QBs Costello, Trask set pace with big numbers

Southeastern Conference fans expecting defenses to be ahead of offenses could not have been prepared for the big passing games from Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello and Florida’s Kyle Trask to open the season.

Trask and Costello were the league’s biggest opening week surprises as they showed they are quarterbacks to be watched in 2020.

Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards and six touchdowns in a 51-35 win at Mississippi. Trask, opening his first full season as a starter, set a high measuring stick for No. 3 Florida against South Carolina this week.

The biggest shocker came in Baton Rouge, when Costello, a Stanford transfer, passed for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat No. 6 LSU 44-34.

In his first game with Mississippi State, Costello blew past the conference’s passing record that stood for 27 years. Georgia’s Eric Zeier threw for 544 yards against Southern Mississippi in 1993.

Costello and No. 16

Mississippi State will test the “Air Raid” attack against Arkansas this week.

Some may have seen the SEC’s 2019 class of quarterbacks as an outlier. After all, it was the first year the league had two quarterbacks selected in the first round of the draft. LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa were selected among the top five NFL draft picks. Now new talent is emerging at quarterback.

Florida coach Dan Mullen said the big offense in many SEC games was the result of the coronavirus pandemic which wiped out spring practice for most teams.

The biggest advantage came through the air. While 11 SEC quarterbacks threw for at least 200 yards, there was only one 100-yard rusher in the league. Freshman Isaiah Spiller ran for 117 yards as No. 13 Texas A&M beat Vanderbilt.