Trask and Gators thrash Bulldogs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kyle Trask started jumping up and down on the sideline. His Florida teammates took it to another level, running and leaping into the stands.

Coach Dan Mullen wasn’t going to be left out of the fun. Mullen pulled himself onto the edge of the front row and celebrated wildly with fans.

Mullen clearly understood the magnitude of the victory. Everyone did.

Trask had another fourtouchdown night, becoming the first quarterback in Southeastern Conference history to accomplish the feat in five consecutive games, and the eighthranked Gators beat No. 5 and undermanned Georgia 44-28 on Saturday.

“I might be 48 years old, but I’m really young on the inside so I’ve still got to enjoy some of that stuff,” Mullen said.

The Gators (4-1) ended a three-game losing streak in the rivalry known as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” — it was Mullen’s most significant victory in three years in Gainesville — and now have a stranglehold on the SEC’s

East Division.

The Bulldogs (4-2), who entered the game as threepoint favorites, were likely eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration and probably have a quarterback competition moving forward.

Florida, meanwhile, has a Heisman Trophy contender.

Trask completed 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 474 yards — eight yards shy of Tim Tebow’s single-game school record — despite playing much of the night without standout tight end Kyle Pitts, who was knocked out of the game in the second quarter on Lewis Cine’s crushing hit over the middle.