT Martin. Toney remains uncertain for the Georgia game but Mullen pointed toward the matchup weeks ago as Toney's possible return date.

Nothing appears to have changed.

"He's a playmaker. He's an explosive guy with the ball in his hands," Mullen said. "I think it would be great to get him back out there."

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LOOKING IN MIRROR
 
With each team having a bye week, much of the focus has been on getting healthy and getting better.

For the Gators, they hope extra rest for injured defensive linemen Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga helps them get back on the field. Both players missed the South Carolina game.

"I don't think there are a lot of teams that have played eight games so far. We're one of them,'' Mullen said. "[We are working] to get our guys physically and mentally fresh."

Part of that approach in Athens has the Bulldogs visiting the team psychologist. Considered a national title contender at the start of the season, the Bulldogs' home loss to South Carolina and a sloppy performance against Kentucky has raised concerns among the fan base.

Smart expects to have a team ready to play in Jacksonville.

"I think our whole team is looking at the opportunity to play a top-10 team in Jacksonville regardless of how we have played or what we have done offensively, defensively or special teams,'' Smart said. "You're always looking forward to playing a top-10 team that is really well coached. Our guys are preparing for just getting better right now. I mean, we're going to see the doctor – a psychologist – we're trying to get better at everything we do, not just Florida. We're working on Georgia more than anything these practices to try and get fundamentally better."
 

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The Gators have played most of the season without their secondary intact, primarily because of injuries.

Cornerback CJ Henderson, linebacker/safety Amari Burney, and safeties Shawn Davis and Jeawon Taylor have missed at least one game due to injury. Safety Brad Stewart missed the first two games due to a suspension. Junior cornerback Marco Wilson is the only regular member of the rotation to start every game.

Mullen is eager to build some continuity.

"For our guys, they are getting better. They haven't been able to play together much,'' he said. "We've had so many injuries and been dealing with so many injuries. It's getting those guys healthy and getting them used to all being on the field together and getting everybody on the same page back there."
 

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"It was a fun experience. It was very much a learning experience. When they say 24/7, they're there 24/7. I thought they did a great job. I thought it was a great show and it really showed what our program is all about." – Mullen on being featured in the inaugural episode of HBO's "24/7 College Football" series

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PORTAL PRODUCTION
 
Transfers have been very good to the Gators since Mullen took over the program.

Receivers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes transferred to UF shortly after Mullen's arrival and have been mainstays in the offense the past two seasons. Defensive tackle Adam Shuler transferred from West Virginia in the summer of 2018 and graduate transfer Greenard joined the program in January 2019. Both are starters and Greenard has arguably been the team's most valuable player this season when healthy.
 
Another transfer, offensive lineman Jean Delance, enrolled in the fall of 2017 and has developed into the starting right tackle during Mullen's tenure.

In a good-for-everybody development, those players who left the program after last season and gained immediately eligibility have been productive as well. In Florida's team photo at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl last December, linebacker David Reese was seated between fellow linebackers Rayshad Jackson and Kylan Johnson.

Both Jackson and Johnson opted to use their final season of eligibility elsewhere as graduate transfers. Jackson transferred to UNLV and Johnson to Pittsburgh. Through seven games, Jackson has a career-high 49 tackles and two forced fumbles for the Rebels. Meanwhile, Johnson is having a breakout season for a Pittsburgh team that is 5-2 entering Saturday's homecoming game against Miami. He has 34 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks for the Panthers, who lead all FBS schools with 36 sacks.

Finally, former Gators starting center T.J. McCoy, who lost his job last season to Nick Buchanan, moved on to Louisville for his final season of eligibility and has started six of seven games for the Cardinals.
 

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• Jack Dwight Jones, 82, passed away July 31 in Centre, Ala. Jones played for the Gators and later served as an assistant coach, first as a graduate assistant and then as defensive ends coach in 1971. In the first game of Coach Bob Woodruff's final season in 1959, Jones threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Doug Partin to open the scoring in Florida's 30-0 victory at Tulane. After finishing at UF, Jones was an assistant coach at Gainesville High and head coach at Alachua Santa Fe.
• Former Gators defensive lineman Sylvester "Freight Train" King died in late July at age 63. King started his career at the University of Tampa, but when the Spartans disbanded their football program, King transferred to UF to play for head coach Doug Dickey. In Florida's 15-11 victory over Miami at the Orange Bowl in 1975, King blocked a punt by Mike Archer – the future LSU head coach – for a safety that proved crucial in Florida's victory. King's wife Vicky King is the longtime girls' soccer coach at Land O' Lakes High in Pasco County.
• Chet Collins, a two-way lineman for the Gators and three-year letterwinner from 1959-61, passed away at age 81 on Aug. 5. Collins might be best remembered for his performance in Florida's 13-12 win over Baylor in the 1960 Gator Bowl. He forced a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by teammate Larry Travis for a touchdown and also forced a fumble that led to a score.
• Former Gators linebacker Tim Thompson, a member of the 1987-88 teams prior to withdrawing from school, passed away at age 50 recently. Thompson starred at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes before signing with the Gators in the same class as future NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

EXTRA POINTS
 
Former Gators walk-on defensive back Brian Biada added author to his list of accomplishments in 2016. Biada's latest writing endeavor shares the importance of earning a Master of Science in Management degree from UF and the role that has played in his career, which brought him back to Florida last year after several years living in the Washington, D.C., area. … Former UF athletic trainer Jim Mackie recently published a memoir of his time with the Gators. Mackie served as a student and staff athletic trainer at Florida from 1972-88. The book is titled "Just Another Smelly Foot: The History of Athletic Training and Gatorade at the University of Florida." Check this link out for more information or to purchase the book.