Kitna Kept Gators Moving When Called Into Action
Quarterback Jalen Kitna made his Gators debut in Sunday's win over Eastern Washington. (Photo: Jordan McKendrick/UAA Communications)
Photo By: Jordan McKendrick
Sunday, October 2, 2022

Kitna Kept Gators Moving When Called Into Action

Arianna Allen, FloridaGators.com Writing Intern
Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna had a strong college debut in Sunday's reserve duty against Eastern Washington.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Heading into the matchup with Eastern Washington, Florida coach Billy Napier said last week in practice was the best his team's offense has looked all season, despite the uncertainty of Hurricane Ian. 

That was displayed Sunday in the Gators' 52-17 victory over the Eagles. 

While starting quarterback Anthony Richardson picked up where he left off in Knoxville with a sharp first half, backup Jalen Kitna showed he was also well prepared for EWU. 

The redshirt freshman had never taken a snap in a college game before Sunday. However, it was hard to tell by his performance. 

With four minutes and 37 seconds left in the third quarter and Florida at its 38-yard line, Kitna stepped back and sailed a dime that landed in the hands of freshman receiver Caleb Douglas for a 62-yard scoring pass. Douglas marched through the end zone to bust Florida's lead to 45-3. 

The play marked the first collegiate touchdown for both Kitna and Douglas. 

"They were playing man coverage," Kitna said, "and so I knew I was going to have a one-on-one shot outside."



The throw to Douglas wasn't Kitna's first opportunity in the game. Born in Tacoma, Wash., Kitna stepped onto the field in the second quarter to take over for Richardson, who departed to be attended to by trainers and missed five plays. The offense didn't miss with Kitna.

"He's a smart kid, and he takes a lot of pride in his role," Napier said. "All he does is throw completions."

Kitna has grown the most in the last few weeks, Napier added. Napier said that at practice two weeks ago, Kitna only threw completions, connecting on 100 percent of his attempts. 

"I don't know that that's ever been done," Napier said.

While Florida fans may have been surprised by Kitna's performance Sunday, the plays by the 6-foot-4 quarterback and son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna were not a shock to his coaches and teammates.  

"We see it in practice every day, so it didn't come as a surprise to me to see him get out there and do what he did," sophomore offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV said. 

This week the Gators needed focus coming off their second straight SEC loss. They needed domination. They needed execution. 

And they found that in Richardson and Kitna. The offense recorded 666 yards, with the quarterbacks accounting for 392 passing yards. Kitna was responsible for 152 of those, completing 8 of 12 pass attempts. 

"We're all confident that whoever they put out there deserves to be on the field," Kitna said. "So, when I'm going out there with those guys, I trust everyone to do their job, and they trust me to do my job, and that's just part of being one of the 11."

 
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