The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
» Trask, Florida continue to roll against Vandy,
Kyle Trask passed for 383 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 6 Florida rallied from an early deficit to beat Vanderbilt 38-17 on Saturday.
The Gators (6-1, 6-1 SEC) pulled into Vanderbilt Stadium an hour before kickoff already in uniform, hoping to avoid the visitors locker room as a coronavirus precaution. The Commodores (0-7, 0-7) opened the game by driving for a touchdown, but Trask helped get Florida on track for its seventh consecutive win in the series.
Trask, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, completed 26 of 35 passes to nine receivers. He is the first quarterback in SEC history to throw 30 touchdown passes in seven games.
Vanderbilt drove 75 yards on 11 plays in the opening series, scoring on Ken Seals’ 16-yard pass to Chris Pierce Jr. with 10:50 left in the first quarter.
The Gators tied it less than three minutes later. Trask found wide receiver Kadarius Toney wide open around the 15-yard line, and Toney carried the ball in the end zone to complete a 27-yard play at 7:47.
Vanderbilt countered with Pierson Cooke’s 25-yard field goal on the next drive, and the Gators tied it at 10 when Evan McPherson kicked a 33-yarder at 4:13 of the second quarter.
Trask threw a 34-yard TD pass to Trevon Grimes with 49 seconds left until halftime for a 17-10 lead, and Dameon Price rushed in from a yard out for a 24-10 advantage early in the second half.
With 2:55 left in the third, Trask found tight end Kemore Gamble in the back of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass.
Vanderbilt answered 54 seconds later with a 58-yard pass from Seals to Pierce, who caught the ball around the Florida 45-yard line and eluded two tackle attempts on his way to the end zone. It was the longest touchdown catch for Pierce in his career, and the longest TD throw for Seals.
Florida struck again at 6:46 of the fourth quarter with Emory
Jones completing a 30-yard pass to Gamble, his second of the game.
Seals set a Vanderbilt record for passing yards by a freshman, besting the 1,483 yards thrown by John Gromos in 1985. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 319 yards, his fourth straight game with 200 or more yards and his third in the last four with more than 250. It was the third time this season he has passed for at least 300 yards.
Family and friends of players and a few Vanderbilt graduate and professional students attended the game. Vanderbilt made 500 tickets available for family members of Florida players. Vanderbilt’s band, flag corps and cheerleaders were in the stands on the visiting team side of the field.
The Gators usually arrive two hours before kickoff but chose to arrive late Saturday. Coach Dan Mullen told the ESPN pregame show the players dressed in their uniforms. They did not enter the dressing room even for halftime.
(At) No. 1 Alabama 63, Kentucky 3: DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards and set the SEC career record with two more touchdowns in No. 1 Alabama’s victory over shorthanded Kentucky.
Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Crimson Tide (7-0 SEC), both in less than three quarters. A slow start turned into a breezy return from a three-week layoff after LSU was forced to call off last week’s scheduled game because of COVID-19 troubles.
The outmanned Wildcats (3-5) were missing a number of key players because of injuries or coronavirus protocol. They were competitive early on the stat sheet, but it didn’t hold up particularly long on the scoreboard.
Smith broke Amari Cooper’s SEC and Alabama record with his 32nd touchdown catch, a 10-yarder from Jones in the second quarter. He added an 18-yarder from freshman backup Bryce Young.
Jones completed 16 of 24 passes but also was intercepted at the goal line in a rare mistake. Harris had a 42-yard touchdown run and gained 83 yards on 13 carries.
Kentucky quarterback Terry
Wilson passed for just 120 yards and was benched after throwing an interception that Jordan Battle returned 45 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen couldn’t get anything going, either. The Wildcats gained 121 yards in the first quarter and 60 the rest of the way.
Kentucky played without leading rusher Chris Rodriguez, guard Luke Fortner, tight ends Justin Rigg and Brenden Bates, and linebackers Jamin Davis and D’Eryk Jackson. The school didn’t disclose reasons for each player’s absence.
Alabama got backups such as Young and freshman tailback Jase McClellan significant playing time. McClellan ran for 99 yards and a late touchdown, moving up the depth chart after Trey Sanders was injured in a car accident.
Alabama hosts No. 23 Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday.
LSU 27, (at) Arkansas 24: A targeting penalty in the fourth quarter helped LSU continue its go-ahead drive, scoring with 3:59 left to dispatch Arkansas.
TJ Finley found Jaray Jenkins for a 13-yard touchdown to put LSU (3-3, 3-3 SEC) ahead by three points. It was the capper to a 10-play, 67-yard drive in which Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon was flagged for a 15-yard targeting penalty and ejected.
LSU sealed the game when Jay Ward got his hands on an AJ Reed 44-yard field goal attempt with 1:24 left, the ball falling well short of the crossbar.
Finley threw for 271 yards and two scores, the other in the second quarter on a 30-yard pass to Racey McMath.
Arkansas (3-5, 3-5) had taken its first lead late in the third quarter when Feleipe Franks led a 5-play, 95-yard drive. Reed’s 22-yard field goal early in the fourth put Arkansas ahead 24-20 before Jenkins’ final touchdown.
Franks finished 17 of 26 for 339 yards with an interception and a touchdown. He ran for 43 yards and a touchdown, as well. Four of Franks’ completions went for more than 50 yards.