QB Trask ready for bowl game

GAINESVILLE — Florida quarterback Kyle Trask might be best suited to deal with the slew of 11th hour opt-outs by the Gators ahead of the Cotton Bowl.

Trask is familiar with players who come in under the radar. He was one of them.

The redshirt senior’s final game leading the UF offense offers the chance for a lesser-known team

mate or two to enjoy a Trasklike rise from obscurity and help the Gators slip by threepoint favorite Oklahoma.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Trask said. “Every time you get a chance to get on the football field, you’ve got to make the most of it.

“I think we have a lot of up-and-coming weapons that a lot of fans are going to get to know before they really break out in this bowl game.”

Trask said those words last week after star tight end Kyle Pitts had announced he would skip the bowl game to focus on training for the NFL.

By Monday evening, Trask had lost three more of his top targets. Senior receivers Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes announced they too would turn their attention to preparing for the next level. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Copeland then revealed he would miss the Cotton Bowl due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Earlier in the day, Trask was named to the AP All-America second team after throwing for a nation-leading 43 touchdowns — 31 of them to the Pitts-Toney-Grimes trio and three more to Copeland.

The No. 7 Gators (8-3) now enter a matchup with the No. 6 Sooners (8-2) missing their most productive pass catchers during a game shaping up to be an offensive shootout.

The Gators, though, still have Trask. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound signal caller has shown the ability to involve every weapon at his disposal and deliver the football with impeccable timing and accuracy.

“In my opinion, I think that he’s the best quarterback in the nation … hands down,” redshirt sophomore receiver Justin Shorter said. “Since the first day that I met him over the summer and we’ve been throwing, I remember telling him, ‘Hey, I think, honestly, you’re the best quarterback in collegefootball.’ ”

Shorter, a Penn State transfer and former five-star recruit, is among the candidates to break out Wednesday night in AT&T Stadium. Freshmen receivers Trent Whittemore and Xzavier Henderson, tight ends Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer and the team’s stable of running backs are sure to be targeted by Trask, too.

“There’s guys who have been in supporting actor roles now that are going into the lead role in the show tomorrow night,” Mullen said. “I think those guys are excited for that opportunity to get out there and go make plays.”

The Gators are going to need to make their share to keep up with the surging Sooners, winners of six straight games by an average margin of 25 points to capture the Big 12 title.

The run has coincided with tailback Rhamondre Stevenson’s return from an extended NCAA suspension. The 6-foot, 246-pound senior rushed for 479 and six scores and caught 18 passes for 211 yards during his five games with the Sooners.

But the Oklahoma offensive fortunes begin with freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler, who led the Big 12 with 2,784 passing yards, gaining an average of 9.5 yards per attempt. He also tied Texas’ Sam Ehlinger with 25 touchdown throws.

The Gators’ struggling defense has faced few tougher assignments this season.

“He’s a nice quarterback, has a good arm, great offense,” UF linebacker James Houston said. “I think it should be a great challenge for the defense.”

Yet, Houston also questioned whether Big 12 competition prepared Oklahoma to face a team with Florida’s talent level. UF’s defense, though, also will be short-handed.

Redshirt junior defensive back Marco Wilson announced he will skip the game, while other defenders could join him. Mullen declined to identify how many players overall would miss the game, but he said UF expects to have just 60 scholarship players available, or more than 20 absences due to opt-outs, injuries or COVID-19 infections.

“Oklahoma is a good matchup, but they’re not on our level,” Houston said. “They’re not SEC. They’re not the Florida Gators. So we should put on a good show.”

Coming off losses to LSU and Alabama, the Gators also look to end a late-season swoon and pick up their third straight win in a New Year’s Six bowl. Meanwhile,

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s squad, 44-8 under the 37-year-old, seeks its first win during four trips to New Year’s Six games.

“I feel like this game is a big game for us,” UF All-SEC cornerback Kaiir Elam said. “I don’t like to lose. I know my coaches and everybody on the staff does not like to lose.”

Trask now aims to lead the way during his curtain call for the Gators.

The 22-year-old is coming off a record-setting season, is among four finalists for the Heisman and appears destined to play in the NFL. At Trask’s core, Mullen said, is a competitor who beat incalculable odds to reach the Cotton Bowl in his native Texas.

He was not about to miss it.

“It just shows the character that he has. You never want to count him out on anything,” Mullen said. “He’s worked his butt off to get the opportunity to go play ... I know he’s a competitor and he’s really excited to play in this game.”