Florida Notes |
Arkansas Notes |
Gators Game Day
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On Friday the 13th, No. 13 boarded an airplane and headed toward The Swamp.
Unless you are a hermit with no means of communication prior to logging onto the internet to read this story, you are likely aware that former Gators quarterback
Feleipe Franks is set to return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night when the No. 6-ranked Gators (4-1) host Arkansas (3-3).
Say what you want about Franks, but he was never boring. He could make fans jump from their seats one play and curse the next. He could pump them up one minute and shush them moments later. Franks transferred to Arkansas in the offseason and has put up impressive numbers (1,428 yards, 14 touchdowns, 3 interceptions) to make the Razorbacks respectable.
Franks is best remembered at Florida for his game-winning heave to
Tyrie Cleveland to beat Tennessee in 2017. However, his legacy with the Gators goes much deeper. He played a critical role in helping
Dan Mullen resurrect the program in 2018, leading the Gators to a victory over Michigan in the Peach Bowl to cap a 10-3 season.
Franks' return revived those memories for the Gators this week, coming off their most important win of the Mullen era.
"I know Feleipe's a great competitor,'' Mullen said. "He wants to come in here and beat my butt, beat everybody on the team's butt. That's what competitors want to do – and he's a competitor, so he's going to want to do it."
Say what you want about Franks -- everyone seems to have an opinion -- but he is worth remembering. He made the Gators better in his time here at a time when the program seemed stuck.
He will be the opponent on Saturday, but there is plenty of fondness for No. 13 on the home sideline.
"I'm gonna share something with you,'' running back
Malik Davis told the media this week. "So, I remember when Coach Mullen first got here, he did the meetings with everyone. This just shows you the type of guy Feleipe was. I remember he did the meeting with everyone, and I was coming down, I just finished my meeting with Coach Mullen, and Feleipe came, and he had a suit on.
"I was like, 'Why you got a suit on?' He's like, 'I'm going on a business meeting.' And he was just next with his meeting with Coach Mullen. That was just the type of guy he was, always ready, competitor, great love for the game."
Welcome back, Feleipe.
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Razorbacks -- starting with an update from Mullen on the status of tight end
Kyle Pitts (tweet below) here is
The Opening Kickoff:
FOUR QUESTIONS WITH ... GATORS KICKER EVAN MCPHERSON
- What was it like to miss the Missouri game, watch Chris Howard take over, and then return for Florida-Georgia game?
For one, I was super excited for him. I knew he was going to do great just because of what he does in practice every day. But at the same time, I was super disappointed that I missed that game because sitting in a hotel watching a game is a lot more boring than actually being out there and getting to kick field goals. I was kind of upset about it, but it is what it is. At least I didn't have to miss the Georgia game or maybe down the road, like SEC Championship or a playoff game, because of it.
- When you hit two 50-yarders like against Georgia and then miss one, are you the type of kicker that dwells on the miss?
I mean, I'll definitely look at it, but I won't harp on it. It's kind of one of those things where I know kind of what happened in the situation. Swallow it and move on, go to the next kick, because as a kicker, you can't really just live on that, because if you do, you're just really going to hurt your next attempt.
- Do you try to kick those 50-yarders high into the net like you have, or is that too much dissection?
I wouldn't say I focus on it that much. It's just kind of go out there, hit my best ball every time. That just happened to be my best ball that I kicked.
- Has the lack of recognition on awards lists and on national stage bother you much?
I mean, you're going to have those people that are doubting you and your abilities. For me, I would say it helps me. You kind of just have that chip on your shoulder and you have that thing that you're trying to achieve and trying to prove others wrong. So, I think coming into each season, I haven't really been looked at as one of the best in the SEC or even the NCAA. So whenever I come out, I just try to just show everybody what I can do and that I am one of the best in the SEC and overall in college football.
Note: McPherson is 8 of 9 on field goals this season and 42 of 47 in his career.
THREE STORYLINES
- The Gators took control of the SEC East race in last week's victory over Georgia and return home to host the Razorbacks. Arkansas has not visited Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since a 30-10 loss in 2013. Florida seeks to avoid a hangover coming off its first win over Georgia since 2016. The Gators have a clear path to the SEC Championship Game if they win their final five games of the regular season.
- Quarterback Kyle Trask elevated his profile on the national stage by throwing for a career-high 474 yards against Georgia, the second-most yards in a single game for a UF quarterback. Trask is starting to generate more attention in the Heisman race and is the first quarterback in SEC history to throw for four or more touchdowns in five consecutive games. Arkansas is ranked second in the conference in pass defense (222.2 yards per game) and 13th in run defense (179.3 ypg).
- During a week in which four of the SEC's seven games have been postponed due to COVID-19, the Razorbacks will be without head coach Sam Pittman, who tested positive for the coronavirus and won't be at The Swamp. Razorbacks defensive coordinator Barry Odom, the former Missouri head coach, will serve as interim coach.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Gators tight end Kyle Pitts, who leads the team in receiving yards (414) and touchdown receptions (eight), will not play due to a concussion in last week's game. With Pitts sidelined, Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer will see more playing time. Both factored into the win over Georgia, including Gamble's 24-yard touchdown catch, the first of his career.
- The return of ex-Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks (see above) adds a twist to Saturday night's game. Franks was Florida's starting quarterback most of the 2017 season and all of 2018 in Dan Mullen's first season as head coach. When he suffered a season-ending ankle injury last season, Kyle Trask took over and hasn't looked back. Meanwhile, Franks transferred to Arkansas for his final season of eligibility and has led the Razorbacks to a better-than-expected start.
- Freshman offensive lineman Josh Braun stepped in for the injured Stewart Reese at right guard against Georgia and held his own. A 6-foot-6, 340-pound product of Suwannee, Fla., Braun's emergence had added depth up front in case Reese (questionable) is unable to play Saturday.
SIX DIGITS
22 – Touchdown passes for UF quarterback
Kyle Trask through the season's first five games, matching Heisman winner
Joe Burrow's total from a season ago.
10 – Games the Gators have had 500 or more yards of total offense since the start of the 2018 season.
9 – Number of games with 500-plus yards of offense for the Gators from 2010-17, a span covering 101 games.
6 – Times a Gators running back has accumulated 100 or more yards receiving in a game, which
Malik Davis (five catches, 100 yards) did against Georgia, marking the first time a Gators running back had 100 yards receiving since
Chris Rainey (104) against Tennessee in 2011.
52 – Career touchdown passes for Arkansas quarterback
Feleipe Franks in 34 career games.
48 -- Career touchdown passes for Trask in 21 career games.
INJURY REPORT
PROBABLE: OL
Ethan White (knee);
DOUBTFUL: LB
Jeremiah Moon (foot);
QUESTIONABLE: OL
Stewart Reese (shoulder);
OUT: TE
Kyle Pitts (concussion), DB
Ethan Pouncey (hip, out for season);
UNAVAILABLE: During the unprecedented 2020 season, Florida releases a list of players not available on game days prior to kickoff.
NOTES FILE
- Florida is 9-2 all-time against Arkansas, including 4-0 at home. The Razorbacks won the last meeting, 31-10, in Fayetteville in 2016 in the first UF game with Scott Stricklin officially on board as the Gators' athletic director.
- Dan Mullen is 25-6 in his first 31 games as Florida's head coach. If the Gators win Saturday, Mullen can match the 32-game starts of former Gators head coaches Steve Spurrier (26-6) and Urban Meyer (26-6).
- Mullen went 5-4 against the Razorbacks in his nine seasons as Mississippi State's coach.
- Brad Davis, who spent the 2017 season as Florida's offensive line coach, is in his first season as O-Line coach at Arkansas.
- Arkansas freshman defensive back Jalen Catalon recorded 12 tackles, forced a fumble and had an interception in the win over Tennessee, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- Gators quarterback Kyle Trask needs 82 yards passing to become the 10th player in school history with 5,000 or more career passing yards. Trask (4,918) passed Steve Spurrier (4,848) in the school record books last week.
THE OTHER SIDE
In his first season, Razorbacks coach
Sam Pittman has earned rave reviews for the way he has quickly changed the culture in Fayetteville and made Arkansas competitive.
Arkansas certainly turned it around in the second half in last week's win over Tennessee, scoring 24 points in the third quarter to erase a 13-point halftime deficit. Of course, ex-Gators quarterback
Feleipe Franks has played a key role for the Razorbacks, providing stability and leadership at the game's most critical position.
Here is a look at Franks and the Hogs in their comeback win over the Volunteers:
THEY SAID IT
- "Since I've been here we've had a lot of talent across the board almost every year. This year, it's just a dangerous amount of talent, just guys at their positions that either are mismatches or just go and make the big play. It's just a lot of guys at different positions. So I think that's the big difference." -- Gators offensive lineman Brett Heggie on depth of playmakers
- "Great teams don't peak at the midway point of the season. Great teams peak in early, mid-December, and early, mid-January. Those are your peak moments as a team. For us, that's got to be our goal and our focus. Last week was really irrelevant if we don't improve and get better this week." -- Gators head coach Dan Mullen on the mentality he wants from his team following the big win over Georgia
- "We gotta stop the run. That's No. 1 for the defense, we gotta stop the run. They're going to come out and try to pound the ball on us and everybody just gotta be stout up front. We gotta be stout with the linebackers and stout with the safeties to come down and make plays and make the tackles.'' -- Gators linebacker Amari Burney on slowing down Razorbacks offense
- "I know I was pumped up. As competitors, we are, even when he was here, we always compete with each other. We'll argue all day about who is winning sprints, and so when we found out we get to play each other, it's, you know, trash-talking and he knows we're beefing this week until after the game." -- Gators running back Malik Davis on facing Arkansas and ex-teammate Feleipe Franks
- "I mean, he might recognize some of our looks or things like that. But at the end of the day you got to play football on the field. Our guys are ready to go. I don't think it'll have any effect on the game." -- Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter on the Franks' knowledge of Florida's defense
THEY WROTE IT
BOTTOM LINE
The big storyline around this game is the return of
Feleipe Franks, who transferred to Arkansas for his final season of eligibility following the emergence of
Kyle Trask a season ago. It's a fun storyline for a midseason game and one that has provided the media and fans something to talk about in the wake of Florida's victory over Georgia. Come kickoff on Saturday night, expect Franks to make some plays and play in his excitable fashion, but Trask and the Gators are too good and too focused to be derailed. Florida wins this one easily once both teams settle into the game.
