Florida Gators

THE QUICK SLANT
No. 9 FLORIDA 34, TENNESSEE 3  

WHAT HAPPENED: In the first start of his career, quarterback Kyle Trask threw for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while the UF defense held the Volunteers to just 239 yards of offense and forced four turnovers in a relatively easy Southeastern Conference win Saturday at Spurrier/Florida Field. Trask, elevated to starter after the season-ending injury to Feleipe Franks last week at Kentucky, was far from perfect, as the fourth-year junior from Texas had a trio of turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble), but made enough good plays and had enough help from his defense to have little trouble against the struggling Volunteers. The Gators opened a 17-0 lead at intermission, courtesy of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Trask to tight end Kyle Pitts on the game's first possession, a 22-yard Evan McPherson field goal, and 1-yard run from tailback Lamical Perine on the final play of the half. On the latter, the Gators faced a fourth-and-goal at the 1 and UF coach Dan Mullen ran the clock down to :02 before calling a timeout. Mullen bypassed the easy three points and sent his offense back on the field for a do-or-die snap, with Perine driving into the end zone on the final play of the half. Tennessee opened the second half by marching to a 40-yard Brent Cimaglia field goal, but Trask canceled that score out and then some with a 75-yard drive capped by a beauty of a 29-yard touchdown pass to wideout Freddie Swain that made the score 24-3. Sophomore tailback Dameon Pierce added a 10-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and McPherson kicked his second field goal, a 37-yarder, with just over four minutes left to wrap the scoring. Trask completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4 percent) and his 293 yards eclipsed the best single-game output ever tallied by Franks (284 last season at Vanderbilt). The Gators finished with 441 yards of total offense and went 5-for-5 on red-zone scoring opportunities.
 

WHAT IT MEANS: Not only did the Gators remain unbeaten, but make that two SEC wins in two games. While Tennessee is in the midst of a nightmare season, the Vols still have SEC-caliber players capable of coming in and making things interesting, if the Gators didn't take them seriously and spun their wheels at home. Didn't happen. As for Trask, a couple poor third-quarter throws into double-coverage will get the attention of Mullen and QBs coach Brian Johnson, but he also made some really nice passes, demonstrated an element of poise in the pocket and showed plenty for his team (and fans) to be encouraged about.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The obvious choice would be Trask, but on a day when the Gators' defense limited the Vols to those measly 239 yards and three points a shout-out to that side of the ball, and especially linebacker Jonathan Greenard, seems warranted. The graduate-transfer from Louisville was an absolute beast all afternoon, finishing the game with four tackles, two of them for loss, a sack, three passes defensed (one that led to a tipped interception) and a forced fumble. What a game.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: That's 14 wins in the last 15 meetings between these two for the Gators, including eight straight at home (dating to the 2005 season). It really is incredible to think how this once-fierce rivalry -- one of the biggest games in the country every year -- has deteriorated into such a one-sided affair. The 31-point margin of victory was UF's largest in the series since winning 59-20 at home in 2007. 

UP NEXT: The Gators (4-0, 2-0) step out of league play next week with a home game against FCS-classified Towson (3-0), from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Tigers, ranked fifth in FCS and with a home game against Villanova later Saturday, opened the season by beating The Citadel on the road, North Carolina Central at home, and defending CAA champion Maine on the road. For UF, it will be its final non-conference game prior to a brutal October paddle wheel of Auburn at home (currently ranked No. 9), at LSU (No. 5), at South Carolina, and Georgia (No. 3) at Jacksonville.