BUDDY MARTIN: Don’t Read Too Much Into Romp Over Eastern Washington. Don’t Read Too Little, Either.

Kitna has a reason to be smiling. (Photo Credit: Chris Spears GatorBait Media)

In the past two weeks, unbeknownst to fans and media, Jalen Kitna has been lighting up the airways in practices. At least once, said Billy Napier, Kitna completed every pass he threw that day – something Billy said he’d never seen before.

By BUDDY MARTIN

GatorBaitMedia.com

In football matters, winning over an FCS opponent was a big priority, and winning in lopsided fashion, 52-17, was just what the doctor ordered. Then there is happenstance …

It’s October. The Ides of Autumn. Get the Stephen King scripts ready for fall weirdness. Take nothing for granted. Starting with Mother Nature. Digging out from Ian, however, takes priority over digging out from 2-2. Priorities mean everything. They mean taking care of business against an FCS team.

And then there is happenstance...

Billy Napier kept his priorities in order after his Gator team’s third win of the season, beginning his post-game press conference by thanking the emergency workers and encouraging charitable donations, and offering thoughts and prayers for the victims of Hurricane Ian. He also pointed out that it was a learning experience for his players.

“We are very thankful for all the people that worked the game and made the game happen today,” said Napier. “It’s already been a tough week for a lot of people around the state. We appreciate all the workers that showed up today and were able to make the game happen. I think for our team, there’s some opportunity to learn here, relative to perspective and being thankful for what we do have.”

I like that Napier used the impact of a natural disaster as a teaching moment.

“I think as an organization and for our players, over the next couple of months, we are going to have the opportunity to help a lot of people. We are able to invest in and contribute to a couple of key funds: Red Cross, Volunteer Gator, and other websites that we encourage people to contribute to. Those are going directly to all the people that are maybe in a tough spot. Our thoughts and prayers to those people.”

It was also a day Jalen Kitna will never forget, a teaching moment for a young quarterback in mothballs who got the opportunity to excel in a “next man up” role when starter Anthony Richardson tweaked his ankle and left the game in the second quarter.

Jalen Kitna was too young to get the full impact of his father Jon Kitna’s journeyman stint as an NFL quarterback when he played for four teams from 1996 to 2013, including the Dallas Cowboys for three seasons. Actually, his dad wasn’t keen on Jalen playing football and kept steering him toward golf. It didn’t work, so Jalen wound up getting signed at Florida by Jon’s friend Dan Mullen.

His first snap as a Gator. Kitna's debut was impressive. (Chris Spears Photo)

What Kitna did Sunday, coming off the bench cold to fill in for the injured Richardson and immediately completing his first college pass on his first snap, then throwing a 62-yard touchdown pass to receiver Caleb Douglas, was an impressive debut and is bound to remind us of Kyle Trask.

No, it was not against an SEC opponent on a night in Lexington, like Trask did in the ultimate “next man up” performance that not only won the game but jump-started a remarkable career. But Kitna’s sudden and unexpected appearance did offer a battle test under fire for a backup quarterback who passed it with flying colors.

Everybody knows that injury-prone Richardson has been needing a security blanket backup, but with Jack Miller injured and never able to see the field, there was reason for concern.

In the past two weeks, unbeknownst to fans and media, Kitna has been lighting up the airways in practices. At least once, said Napier, Kitna completed every pass he threw – something Billy said he’d never seen before.

“The last probably two weeks, he’s really grown up a lot,” Napier said of Kitna. “He’s really grown up a lot. You go back to training camp, probably the fourth or fifth day of training camp, he got injured. He missed significant time. But since Jack’s (Miller) injury and he started getting those twos, you’ve seen some growth there.”

Of his accuracy, Napier said: “All the guy does is throw completions in practice and that’s what he did today. Two Thursdays ago, he was 100 percent completion percentage in practice. I don’t know if that’s ever been done. The guy’s a pretty smart player. He’s learned our system. For the most part, the ball went where it was supposed to go today.”

It would be premature to say Kitna has received a battlefield promotion as the backup to Richardson. Napier gave the media a “not so fast” response to that suggestion. While he was offering praise to his red-shirt freshman for a capable performance, he also pointed out Kitna has a way to go.

“I think there’s a lot of young players that got a chance to play for the first time today,” said Napier. “Jalen Kitna would be a prime example of a guy who I thought first time between the lines really did a lot of good things and there’s a number of other young freshman that played. We are going to make the most of this learning experience and we are going to turn the page to get ready for the SEC East opponent.”

His first snap as a Gator. Kitna's debut was impressive. (Chris Spears Photo)

On the whole, given the real-life events of the week and the challenging road ahead for a 3-2 team in a brutally difficult league where the also-ran teams can jump up and bite you, this was an important hurdle for Napier’s team to surpass.

Napier said they showed “maturity” in not losing focus. And he loved that 81 players got into the game to taste some of the fun. Football was fun again! So coach and players savored it for a day. Understandably.

Need I remind you of how some of the ranked teams have done vs. weaker FCS opponents lately. Or how it looks and feels in College Station these days for Jimbo Fisher’s disappointing 3-2 Aggies. Or the heart attack scare for the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, who dropped to No. 2 after barely overcoming a lightly regarded Missouri team.

A lightly regarded Missouri team that’s in Gainesville this week for Florida’s homecoming won’t be lightly regarded after the way they pushed the Bulldogs around for 3 ½ quarters.

Like I said, the Ides of Autumn. So don’t change the channel.