Following the season-ending injury Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks suffered against Kentucky, the team’s odds of making it to Atlanta seemed to sink into a swamp. The Gators were down 21-10, in the third quarter and on the road, with a backup quarterback entering the game.
Kyle Trask led the Gators to a comeback win. He’s now sitting pretty atop the SEC East, with a 7-1 record. But this weekend he faces what is statistically the best defense in the SEC. Georgia leads the conference in opponent yards per game, as well as opposing touchdowns given up.
What does Georgia think of Trask?
“He's a big, physical guy, and when he decides to run, you don't stop him for minimal gains on designed quarterback runs,” said head coach Kirby Smart of the redshirt junior. “I think he's gotten the confidence of the receivers and the ability to throw the ball. When he came into the game at Kentucky, you saw it right away: he's a natural passer. He brings value to the rest of their team because of his ability to throw the ball. He makes them harder to defend because all their best, best weapons are perimeter players. And you look at what he's done, he makes you defend all 53 yards, and he's a good quarterback. He's tough to defend.”
Trask has made a habit of attacking defenses as of late. He has thrown over 30 passes in each of his last three games—all of which came against SEC opponents in Auburn, LSU, and South Carolina. In those games, he has a 9/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 744 yards passing.
Senior safety J.R. Reed was complimentary of the Gators quarterback.
“He’s definitely not a backup type of guy. He’s a big player and can play strong. He’s not as athletic as Florida’s previous quarterback, but he’s a great player—you can see that on the field. He knows how to run the offense and can spread the ball around. [Dan] Mullen is doing a great job, letting [Trask] use his arm.”
Florida’s offense under Dan Mullen has been spreading the ball as of late. Trask is surrounded by talent everywhere he looks. Florida has eight players with at least 12 receptions this season, and only one is a running back. To compare, Georgia only has five, with two being James Cook and D’Andre Swift.
Reed said Georgia’s secondary is aware of the challenge facing it.
“They’re very explosive. They take big shot plays. They go downfield a lot. They’re not afraid to take chances,” said Reed. “We’ve got to play well at the back end. That’s one of the main things, when you’re playing a spread team. And then, when they run the ball, everyone has to fly around and rally.”
