Florida Gators Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson met with local media on Monday night to discuss the ascension of Kyle Trask since last season's Kentucky game, the defense the Wildcats bring to the field on Saturday and the usage of Emory Jones. As a valued subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. Still kind of amazed of Kyle Trask stepped in last year at Kentucky? “Not really. He’s always, you know, performed well when he’s had an opportunity he’s performed well at practice. He continued to prepare. He was ready for his moment. That’s the epitome of what you want from somebody on your team, that when their number’s called they’re ready to play at a high level. Kyle was no exception to that, it’s something … injuries are a part of the games. It’s very unfortunate. But it’s also nice when guys can step in and play well despite not having any game reps.” By end of game how much more confident in Kyle and offense going forward with Feleipe? “I was extremely confident in terms of what we would be able to accomplish. The style of play would really highlight Kyle’s talents and what he does really well, and play to the strengths of him. He was ready to go. I’m not sure we - I think we ran the ball two or three times once Feleipe went out and kind of just threw it all over the field. He made some good reads. He made some great plays and we were able to get out of there with a win.” Emory now waiting his turn, how impressed by patience, sticking to process? “I can’t say enough about Emory Jones. He’s a fantastic young man. He’s super intelligent, very dynamic as a player and every time he’s had an opportunity to get in the game he’s been prepared and played well. So, I think those obviously play well off of each other and they set a great example for each other. Kyle’s a great example of being ready when your number’s called. When you have that type of testimony in your own position room I think it adds a ton of value. Emory’s very smart. He understands that he’s a much better player than he was when he first got here, and he’s continuing to improve. So is Kyle, as well. It’s really about our development and our practice habits and how we practice each and every week and making sure we’re making steps forward to become a better player.” How impressed are you with what the tight ends have done in Kyle Pitts’ absence “It will be great to get him back, obviously he’s one of the best players in America. That’s always a positive. You can never say enough about what those guys have done. Hats off to Coach Brew making sure they were ready to go. But very similar to what we just talked about with Kyle (Trask). Injuries are a part of the game. They’re a very unfortunate part of the game. You have to put yourself in the position to be prepared when you’re number’s called. Certainly those two guys were able to do that and continue to play well in Kyle’s absence.” Kentucky is 5th in points per game but 10th in yards per game, what type of defense do you think they are? “I think first and foremost they are very well coached. Give a ton of credit to their coaching staff. Their scheme is really, really sound and they have really good players. The unique challenge that Kentucky presents is that they have a ton of length. They have the ability to be versatile and be multiple in what they present to offenses. Ultimately what it’s going to come down to is our execution, particularly in situations. We talk a little bit about last week when teams start to play the style of defense where you’re getting a ton of drop eight and they’re playing the pass first you have to think a little bit more in micro and, hey, it is about getting first downs and how can I use these three to four plays to get a first down? Ultimately if you get enough first downs you get in the redzone and that’s when you have to execute and score touchdowns. I’m confident we’ll put a great plan together and give our guys a chance to go execute.” Christmas lights before Thanksgiving? “You know my stance on this has changed now that I have children. Prior to my kids wanting to decorate before Thanksgiving, I probably would have been anti-decorations before Thanksgiving. But now that I have a four and a six year old, and a one-year-old, they’ve been up for about a week. Especially in their rooms. They got a chance to decorate their room and the Johnson household has some Christmas decor.” Looked like Kyle Trask didn’t wear wristbands at Vandy? New? “No, it wasn’t a change. We kind of always have that stuff ready to go. It was no change in terms of how we operated with the plays.” Dead period, challenging of recruiting? “Yeah, it is definitely a very unique challenge. But everybody’s under that same circumstance and that same unique challenge. You’ve got to find a way to figure it out and be about solutions and not complain about problems. We have a great recruiting staff. Ultimately recruiting is about relationships so you’ve got to still find ways to continue to build relationships, whether it’s via FaceTime, via Zoom, any other virtual setting that you could imagine. You’ve got to try to be very cutting edge and creative and find a way to do something different.” Dan talks about Kyle’s decision making. Sometimes he throws into really tight windows. You ever watching and thinking, Oh, gosh, that one’s going to be tight. I might not have done that myself? “There were a couple of throws on Saturday where it was like, ‘Oh, no, no. Yes, yes, yes.’ You get a little different perspective from up in the box. But, everything always looks different through his eyes when you’re at field level. When you’re playing in that type of game, where there’s a ton of (players in the secondary), you’ve got to do a great job of managing those. I thought the receivers did a great job of not stacking behind defenders and Kyle maneuvering and sliding in the pocket to give those guys times to come free. When you’re watching on the film, the windows were not as tight as you would have initially thought watching from the press box.” Do you think everything looks wide open to him? “Yeah, I think he has a good feel for where people are and he plays with great anticipation, so he can see stuff happening a little bit early. I think that allows him to play with a great feeling.” He and Dan have talked about discussions they have when they come off the field. They’re talking about the one they missed. Having been in those shoes, what are those conversations like? “It’s just coaching. You want to constantly coach every play on the drive and not take something for granted. I think that’s where you see a ton of growth in terms of playing quarterback in the ability to digest and really discuss what just happened on the previous drive to get yourself ready to go execute on the next drive. We talk a lot about, you might get the same look but you still have to play each play independently, so to speak. Just because you got a certain look the previous drive. … we’re talking about potential adjustments off that look, or different. … not necessarily even if you made a bad decision, there may have been a time where you could have made a better division. It’s just constant communication about that. Kyle does a good job of relaying what he’s seen and he can describe in great detail of what’s going on through this process.” On how defenses are playing the pass more against Florida and how it changes the playcalling/adjustments made this season. "You know, I think the biggest thing is, obviously you have to just be very, very aware of extra defenders. You know, obviously, your structure when teams drop 8 and have a three-man rush, there's generally going to be somebody in the window where you would normally throw the ball or complete the ball. So, you have to do a great job with your eyes and reading defenders and it just forces you to be patient as a play-caller. And like I said, and really take a step back and just think a little bit more micro in terms of, 'OK, how can I use these three plays to get a first down, so I can get another set of three plays. You know, because the thing that hinders you is obviously anytime you get a negative play or you take a sack or you drop a ball and they put you in situations where you're third and, you know, extra-long and you have to try to complete a pass when everyone knows you have to throw it against a drop-eight coverage, that becomes a little bit more challenging. So, you want to put yourself in a position to where you have the threat to run the ball and get yourself in third-and-mediums and third-and-shorts." On how hard it would be to come into a situation down two scores and rally a team and if he was able to pull it off if he had ever been in that situation. "No, I can't recall having a situation like that. But, you know, I think it just goes to really highlight his mental makeup and his physical and mental toughness and what he's all about, how he prepares. It just says a lot about him as a person and just the type of stuff he's made up of, you know? And those type of intangible qualities are really what you want in a quarterback."

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: So maybe it wasn’t the 50-point blowout win over Vanderbilt that some Gator fans envisioned. A 38-17 win on the road in this strange season where Covid-19 precautions alter practice week and game day norms is nothing to sneeze at. The single most important thing to remember is this: The Gators traveled to Nashville to win a football game. Mission accomplished even if it lacked style points. In his post-game remarks, Dan Mullen didn’t offer up any excuses nor did he lament the lack of energy. He got the win he was looking for. The team will pay the price for its lack of energy in practice this week, but isn’t it amazing that you can beat an SEC team by 21 points on the road when you left your energy back at the team hotel? Ah yes, the team hotel. That’s where the Gators got dressed and did a good bit of their pre-game prep. It was an hour before the 12-noon kickoff when the Gators arrived at Vanderbilt Stadium. There was no pre-game chill time in the locker room, nor was there a pre-game speech in that tiny, cramped space. About the only thing the Gators used the locker room for was the bathroom facilities. Everything else was conducted outdoors, even halftime. So it’s not like there was a normal routine which contributed mightily to the lack of energy. It took awhile for Kyle Trask to get the offense unleashed and even though he completed 26-35 passes and threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, it seemed he was sleep walking. The whole team seemed that way even though there were some outstanding plays made by Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Justin Shorter and even though the offensive line kept grinding away so that UF finished the day with 173 rushing yards as well as a commanding 34:17 to 25:43 advantage in time of possession. Oh sure, the defense didn’t exactly dominate, but they did force six punts and once they got over the first quarter funk allowed only one touchdown the rest of the way. Yeah, they missed a lot of tackles, but it’s not like they were playing dazed and confused. Maybe it’s time we face up to the fact they tend to play to the level of the competition. You saw the effort against Georgia after the Poodles broke out to a 14-0 lead. The defense tends to get enough stops to win games. They need to do better, but with the exception of the game with the Aggies they’ve been good enough. The main takeaway from the Vanderbilt game is that the Gators won and moved another step closer to the SEC East title that will send them to Atlanta, winning by 21 points while racking up 586 yards and 29 first downs. The O-line gave up only one sack. Trask set an SEC record for 31 touchdown passes in his first seven games. Toney (107 receiving yards) and Shorter (94) had career highs for reception yardage. Beautiful it wasn’t. Ho-hum it was. And still the Gators scored 38 points. Dan Mullen will take that kind of boring every single day. ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL (1) Alabama 7-0; (2) Notre Dame 8-0; (3) Ohio State 4-0; (4) Clemson 7-1; (5) Texas A&M 5-1; (6) FLORIDA 6-1; (7) Cincinnati 8-0; (9). BYU 9-0; (10) Oregon 3-0; (10) Miami 7-1; (11) Northwestern 5-0; (12) Indiana 4-1; (13) Georgia 5-2; (14) Oklahoma 6-2; (15) Iowa State 6-2; (16) Coastal Carolina 8-0; (17) Marshall 7-0; (18) Wisconsin 2-1; (19) Southern Cal 3-0; (20) Texas 5-2; (21) Oklahoma State 5-2; (22) Auburn 5-2; (23) Louisiana-Lafayette 7-1; (24) Tulsa 5-1; (25) North Carolina 6-2 COACHES TOP 25 POLL (1) Alabama 7-0; (2) Notre Dame 8-0; (3) Ohio State 4-0; (4) Clemson 7-1; (5) FLORIDA 6-1; (6) Texas A&M 5-1; (7) Cincinnati 8-0; (8) BYU 9-0: (10) Georgia 5-2; (11) Oregon 3-0; (12) Indiana 4-1; (13) Northwestern 5-0; (14) Oklahoma 5-2; (15) Iowa State 6-2; (16) Marshall 7-0; (17) Coastal Carolina 8-0; (18) Southern Cal 3-0; (19) Auburn 5-2: (20) Wisconsin 2-1; (22) Oklahoma State 5-2; (23) North Carolina 6-2; (24) Louisiana-Lafayette 7-1; (25) Tulsa 5-1 RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING IN THE SEC #1 ALABAMA (7-0): Devonta Smith (65-903, 10 TDs) continues to make a case that he’s the best wide receiver in Alabama history. His career numbers are 188 catches for 3,190 yards and an SEC record 33 touchdowns. Najee Harris might not be the best running back in Bama history, but he is the best in the country this year. For 2020, Harris is 137-797 rushing for 16 touchdowns. He’s also caught 22 passes for 210 yards. Alabama is a 24.5-point favorite to win the Iron Bowl game with Auburn. Next week: vs. #22 Auburn (5-2) ARKANSAS (3-5): The talk in Fayette Nam will be about the phantom fourth quarter targeting call that ended the day for safety Jake Catalon on what proved to be LSU’s game winning drive and the blocked field goal that kept the Razorbacks from tying the game with LSU. What should be asked is why send A.J. Reed out to kick a 44-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining in the game on a fourth-and-three when Feleipe Franks had already converted a fourth-and-three on the same drive? Franks was playing so well (17-26 for 339 yards and a touchdown; 14-43 rushing for a TD) and had just as good, if not a better, chance to get a first down than Reed had to make that field goal. Arkansas is a 1.5-point road dog at Missouri. Next week: at Missouri (3-3) #22 AUBURN (5-2): Auburn’s three-game winning streak has plenty to do with Bo Nix doing a better job of protecting the football and throwing with more accuracy. He’s 58-80 (72.5%) for 758 yards and five touchdowns with only one pick. In Auburn’s first four games, Nix completed 54.9% of his passes with five touchdowns and four interceptions. The Tigers are 24.5-point road dogs for their Iron Bowl showdown with Alabama. Next week: at #1 Alabama (7-0) #13 GEORGIA (5-2): Georgia fans are already in their full if only mode after JT Daniels threw for 401 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi State in his first start. As in, if only he had played against Alabama and Florida. Let’s put things in perspective. He beat Mississippi State which came in with only 49 scholarship players and a few walk-ons available. It’s not like Daniels lit up a good team. And Poodle fans need to think about that marvelous defense. You know, the one that Alabama lit up for 41 points and 564 yards and which Florida burned for 44 and 571. The same one that allowed Mississippi State true freshman QB to throw for 336 despite the fact he didn’t have a running game to help him. They also need to be thinking what’s going to happen to D’Wan Mathis and Carson Beck. Is the transfer portal calling? Georgia is a 19.5-point road favorite to beat South Carolina. Next week: at South Carolina (2-6) KENTUCKY (3-5): The Wildcats managed all of three points and 179 yards against Alabama. Terry Wilson ranks dead last as the worst QB in the SEC and if that’s not bad enough, the defense, which is supposed to be the team strength, has given up 916 yards and 98 points in the last two games. They get the Gators on the road next and they’re 24-point underdogs. Next week: at #6 FLORIDA (6-1) LSU (3-3): The Tigers got a semblance of a running game going against Arkansas (148 yards) which was a big help to freshman QB TJ Finley, who threw for 271 yards and two TDs. The defense continues to be bad. LSU has not held a single opponent to fewer than 400 yards all season. Unless the Aggies sleepwalk on Saturday, they’ll probably pound LSU for at least 500 yards. LSU is a 12.5-point road dog. Next week: at #5 Texas A&M (5-1) MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-5): Mississippi State did indeed lose to Georgia, 31-24, but Mike Leach thoroughly outcoached Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs, who have lost 18 players due to transfers and opting out, had only 49 scholarship players available plus walk-ons and yet they played Georgia with all its five-stars to a standstill. True freshman QB Will Rogers completed 41-52 passes for 336 yards and a TD against the Poodles. Mississippi State is a 12-point road dog at Ole Miss. Next week: at Ole Miss (3-4) MISSOURI (3-3): HBC Eli Drinkwitz needs to figure out what went wrong in the second half before Arkansas comes to town. After a good first half against South Carolina in which they took a 17-0 lead and had 220 yards of offense, the Tigers punted five straight times and managed only 81 yards in the second half. Only an interception of a Luke Doty pass by Devin Nicholson with 2:37 left in the game preserved a 17-10 win for Mizzou. The Tigers are 1.5-point favorites to beat Arkansas. Next week: vs. Arkansas (3-5) OLE MISS (3-4): It only took until the last third of the season, but the NCAA – in its infinite wisdom – has approved the waiver request of Georgia defensive back transfer Otis Reese. If there is good news for Reese it is that he can play in the final games of the season without it affecting his eligibility. He will still have two years. Ole Miss opens as a 12-point favorite over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Next week: vs. Mississippi State (2-5) SOUTH CAROLINA (2-6): It only took Mike Bobo seven-and-a-half games to figure out Collin Hill can’t play QB in the SEC. Hill threw for 39 yards before true freshman Luke Doty relieved him in the second half. Doty completed 14-23 passes for 130 yards and helped himself with 11-59 running the ball as the Gamecocks made a game of it with Mizzou after falling behind 17-0 at the half with Hill running a pitiful offense. South Carolina is a 19.5-point home underdog to Georgia. Next week: vs. #13 Georgia (5-2) TENNESSEE (2-5): The Vols have lost five in a row, all by at least 10 points, and Jeremy Pruitt is running out of satisfactory excuses to appease Tennessee fans who are ready to revolt. Pruitt is in way over his head but he’s not going anywhere. They’re still paying off Butch Jones and the athletic department is bleeding red ink by the gallons. How is it that Phattus Maximus gave Pruitt a raise and a contract extension? In what will likely be their final chance to win a game, the Vols are 10.5-point road favorites at Vanderbilt. Next week: at Vanderbilt (0-7) #5 TEXAS A&M (5-1): The Aggies haven’t played since shellacking South Carolina 48-3 back on November 7. They need to run the table the rest of the way to stay in the discussion for an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff. The Aggies are 12.5-point favorites to take out LSU this weekend. Next week: vs. LSU (3-3) VANDERBILT (0-7): The Commodores don’t have to go shopping for a quarterback. Freshman Kenny Seals followed up an outstanding performance against Kentucky by throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns against the Gators. For the season, Seals is 153-230 for 1,610 yards and 10 touchdowns. Vandy will be a 10.5-point home underdog against Tennessee. Next week: vs. Tennessee (2-5) TACKLE FOOTBALL NEWS FROM SOMEPLACE OTHER THAN THE SEC Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on the cancellation of the Tigers game with Florida State, allegedly for virus concerns: “This game was not cancelled because of COVID. COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game. To be honest with you, I don’t think it has anything to do with their players. I have no doubt the players wanted to play and would have played. Same with the coaches. To me, the Florida State administration forfeited the game ... If they want to play Clemson, in my opinion, they need to come to Clemson or they need to pay for all expenses. Other than that, there’s no reason for us to play them. We were there, we were ready and we met the standard.” Tell us how you really feel, Dabo. The Big Ten (Plus Four) had a bad day at the office. Ohio State (4-0) won but looked quite vulnerable doing it as Justin Fields completed three passes to Indiana. Wisconsin (2-1), which was highly overrated to begin with (10th) got whacked by Northwestern as the second coming at QB – Graham Mertz – took his cue from Fields and completed three passes to Northwestern (5-0) as part of a five-giveaway game. Penn State, which was in everybody’s top five in the preseason, is now 0-5 for the first time in school history after getting embarrassed by Iowa 41-21. Liberty’s dream season came to an end against North Carolina State (5-3) when the Wolfpack blocked what would have been a game-winning field goal in the game’s final minute. Liberty is 8-1 now with games remaining against winless UMass and unbeaten and 16th-ranked Coastal Carolina (8-0). SOME MONDAY PITHINESS: ESPN college football analyst Rod Gilmore is the Perry Como of announcing. He could cure insomnia … I’m not sure what we did to be so lucky, but Beth Mowins hasn’t been on the play-by-play for a single SEC game this season … The NCAA gave Alabama a 3-year probation for basketball after infractions revealed in the basketball corruption trials. Auburn, trying to avoid harsh penalties, has imposed a postseason ban for the upcoming season. Expect the NCAA to dole out something more severe.

The Florida Gators mens basketball team has paused team actives, the school announced today. The pause is "due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing protocols" and will last one week. This means the team will not be able to participate in this week's scheduled games vs. UMass Lowell and Virginia in the Mohegan Sun Tournament in Connecticut. Graham Hall of The Gainesville Sun first reported the news. This is the third time this year the Gators basketball team has faced COVID issues. At one point this fall, the team had only five players for practice, as Head Coach Mike White shared with reporters on October 21. "We've had issues, I can say that," White said at the time. "Heck we had about 10 days there we've had five guys at practice, I want to say 8-10 consecutive days. I try to block it from my memory. It was nuts. But those five guys, we talked as a staff and it was funny. A few times during those 8-10 days we'd walk over to each other in a staff meeting during the practice and say, 'Boy, this five's not bad. This is a good group.' I don't know how many Division I games that this team could win with no subs, but they're getting after it. We had great chemistry then. We didn't have anybody complaining about playing time. We didn't have anybody complain about starting. Those guys got after it and they kind of held it together. "UF Health and Duke Werner have been incredible with just trying to keep us afloat, help us navigating through this incredibly difficult time. It’s been nuts. It’s been really, really different. "One of the things we haven’t talked about that just popped into my head is, one of the things that has held guys out — not necessarily a positive — and not necessarily a tracing situation but just a kid, you forget about colds, and flus, and viruses, and sniffles, and whatever. With any type of symptoms we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do and we’ve gotta isolate. We’ve had five or six missed practices just based on, ‘Coach, I’ve got a headache. Coach, I’ve got a runny nose and a sore throat.’ Then the next day they test negative, feel a lot better and you bring them back. It’s not COVID related. Last year they would have practiced. "You add that to the equation and it makes for a lot of missed practices, a lot of missed time, lack of continuity. That’s where depth, some of the deeper teams in the country this year give themselves a chance potentially, just potentially, and, heck, I hope everyone has all their guys eligible to play every game but you just never know what’s around the corner. We’ve got two walk ons, they’ve got to be ready to play. All these guys got to be ready to contribute because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.” Much of the predicted issues with playing college basketball this season is that games must be held inside, and during a time of year when flu cases spike as well, in addition to the predicted COVID spike that comes from people being inside more during the cold weather. There is also the issue—related to being inside—that the virus can travel through air, and an air duct in a building with teams, staff and fans can create a Petri dish. The Gators are reducing their capacity for the season. Florida will have a capacity of 2,200 for the 2020-21 men's and women's basketball season, a number arrived at in consultation with UF Health officials. The Gators will also follow COVID-19 safety protocols established by the SEC Medical Guidance Task Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also in October, White also alluded to the challenges of planning for a season amidst uncertainty and being cautiously optimistic for the season. "It seems like we spent the whole summer on Zoom. But you go through as a staff we went through some of the rollercoaster of emotions of what’s going on at times and whether we’ll be able to play. I can’t imagine how much more intensified it was for our student-athletes. And despite trying to stay ready and level-headed and doing what you can to prepare for a potential season and doubt - for really all of college basketball and probably everybody involved - would creep in, whether or not we will play, if so how abbreviated it would be and so on and so forth. "Just knowing now that football has had some success, being able to watch some college football on TV, you get a schedule together, you get the NCAA telling you when you’re going to start. It’s exciting. It’s really an exciting time for all of us involved - let’s play some basketball.” But for now, they won't be playing any basketball, at least not this week. Instead the Gators will look to tip off their season on December 2 versus Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma.

You have to win games like this. If you want to win a championship, you have to win games like this. That was the message No. 6 Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen gave to his team at half, before the Gators went on to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 38-17 in Nashville. "I don't know that we had our best week of practice this week," admits Mullen. "Not attitude-wise, I just kind of thought we were a little bit blah a couple of the days...it was kind of we had a good day and then a bad day, a good day and then a bad day of practice this week, and it kind of looked that way [today] offensively and defensively. A good drive, a bad drive, a good drive, a bad drive. "It was that way all day offensively and defensively. Kind of a good then bad, good then bad. It wasn't poor attitude, it wasn't anything. I think it was kind of just a ho-hum performance for us if that's the best way to put it, which we can't do if we want to be a great team. We can't do that....so I'm really pleased with our guys finding a way to win and suck it up and be good enough to win and make the plays we need to to win despite not playing at our top, our best for the entire game." The early morning chilly kickoff was ugly at the onset. Florida won the toss and deferred, but Vanderbilt took advantage of the opportunity and drove down field on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that picked the Gators apart in a multitude of ways. Runs up the middle, around the edge, shots to the flat, downfield and for short yardage or long. The Dores did it all on the first drive, using their scripted plays to take a 7-0 lead. It’s become expected from the Florida defense each game; a slow start before settling in and making stops—albeit while still inevitably giving up one or two big plays through the rest of the game. "That's what it feels like,” admits Elam (two tackles, one interception, one pass breakup) of the consistent slow starts. “But, I feel like we shouldn’t—we don't need anything to motivate, we shouldn't need anything to motivate us to start strong. I don't understand like why we do that, but, you know, it starts in practice. I'm definitely [going to] try my best to have us to go faster, get the play call faster, and just execute. I feel like we were supposed to dominate today and we didn’t.” In total, Vanderbilt finished with 406 yards of total offense (319 through the air) and averaged six yards a play. Following the initial score, Florida answered with a drive that heavily featured Kadarius Toney (six receptions, 107 yards, one touchdown) and saw the senior joystick juke a DB onto his face for a wide open 27-yard touchdown that tied the game. But Vanderbilt proved they could work off more than just 15 scripted plays and put together another long drive—this one 12 plays that lasted over five minutes—that moved into the redzone. Ventrell Miller who carried the defense much of the day with his six tackles (one for loss) dropped Ja’Veon Marlow for a loss of two yards and forced a field goal. With the way the defense had been giving up yardage (138 yards to that point), a field goal felt like a win, despite the 25-yarder giving the Dores a 10-7 lead. After giving up a score on the first two drives, the defense made a stop at midfield on the Dores third offensive drive with a big pass break-up from Marco Wilson (two tackles, one pass break-up). Those are all things that are somewhat expected and has been the case all season. A slow start from the defense while they settle in and settle down. What was unusual was Florida’s offense stalling on its second and third drives of the game, forced to punt both times. After a 32-yard Evan McPhearson field goal tied the game at 10, the Gators defense forced a four-and-out and a three-and-out as Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit started to find their footing agains the winless Dores. That was enough breathing room for the Florida offense to snap out of their uncharacteristic lull as well, somewhat created by the small crowd of just over 1,100 people (1,147 total, all family members from both teams). Those two defensive drives bookended a Kyle Trask clinic. With just under three minutes to play in the first half (2:42 to be exact) Trask and the Gators took over at their own 15-yard line. Two quick shots to Jacob Copeland (five receptions, 56 yards) and two more to Justin Shorter (five receptions, 94 yards) put Florida at the Vanderbilt 34-yard line. From there, Trask dropped back and took a deep shot to his tall receiver Tre Grimes (three receptions, 44 yards, one touchdown). The senior “Ocho” climbed the ladder over two defenders to come down with a ball that would’ve embarrassed a lesser man. “I’m not really sure about the metrics, but he got up there pretty high,” jokes Trask. “We knew they’d been playing a lot of drop coverage, so we found ways to get some receivers sitting down in the folds, and just getting a lot of chunk plays, one after another, and then I saw Trevon had a good matchup on the outside and I just tried to throw it up to him and give him a shot. I know he’s a great player that can catch balls over anybody, so I really just had to give him a shot and he made a great play.” After winning the toss and deferring, the Gators had first possession in the second half. They used it to march downfield on a 12-play drive that lasted just over five minutes and ended with a power run by Dameon Pierce for the 1-yard rushing score that sent the Gators up 24-10. Pierce (11 rushes, 55 yards, one touchdown; one reception, six yards) was responsible for 50% of the plays on the drive, including the difference maker; no not the touchdown. If you have to win games like this to win a championship, you also have to have coaches and players that trust each other to do so. Facing 4th and 1 from inside their own 35-yard line (the UF 34-yard line), Mullen elected to go for it and trusted Pierce to move the chains. The big back did just that, with a hard rush up the middle for two yards. “That's why they pay you the big bucks, I guess,” jokes the man with the $36,600,000 contract. “We felt comfortable with the call we would have in that situation and our ability to be able to get it. And it also would give us an opportunity -- we're pretty good offensively -- it would give us an opportunity to really separate us in the course of the game. It wasn’t just the fourth down, but going out and getting the touchdown afterwards.” After another punt from Vanderbilt, thanks in large part to pressure from Zach Carter (four tackles, one pass breakup, two quarterback hurries) that forced an errant throw, the offense took back over on their own 11-yard line. A holding penalty, followed by a short Malik Davis (eight rushes, 38 yards, two receptions, 20 yards) run to buy some space, Kyle Trask had another—well not Heisman moment exactly, but definitely a moment for the Heisman reel. On 2nd and 17 from his own 13-yard line, Trask dropped back off a RPO only to see a defender break through the line and stick his arms out for a non-social distanced hug. Evading the sack, the 6-3 Trask ducked and pressed the “B” button to spin into space. Rolling out right with room to run, Trask could have justifiably pulled the ball and taken off; but he saw something downfield. Working to the sideline for space, Trask directed downfield, pointing towards the space he wanted either Justin Shorter or Rick Wells to go for the ball. With a defender two yards off of Trask and barreling, the quarterback set his feet and heaved the picture perfect shot to Shorter…or Wells. Shorter caught the 46-yard pass, but Trask had faith at least one of his teammates would make the grab. "I believe they were playing drop-eight zone and just trying to, it was kind of an obvious passing situation,” recounts Trask. “I just got out of the pocket and saw Rick Wells and Justin Shorter. I just pointed to both of them just to go because there was nobody, there was nobody back there. They were past the last line of defense. And I just threw it to both of them really. They were both wide open,” he laughs. “So it was kinda just whoever went and caught it because they were both wide open past the last line of defense. And Shorter went and snatched it and they did a great job of just executing the scramble drill, if you will, whenever you’re outside of the pocket and you’re just breaking off the route and finding the empty zone in the defense.” A touchdown pass to tight end Kemore Gamble in the back of the end zone—his third of the season, all after stepping in for Kyle Pitts during the Georgia Bulldogs win—made it 31-10. A busted play on defense meant Vanderbilt brought it back within 14 points off a 58-yard slant and go score. Then the Dores downed a punt at the 1-yard line. But once again, Kemore Gamble proved himself perfectly capable of filling in for Pitts. From his own endzone, Kyle Trask found Gamble along the sideline. The big end rambled and rumbled his way down the boundary, eventually being pushed out of bounds and taking out two Vanderbilt players, a trainer and a Gatorade cooler in route to a 34-yard gain that suddenly gave Florida ample breathing room with which to work. Emory Jones(1-1, 30 yards, one touchdown; four rushes, 25 yards) entered at quarterback mid-way through the driveway and on 2nd and 2 from the Vandy 30-yard line, found Gamble on a bubble. After breaking a shoelace tackle, the redshirt junior thundered into the endzone for what would be the final score. The Dores attempted to chip into the lead and made it back to the redzone before corner Kaiir Elam picked off Kenny Seals in the endzone to give his offense the ball back and run out the clock. “It was something I watched on film all week you know when they get in the red zone, they, they like to lean on the slot zone, they like to do double move. They try, he tried to do a slant and go and I had my head back to the ball and made a play,” explains Elam. Each team had one turnover on the day; the Seals interception and a Kadarius Toney fumble from a punch out. The Gator defense, maligned in commentary all day, held the Dores in the redzone on the ensuing drive, getting after the freshman passer and allowing no points off the turnover. Still, adjustments continue to be needed on the defense and Dan Mullen sees answers in younger guys playing more often—alongside veterans, not in spite of. And that will change soon. “I want to roll guys early, I don't think we did defensively. I think offensively we did a good job of that, on defense I was a little disappointed, I got on it, we haven't been rolling guys and I'm like 'Hey, I want to roll these guys through.' We've get a long season, you've got to develop guys, we've got to stay fresh for four quarters and the best way to do that is roll guys through and build depth and experience. And you've got to do it early in the game and I don't think; that's something I will address: that that wasn't done earlier in the game.” Elam would also add better communication. Plays coming in late from the sideline can’t happen against a tempo offense (which is what Vanderbilt ran on Saturday) as they can catch Florida on their heels, like on not only the busted 58-yard touchdown, but the first score of the game, which came on Elam. “On that touchdown I gave up, I was looking over, the whole defense was looking over for the play. They were going fast. My linebacker called me over, because the tight end lined up out and the wide receiver lined up in. But were to busy looking for the play so we didn't get to communicate, get lined up and they already snapped, snapped the ball. “So I had to try my best to get the ball. And then, I'm supposed to be inside leverage. I mean, it’s just something we got to go faster, get the call to get lined up. But I think, I mean you just gotta play, just trust what Coach Grantham is telling us to do. “And I think we have to clean it up, especially where we want to go, you know, SEC Championship, National Championship, I think it’s just something we have, have to clean up because I think, like you said, most of the yards came from those slants and those bang 8’s [post-routes].” And in many ways, with what we’ve come to expect of this Florida Gators offense, the 586 yards of total offense 29 first downs and 7.7 yards per play is somewhat of a disappointment. This despite the fact Florida scored 35 or more points for the ninth consecutive game, breaking the school record for most such games (eight games during 2008 and first eight games of 1996). It's also the seventh straight game with that point output against a SEC team, breaking those same aforementioned records. But that's standard now right? Kyle Trask didn’t break any new records on Saturday. He didn’t throw four touchdown passes in a game for the first time all season, having to “settle” for 383 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, 26-35 passing. He finished one touchdown shy of tying the all time FBS record for most touchdowns through seven games. He doesn’t care. “We’re here to win games. I’ve said this enough times, I don’t care if I throw 10 touchdowns or zero touchdowns, I just want to win. We did a great job—we started a little flat, but we did a great job coming together and finding a way. This was a huge win for us.” It’s an expected answer from a humble guy on a team-first roster. Yet it also mirrors the lesson the Gators will take home with them from Nashville. The Commodores always seem to play Florida hard, especially in their stadium, however empty it may be. But if you want to win a championship, sometimes you have to win games like this. You have to figure out how to bounce back from a slow start, how not to get discouraged by an early game; how to find your own motivation in an otherwise empty stadium. How to win in whatever way is necessary that particular day for that particular game. For that matter, how to adapt amidst COVID-19 worries, even if it means arriving at the stadium 62 minutes before kickoff and getting dressed on the field to avoid the small visitor locker room. Whatever it takes. When you’re chasing a championship, you win with whatever it takes. Says Trask, “Something Coach Mullen’s told us, was he’s been on championship teams and sometimes they came out flat but they still found a way to win. And obviously we came out pretty flat, obviously you want to start off faster than that, but at the end of the day we found a way to win and that’s all that matters.”

GatorBait Magazine unfortunately isn't in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend but the Florida Gators (5-1) are and they will be taking on the Vanderbilt Commodores (0-6) at noon ET on ABC. The game was originally scheduled to air on ESPN. But early Saturday morning, the ACC matchup between No. 4 Clemson and FSU was postponed after a Clemson offensive lineman reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Once that game was removed from ABC, the Florida-Vanderbilt game was moved into the prime noon slot. The complete list of unavailable players for Florida on Saturday are as follows: 2 Anthony Richardson 4 David Reese 7 Jeremiah Moon 17 Kahleil Jackson 21 Ethan Pouncey 26 Kamar Wilcoxson 38 Nick Oelrich 41 James Houston 51 Stewart Reese 54 Lamar Goods 55 Hayden Knighton 66 Jaelin Humphries 80 Trent Whittemore 84 Kyle Pitts 95 Lucas Alonso Tight end Kyle Pitts will be unavailable again this afternoon. After receiving a hard hit that caused a concussion versus the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks ago, Pitts also had to receive surgery to repair his nose which was broken during the hit. He missed last week's big win over the Arkansas Razorbacks; however Kyle Trask continued his hot streak with six touchdowns as 10 different receivers caught a pass. Pitts being held out again today allows for precautionary recovery before the Gators face Kentucky next Saturday. Trask will continue his Heisman campaign in Nashville. He currently has 28 touchdowns to 3 interceptions and has set and reset the SEC record for most consecutive games with four or more touchdowns. Trask has done it in every game this season. Florida is favored by 31.5 against the winless Dores. Only family members are allowed to be in the stands today. Check out the full slate of stories from this week's GatorBait Magazine edition: -Trevon Grimes, Justin Shorter and the Brotherhood That's Driving the Florida Gators -Why All the Criticism About Florida's Todd Grantham? Maybe They Don’t Get His Defense. -Bradshaw And Meyer Weigh In: Trask Is Mechanically Inclined And Has Reached Elite Status -With John Hevesy, the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Is that aggressive philosophy the reason the Gator defense can’t get off the field on third down? I asked Grantham if he considered his defense high risk/high reward. He quickly shot that idea down. In the sometimes-alternative universe of Florida Gators football, fans usually want what they don’t have. The backup quarterback should start. They pass too much, they should run more. They run too much, they should pass more. They don’t throw enough to the tight end. They don’t blitz enough. They blitz too much. Our secondary sucks, but we are still DBU. And so it goes. In baseball parlance it’s known as the “Second Guess.” In football, its corollary is “The Monday Morning Quarterback.” There’s a hard-core group of Internet jockeys who have made Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham their favorite pinata on message boards. That’s a little odd, considering the respect Grantham has engendered in the coaching profession and among his present and former players – not to mention his boss Dan Mullen. God bless those fickle people -- those Boys & Girls From Old Florida -- because they care. They care a lot. They are heart and soul of Gator football. They just don’t always grasp the concept of what the coaches are trying to do, but have every right to make their feelings known. And believe it or not, coaches are not always right! The other day Steve Spurrier said to me that “sometimes the coaches don’t pick the right players” to put on the field. He’s right. They even forget about who’s on the sideline. That’s why Urban Meyer kept a punch list of who was available for the game. And even then, sometimes the coaches whiff on player evaluations. I suppose Kyle Trask could be exhibit A. One wonders -- given his current status as Heisman Trophy favorite – why and how the Big Texas quarterback could have sat the bench ever since junior high school and through nearly two regimes of Florida coaching. They almost missed on that one and he may be about to become The Accidental Heisman winner. Or was it just a case of uncanny, rapid development by Mullen and his staff? But back to Grantham. For weeks now I’ve been asking people why he has been so disrespected and continues getting insulted by terms like “Third and Grantham” since he coached at Georgia. Is it a well-deserved description? I get a mixed response. There’s the perception that Grantham’s scheme breaks down on third and long – often for big chunks. That reputation came back to haunt him in the first three games this season on both third AND fourth down. Let the numbers show that while the Gator total defense ranks a paltry 62nd nationally and 78th in allowing third down conversions (35), they are No. 1 in total sacks and total defense among SEC teams – playing in America’s toughest conference. So doesn’t that make them a high-risk/reward defense? Maybe not so much, say the brass. “Yeah, we have a very aggressive style defense,” Dan Mullen responded. “And don't mistake aggressive style defense for ‘we're just gonna blitz all over the place.’ We have an aggressive attacking style defense. I think we lead the SEC in sacks or maybe we're probably up there. We're going to get after quarterbacks, make life difficult for them.” “He’s very good defensive coordinator,” Urban Meyer said about the guy he faced across the field several times. “And I know Dan likes him very much.” Grantham and Mullen feel this is a work-in-progress defense that’s gotten much better in recent weeks. Since the loss Texas A&M, Grantham’s defense tightened up vs. Georgia (277 yards, 3x16 third and fourth down conversions) and somewhat against Feleipe Franks’ Arkansas team (3x10 third and fourth downs but 458 yards). Yet what do the numbers say? I hate dealing with math – I was always better in college at philosophy and preferred studying Socrates over Isaac Newton – but sometimes you can’t ignore the numbers. First, though, about the Socrates stuff. Is that aggressive philosophy the reason the Gator defense can’t get off the field on third down? I asked Grantham if he considered his defense high risk/high reward. He quickly shot that idea down. “Not really,” he fired back. “I think that we’re pretty calculated in what we do. We understand that we have to play a certain way. Just because we’re bringing guys (blitzing) doesn’t mean we’re not in safe zone defense. I think it’s calculated. And there is an understanding of how you have to play. But as for ‘high risk’-- I really don’t think there’s high risk in it because we’re going to work to keep the deep balls to a minimum.” Let me stop there before I get over my head in Xs and Os. I don’t know much about the technique, but seems to me the mental aspect of Grantham’s attacking defense and the variety of looks he gives a quarterback are a huge advantage to a high-powered offense that wants to get the ball back as quickly as possible. “I think Todd and the staff do an excellent job of making adjustments, of changing things during the course of the game -- even this year,” explained Mullen. “Like I said early in the year, we had a lot of newer faces going into the season. We're going to coach those guys really hard …” I’m not given to throwing numbers around in my writings, but there is veracity in them. As the astute Will Miles of Gators Breakdown noted about the 2018 Kentucky game (454 yards, 9 of 13 third down conversions), the 2019 Georgia loss (398 yards, 9x13 third downs), and then the first three games of 2020: Ole Miss rang up over 600 yards and 9x14 conversions. South Carolina only converted 6x17 on third down, but the Gator defense yielded 5x6 on fourth down. Texas A&M had 543 yards 205 yards rushing and 12x15 on third down. The explosiveness of those plays was painful for fans and in moments of anger, they would reach out to the graffiti of sports space – the Internet message boards – to vent. “Third and Grantham” might have been one of the nicer things that they posted. If I understand his explanation, on Tuesday Grantham tried to explain to us dimwits why he is encouraged by the progress he sees and is using those explosive plays as a teaching tool. “I think on the third-down thing, really, the credit goes to the players for executing relative to the sticks and the possessions and how much down and distance is needed,” he said. “I think they’ve done a good job of preparing that. As far as an explosive play, I think it goes back to what I said about the value of all 11 guys on the field being on the same page and doing their job.” This gets a bit deep and it’s where fans – and writers – don’t connect the dots. So I asked Grantham: “On a scale from one to 10, how much do you think the average fan understands what you’re trying to accomplish on defense? Understanding you’re attacking the quarterback, trying to knock him out?” He thought for a milli-second and perhaps felt that I was mis-characterizing his defense. “I would say probably a middle-round grade of five or so,” Grantham responded. “From the standpoint of. … it’s more than just sacking the quarterback. It’s understanding, for example, when you watch Feleipe (Franks) last week, there’s a lot of times his first read wasn’t there and he held the ball and the coverage really dictated the sack, from that standpoint. “You obviously have to have pressure to get after the quarterback. You also want to find ways that you can make the pre-snap look like one thing, yet when the ball’s snapped, it goes to something else to make him have a choice: ‘Either I hold the ball or take a hit or throw the ball where I shouldn’t.’ When you get that, that’s when you start getting sacks and turnovers and things like that.” It occurred to me that I was getting away above my pay grade, but that I was talking to a cerebral coach who saw a bigger picture as a pathway to possible greatness – the bookend to the offensive mastermind with a similar M.O. This might have been the capper. A friend of a friend of mine – and I realize this kind of sketchy source gives journalists a bad name, but it perfectly illustrates the point – said he was sitting right behind the Gator bench during the Arkansas game when he saw Grantham chewing out his player. The player was trying to convince the coach that the reason he had done the deed was “I was trying to win the game.” To which a fired-up Grantham allegedly said: “I don’t give a damn about the (expletive) game – I’m trying to win a (expletive) championship.” I don’t know if that’s accurate or true, but I’d like to think it was.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. John Hevesy knows. It was the spring of 2019. John Hevesy was walking toward the Florida football practice facility when he stopped for a couple of moments to talk to an old friend who dated back to the days when he was a UF assistant for Urban Meyer. “I’m just an old fat guy,” Hevesy said. “I’m still the same guy you knew back then. Still a tough guy who expects my guys to block and be tough.” Times change. Offenses change. Players come and go. The raw 18-year old today is expected to leave five years from now a grown man, especially if he’s an offensive lineman. That’s what Hevesy expects. Florida’s offensive line coach has been at this long enough to know that change is inevitable. If you’re incapable of adapting to offenses that are in a constant state of evolution then you aren’t going to last all that long in this business. And yet, despite all the changes one thing remains the same. “It’s always going to be about blocking and tackling,” Hevesy said. “It takes tough guys to do it well.” It takes a tough coach to instill the toughness to make it work. Hevesy and Florida head coach Dan Mullen have been working together since their days at Bowling Green where Meyer transformed a dormant program in the Mid-American Conference into a cutting edge offense that was half-option, half pro-set, all-exciting all the time. From Bowling Green it was off to Utah where the offense morphed again. At Florida two years later, despite a couple of speed bumps that forced adapting the offense to the personnel on hand, the offense changed again. Nine years at Mississippi State saw at least three modifications of the offense, all personnel driven, and it continues to change at Florida. Dual threat quarterbacks. Running quarterbacks. Pass first quarterbacks. The offense changes. What happens with the offensive line changes too, but not as dramatically. It’s still about putting a hat on somebody and pushing them around. No matter how the offense changes, Hevesy’s trench troops still have to block. They have to protect the quarterback so he has time to throw it and you throw as often as the Gators do, the rushing stats aren’t particularly great, but even that can be deceiving. Can you get a first down on third-and-two? Down at the goal line can you get touchdowns instead of settling for field goals? You can have an effective running game if you’re capable of consistently converting in those situations. There is a reason why Mullen and Hevesy have hung together all these years. Mullen is somewhat of an offensive savant who sees a defense and then almost sees a video of a play that works in his head. Hevesy is the coach whose tough guys up front provide the protection or open the holes so what Mullen sees in his head becomes reality on the field. Hevesy takes Mullen’s concepts then figures out how to adapt the blocking schemes so his big guys can get the job done. The way Mullen’s brain works, he’s always going to be a step ahead of everyone else when it comes to finding some new way for his offense to work. Hevesy isn’t along for the ride. He’s busy finding the personnel who can make it all work. Things are always changing and yet they stay the same. The perfect example is what has been going on the last two-and-a-half seasons at Florida with an offense that has been in a constant state of flux. From the bad team that Mullen inherited from the fired Jim McElwain (4-7 in 2017), the Gators have evolved into a national power that actually has a chance to make the College Football Playoff this season. The Gators are 26-6 after 10-3 in 2018, 11-2 in 2019 and a 5-1 record so far in 2020. McElwain’s last team averaged 335.9 yards per game and ranked 110th nationally in total offense. In three seasons at UF there wasn’t a single McElwain team that finished in the top 100 of the nation’s offensive stats. That changed with the arrival of Mullen. Mullen’s first Florida team in 2018 finished 42nd nationally, averaging 426.7 yards per game. That was with Feleipe Franks at QB throwing for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns (ran for 350 and 7 TDs), the best numbers for any quarterback at Florida since Tim Tebow’s senior season in 2009. What happened that first season had everything to do with Hevesy taking four starters (Jawaan Taylor, Martez Ivey, Tyler Jordan and Fred Johnson) from the previous season, turning backup guard Nick Buchanan into a functional, consistent SEC center and molding them into a unit that cut the sacks in half (37 in 2017; 18 in 2018) and improved the rushing attack by 83 yards to 213.5 yards per game. In 2019, Mullen had to re-tool the offense in game three when Franks went down with a season-ending ankle fracture/dislocation. Starting with the fourth quarter against Kentucky, a game in which Kyle Trask led the Gators to a come-from-behind win with 19 consecutive points, Mullen and Hevesy have been changing the offense. Trask hadn’t started a game since his ninth-grade year at Manvel, Texas but he has a lively, accurate arm and good pocket presence. So from the dual threat of Franks the Gators became a pass first team the next ten games. Trask finished the season with 2,941 passing yards for 25 touchdowns and the Florida offense improved to 430.5 yards per game. That might not sound like much improvement but take into consideration Hevesy lost four senior starters from 2018 and his only returning starter was Buchanan. The other four starters (Stone Forsythe, Brett Heggie, Jean Delance and sometime starters Richard Gouraige and Ethan White) had a collective 12 starts between them before the season began. While the offensive scheme changed from a dual threat to pro-style passing game, the O-line had to make changes on the fly, too, to become more proficient in pass blocking. Despite all the changes, they still gave up only 25 sacks all season, which is fairly remarkable considering the inexperience and the sudden change in emphasis of the offense. Florida’s 2020 offense has taken things to a level unseen in many years. Between Mullen’s impeccable play calling, Trask’s ability to go from the Tinker Toys of 2019 to the Star Wars of 2020 in the passing game, a receiving corps led by All-Interplanetary tight end Kyle Pitts that ranks among the two or three best in the country and Hevesy’s line (LT Forsythe, LG Gouraige, C Heggie, RG Mississippi State grad transfer Stewart Reese, RT Delance) operating with experienced guys from one tackle to the other, the Gators are so explosive that long-time SEC observers and experts question if there is a defense in the country capable of even slowing them down. The numbers the Gators are putting up every week speak for themselves. The Gators average 511.7 yards per game (140 on the ground, 371.7 through the air) and 45.8 points per game. The average offensive play gains 7.36 yards. Not even Meyer’s 2008 Gators who won the national championship could match that (445.1 yards, 43.6 points, 7.1 per play) even with Tebow, Percy Harvin and a host of future NFL guys. You have to go back to Steve Spurrier’s 1996 national championship team (47 points, 533.9 yards, 7.1 per play) and his final season (2001) for something comparable (44.8 points, 527.5 yards, 7.4 per offensive play). Break down the numbers further. Trask is averaging 10.3 yards per pass attempt. He averaged 8.3 last year and that was with four receivers who are now playing for pay on Sunday. He’s thrown 28 touchdown passes, at least four in every game. That’s three more in six games than last year when he started 10 games and played in 12. None of this is possible without an offensive line that isn’t getting the job done every single game. The Gators have allowed only six sacks, which ranks second in the SEC to Texas A&M and is tied for 14th nationally. None of those teams have a passing game that compares with Florida. The Gators are the best red zone team in the SEC with 31 scores in 32 trips. UF converts 52% on third down. Look to Florida’s last two games – a 44-28 win over then 5th-ranked Georgia and a 63-35 win over Arkansas – as perhaps the best two indicators of how the Florida offensive line has become a dominating force. Georgia came into the game with what many experts thought was the most complete defense in the country. They stacked against the run and dared people to throw because their 5-star athletes coming off the edge were getting so much pressure on the QB. Mullen basically made the wheel route Florida’s running game as Florida running backs caught 10 passes for 212 yards. Trask threw for 474 and the Gators racked up 571, the most yards a Georgia defense has given up since Kirby Smart became head coach. As for pressure, Georgia had one sack and that was because of one of the few blown assignments the entire game. Arkansas came into The Swamp a week ago with a defense that was turning people over left and right (six against Ole Miss for example) and had been dialing up pressure on a consistent basis to force bad throws. Hevesy’s O-line gave Trask plenty of time and exceptional throwing lanes. He was sacked once and that came on a blitz when Trask should have gotten rid of the football. In only 51 snaps, the Gators were good for 458 yards, 208 of which came on the ground, Florida’s best running game of the season. The Gators will be heavy favorites to win all four of the remaining games on the schedule. They’re 31.5-point favorites to demolish Vanderbilt in Nashville this weekend and they figure to be at least 15-point favorites to beat Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU in their final three regular season games. A 4-0 finish will not only send the Gators to the SEC Championship Game but they’ll get there with momentum on their side because what we are witnessing if the perfect storm for an offense: an enlightened play caller in Mullen, a quarterback who can make NFL throws in Trask, receivers who can get open against anybody, running backs who can not only grind out yards but can catch the ball out of the backfield, and an offensive line that is in a constant improvement mode. One of the signs of an outstanding offensive line is they get better as the season moves along, something Hevesy’s troops have been doing. As much as football has been in a constant state of change as we’ve watched spread offenses become the norm and passing games use every inch of the field to stretch defenses, the game is still about what happens up front. You don’t win games with a bad or even an average offensive line. Florida’s offensive line might have begun the season considered quite average – Lindy’s preseason magazine rated Florida the 7th-best in the SEC – but they have improved each game to the point they are right up there with Texas A&M and Alabama as the top group in the league. For far too long, Hevesy hasn’t been given nearly enough credit for taking young talent and turning it into a very functional, consistent group. He is one of the best in the SEC and daresay the entire country at coaching up an offensive line. If you don’t believe it, then do yourself a favor. Check out the stats. The numbers don’t lie. So while the game may have changed in all the years Hevesy has been working with Mullen, it’s still the same in one key respect. If you block better, you win more games. That’s what Hevesy’s troops have been doing year after year. It’s football and at least in the case of the Mullen-Hevesy partnership, the more things change, the more things stay the same.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED BLOWOUT The pandemic eliminated the usual suspects who come to Gainesville for a paycheck, but fortunately for 6th-ranked Florida (5-1), the Gators play in the SEC East and that means an annual matchup with everybody’s get well opponent, Vanderbilt (0-6). These are two programs heading in polar opposite directions. The Gators are well on their way toward a divisional championship, the SEC Championship Game and potentially, a shot at the College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt is well on its way to a reverse table run. The Commodores haven’t won a game and it’s going to take an upset of changing water into the walls of Jericho falling down proportions for them to end this perfect season in reverse. Florida is building a championship future. Vanderbilt is fielding a team for an SEC paycheck that helps balance the athletic department books. Saturday, the Gators are 31.5-point favorites to waltz into Nashville and do a two-step before a crowd of tens at one of the worst stadiums in all of college football. Florida’s biggest concern won’t be anything Vanderbilt puts out on the field, but instead the tiny Vandy locker rooms. In these days of Covid-19, the last thing needed is 60-or-so players jam-packed into a tiny visitors locker room. Expect the Florida athletic department to figure out a way to keep players spaced out even if it means dressing for the game at the hotel and dressing after the game in shifts. Once they take the field, this could be one of those Name That Score type of games. Even without Kyle Pitts to throw to, Kyle Trask has plenty of receivers like Justin Shorter and Trevon Grimes to find open space against a Vanderbilt defense that struggles to get stops in skeleton drills in practice. The Vandy secondary has one interception and the only team their front seven has gotten any pressure on is Mississippi State, owner of the worst offensive line (Vandy’s is the second worst) in the SEC. It will be a fine game for getting reps in the running game so when Trask isn’t carving up the Vandy secondary, Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis and Nay’Quan Wright should probably rumble for more than 200 yards. This is also a game where the UF defense will have a chance to get well. Vandy throws a lot of picks (9 so far) and fumbles a lot (5). The receivers aren’t very sure-handed but they compensate by being slow. The Sayer Says Sooth: If this were not a pandemic year complete in which every athletic department is pinching pennies, Derek Mason would be consulting with Nashville real estate brokers to find out who has the best chance to sell his house after he is dismissed. But since it’s a pandemic year, Vandy has no desire to can Mason (the chardonnay and bleu cheese alumni crowd finds that so distasteful) even if he runs the table. Florida will be able to play a lot of players because this one will go ugly early. FLORIDA 56, Vanderbilt 10 THE SEC SOOTHSAYER KENTUCKY (3-4) at #1 ALABAMA (6-0): Kentucky will always be remembered as the school that ran Bear Bryant off. More than 60 years later, Bear is still Kentucky’s all-time winningest coach with 60 wins. Bear finished his coaching career with 323, 232 of them at Alabama. In the years since Bear left, Kentucky has won exactly 318 games. Alabama has won 559 and 13 national championships since 1954. Alabama is a 30-point favorite when Kentucky comes to town Saturday. The Sayer Says Sooth: Along with wondering what might have been if they hadn’t run Bear Bryant off, Kentucky will be looking wishfully at Alabama QB Mac Jones, who was committed to UK in 2015 before Alabama offered. Jones should be good for about five touchdown passes Saturday. Alabama 49, Kentucky 10 MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-4) at #13 GEORGIA (4-2): Through his first 62 games as Georgia’s head coach, Kirby Smart is 48-14. It must be noted that Mark Richt was 50-12 through his first 62. Richt had at least three near national championships. Smart has one. Smart is in no particular danger of losing his 15th game Saturday against Mississippi State although I’ve been told that donkeys can indeed fly on occasions. This is not one of those occasions. Georgia might be going through the motions Saturday but that’s better than Mississippi State, which can’t wait for this season to be over. The Sayer Says Sooth: It will be 0-0 when the game starts. That’s about as close as it will get. Even without a functional QB, Georgia is better than Mississippi State. If Mike Leach were to somehow score an upset, the Georgia faithful might be thinking about a Go Fund Me page to raise the money necessary to buy out Kirby’s contract. Maybe Mark Richt could be coaxed out of retirement. Georgia 38, Mississippi State 10. TENNESSEE (2-4) at #23 AUBURN (4-2): The Vols are on a fast track toward nowhere but it doesn’t matter. They aren’t going to fire Jeremy Pruitt because to do so would entail Phattus Maximus (the former coach and now AD) admitting he blew it when he hired Pruitt even though he had never been a head coach of a junior high team. Auburn, on the other hand, has incentive to win. Lose and there is every good chance the Auburn faithful will raise the bazillion or so dollars it takes to buy out Gus Malzahn. If he goes 7-3 or 8-2, his job will be safe. Well, maybe. These are Auburn fans we’re talking about. But, all things considered, Auburn can run the football and Tennessee can’t stop anyone on the ground. Also, Bo Nix can hit the broad side of a barn when he throws. Jarrett Guarantano of Tennessee can’t. Auburn is a 10.5-point home favorite. It’s not going to be that close. The Sayer Says Sooth: As long as he doesn’t slip on his own drool when he sees how big those holes are to run through, Tank Bigsby has a chance at a 200-yard game and there isn’t much Tennessee can do to stop him. If Guarantano could throw, the Vols might have a chance. He can’t. Auburn 33, Tennessee 20 LSU (2-3) at ARKANSAS (3-4): The Fighting Feleipes have a legitimate shot at a winning record, which would be a rather impressive accomplishment in Sam Pittman’s first year on the job. Pittman has things moving onward and upward in Fayette Nam, in no small part thanks to Feleipe Franks, who has substantially elevated play at QB for an offense that keeps getting better. LSU, meanwhile, can’t stop anyone defensively and will be relying on a true freshman QB on the road. When TJ. Finley made his last start (also on the road), LSU got poleaxed by Auburn, 48-11. This is a season that can’t get over soon enough for LSU, which won’t be down long if you are to believe recruiting rankings. Arkansas, which has been down a long time, is just getting started. The Sayer Says Sooth: LSU is a 2.5-point favorite on the road which seems rather strange considering the Tigers just aren’t very good this year, especially on defense. Ball Park Franks is going to have one of his better games and Arkansas is going to even up its record at 4-4. Arkansas 33, LSU 27 MISSOURI (2-4) at SOUTH CAROLINA (2-5): Connor Bazelac could set some Mizzou passing records Saturday. Since South Carolina gave Will Muschamp an involuntary opt out back on Sunday, the Gamecocks two best defensive players – corners Israel Mukuamu and Jaycee Horn – have voluntarily called it quits for the season. That leaves a South Carolina defense which has given up 159 points in the last three games vulnerable to a rapidly improving Missouri passing game led by Bazelac, a redshirt freshman who has completed 69.1% of his passes and is averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. When Bazelac isn’t picking on the South Carolina secondary, Larry Rountree III should be good for at least 125 or so yards. The Sayer Says Sooth: The president of South Carolina probably thought he was doing the right thing when he canned Muschamp, but Will was quite popular with his players. There will be a serious emotional letdown because they aren’t going to win one for The (Mike) Bobo. Based on what we’ve seen of the South Carolina defense these last three games, it could get ugly early. Missouri 40, South Carolina 24 TACKLE FOOTBALL PLAYED SOMEWHERE BESIDE THE SEC Trevor Lawrence will be back Saturday, which is good news for 4th-ranked Clemson (7-0), bad news for Florida State (2-6). Clemson is a 35.5-point favorite. I’ll be surprised if it’s that close. This will be dial-a-score. If you haven’t read the outstanding piece on the dire straits of the FSU program written by Andrea Adelson and David M. Hale at ESPN.com, then you’re missing out on an outstanding analysis of how the wheels came off in Tallahassee and how it might take years and years – if ever – before the program is anything more than break even. Things aren’t bad in Tallahassee. They’re worse. Third-ranked Ohio State (3-0) is a 20.5-point favorite to dismantle 9th-ranked Indiana (4-0) Saturday afternoon in Columbus. If Indiana does the unthinkable and scores the upset, the higher-ups in the Big Ten (Plus Four) Conference will be on suicide watch. The last thing – at least in their puny little minds – they need in a season in which Penn State (0-4) and Michigan (1-3) stink is for Ohio State to take one on the chin. The biggest game for the Group of Five is in Orlando this week when unbeaten and 7th-ranked Cincinnati (7-0) faces UCF (4-2). Cincinnati is a 6-point favorite. I’ll take UCF in this one. Maybe by a couple of touchdowns. Although I don’t trust any defense coached up by Randy Shannon to get the job done, I think UCF and QB Dillon Gabriel have (a) too much speed and (b) the heat (81 degrees Saturday afternoon) and humidity working for them. The second biggest game in the Group of Five has Appalachian State (6-1) traveling to 15th-ranked and unbeaten Coastal Carolina (7-0) in a clash of Fun Belt Sun Belt titans. Coastal is a 5.5-point favorite to win this one on the teal turf (and here you were thinking the Smurf turf at Boise State was ugly). Wouldn’t this be a great year for a Group of Five playoff? Right now there are ten (count ‘em) unbeatens in the Group of Five: 7th-ranked Cincinnati (7-0); 8th-ranked BYU (8-0); Marshall and Coastal Carolina, both tied for #15 and both 7-0; 21st-ranked Liberty (8-0); Nevada (4-0); San Jose State (4-0); Buffalo (3-0); Kent State (3-0) and Western Michigan (3-0). Since there won’t be such a playoff, I’m hoping the people who do the bowls will figure out a way to match up BYU and Cincinnati if they both finish the year unbeaten. Liberty (8-0) is a 3.5-point road dog at North Carolina State (5-3). Should the Fighting Freezes win this one, they’ll be 3-0 against the Always Climpson Conference this year. THINKING OUT LOUD WITH PITHY THOUGHTS ON A FRIDAY: The NCAA is planning to hold its entire 68-team (remember you have four teams that play in) basketball tournament in Indianapolis. Let’s seen how they make that work not only scheduling the games but for hotel space. The NCAA has to have a tournament this year to make up for the loss of $375 million last year. There are a lot of basketball-only and lower level football schools that can’t make ends meet without their cut of the TV revenue. Leave it to the NCAA that if there is a way to screw this up, they will do it … The NBA held its draft Wednesday night. The Minnesota Timberwolves picked Georgia’s Anthony Edwards with the #1 pick. I’m still shaking my head about that one but that pales in comparison to the Charlotte Hornets picking LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick. Michael Jordan is the greatest player ever in the league but he’s well on his way toward becoming the Dan Snyder of the NBA when it comes to ownership … The Oklahoma City Thunder have a ton of draft choices stockpiled over the next few years. Maybe they’ll draft some people who won’t require an interpreter. Their three draft picks from Wednesday night hail from Serbia, France and the Czech Republic.

Tre Grimes had his eyes on the big screen, watching as his teammates Justin Shorter coasted to the side of the endzone. That’s where quarterback Kyle Trask found the receiver, and arced a rainbow pass to the 6-5 redshirt sophomore. As Shorter came down with the catch over an Arkansas Razorback defender for the score, Grimes shot off the bench and down the sideline, cutting around an official and getting to Shorter before any of his teammates. The two shared a chest bump as Grimes celebrated harder than anyone in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium over the touchdown that sent the Gators up 21-7 in a game they’d eventually win 63-35. The touchdown saw Shorter leap with both feet off the ground, back arched and hands in a stiff line into the air. It looked remarkably similar to a touchdown scored by Grimes the week before versus the Georgia Bulldogs. "We have the pictures, it's kind of like the catch I made at Georgia, literally identical,” remarked Grimes. And who’s was better? “Honestly Shorter, I'll give it to my boy Shorter,” admits Grimes. “Like I said, he's a phenomenal player, phenomenal catch, and that's just a small thing of what he can do. His catch radius is crazy, so, he's a phenomenal receiver, and his catch was pretty fire.” It shouldn’t be a coincidence the two mirrored one another however. Justin Shorter has been studying Tre Grimes game for years. “I was looking up to (Grimes) since I was literally in eighth grade.” That would have been nearly eight years ago for Shorter, the New Jersey native. As he was developing his skills to become one of the best high school players in the country, he began looking for YouTube clips…and found a South Florida player who served as a study in success and inspiration. "I remember YouTube, they would always have these videos about all these highlights from these great players, and I see Trevon Grimes. It’s this tall dude, lanky, kind of like me. So I just watched him, and I was able to follow him. “I can promise you guys, I remember watching YouTube videos on him, undergrad spotlights and all this stuff, and then finally being able to come here and I’m like ‘Wow, Trevon Grimes is actually at my position, he’s playing with me.’ So I’ve just been trying to learn every single detail from him back there so I can just better myself, and it’s been paying off.” In much the same way they’ve found a similar groove in Gainesville, the duo followed a markedly similar path to Gator country. Both initially enrolled and suited up for storied Big 10 programs. Grimes at Ohio State, Shorter at Penn State. Both had potential for a career there but found a fit off the field that, well, chafed. You’d be hard pressed to convince either to speak a bad word about their former teams. But something wasn’t right. Grimes transferred to the Florida program ahead of the 2018 season, receiving a waiver to play immediately. Shorter followed this past offseason and received the same waiver. “Coach Franklin is a great coach, all the coaches out there are great people,” said Shorter. “All the players up there, I’m still very, very close with them. It was obviously unfortunate that I had to leave, but I had to make the best choice for me and now, I’m here at Florida and I’m just focused on helping our team get to the national championship.” And for as much as he appreciated James Franklin, the opportunity to work under receiver coach Billy Gonzales was too enticing to pass up, especially following a season Gonzales sent four receiver to the NFL. “Dan Mullen and Billy Gonzalez, they have a lot of experience working together. So that was really attractive, just to see both of them basically being together for a long time and knowing that (Gonzales) coached wideouts and that I would be able to come in here and get developed. And every single day since I’ve met him over the summer, he’s been working us and the wideout group and we’ve all just really taken strides. “It’s just so good seeing our practice, because we see freshmen coming in, Xzavier Henderson coming in to practice, and he’s going out there and doing all these crazy moves and like, I’m learning from him, and (Gonzales) is teaching us brand new things. It was really just the coaching, and it’s just paying off now. I’m just really, really thankful for it.” Shorter also found Grimes, his influence and inspiration and now teammate. The younger receiver eventually told Grimes of all those times he’d spent when just starting out, watching the St. Thomas Aquinas product’s tape on YouTube. But now he has a front row seat and tips from the man himself. “It was just crazy, just to see him like literally in front of my eyes, running routes and just see how similar we are and his body type and just seeing how he slows down his routes and how he gets in and out of his breaks, and I was just really trying to mirror that and basically just add to my toolbox so I could be useful. “One day I was like 'Yo man, I've been watching you since 8th grade,' but right now, I feel like that's my brother.” It’s the latter part of Shorter’s statement that is making the difference for the No. 6 Florida Gators. Not the sheer talent (though there is a lot), not the high powered air-raid offense (though it’s been incredible, and fourth in the nation in yards per game) and it’s not even all of that talent and offense coming together with guys that have been standing out since teammates were on JV squads. It’s the brotherhood. Before every game, a couple of things happen. One, the entire Florida team comes together in a huddle near the endzone, raise their fist in the air and a voice from the middle—it doesn’t matter who each week, because that’s not the point of the exercise—rings out, “who got my back?” “I got your back,” answers the team gathered around him. Two, Justin Shorter finds Tre Grimes and gives him a number. “Before every game, he'll come up to me, he'll say 'I need two, you need two,' or like 'I need one, you need one,' and every time he says it, that's really what happens, I kid you not,” laughed Grimes. "Like, Georgia game, he said 'You gon' get one this game,' and I got one. And then before this game, he said 'You're gonna get two touchdowns.' Like, he literally called it, and I scored two touchdowns. He said he was going to get two, too, but he didn't end up getting two, he only got one. He said he's going to catch up and make up for that one he didn't get this upcoming game, so I'm excited for him.” Shorter has scored one touchdown in each of the last three games, with 101 yards on the season. Grimes scored two versus Arkansas and has five on the season, with his 303 yards. Neither are gaudy numbers. The nation’s leading receiver—Elijah Moore of Ole Miss—has 1,054 yards and eight touchdowns through seven games. But remember, Grimes and Shorter play the same position, splitting reps as Grimes starts. That means between the two of them, they have 404 yards and eight touchdowns. The scoring tally would be tied for fourth in the nation. For Shorter, the former ESPN No. 1 receiver in the nation coming out of high school, biding his time behind Grimes is a small price to pay to learn from him, pick his brain, maybe even mimic his style on insane touchdown catches. It’s a microcosm of the rest of the team and the attitude it will take to win a championship. In total, 13 guys have caught a pass for Florida this season, with five already in double digits. Of those 13 with a reception, 11 have a touchdown. On the ground, 10 players have run the ball, six with double digit touches and five having hit pay-dirt carrying the ball. The theory has been put into practice—and proven successful—since Mullen and Gonzales arrived in Gainesville. To quote Mullen, “of our three starting receivers in 2019, four are in the NFL.” Adds Grimes, “It’s just a testimony that staying grounded and staying level headed and not getting too mad that if the ball doesn't come your way, or you don't have a certain amount of touches during a game, it's just a testimony to see that you can get to the next level, just buying into what coach Mullen says. “It's something you have to get used to. A lot of players come into college and they think they are going to get all these targets and be the top player, and then when you get to college, you realize that it’s not like that at all. You have to be able to share and be happy for your teammates, and like I said , I play with Justin Shorter, who is another phenomenal receiver and we play at the same position, and I’m as excited for him when he scores…that just goes to show the love we have for each other regardless if he plays my position or not. We want to see each other win. It’s an honor to play with teammates like that.” Shorter agreed, “Really, everyone on the team is selfless. We’re a huge family here. It’s just really good to see. Like, one person will score, and everyone will be jumping on the sideline going crazy. It’s just good to see everyone happy for each other whenever we all make big plays.” In short, they’re finding ways to share the wealth because sharing it is better than being poor. No where is that more evident than Grimes and Shorter. Just ask Tre Grimes. “The first workout we had together, Shorter came up to me and we started talking, we started talking about different routes, and how we run different things and I started asking him tips and he started asking me because he is a very big receiver. We started just talking and talking and then ever since then we became close friends and since then we work out together so it was never a kind of a, ‘size him up and see how he works and knowing that was kind of the person that was coming into play my same position.' “It was more so, learning from him and what I can learn from him and what he can learn from me and, and how we can be a duo to go out there and dominate. And that's what we're doing now and, and I'm happy he's here now and I'm excited for him and what he has for the future. And we're just going to keep going out there and dominate and doing what we do.” After Grimes matched Shorter’s vertical jump in celebration of his touchdown, he turned and found himself face-to-face with an official. He knew right away he was in trouble. “I realized when I was next to him, I was like 'Man, my helmet's off, I know I'm about to get a PI,' so I kind of tried to turn around and walked away, and the ref looked my in my eyes and said 'You can't do that,' and threw the flag right in front of me.” After making his way back to the sideline, coaches obligingly chastised Grimes for the flag…then commended him on the support according to the receiver. Because it’s difficult to be too upset for a show of affection and support that has become the backbone of a potential championship team. “That's something I would take the penalty for 'cause it just shows how much love we have for each other, as teammates.”

Terry Bradshaw has thrown a lot of footballs in his 72 years on planet earth. He was in fifth grade when Santa Claus left a football under the Christmas tree and it was glued to his hand from that point forward. His years of throwing the football at different parts of the swing set led him to be a four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And all of this is worth mentioning to assure you that when Bradshaw talks quarterbacks and throwing mechanics, everyone should listen (looking at you, Heisman voters). In a recent episode of the “Best Fridays In Football” podcast hosted by GatorBait’s Buddy Martin, Bradshaw explained why Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has been having a “Joe Burrow-like day” this season. Through six ball games, Trask has thrown for 2,171 yards and leads the country with 28 passing touchdowns. And while much of that can be attributed to the countless weapons Trask has at his fingertips and the tremendous work John Hevesy’s guys are doing up front, according to Bradshaw, much of it has to do with Trask being mechanically inclined. “I’ve watched him, not as closely as I want to, but I’ve said he throws a beautiful ball,” Bradshaw insisted. “Those long balls that really turn nice, it’s got great spin, or what they like to say rotation. He just throws a beautiful ball.” According to SEC StatCat, Trask has his hand in an explosive pass play 17.54% of the time. “I know he can gun it,” Bradshaw told Martin. “And a lot of people may say he doesn’t have a strong enough arm… Oh, yeah he does. If you’re playing in Division I football, you got a strong enough arm.” Trask hasn’t had to launch too many moonshots in 2020. His longest pass of 2020 came in week one against Ole Miss when he connected with Kyle Pitts for a 71-yard score. However, Pitts collected the ball at the Rebels’ 40-yard line, meaning Trask’s pass traveled just 31 yards. However, a 37-yard pass to Kadarius Toney against Texas A&M (see timestamp 4:22) might be a better testament to Trask’s power, while still staying precise. But what Bradshaw gushes about is Trask’s release, and even goes as far as to compare Trask to Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. “Most kids palm the football,” Bradshaw explains. “I threw the football with my fingers. You can throw a prettier ball palming it. Matter of fact, I will say this, if I came back today, I would palm the football. “When you palm a football and hold it, the nose automatically points down. So therefore, you gotta have the cup of your hand releasing upwards to get the nose of the ball to release upwards instead of down. And when you release it with the nose up, the ball gets air and the ball sails prettier and you can throw it farther. And it’ll turn over into the wind faster. In other words, the nose of the ball will go up and then it’ll turn down into the wind.” The importance of this, Bradshaw explains, is that when the nose of the ball is pointing downwards, it makes it difficult for receivers to get underneath the ball. Instead, he had to catch on top of the ball. When you look at Kyle Trask’s release, more often than not, the nose of the football is pointing upwards. Another interesting point about Trask is his comfort in throwing the football without using the laces, which Bradshaw recognizes as another type of release. Another frequent flyer on the “Best Friday’s In Football” podcast, former Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who has seen his fair share of talented quarterbacks, also has high praise to offer Trask. “We made the comment… both of us,” Meyer told Martin following the Gators’ win over Georgia. “Kyle Trask has to go from being a really good quarterback to a great quarterback and he’s done that.” As Martin reminded Florida’s former head coach, Meyer said that if Trask went on to beat Georgia and throw a couple of touchdown passes in the process, then he would be categorized as “elite” in Meyer’s eyes. And he did that, too. “He’s a Heisman candidate, he’s an elite quarterback… he’s earned that right,” Meyer said. Now, reorganizing the bronze statues outside of The Swamp will be no easy feat. But if the Heisman voters see the same promise Bradshaw and Meyer see, it just might have to be done. Hopefully Scott Stricklin still has the sculptor’s phone number.

Florida Gators Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham met with local media on Tuesday. He went over preparing defense for the No. 6 Gators, explaining his scheme for fans and what he's seen from freshmen thus far. As a valued GatorBait subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. HOW WOULD YOU DEFEND SHORTER'S MOM? "Yeah, I heard she can throw the ball, huh? What is it 100 passes or something like that? I guess you'd have to back 'em up, don't get it thrown over your head. Not really sure." HOW DO YOU ADDRESS DEFENSE PLAYING BETTER BUT STILL INSTANCES WHERE IT DIDN'T? "I think a couple things. When you go back and look at the game, before we started subbing freely and we were playing our guys, there was really 10 possessions in the game. There was a two-minute before the half where we're playing not to give up any kind of score. They get two plays and we're out of the half, so we really win that situation. Then you end up with nine other possessions in the game. And when you go back and look at those possessions there was three three-and-outs and two one-first-downs-and-outs. So that means in five possessions they had two first downs, which is pretty good. The issue is when you give up an explosive play, what it does is it shows you the value of everybody doing their job, meaning you need all 11 guys to be on the same page or in the right gap or doing their job, because if you have 10 guys going one way and another guy going another way you can create a seam. So when you kind of look at it that way, to me, it really showed the value of every play, every guy doing their job and their assignment to the best of their ability and always playing with effort and energy. And when you do that, you end up having success. So the good thing is during the course of the game, the plays that were explosive plays actually showed up in the game again, because obviously people are going to repeat those plays and see if you fixed it, and both of the plays that were explosive plays -- well, all three of them actually -- ended up being either negative-yardage plays or no gain plays. So therefore it's something that is obviously correctable, it gets down to consistency and making sure you do it right all the time. So the biggest thing with me is continue to play. Understand the importance of being exact in what you do. You've always got to play with effort and energy and you've just got to be consistent in your performance. So it's really a shame because when you look at the way they were playing defensively with the bend, don't break, kind of hope you screw it up, they had a lot of what I call double-digit drives in the game. Our kind of philosophy on defense was we want to get three-and-outs and put them back on the field. Because whether you score or not, if you're out there for 10, 12 plays on defense and all the sudden we can get a three-and-out or five-to-five-plays-and-out and you come back through the course of the game that’s going to take a toll on you. So that was kind of the philosophy that we had going into it, and for the most part it was that way. I think when you face a team that’s up tempo like that and they can get into a rhythm, you can have series like we had. That’s why it’s important to stop them as soon as you can. We go back to everything as far as, hey, this is what we have to do to be better this week. It’s always about continuing ot move this way through the season, and I think our guys have done that. We just need to work to be consistent in the plays that kind of bit us last Saturday.” Rashad said critical to clean up as season goes on? Bama could be waiting? “I think he and everybody needs to worry about playing Vanderbilt.” He didn’t say that, I did … “I gotcha. I’m just saying it’s really about playing the next game. As you go through the game and the season it’s about getting better each week, at this time of year. And it’s about your ability to improve on the things that fundamentally you weren’t good at the week before so that you can continue to be the kind of defense that we need to be to get where we want to go.” Leading league in sacks, TFLs, good to see, especially with guys back? “I think systematically we’re always going to be high in TFLs and sacks. I mean, that goes back if you just look at the record and the things that we’ve had. I think a lot of the credit goes to the players, to understanding their fits, understanding we can add on - meaning as they add blockers we can add guys to the rush. I think our guys up front have done a good job at continuing to develop themselves technique-wise, understanding the matchups, hey, this guy is a little bit vulnerable to this kind of move or whatever, and having a game plan in the pass rush. We always talk to our guys, what’s your plan in the rush? How’s the guy rushing you? Well, if he’s doing these things, then these are the things I need to do. So we kind of work on that and just continue to develop ourselves and always working to improve. I think the one thing that it does show is when you’re high in sacks like that, cause every sack is not going to be easy, I think it does show your effort. Because a lot of times sacks can be an effort play, where you kind of continue to come, you have good coverage in the back end and you get it off of a hug or get it off a second-effort rush. I think we have had some of those.” Handling those three one-play scoring drives in last two games? “I think the third-down thing, really, the credit goes to the players executing relative to the sticks and the possessions and how much down and distance is needed. I think they’ve done a good job of preparing that. As far as an explosive play, I think it goes back to what I said about the value of all 11 guys on the field being on the same page and doing their job because it only takes one person to not be exact and you create a seam, whether it’s in the run fit, whether it’s in the coverage as far as leverage, whether it’s my responsibility and who I was supposed to take. One of those things can create a seam and then when you do that you have to find a way to finish and I think that’s the biggest thing we have to work on as far as making sure we’re all doing our job and we continue to do that on a consistent basis.” Six games in, are the freshmen contributing the way you thought they would given COVID? “Yeah, I think some of them have been forced in maybe a little bit sooner than others, meaning like Rashad, for example, had to play earlier in the year. But for the most part, I think Gervon Dexter has continued to get some quality snaps and we’re going to need him to play or continue to play and improve for us to be the kind of team we want to be. I think, as a general rule, when you look at the young guys that have played, they all have played meaningful snaps. You can see their confidence in the way they communicate on the field. I think that’s the biggest thing that I notice when I watch guys on the practice field is: Are they a talking defense, are they talking about here’s what’s coming, what’s the adjustments and those kinds of things? When you get a lot of verbiage pre-snap from guys that tells me they kind of know what they’re doing and they’re confident in their abilities. That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen from those guys and I think those guys are going to be really good players for us the rest of the year and in the future.” From one to 10, how much do you think the average fan understands what you’re trying to accomplish on defense? “How much does the average fan…” Understanding you attacking the quarterback, trying to knock him out? “I would say probably a middle-round grade of five or so from the standpoint of… it’s more than just sacking the quarterback. It’s understanding, for example, when you watch Feleipe last week, there’s a lot of times his first read wasn’t there and he held the ball and the coverage really dictated the sack, from that standpoint. You obviously have to have pressure to get after the quarterback. You also want to find ways that you can make the pre-snap look look like one thing, yet when the ball’s snapped, it goes to something else to make him have a choice: either I hold the ball or take a hit or throw the ball where I shouldn’t. When you get that, that’s when you start getting sacks and turnovers and things like that. For example, in the Georgia game at the end, when you had those turnovers, that was a little bit of a product of that kind of thing. So, I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s not always about the sacks, it’s about how can I affect this guy’s mentality, how can I affect this guy’s decision-making skills throughout the entire game. And it’s got to come early with a few calls to rush and those kind of things.” Safe to say it’s high risk, high reward? “Not really. I think that we’re pretty calculated in what we do. We understand that we have to play a certain way. Just because we’re bringing guys doesn’t mean we’re not in safe zone defense. As far as, I think it’s calculated and there is an understanding of how you have to play, but as for high risk, I really don’t think there’s high risk in it because we’re going to work to keep the deep balls to a minimum.” Surprised your cornerbacks haven’t played to where we thought they may be going into the season? “When you look at the guys. For example, I told Marco this the other day, I thought his best play of the year was on the third-and-two when the tight end came into the flat and he stuck him and kept that from being a first down. I thought that was the best play of the game. That was the best play that I’ve seen from him from a standpoint of relentless effort, strain, a guy that’s bigger than me catching the ball, he’s got a head start and I come up and stop him before he gets that. I think that’s a credit to him and the way he’s worked. The thing that happens with you guys and a lot of people is when you watch the game, those guys are on islands. So it's obviously easy to see when things happen. Whereas, there could be just as many things happening inside but they get covered up because of the amount of people around. So those guys are on an island and they can get isolated and easily viewed. So therefore when they get viewed, they get an opinion of that play from people. I think you gotta have thick skin to play that position. And I think that when you look, the plays that they've given up at times ... You know, people in this league are always going to try to attack the things that hurt you, so you're going to see those plays throughout the rest of the year. And those guys have done a good job of working hard to improve themselves and they've ended up making some plays that we've needed them to as we have continued to improve throughout the last few games." Jeremiah Moon and James Houston being out? "You never use that as an excuse. You always say next man up mentality because that's the way you have to play. But I think any time you lose guys that have played quality snaps for you it hurts you from a depth standpoint, it hurts you from the ability to maybe rotate a little bit more freely and do those kind of things. So obviously we look forward to those guys playing for us and being able to have a little more depth out there." Have to keep Moon's head up? "He was playing really well. He's going to play well for us as we move forward throughout the season and he's just gotta continue to get himself ready to play. And when that time comes, we're going to use him just like we used him before."

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT 1. STYLE POINTS DO MATTER THIS TIME OF THE YEAR: Dan Mullen was being diplomatic Monday when asked about style points. “That’s probably more of a question for Scott [Stricklin] than me because I’m not in the room [of the College Football Playoff Committee,” Mullen said, adding, “I don’t know if style points matter. I’m not into that. I’m into how are we making our team better?” While Mullen isn’t the type to run up the score by throwing the bomb in the final two minutes when the Gators are ahead by an insurmountable margin, he knows that this is the time of the year when big wins count plenty in the minds of the people who do the rankings that affect the playoff and the New Years Six bowl games. Big wins against inferior opponents are expected. Close calls are frowned upon. Margin of victory isn’t supposed to be a factor in the playoff rankings but big late season wins are a sign of domination, of a team that has momentum at the right time. Close calls can be construed as a team that is losing its focus or has run out of steam at just the wrong time. Mullen is well aware that Saturday’s game with Vanderbilt (0-6) in Nashville is a perfect opportunity for his 6th-ranked Gators (5-1) to make an impression on the committee with a dominating performance, particularly since 5th-ranked Texas A&M (5-1) had a second straight game postponed due to Covid-19 concerns. The Aggies struggled to beat Vanderbilt (17-12) in game one and since they’re idle Saturday, they have no way to counter Kyle Trask lighting up the Commodores to lead the Gators to a blowout win. Florida is a 31.5-point favorite to demolish Vanderbilt. The committee will expect a big win by the Gators and while they may fully understand that the Gators outclass the Commodores at every position, so did the Aggies. Comparisons will be made. It’s human nature. Mullen won’t be looking to run up the score, but he’s well aware that winning by a significant margin can only help the Gators in the eyes of the committee. 2. “MO-RONS … I’VE GOT MO-RONS ON MY TEAM”: Those are the immortal words of Percy Garris (played by the late, great Strother Martin) in the movie classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” as he rides his mule down the mountain to pick up the payroll for the mine he manages in Bolivia. He could have been talking about the fine folks at Lindy’s Southeastern Conference 2020 preseason magazine, whose offensive unit rankings were off the charts bad. Here they are unit by unit: Quarterbacks: 1. Georgia; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Mississippi State; 5. Auburn; 6. Alabama; 7. LSU; 8. Arkansas; 9. Ole Miss; 10. Tennessee; 11. Missouri; 12. Kentucky; 13. South Carolina; 14. Vanderbilt. COMMENT: Georgia? Oh please. Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn ranked ahead of Alabama? The rankings should be 1. FLORIDA; 2. Alabama; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Ole Miss; 5. Arkansas; 6. Auburn; 7. Missouri; and then everyone else in just about any order you can think of. Running backs: 1. Alabama; 2. Mississippi State; 3. Georgia; 4. Texas A&M; 5. LSU; 6. Auburn; 7. Arkansas; 8. Tennessee; 9. FLORIDA; 10. Missouri; 11. Kentucky; 12. South Carolina; 13. Ole Miss; 14. Vanderbilt. COMMENT: They got Alabama right. I might sound like a homer but ask Georgia about Florida’s running backs. The rankings should be 1. Alabama; 2. Texas A&M; 3. South Carolina; 4. Ole Miss; 5. Georgia; 6. Auburn; 7. FLORIDA; 8. Arkansas; 9. Missouri; 10. Kentucky; 11. Tennessee; 12. Vanderbilt; 13. LSU; 14. Mississippi State Receivers: 1. LSU; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia; 4. Auburn; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Arkansas; 7. FLORIDA; 8. Mississippi State; 9. Ole Miss; 10. Tennessee; 11. Missouri; 12. Kentucky; 13. South Carolina; 14. Vanderbilt COMMENT: The pick of LSU is forgivable since Ja’Marr Chase hadn’t opted out when the season began, but even with him, Alabama’s receivers are better. Georgia #3? I’m giggling. The rankings should be 1. Alabama; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Ole Miss; 4. Texas A&M; 5. LSU; 6. Auburn; 7. Missouri; 8. Arkansas; 9. Georgia; 10. South Carolina; 11. Mississippi State; 12. Tennessee; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Kentucky O-line: 1. Alabama; 2. Kentucky; 3. Tennessee; 4. Texas A&M; 5. Georgia; 6. South Carolina; 7. LSU; 8. FLORIDA; 9. Auburn; 10. Mississippi State; 11. Arkansas; 12. Ole Miss; 13. Missouri; 14. Vanderbilt. COMMENT: The Aggies have the best O-line in the SEC and one of the three or four best in all of college football. The rankings should be 1. Texas A&M; 2. Alabama; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Ole Miss; 5. Missouri; 6. Georgia; 7. Auburn; 8. Kentucky; 9. Arkansas; 10. Tennessee; 11. South Carolina; 12. LSU; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Mississippi State 3. IF FROGS HAD WINGS THEY WOULDN’T BE GEORGIA FANS: You’ve heard that old saying, “If a frog had wings he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he jumps.” Think Georgia and Georgia fans when you think frogs. They’ve mastered the near national championship (see 2002, 2007, 2012 and of course their close encounter in a national championship game with Alabama in 2017) and now they’ve mastered the art of if only. As in, if only Jacob Eason hadn’t gotten hurt in 2017 he might have been better than Jake Fromm. As in, if only Kirby had been smart enough to play Justin Fields. As in, if only Justin Fields hadn’t seen the light and transferred to Ohio State. As in, if only Jamie Newman hadn’t been afraid of what might happen in real games against SEC defensive backs after Georgia’s DBs ate his lunch every day in fall practice, causing him to opt out because of the virus. Now Georgia fans are doing the if only about Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello, the Stanford grad transfer who’s miserable in the Air Raid but would be a step above Stetson Bennett IV, D’Wan Mathis, JT Daniels and Carson Beck in Georgia’s pocket-based offense. If you are a Georgia fan, you have an if only ready for any occasion. If only. The motto of the Georgia football fan, college football’s frogs that keep bumping their butts in search of their first national championship in 14,566 days. But who’s counting? 4. THE VIRUS AND THE SEC: Ole Miss at 5th-ranked Texas A&M has been postponed, the only SEC game so far this week to be affected by Covid-19. Keep a close eye on Missouri (2-4) at South Carolina (2-5). Due to contact tracing Missouri is down to 56 scholarship players and the SEC requires a minimum of 53 to play. Missouri’s game with Georgia was postponed last week due to an outbreak of the virus. LSU (2-3), which had its game with Alabama postponed last week, could see a second straight postponement due to an outbreak at Arkansas (3-4). Last week, Arkansas played at Florida without head coach Sam Pittman. Pittman should be back this week but two staff members and one player tested positive on Sunday and others are in quarantine due to contact tracing. As of Tuesday night, Arkansas expected to have more than the SEC minimum of 53 players ready for LSU. 5. DENNIS DODD ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MICHIGAN AND OHIO STATE: When thinking about the difference between Michigan and Ohio State, I’m reminded of that line from Elton John’s 1970s hit “Daniel” that goes, “I can see the red tail lights, heading for Spain.” The red tail lights belong to Ohio State and while the Buckeyes might not be heading for Spain, they might as well be since the distance between the two programs is large and growing. Ohio State is a rocket ship in the Big Ten (Plus Four). Michigan is a wannabe. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports knows. Tuesday he wrote, “Michigan likes to think of itself as an equal, but consider this amazing stat: The Wolverines have won 12 games just once since 1905, the last national championship season in 1997. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have won at least 12 games seven times – since 2012.” When you put it in that perspective, Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been such a bad coach. He’s won 10 or more games three times since 2015, but he’s never beaten the Buckeyes. The last time Ohio State lost to Michigan was 2011 and that was after Jim Tressell had to depart Ohio State due to NCAA irregularities and Luke Fickell was the interim. From 2012-2018, Urban Meyer made Michigan his personal whipping boy and former UF grad assistant now Ohio State HBC Ryan Day is carrying on the tradition. At Michigan you’re supposed to beat Ohio State and you’re supposed to be as good as the Buckeyes even if it’s unrealistic to have those expectations. Hence, Harbaugh is going and someone else will have to try to beat Ohio State. Michigan is the Georgia of the Big Ten (Plus Four). 6. EXCUSE ME FOR GIGGLING, BUT …: Something called the Allstate Playoff Predictor, which is nothing more than a fancy name for an ESPN Analytics forecast about who’s going to make the College Football Playoff, gives the Big Ten (Plus Four) the best chance of all the conferences to put more than one team in the playoff. In the marvelous words of Steve Martin, “Well, excuuuuuuuuuse me!” Ohio State is going to get in even if a Covid-19 outbreak cancels three of the remaining four games on the Buckeyes schedule. For all practical purposes, Ohio State in the playoff has been pre-ordained and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it. The Buckeyes will win however many games they play the rest of the way against Big Ten opponents and they’ll be unbeaten so they’ll get in. But a second team is going to lose – most likely by a humongous margin – to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten (Plus Four) Championship Game. Wisconsin is 2-0 and has lost two games to the virus. Northwestern is 4-0 and struggled to beat a Nebraska team the Buckeyes could have beaten with their sorority powder puff league all-stars. If any league gets two teams in it will be either the SEC (any two of Alabama, Florida or Texas A&M) or the ACC (Clemson or Notre Dame). 7. FILE THIS UNDER MORE MONEY THAN BRAINS: The long-expected final resolution to the Gregg Marshall fiasco at Wichita State came to a conclusion Tuesday when Marshall and the school agreed to a $7.75 million severance to be paid over the next six years. Marshall is the school’s most successful basketball coach ever (331 wins in 13 seasons) but he was accused (he denied it) of verbal and physical abuse of his players. Consider Wichita State the latest member of the more money than brains club. If Marshall really did the things he’s accused of doing, then why pay him nearly $1.3 million a year for the next six years?