Gators QB Trask strengthens case for Heisman Trophy

GAINESVILLE — Check out three things we learned during the Gators ’63-35 win against Arkansas:

1. It’s time for Kyle Trask to strike a He is man pose.

Trask might not capture the most prestigious individual award in college football, but his case becomes more compelling by the week.

Trask’s six-touchdown night against Arkansas gives him a nation-leading 28 TD passes, five more than UNC’s Sam Howell and UCF’s Dillon Gabriel, who are tied for second and have played more games.

Trask’s performance might have been his best yet for the Gators, especially given the circumstances Saturday night in the Swamp.

Florida faced the SEC’s secondranked pass defense without star tight end Kyle Pitts, Trask’s go-to receiver. Trask himself went headto-head with former teammate Feleipe Franks, who had beat enout Trask twice for the starting job and is spear heading a resurgence by the Razorbacks.

The much-anticipated TraskFranks duel turned out to be no contest.

Trask will find much tougher sledding to become the Gators’ fourth Heisman-winning quarterback.

Politics and a name recognition can play a role in deciding a winner. Just ask Rex Grossman, the former Gators quarterback who finished runner-up to Nebraska’s Eric Crouchin 2001.

But don’ t expect any self-promotion from the team-oriented Tr ask. Leave the Heisman poses to past winners such as Desmond Howard, who famously struck one en route to the former Michigan gr ea t’ s 1991 win.

Tr as k’ s arm alone is making quite the case.

Keeping inline with the events of 2020, He is man voting will bet ricky.

Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Mac Jones (Alabama) are making impressive bids of their own for the award. Conference-only schedules of different lengths are going to make the comparisons between Trask and others even more apples to oranges.

One measure for Trask could be against past Florida Heisman winners.

With up to six games remaining, including the SEC title game and a bowl game, Tr asks its 11 touch down passes behind 1996 winner Danny Wuerffel’s school record 39 TD throws, set before post season statistics counted. But a this current rate of at least four touchdowns agame, Trask still would break the mark Dec. 5at Tennessee.

Tim Tebow, the 2007 winner, accounted for 51 touchdowns. But he enjoyed that transcendent season for a nine-win team that played in the Citrus Bowl. Trask has the Gators on track to play in the SEC Championship Game.

Then, of course, there is the original Gators Heisman winner and Trask’s fellow No. 11, SteveS purrier.

Spurrier’s memorable 1966 season occurred during a different era. He handled the team’s punting duties, and Spurrier’s 40-yard game-winning field goal to beat Auburn 30-27 proved to his Heisman-winning moment.

Tr ask needed just four games this season, and 18 touch down passes, to surpass Spurrier’s total of 16 from 54 years ago. Trask’s 2,171 passing yards are more than the 2,012 yards Spurrier had during Florida’s 8-2 season in ’66. It remains to be seen how many of the 1,000- plus voters spread out across the nation amid a pandemic really dig into the numbers. If Trask keeps up his current pace, no one will have todo so because his Heisman case could become air tight.

2. The Gators moved on easily without Kyle Pitts— fornow.

Pitts missed the game due to a concussion and subsequent surgery on his nose caused by a vicious hit aweek earlier from Georgia safety Lewis Cine.

Missing their best offensive weapon, the Gators simply re loaded to score their most points in an SEC game during Mullen’ s three seasons in Gainesville.

Promising sophomore tight end Keon Zipperer capitalized on his chance and caught two touchdowns. Talented senior Trevon Grimes continued his stellar play of late, finishing with 109 receiving yards, hism ost since 2018, and two touchdowns to give him four during the past threegames.

Even without his favorite target, Tr ask matched his career high with six touchdowns passes set during the season opener against Ole Miss. Pitts caught four TDs that day and has a team-leading eight touch down grabs, a single-season record for a Florida tight end.

Trask and Co. rolled on without Pitts against Arkansas and should do the same this week at winless Vanderbilt as he continues to recover.Yet no one among Florida’s array of playmaking options draws the attention of defenses or creates mismatches quite like the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Pitts.

He can line up pretty much anywhere and beat the coverage of corner backs, safe ties or linebackers ona given play.

Senior slot receiver Kadarius Toney was a focal point of the Razorbacks Saturday night. He still managed a team-high seven catches but finishedwith just 57 yards and no scores.

“Theywere kind of playing that zone and keeping everybody inside will take him away and our outside guys went made plays,” Mullen explained.

Yet defenses run out of ways to handle Pitts and Toney together, not to mention Grimes, Zipperer and Justin Shorter, who have touchdowns in each of the past three games.

If the SEC-leading Gators stay on track to reach the SEC title game, top-ranked Alabama likely will await in what could be an offensive shootout. Pitts will need to be locked and loaded for Mullen’s squad to have a shot.

3. The defense could be the Gators’ undoing.

Trask and the offense can score with anyone, but can the Gators’ defense make enough stops for it to matter?

The absence of linebackers Jeremiah Moon, doubtful all week with a foot injury, and James Houston, a last-minute scratch, left the Gators’ front seven with two experienced productive players.

The issues with coordinator Todd Grantham’s group go beyond two players. Florida’ s defense once again suffered alarming break downs that might not matter against Arkansas but are sure to bite the Gators against top competition such as Alabama.