Through three games in 2019, the No. 9 Florida Gators run game has been three yards and a cloud of dust. With a running back unit that boast senior Lamical Perine, redshirt sophomore Malik Davis and sophomore Dameon Pierce, there was a perception coming into the season that this would be a strength for the offense. The Gators averaged 213.2 rushing yards per game last season with a combination of the running backs and quarterback Feleipe Franks. Thus far this season, that number has floated instead around 139.7 per game. It’s easy to look at Perine and ask what happened? It’s understandable that the question is asked, why not use Pierce and his wide frame more? These are cop outs. Just ask head coach Dan Mullen. “We got a young O-line and as things change, especially see people are gonna load the line of scrimmage with different looks, they’ve gotta get used to doing that and making those blocks…but you know I think for [Perine], he’s running the ball, I haven’t had many negatives. He’s graded out just about every week.” And just ask the offensive line. “Looking back at film we’re one block away from a big play,” explains left guard Brett Heggie. “It’s frustrating to see, but really just moving on and get it right for this game we’re playing against Tennessee and again just focusing on the small things. We’re close to breaking big plays and we just have to put it all together. “It’s just something we have to take mentally, come out every single day and work on it…we were one block here, one block there, myself included, from making big plays. We just gotta put it all together and we’ll make big plays.” “They gotta be able to communicate better up front to do that. It's not that anybody got physically beat. It's a communication error,” explains line coach John Hevesy. The offensive line does get some lee-way here after losing four starters from the 2018 unit. With only center Nick Buchanan the only returner, Hevesy and head coach Dan Mullen were tasked with pulling from within their unit to cobble together a starting five. Heggie had previous starting experience which helped. But Mullen admitted after spring practice that they were looking for more. “Not that I don’t like our young players and where they’re coming in their development, but when you’re looking at all these guys we’d love to get a grad transfer come in and add somebody that can come in and we’d feel comfortable that has that experience and can come in and play immediately for us.” That didn’t happen. It should be noted that the offensive line in 2018, even with more experience, did start off struggling as well. And the unit’s pass protection through three games so far this year has been phenomenal. But there’s an aspect to the game missing and it’s clearly in the run blocking. Blame does has to be shared with tight ends here as well. As Buchanan explains, some of that is also the incredible talent faced in two of the first three games; Miami Hurricanes and Kentucky Wildcats. ______________________________________ Related: Gators Pull Out Gritty Win Against Kentucky Related: Watercooler Topics: Florida-Kentucky ______________________________________ “Kentucky is a good team. It’s an SEC team. They’ve got guys up front, we’ve got guys up front. Sometimes that’s how it is in the running game, you’ve got to keep pounding and pounding and pounding until you break one. That’s just how it is. Some games you’re going to run for 1,000 yards, some games you’re going to pass for 1,000 yards. Whatever it takes to win, we want to do it.” Adds Hevesy, “[Kentucky] came out a little different. They played a lot more four-down than we thought, but to me it's how fast can we adjust to it. And then for us, in the first half we just gotta take care of the ball better. “The biggest for us is just the game situations. Going back to the first half, the Miami game and the Kentucky game we didn’t have a whole lot of possessions in the first half. A) because of turnovers, which is killing us along the way is getting turnovers and getting possessions to be able to run the ball. Then last week being down 21-10, you’re going, how much time can we spend running the ball. But to me we got to be able to, A) hold onto the ball and be able to be effective early to put that part of the game.” Within the running back room, Dameon Pierce says guys are just staying focused on what they can do on their part to be ready for that big play Heggie referenced. “We all gotta stay within our system, stay within our play calls and just execute at a high level. It’s not the fact that they can’t do it, it’s the fact that we making little mistakes and we’d rather fix the little mistakes than the big mistakes so we go in to film every day, we coaching them guys up and we’re gonna get better.” As the game progressed against Kentucky, the run blocking built steam. The blocks laid—especially by tight ends Lucas Krull and Kyle Pitts—on Josh Hammond's 76-yard jet sweep were crucial. Hevesy is doing extra coaching as well. Monday’s practice went 40 minutes over, for the entire team. On Tuesday, the position coach was seen staying back with several starters, walking them through certain blocks and situations. And when looking back at the Miami and Kentucky game—especially the aforementioned miscommunication he pinpointed as an issue—Hevesy feels everything is fixable. "The greatest thing is it's correctable. We just gotta do a better job, especially in a situation when they're moving in and out of things. It will be no different this week. We're home, so it's a little easier. But to me, it's constant communication of five guys. I've said before if we're all wrong, we're right. And to me, we were wrong. Protection wise, five guys was right and one guy was wrong. But that to me is not his fault, it's everyone's fault for not communication." While the run blocking continues to develop, Mullen and the offensive coordinators are taking advantage of the pass protection the unit has cultivated and what defenses are letting them throw. This means that Perine, instead of having to watch his senior season start with little production as the blocking comes together, is working on another part of his game that will translate at the next level. “We’re getting him the ball on the pass game as well. And I think that’s a big part to it. I think he knew, especially one of the things was, he made a really smart decision to come back for his senior year and to work on certain things and I think to highlight certain things and one of those—to me—was gonna be his ability in the pass game which translates a lot at the next level.” Perine is currently tied with Van Jefferson for a team high 12 receptions. He has 63 yards and a touchdown through the air. He’s also the leading rusher with 34 touches for 120 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Both of those things could grow according to Mullen, as this Florida Gators offense—and whatever state of run blocking appears each week—creates its 2019 identity. “Obviously I’d like to run the ball better. I love running the ball, a little bit better than we’ve run it. But we’ve also thrown it pretty darn well this year. And so if teams are gonna try to make sure the run’s taken away, I mean I’m not gonna just sit there and keep slamming my head in the wall; we’re gonna, we’ll go and throw it and he’ll get touches in the pass game.”

The No. 9 Florida Gators have started a new streak against the Kentucky Wildcats, beating them 29-21 in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday night. It took a 19-0 4th quarter run from the Gators to make the comeback and lost starting quarterback Feleipe Franks for the year to a dislocated ankle and fracture during the matchup. While the quarterback change from Franks to Kyle Trask has understandably dominated the conversation since—and will continue to for the foreseeable future—there are ample topics to cover from the whiplash win on Saturday. As you head back to work this week—and before kicking up the Tennessee trash talk—catch up with these notes for your watercooler topics. The Jet Sweep Josh Hammond's jet sweep at the end of the game was mesmerizing. When the call was made, Mullen simply told him, get the first down, stay in bounds. Hammond did more than that. On a play that the receiver revealed would normally be called for the injured Kadarius Toney, Hammond took the handoff from Kyle Trask and hoofed it 76-yards for the dagger with 0:33 seconds left in the game. Both the coach and Hammond point out if he'd gone down at the one yard line, the offense would have been able to kneel out the game in victory formation with a 1-point win. But not only did Hammond's score help deliver a bad beat to those who had Kentucky with the 10-point spread, it gave a moment of celebration to a team reeling from losing their emotional leader in Franks. The run blocking. Eesh The run blocking is greatly suspect due to both the inexperienced offensive line and lack of blocking production from the tight ends. Both have proven to improve as games progressed, but for a Top 10 team gearing up for a gauntlet stretch that includes three matchups against Top 8 teams within the next six weeks, there’s a lot left to be desired. The tight ends are a greater receiving threat in this Dan Mullen offense, but has it come at the expense of bringing in those with greater blocking skills? This means senior running back Lamical Perine has been hampered with what he’s able to do on the ground. Through three games in 2018, Perine was averaging 9.26 yards per carry. Through the first three games in 2019, he has averaged 3.53. The senior has incredible vision but hasn’t been given lanes to work within. As such the staff has sent him more towards the edge and decided to utilize him more in the passing game. The running back is currently tied with Van Jefferson for a team high 12 receptions. Mullen says the plan for the run game moving forward will depend not only on the blocking ability, but also what the defense is giving: “What we've got to do is just take what they give us. As you get into the flow of the game, [Kentucky was] going to let us throw it. We threw it. And so sometimes that's just how it goes. You've got to adapt. I mean I love being balanced, right? We threw it 30 times, ran it 27. Somewhat balanced. Obviously you always like to tip the scales on the side of the run, that's me, I love to run the ball. But if you're going to sit there and let us throw it and say, 'We're not going to let you run it,' we'll throw it.” The passing game. Whoa On the flip side of that, as Mullen mentioned, teams are letting the Gators throw the rock. A lot of this had to do with the thinking that if they forced Feleipe Franks to stand in the pocket and make throws, that his accuracy—or perceived lack thereof—would bail out the defense. Instead, Franks and the receivers revealed a much more pinpoint passing game with the ability to make everything from short slants to deep balls. Through the first three games in 2018—against arguably a weaker slate of opponents with Charleston Southern, Kentucky and Colorado St.—the passing game averaged 197.3 yards per game. This season—against Miami, UT-Martin and Kentucky—the passing game has averaged 288.7 yards per game with the last two each bringing 300+ passing yards. And Kyle Trask is more of a pure passer than Franks, the latter of who thrived outside the pocket. There shouldn’t be much of, if any, drop off with Trask passing. So just sit back and enjoy the return of the fun-and-gun, featuring new receiver Lamical Perine. Third and Grantham Todd Grantham’s defense is a gridiron version of Jekyll and Hyde. A large part of that is because of the aggressive style that allows big plays early on before adjustments are made. The Gators defense gave up 5-7 to Kentucky on 3rd down in the first half. Big ones, like a 3rd and 21 that saw Sawyer Smith bring Ahmad Wagner over to the sideline and deliver one in under Marco Wilson. Then they gave up the first three 3rd downs out of halftime. But Grantham’s halftime adjustments have become something of lore and we saw it again in Lexington. After the first three out of the half, the Gators stopped the Cats on the next five. In total the defense held UK to 3-8 on 3rd down in the 2nd half. But those in the first half are not forgivable, as both Mullen and defensive veterans David Reese II and Jon Greenard said over the weekend. Said Greenard: “I gotta do better. It seems our defense as a whole has gotta get better as far as me getting to the quarterback, the guys up front getting to the quarterback and making him feel uncomfortable. There are some things, a couple of issues in the back end. There are some minor issues that will cost us later on, on the road, if we play a bigger opponent. Overall we’ll just continue to practice and I feel like credit to UK as far as calling the right plays just to find our weak spots and plays where it helped to a first down and be successful.” But as Mullen pointed out—and the stats confirm—when the Gators had to be tough on 3rd down, they were. "We weren’t very good on third down, we did a lot of things poorly, really bad on third down all night long on defense until we found a way to be good and then we were good until the end." STAR Trey Dean III says even when big plays are being given up in the first half, it's all part of the game long plan of Todd Grantham. "He’s great. A lot of people think we’re gonna run the same calls but when we go into the locker room, we gonna change it up. Offensive coordinators can’t plan for him cause he got so much stuff in the bag so he’s just a great defensive coordinator all around so he’s gonna call different plays to see what the offense is gonna bring to him." Defensive Shuffling With corner CJ Henderson and money linebacker/STAR nickel backup Amari Burney both out, the Gators started with Trey Dean III opposite Marco Wilson at corner. It looked at first like Grantham was lining up outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon at the STAR nickel position—something they mentioned in fall camp as a possibility—but the University Athletic Association clarified that the Gators actually started two outside linebackers: Moon and Greenard. They ended up playing this front a lot, especially after end Jabari Zuniga went out after the first series with an injury. The defensive line became Adam Shuler and Kyree Campbell -or- TJ Slaton with Zachary Carter lining up at defensive end but with a hand in the ground. Moon and Greenard both lined up at outside linebacker with Greenard rushing and Moon dropping into coverage. Ventrell Miller played the majority of snaps at money linebacker. In the secondary, when Kaiir Elam would come in at corner, Trey Dean would move back to STAR and Moon would rest. Shawn Davis and Brad Stewart played the entire first quarter at safety. Targeting Calls On a night when the officials were quick to draw flags, Kentucky lost two players to ejection following targeting calls but so did the Gators. Safety Donovan Stiner was ejected during the second half for targeting, meaning he will also have to miss the first half of the game this coming Saturday against Tennessee. Cats receiver Ahmad Wagner was deep on the sideline and hauled in a 21-yard completion from Sawyer Smith. Gators corner Marco Wilson was on the coverage and got his hands in to try to break up the pass, meaning Wagner and the play stayed in bounds for a second longer than a normal sideline pass would. This meant Stiner saw a possible need to come over and make a play in case Wagner stepped out of Wilson’s hold. He went for Wagner’s upper body but with his head slightly lowered, the officials saw fit to call targeting, a call that was upheld. Mullen said all three calls fit the criteria for the penalty but credited Stiner for doing what he’s asked to do on a tackle to keep it safe for both him and the receiver, while not drawing a foul. Sometimes though, as Mullen explained, it can be a difference of just a couple of centimeters in the head position that will cause a crew to make the controversial call: “From my coaching point Stiner there, he didn’t go high, he didn’t hit him in the head. Watch me here,” he paused, mimicking his head bobbing slightly up and down. “That’s the difference. That’s what I told him, ‘hey, you did what [we] asked you, want to do and it was just this much. But that’s for him, that’s protection of him as much as the other player, of keeping that head up.” The Gators stayed steady in both polls; No. 9 in the A.P. and No. 8 in the Coaches Poll. They will kick off at Noon ET on Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers. The game is set to broadcast on ESPN.

EGOS ASIDE; MULLEN WILL USE TWO QUARTERBACKS The Kyle Trask that answered questions Monday afternoon at Florida's weekly press conference was ever so polite. He spoke softly in a most unassuming manner, content to praise his teammates and coaches without drawing attention to himself. If you only go by his press conference demeanor, you'd never guess that he's now the Gators' starting quarterback. Starting quarterbacks tend to have an edge about them, a rather discernible ego. As Dan Mullen pointed out earlier in the afternoon, Chris Leak had one. So did Tim Tebow. Rather big ones, in fact. Mullen said try playing quarterback in the Southeastern Conference if you don't have a healthy ego. The Trask of Monday afternoon was a real contrast to the Kyle Trask of Saturday night, the one who stuck his head into a fourth quarter defensive huddle at Kroger Field in Lexington where the Gators were trailing the Kentucky Wildcats 21-16. That Kyle Trask told his teammates from the other side of the ball to get the football back because “we're going to score.” A couple minutes later, almost as if Trask had willed it to happen, Shawn Davis intercepted a Sawyer Smith pass to get the ball back for the Gators. And, sure enough, Trask led the Gators to the go-ahead touchdown. You only do that if you have a combination of confidence in your skills and the ego to know you're just the right guy to get the job done. Then there was the Kyle Trask who so perfectly executed a jet sweep that at least eight of the 11 Kentucky defenders thought he had the football. By the time they figured out that Josh Hammond had it, Kyle Pitts and Lucas Krull were sealing off a nice alley through which Hammond sprinted, sucking a little more air out of the stadium with every stride while Kentucky's too late to catch him defenders gave chase. As Hammond streaked toward the end zone, Trask sprinted about 40 yards behind him. His arms were raised high above his head. He had a finger raised toward the heavens on each hand. Purists might say that Trask should have simply trotted to the sideline and allowed teammates to smother him with praise and adulation, but quarterback is the ultimate ego position in all of sports. When you execute a play so perfectly and you carry out the fake after handing the ball off so well that 90% of the folks in the ball yard are fooled, then you deserve to unchain your ego, especially after waiting so patiently for your turn. Think of Saturday night as the coming out party for Kyle Trask's ego. He will need lots of ego moving forward because he is going to be Florida's starting quarterback against Tennessee (1-2, 0-0 SEC) Saturday due to the horrendous injury (dislocated and fractured ankle) Feleipe Franks suffered against Kentucky. But there is a minor little detail about taking over as the starter. Per Mullen, Emory Jones is also going to play so while Trask may start, he might have to share some of the QB load. Asked if that is a problem, replied, “We’re here to do what’s best for the team. Whatever we need to do, we’ll do whatever the coaches ask. When our number’s called, I’m sure we’ll produce.” That wasn't an ego-less answer but the answer of a player who has framed his ego by what the team needs to win, which is a good thing considering Mullen seems to believe a two-headed monster at QB might be just what the Gators need to remain in contention in the SEC East. With Trask Mullen gets a pure passer who has adequate but not spectacular running skills. EJ is an adequate passer who has speed and make-you-miss elusiveness as a runner. If Mullen can somehow find balance in the way he uses the two, he might be able to force opposing defensive coordinators to spend sleepless nights on the sofa preparing for quarterbacks with different skill sets sort of the way he did back in 2006 when he was Florida's offensive coordinator using both Leak and Tebow. It's not like they were without egos. “We handled it in 2006 with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow,” Mullen said. “I mean great people. I mean really great guys and good people but they both have pretty big egos. To do what they do out there, if you don't, you're not going to survive.” Florida not only survived accommodating Leak's passing and Tebow's Csonka-like blasts between the tackles in the running game, but the Gators won a national championship. This isn't to say the Gators are going to win the 2019 national championship with Trask and EJ splitting up time at QB, but Mullen thinks it will give the Gators their best chance to win with nine regular season games remaining on the schedule. As for any criticism he might get from playing two quarterbacks, Mullen said the only real downside is if Trask and Jones start listening to too many people on the outside. “The key is that everybody knows what's going on,” Mullen said. “Unfortunately, people outside of the room don't know what's going on or don't know the plan so they can say 'oh this' or 'oh that!' Or 'boy you should have done this' or 'boy you should have done that.' How do you know what we're supposed to do. I never saw you in our game planning meetings. That's kind of how it goes. As long as we're all on the same page, we're good.” SEC FOOTBALL STUFF #2 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Alabama is awaiting further testing to determine if D-lineman LaBryan Ray will be able to return this season. He's dealing with a foot/ankle injury. Saturday: vs. Southern Miss (2-1) Arkansas (2-0, 0-1 SEC): Center Zach Williams will miss a couple of games with a knee injury and linebacker Bumper Pool is listed day-to-day with an injured clavicle. D-lineman Jamario Bell should be back Saturday for San Jose State. Saturday: vs. San Jose State (1-1) #8 Auburn (3-0, 0-0 SEC): When Patrick Nix, dad of Auburn freshman QB Bo Nix, played quarterback at Auburn, his position coach was current Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher … Auburn is a 4-point underdog Saturday in College Station against the Aggies. Saturday: at #16 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 SEC) #3 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC):It's still day-to-day for offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (6-7, 340), who has missed the last two games after spraining his ankle against Vandy. Saturday: vs. #7 Notre Dame (2-0) Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Asked if he would comment on having two players ejected from the loss to Florida due to targeting calls, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops replied, “No, I don't want to part with $50,000.” That's the fine for coaches publicly complaining about officials in the Southeastern Conference. Saturday: at Mississippi State (2-1, 0-0 SEC) #4 LSU (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Safety Todd Harris will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in the Tigers' win over Northwestern State … LSU expects to have offensive lineman Ed Ingram cleared to return to football in the next couple of days. He's been suspended since last season after a sexual assault accusation. Saturday: at Vanderbilt (0-2) Mississippi State (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Quarterback Tommy Stevens (shoulder) is listed day-to-day. If he can't go Saturday, true freshman Garrett Shrader will get the start. Keytaon Thompson is injured and won't be able to go. Saturday: vs. Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Missouri (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Are the numbers from last Saturday's win over Southeast Missouri State subliminally telling us something? The 50-0 win was Mizzou's 500thwin at Memorial Stadium. Saturday: vs. South Carolina (1-2, 0-1 SEC) Ole Miss (2-1, 1-0 SEC): Expect freshman running back Jerrion Ealy to see the ball more in the offense Saturday. He had nine carried (95 yards) and two receptions (21 yards) in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. Saturday: vs. #23 California (3-0) South Carolina (1-2, 0-1 SEC): In the loss to Alabama, South Carolina attempted a fake punt, a fake field goal and an onsides kick. Saturday: at Missouri (2-1, 0-0 SEC) Tennessee (1-2, 0-0 SEC): Corner Bryce Thompson, arrested during the summer after making threats to “shoot up the school” during an altercation with his girlfriend, is practicing but HBC Jeremy Pruitt says he is undecided whether or not Thompson will play Saturday against the Gators. Saturday: at #9 FLORIDA (3-0, 1-0 SEC) #16 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Running back Deneric Pierce, who has yet to carry the ball this season, has reportedly entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Saturday: vs. #8 Auburn (3-0, 0-0 SEC) Vanderbilt (0-2, 0-1 SEC):The Vanderbilt pass defense, which was torched for 509 yards and five touchdowns in the loss to Purdue a couple of weeks ago, will be tasked with trying to stop LSU QB Joe Burrow Saturday. All Burrow has done is throw for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns in three games so far. Saturday: vs. #4 LSU (3-0, 0-0 SEC) ALL TOO EARLY HEISMAN CONTENDERS Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma: 49-61 passing for 880 yards (14.4 per attempt), nine TDPs, 0 picks; 38-373 rushing (9.82 per carry) for four touchdowns. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: 70-91 passing for 1,007 yards (11.1 per attempt), 12 TDPs, 0 picks; one rushing TD. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin: 35-237 rushing (6.77 per carry) for five touchdowns; 5-65 receiving for three touchdowns. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU: 70-95 passing for 1,122 yards (12.5 per attempt), 11 TDPs, two picks; one rushing TD. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: 59-97 passing for 831 yards (8.6 per attempt), five TDPs, five picks; three rushing touchdowns. Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia: 42-56 passing for 601 yards (10.7 per attempt); five TDPs, 0 picks. Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas: 82-112 passing for 956 yards (8.5 per attempt), 11 TDPs, 0 picks; 32-121 rushing (3.78 per carry) for one touchdown; one reception for eight yards. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: 52-74 passing for 657 yards (8.9 per attempt), nine TDPs, 0 picks; 25-114 rushing (4.56 per carry) for four touchdowns. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon: 77-105 passing for 868 yards (8.3 per attempt) for 11 TDPs, 0 picks. GOOD QUOTES FOR TUESDAY From Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network on Saturday's Notre Dame-Georgia game in Athens: “I don’t know how anyone in their right mind believes Notre Dame can win this game. Georgia is one of the more complete teams in the country, Notre Dame is not. They have a good quarterback, but they have so many missing aspects, and again the Notre Dame fans want to tilt their collective nose toward the sky, and act like the world of college football revolves around them, it doesn’t. Notre Dame is barely relevant in the conversation of college football powers.” From Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated on the investigation into wide receiver Antonio Brown's long list of off the field problems: “SI conducted interviews with more than two dozen people who have employed, worked for, coached, or played alongside Brown – some who have taken legal action against him, and others who have not – and reviewed police and court documents from jurisdictions ranging from Miami to Pittsburgh to Oakland. In a half-dozen lawsuits, he is accused of refusal to pay wages to former assistants and part-time employees. Court documents and interviews also suggest a pattern of disturbing, sometimes bizarre behavior – including, SI has learned, a second woman’s allegations of sexual misconduct by Brown.” From Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on Georgia as the Bulldogs prep for Saturday night's matchup with Notre Dame in Athens: “Though Georgia doesn’t face nearly the degree of skepticism Notre Dame does, a large segment of the public is still waiting to be convinced. They’ve watched the otherwise dominant Dawgs lose to Alabama in excruciating fashion two seasons in a row, while also laying the occasional egg against an Auburn (40-17 loss in 2017) or Texas (last year’s 28-21 Sugar Bowl loss). Oh, and also, they haven’t won a national title since 1980 – eight years farther back than even Notre Dame.” RANDOM THOUGHTS:At halftime of last Saturday night's loss to Texas, the Rice marching band trolled the Texas team GPA by forming a 2.89 on the field. Rice is one of the more difficult schools to get into and out of in all of Division I football with an average freshman SAT score of 1535 … Ben Roethlisberger will have elbow surgery so his season is over. The Pittsburgh Steelers will turn QB over to Mason Rudolph … Drew Brees will have surgery on his thumb and will miss six weeks. The New Orleans Saints will rely on Teddy Bridgewater … The Miami Dolphins traded DB Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers for a 2020 first round draft pick. For Fitzpatrick it must seem like being delivered from hell … Former Gator Alex Anzalone will miss a minimum of eight weeks after the Saints put him on injured reserve Monday.

TRASK WASN'T CONSUMED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES Rather than a baptism by fire in his first legitimate game on the line opportunity Saturday night in Lexington, we saw a very calm, very much in charge Kyle Trask who wasn't the least bit consumed by his circumstances. Trask acted like he'd been doing this all his life as he gave the Gators the shot in the arm they needed to rally from 11 down to a 29-21 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. In reality, it might be the first time since junior high that Trask has been in a situation like this. After all, he was a backup in high school, too. If unflappable at Kentucky translates to a quarterback that won't be overwhelmed by either circumstances or opponents the rest of the way, then Florida still has a legitimate shot at a 9-10 win (or more) season. Two plays in particular showed us what Trask is capable of doing. The first was on the option toss to Lamical Perine for Florida's first TD after he came in to replace Feleipe Franks. On that play, Trask not only had the presence to make the toss when he absorbed the first contact but to make certain he pitched it behind him so there was no chance of an illegal forward pass. The second play was the jet sweep that Josh Hammond turned into a 76-yard game-sealing touchdown. Trask made the handoff to Hammond but continued to carry out the fake so well that he got hit by two UK linemen. By the time three back end defenders figured out Hammond had the ball, Hammond had his shoulders squared and was going north-south, too late to get caught. What do these two plays tell us? They tell us that Trask is a QB who has worked hard to be ready when his number got called. He wasn't rusty. He wasn't the least bit apprehensive. He was ready to step in and make plays and did them in a Win One for the Gipper moment when the entire Florida team needed a spark after Franks went down. That says something about the kid and the coaching he's received. GATORS REMAIN IN THE TOP TEN IN BOTH POLLS The Associated Press Top 25 Poll Clemson 3-0; (2) Alabama 3-0; (3) Georgia 3-0; (4) LSU 3-0; (5) Oklahoma 4-0; (6) Ohio State 3-0; (7) Notre Dame 2-0; (8) Auburn 3-0; (9) FLORIDA 3-0; (10) Utah 3-0; (11) Michigan 2-0; (12) Texas 2-1; (13; tie) Wisconsin 2-0 and Penn State 3-0; (15) UCF 3-0; (16) Oregon 2-1; (17) Texas A&M 2-1; (18) Iowa 3-0; (19) Washington State 3-0; (20) Boise State 3-0; (21) Virginia 3-0; (22) Washington 2-1; (23) California 3-0; (24) Arizona State 3-0; (25) TCU 2-0 The Coaches Top 25 Top 25 Poll Clemson 3-0; (2) Alabama 3-0; (3) Georgia 3-0; (4) Oklahoma 3-0; (5) LSU 3-0; (6) Ohio State 3-0; (7) Notre Dame 2-0; (8) FLORIDA 3-0; (9) Auburn 3-0; (10) Michigan 3-0; (11) Utah 3-0; (12) Penn State 3-0; (13) Texas 2-1; (14) Wisconsin 2-0; (15) Texas A&M 2-1; (16) UCF 3-0; (17) Oregon 2-1; (18) Iowa 3-0; (19) Washington State 3-0; (20) Boise State 3-0; (21) Washington 2-1; (22) Virginia 3-0; (23) California 3-0; (24) Arizona State 3-0; (25) Kansas State 3-0 RANKING THE SEC TOP TO BOTTOM (1) Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): All Tua did was hit 28-36 passes for 444 yards and five touchdowns in the win over South Carolina. So far he's just 70-91 for 1,007 yards (11.1 per attempt) and 12 touchdowns without a pick. Next week: vs. Southern Mississippi (2-1) (2) LSU (3-0, 0-0 SEC): LSU played like a bored team yet they still scored 65 points and ran up and down the field for 620 yards. Joe Burrow still hit 21-24 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns, plus he scored one on the ground. He's hit 75-90 passes for 1,122 yards (12.5 per attempt) and 11 touchdowns in three games. Next week: at Vanderbilt (0-2, 0-1 SEC) (3) Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Georgia has blown out three consecutive opponents. Are the Bulldogs that good or have they played three straight cupcakes? We find out this week when Notre Dame comes to Athens. Through three games, Jake Fromm is 42-64 passing for 601 yards (10.7 per attempt) and five touchdowns without a pick. Next week: vs. Notre Dame (2-0) (4) Auburn (3-0, 0-0 SEC): In blowing out Kent State, 55-16, Auburn ran for six touchdowns and had three 100-yard plus rushers in Boobie Whitlow (17-138, two touchdowns), Joey Gatewood (12-102, two touchdowns) and Shaun Shivers (12-102). Next week: at Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 SEC) (5) FLORIDA (3-0, 1-0 SEC):The Gators rank 59thin total offense (428.3 yards per game) and 33rdin total defense (300.7 yards per game). Next week: vs. Tennessee (1-2, 0-0 SEC) (6) Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 SEC): In his first game after being thrust into the starting lineup due to an injury, freshman running back Isaiah Spiller carried 14 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns plus caught two passes for 21 yards. Next week: vs. Auburn (3-0, 0-0 SEC) (7) Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Mark Stoops was seriously upset with the officiating, particularly about a fourth quarter targeting call on D-Lineman T.J. Carter. Replays did show that Carter led with the crown of his helmet, which, according to the rules, is an automatic targeting flag. Next week: at Mississippi State (2-1, 0-0 SEC) (8) Missouri (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Missouri scored 50 points but that wasn't the story in Saturday's 50-0 win over D1AA Southeast Missouri State. The big story was a defense that pitched a shutout while giving up only 94 total yards. Next week: vs. South Carolina (9) Mississippi State (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Tommy Stevens got hurt again and that didn't help matters much. Neither did Joe Moorhead getting his coaching butt handed to him on a platter by K-State's Chris Kliemann. This is a game that Mississippi State should have but didn't win. Next week: vs. Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC) (10) South Carolina (1-2, 0-1 SEC): Even though the Gamecocks got their doors blown off by Alabama, 47-23, Ryan Hilinski played so well (36-57 for 324 yards and two touchdowns) that Jake Bentley would be wise to start looking into graduate transfer options. Hilinski is the real deal. Next week: at Missouri (2-1, 0-0 SEC) (11) Ole Miss (2-1, 1-0 SEC): The defense that looked so good in games one and two looked like the one last year that was so bad against D1AA Southeastern Louisiana. The Rebels were saved by super freshman Jerion Ealy, who ran for 95 yards and a TD, caught a pass for six yards and returned six kickoffs for 172 yards including taking one 94 yards to the house. Next week: vs. California (3-0) (12) Vanderbilt (0-2, 0-1 SEC): The Commodores got the week off which meant they didn't lose. The Commodores get back to their losing ways this week when LSU comes to town. This will get ugly early. Next week: vs. LSU (3-0, 0-0 SEC) (13) Arkansas (2-1, 0-1 SEC): The switch to Texas A&M grad transfer QB Nick Starkel paid off for the Hogs in their 55-34 win over Colorado State. Starkel completed 20-35 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns without throwing a pick. Next week: vs. San Jose State (1-1) (14) Tennessee (1-2, 0-0 SEC): The Vols got a win. Sure, it was only Chattanooga from D1AA but when you've been as bad as the Vols have been in their first two games, you wear your win proudly. Next week: at FLORIDA (3-0, 1-0 SEC) ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL File this under the category “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always be what you've always been.” For the third straight game Florida State was owned in the fourth quarter, this time by Virginia, which scored the game's final 21 points to beat the Seminoles, 31-24. Florida State gave up 21 fourth quarter points and lost to Virginia, 31-24. If games were decided by who wins the first half, FSU would be 3-0 right now. Instead the Seminoles are 1-2 and should be 0-3. Just when we were thinking the Pac-12 is the worst of the Power 5 Conferences along comes the Atlantic Coast Conference. Among other things, Boston College got its doors blown off – at home no less – by Les Miles and the Kansas Jayhawks. Georgia Tech lost to D1AA The Citadel. Virginia Tech barely escaped with a win over D1AA Furman. Pitt was down 17-10 to Penn State with 4:54 to go and facing fourth-and-goal at the Penn State one. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi elected to go for a field goal (missed from 19 yards) and then after the game claimed he opted for a FG because it was a 2-score game. North Carolina State got poleaxed by the same West Virginia team that Missouri stomped the week before. So much for all this talk about Maryland and how Mike Locksley regained his coaching mojo while working for Nick Saban. The Locksley that coached the Fighting Turtles to a loss against Shirley Temple looked exactly like the Locksley that was 3-31 as a head coach heading into the season. Southern Cal created this incredible mess following Pete Carroll by the way it fired Lane Kiffin and then hired Steve Sarkisian. What Clay Helton has done to rehab the image of Southern Cal by playing by the rules and cleaning things up deserves better than what he's probably going to get. After losing to BYU, 30-27, in overtime in Provo when his true freshman quarterback threw an interception, the Southern Cal boosters want Helton's scalp and they want him replaced with Urban Meyer. With Utah next followed by roadies to Notre Dame and Washington, the only way Helton will silence the critics is to win all three. And then you wonder will even that be enough? As Left Coasters and Power 5 elites try to make excuses for Stanford getting torched by UCF at the Bounce House, 45-27 – a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score might indicate – consider this: The Knights have won 28 of their last 29 games. They have scored 30 or more points in 30 consecutive games. Maybe it's time to admit that UCF is really, really good. GOOD QUOTES FOR MONDAY From David Schoenfeld of ESPN on how former Gator Pete Alonso has become an almost bigger than life figure and the face of the New York Mets in his rookie year: “The other day to honor the 9/11 anniversary, Alonso had petitioned MLB to let the Mets wear first responder caps during the game, like they had back in 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. When MLB denied the request, Alonso wore special first responder cleats – and then gave the entire team a pair.” From Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, on the doom and gloom at Boston College after the Eagles got pillaged and plundered by Les Miles and Kansas: “The only good thing for Boston College was that this game was broadcast on the ACC Network, which meant limited viewership. This will go down as the most dispiriting loss of Steve Addazio’s seven seasons at BC, as the Eagles’ defensive front got consistently mauled and the backend missed tackle after tackle. The offense disappeared. Addazio used the phrase 'my responsibility' three times in his postgame news conference.” From Nate Scott of USA Today on Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi's decision to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal at the Penn State one when trailing the Nittany Lions, 17-10, with less than five minutes remaining in the game: “It wasn’t just spectacularly cowardly. It was spectacularly stupid.It was stupid before his kicker missed and it was just as stupid after his kicker missed, but it had the added thing of being hilarious.” From Michelle Martinelli on Maryland's inept offense, particularly after taking over on the Temple 10 following a 7-yard punt, then failing to score: “The Terps failed to score twice from Temple’s one-yard line and turned the ball over on downs with about five minutes left in the game. And when their defense forced Temple to go three-and-out on the next possession (which led to the seven-yard punt), they, once again, failed to score when the drive started at the Owls’ 10-yard line. How do you start a drive at first-and-goal and not score?” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Charlie Culbertson of the Atlanta Braves suffered multiple facial fractures Saturday after he was hit in the face by a 91 mph fast ball by Fernando Rodney of the Washington Nationals ... When ESPN rated the top players at the FIBA World Cup in China, not a single player from Team USA made its list of most impactful … Former Gator Demarcus Robinson had the best game of his NFL career Sunday when he caught six passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs. His TD catches were 44 and 39 yards … Former Gator Eddy Pineiro's third field goal of the game, a 53-yarder as time expired gave the Chicago Bears a 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBait Senior Columnist This was more than a win, this stunning 29-21 comeback from 11 down in the fourth quarter that pooped an all-night party that was just about to begin in Lexington, Kentucky. This was a statement game, a statement that says patience, persistence, loyalty and commitment still haven't gone out of style. The poster child for this marvelous statement of stick-to-itness is one Kyle Trask, the perpetual backup who probably wondered if he would ever get a chance to channel his inner Joe Montana. Trask thought that moment had come last November when he was teetering on the verge of getting a start following a nice performance off the bench in a game against Missouri where it seemed Feleipe Franks had found rock bottom. His crowning moment was put on hold when he broke his foot in practice on Tuesday prior to Florida's game with South Carolina. While he recovered from surgery, Franks found his mojo and led the Gators to four straight wins including an MVP performance in a riotously good 41-15 Peach Bowl win over Michigan's Fighting Harbaughs. And this is where the story gets good. Following that late burst of brilliance from Franks and a few glimpses of raw talent that we saw from freshman Emory Jones, the pervading belief was that Trask would enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal in search of a place where he would finally get his chance to prove to everyone, but most importantly himself, that he could play quarterback at a very high level. Actually, that would have been taking the easy way out, but instead of finding a new place to play, Trask elected to stick it out, perhaps a gesture of thanks to the school that gave him an opportunity to come to an SEC school. Not many high school backup quarterbacks are offered scholarships in the SEC, particularly at a school like Florida, which has won three national championships and produced three Heisman Trophy winners. By remaining patient, by never slacking in his work ethic or daily effort in practice, by finishing up what he started in the classroom by earning his degree from the University of Florida, and by remaining true to his Gator teammates, Kyle Trask finally got his moment. Ironically, it came in a game in which the featured backup was the guy on the other sideline, the one who had moments of brilliance while leading Kentucky to a 21-10 fourth quarter lead. Sawyer Smith was the backup du jour and he was only minutes away from becoming a legend in the minds of all those long-suffering Wildcat fans. They celebrated long into the night a year ago when the Wildcats beat Florida in Gainesville, but this one was going to be in Lexington where an all-nighter was in the works. Only the party never happened and its pooping had its origins when Franks had his ankle dislocated when bent backward by a 6-9, 310-pound Kentucky defensive tackle. A year ago, Trask's moment disintegrated when he broke his foot. This year opportunity knocked because Franks got hurt, so on a cool, clear night in Lexington, Kentucky there was a role reversal on Kroger Field. Kentucky's legend-in-waiting was outshone by Florida's newly found legend, who, in an abbreviated big stage debut, led a most improbable comeback. It wasn't the quantity of minutes that counted, but the quality of them and in the fourth quarter when the Gators needed something just shy of miraculous, Kyle Trask was the man for the moment. He threw timely, accurate passes, hitting 9-13 for 126 yards. He hung in the pocket and didn't flinch when the Wildcats brought the house. He bounced back from getting hit helmet first (targeting penalty called against UK) with a 30-yard strike to Kyle Pitts. He looked like a basketball point guard when he drew the Kentucky defense to him then did a two-hand chest pitch to Lamical Perine who blew into the end zone for the first TD of Florida's comeback. Trask ran untouched into the end zone on a quarterback draw for the TD that gave the Gators a 22-21 lead and then executed a jet sweep so perfectly that by the time Kentucky figured out he didn't have the football, Josh Hammond had his shoulders squared, blew through a hole and was off to the races for a 76-yard game-sealing touchdown. That Trask was nearly flawless in his debut on the big stage with a game on the line was a testament to his patience because there were no guarantees he would ever get a second opportunity to lead the Gators. It was a testament to persistence because only a kid who fully understood the concept of next man up would continue to prepare so well that he was equal to or greater than the moment. And, only a loyal, committed Gator would have elected to stay in Gainesville for an opportunity to channel his inner Joe Montana instead of channeling his inner Tate Martell and bailing from fear of the competition. SOME GOOD THINGS First and foremost, the Gators escaped with a win to go 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC. Maybe it was ugly and sometimes brutal, but you never apologize for an SEC win, particularly when you have to do it on the road and you're missing your best defensive player and your quarterback goes down with an horrendous injury. Despite far too many mistakes, it can be said the Gators won in spite of themselves. But it was a win, which is far superior to the alternative. Second, Van Jefferson and Kyle Pitts came up very big in the passing game. Jefferson, it seems, is always open so it's simply a matter of getting him the football. Pitts has tight end size and wide receiver speed so he's a mismatch. It's just a matter of getting him the football. David Reese II was an absolute tackling machine but on consecutive plays with Kentucky needing only a yard to keep a drive alive in Florida territory, he stopped AJ Rose dead in his tracks for no gain. He finished the game with 16 tackles, 13 of the solo variety. On the jet sweep that gave the Gators the 29-21 lead, Pitts and Lucas Krull gave the blocks at the point of attack that opened the hole that Hammond blew threw threw on his way to a 76-yard touchdown. Finally, even though the result of this drive was Tommy Townsend's only punt of the night, the fact the Gators were able to drive the ball from the shadow of their own goal post (4-yard line) out to their own 48 put them in position to win a critical field position battle when they needed it most. On first down, Trask threw a 13-yard dart to Jefferson out of the end zone for breathing room. He had a 20-yard completion to Freddie Swain that also was critical. Then when called upon, Townsend flipped the field with a 44-yard punt that landed like a sand wedge with backspin and was downed at the UK eight. Three plays later, Shawn Davis had his second interception of the game that got the Gators going on the go-ahead scoring drive. SOME NOT SO GOOD THINGS Kentucky's second touchdown came after the pocket collapsed and Franks was hit from behind. He was trying to throw the ball but when it came out sideways it was ruled a fumble. Franks got hit because he had nowhere to step up since Kentucky's nose tackle had such a good push in the middle. The O-line had some good moments in pass protection but run blocking again was very poor. Take away that 76 yard jet sweep and a kneel down at the end of the first half and the Gators had 61 rushing yards on 25 carries. That won't cut it against the likes of Auburn, LSU and Georgia. The Gators absolutely cannot afford injuries in the secondary. Without CJ Henderson to take one side of the field away, Kentucky completed 23-35 passes for 267 yards. The lack of depth and inexperience of backups forced defensive coordinator Todd Grantham to play far more zone than he's accustomed to. The lack of bump and run gave the Wildcats extra cushion to get open early and often. Florida's guards had real problems handling the likes of Quinton Bohana (6-4, 361) and Marquan McCall (6-3, 365). Until the Gators show they can handle big guys in the middle, it's going to be a blueprint for opponents to shut down the running game and pressure the QB. Penalties and a whiffed block. Two touchdowns were wiped out by holding calls (one on Keon Zipperer, the other on Jean Delance). Another potential touchdown drive was thwarted on an offensive pass interference call on Perine. On the next play Perine might have scored a TD on a little wheel route out of the backfield except Stone Forsythe whiffed on the block. After Shawn Davis got his second pick in the fourth quarter he was flagged for excessive celebration. WHAT'S AHEAD Tennessee (1-2, 0-0 SEC) comes to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium next Saturday for a 12 noon start (ESPN). This was once THE game in the SEC but the Vols have fallen on seriously hard times and while the Gators haven't fallen nearly as far, they're still trying to get back to a championship mode. Tennessee got a 45-0 win Saturday over D1AA Chattanooga, so the Vols will be feeling better about themselves. A win over the Gators would go a long way toward restoring their sense of football self-esteem so they will come in here feeling that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. That's a dangerous team. No matter how bad they were in their first two games, teams that feel their confidence coming back aren't to be taken lightly. The Gators need to come out of the gate in a take no prisoners mood and make it a point to stomp the Vols while they are down.

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY—Megan Mullen paced in the Florida Gators tunnel, taking quick peaks at the field before turning back around in nervousness. On the sideline, specialists for the Gators began to gather, preparing to be called upon any moment. Kicker Evan McPherson (1-2) hung back by himself, sipping Gatorade and walking in small circles to keep moving, anticipating he’d be needed to answer what looked like a coming Kentucky field goal. The No. 9 Florida Gators (3-0, 1-0) held their breath, glancing at the scoreboard that read 22-21, Florida leading Kentucky, with 0:56 left to play in the game. Then they glanced at the Wildcats, lined up for a go-ahead 35-yard field goal. And then, the improbable unfolded in such a way that was befitting the full moon which hung over Lexington. Kentucky’s kicker, Chance Poore, pushed it wide right. There was a moment of confusion when Cats fans thought it was good because from the sideline it was a hard angle to surmise. But once the officials waved off the attempt, the Gators sideline erupted with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham giving the air a passionate fist pump. “Told you he wasn’t making it. It’s a full moon tonight. No way it was happening,” one player gleefully shouted. The celebration had barely dissipated when Josh Hammond (90 all purpose yards, one touchdown) took a jet sweep and raced 76-yards, stepping out of a tackle near the goal line but carrying too much momentum to be stopped by any force at that point. The Gators won 29-21 over Kentucky (2-1, 0-1). The play call on the game winner? Simple, according to Hammond. “Stay in bounds. It was just a jet sweep. We ran it the first time and saw that they didn’t really bump so the next time we knew we could get it and he just told me to stay in bounds.” The Wildcats threw some quick outs, hoping to get into the endzone in the remaining 0:33 seconds, and go for a 2-point conversion to tie. But freshman corner Kaiir Elam showed off his coverage skills yet again with a second interception in as many weeks. His pick at the UF 9-yard line meant Florida could end this one in victory formation. It was a bittersweet victory though as it came at a price. Starting quarterback Feleipe Franks was lost for the year with what head coach Dan Mullen described as “a break and some dislocations” in his right leg/ankle that have ended the redshirt junior’s season. Franks was attempting to pick up a first down, diving on 4th and 1, when his 6’6” frame was bent back over a defensive player. He fell to the ground and didn’t move as trainers immediately went to him. Receivers Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain and Tyrie Cleveland went to Franks side and kneeled, praying for him, as trainers placed Franks in an air-cast. As tears streamed down his face, Franks was loaded onto a cart with the entire Gators team around him. He watched the remainder of the game from the locker room. After the conclusion of the game, Franks stood on his crutches and gave the team a message. "He was in the locker room. He sang the fight song with us,” explains Hammond. "He was good. Obviously he's down from being hurt but he's all about the team. He just told us, 'make sure you stay together, don't take anything for granted. Be ready to play your plays like it's your last play because you never know when it could happen. He's definitely devastated but he's with us 100-percent. He's still that leader. He’s going to try to do whatever he can to help us.” Adds linebacker Jon Greenard, “how he went out, him trying to get that first down and I respected that so much more. I respected him so much more because he's laying it all out there on the line for us. Just to see him go down like that, in that fashion, we had to go out and put everything we had into that game to come out victorious and make him happy. He's still in high hopes. He understands what's going on. We’re going to continue to play. Next man up.” Franks went 12-17 for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception through the air 23 yards on eight rushes. He had two rushing touchdowns called back for penalties—one for holding on tight end Keon Zipperer and one for holding on offensive lineman Jean Delance. It is that stat which tells the larger story of this game. The Gators would create a positive play, gain momentum, and then take two steps back. In the first quarter, on a Cats drive that would end the period, defensive lineman Jon Greenard (six tackles, one sack) had a sack on Kentucky quarterback Sawyer Smith (23-35, 267 yards, two TD, 3 INT) for a loss of eight yards, back to the UK-10. The next play, now 3rd and 21, Smith found Ahmad Wagner for a 23-yard completion. The Gators opened the second quarter with a 31-yard explosive pass from Franks to Van Jefferson (7 receptions, 93 yards), only to have a blown coverage on the next play get Franks sacked, leading to a fumble. The defense seemed to catch a break when Smith badly overthrew Lynn Bowden in the 3rd quarter, only to see him find Wagner over Marco Wilson again, this time for 21 yards. To add insult to injury, safety Donovan Stiner came in late on the hit with head lowered and was ejected for targeting. He’ll have to miss the first half of next week’s game against Tennessee as part of the penalty. And so on, and so forth. “We weren’t very good on third down,” says Mullen. "We did a lot of things poorly, really bad on third down all night long on defense until we found a way to be good and then we were good until the end. Offensively we killed ourselves with some penalties at critical moments. Every time they would hit it, it was like a holding penalty, 'hey we’re in the red zone at first and 25'. So that was kind of disappointing.” But as they did against Miami in Week 0, this scrappy Florida team found a way to make the most important plays at the most important times and pull out a win. In the madcap world of college football—and cutthroat SEC league—that’s the stat that matters most. Greenard says on the sideline, there was never a doubt. They know what they did wrong. But they also knew it could be overcome. “In our mind, we knew we were gonna come back. We just had to play our game and not do anything out the ordinary. Stop the run, stop big plays and stuff like that. We gave a couple of plays to them throughout the entire game. But once we started playing our game and stopped the mistakes then we were good. “I think we were trying to think too much and not just understanding just playing football. It came from pass rush, we weren’t getting back there like we wanted to. We wanted to get the push up front like we wanted to. Secondary had to tackle, make the big plays. And jump balls, had to win those. Just plays, we could control, mental things we already went over. Mental things that we already went over, we just had to put it to play in the game.” After Franks was carted off the field, Kyle Trask lined up behind center and proceeded to go 9-13 for 126 yards while adding a four yard touchdown on the ground. It was fitting that on the week former Gator great Neiron Ball passed away to a burgeoning brain disease, Trask scored in his No. 11. While Trask he won’t get credit in the boxscore, it was a heads up move from Trask that gave running back Lamical Perine touchdown in the 4th quarter to make it a one possession game. As Trask was being tackled, he flipped the ball up to Perine who was running out on an option. Since the running back had not been apart of the play, he was uncovered and walked the eight yards into the endzone untouched. “Yea, that was definitely improvisation,” grinned Trask. “It was just an option to the left and he was playing between us and I tried to cut it up in between, but he crashed down on it and I managed to get it out to Perine…It is split second and I was trying to knife it up in there. And they just weren’t having that one so I managed to get it out to Perine and good thing I did because he’s pretty dangerous with the ball in his hands.” As the Florida Gators head home with an as yet unblemished record, their new leader Kyle Trask is bringing a message with his team. Don’t doubt the Gators and don’t count them out. “I don’t want people to think like you know, we’re just gonna wait till we get down nothing like that. But I really think what it is, is you know, we just have a lot of resiliency in our team and we know how to finish games and we all came together. It was a tough fought game. This is the SEC, nothing comes easy, especially on the road and I was really proud of our team how we came together in the second half to really finish this game the right way and go 1-0 in the SEC.”

The No. 9 Florida Gators starting quarterback, Feleipe Franks, was carted off the field in Lexington Saturday night. It was late in the 3rd quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators were trailing the Cats 21-10 at the time and Florida elected to go for it on 4th and 1 from the UK 38 yard line. Franks dropped back to pass and with no where to go, went left. Officially he was tackled by Calvin Taylor but it was a scrum that saw the passer cracked back. As players dispersed around him, Franks stayed on the field in obvious pain and staying still. Wide receivers Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland and Freddie Swain immediately came back out and kneeled around their quarterbacks head, seeming to be praying. Meanwhile trainers put an air cast on his right leg. Typically a cast of that sort being put on right away indicates a serious injury. A cart was then brought out and trainers had to lift the crying Franks on to leave the field. Before the cart left, the entire Gators team came over from the sideline to wish Franks well. Franks has been 12-3 as a starter since Dan Mullen's arrival. So far in 2019, he'd completed 77.8% of his passes and accounted for four touchdowns. Through 2.5 quarters in Lexington, he'd gone 12-17 for 174 yards and a touchdown. Kyle Trask came in to finish the game in Franks' absence.

A GET EVEN KIND OF GAME Dan Mullen has been telling us the 9th-ranked Florida Gators (2-0, 0-0 SEC) aren't looking at Saturday night's close encounter of the Southeastern Conference kind up in Lexington, Kentucky has nothing whatsoever to do with getting even for what the Kentucky (2-0, 0-0 SEC) did last year in Gainesville. In case you have forgotten, the Wildcats outscored the Gators 20-6 in the second half, ran practically at will (303 rushing yards) and scored a convincing 27-16 win that broke Florida's 31-year winning streak over the Wildcats. So, are you buying that Mullen isn't looking for a little revenge? He might not say the word revenge and he might not talk openly about getting even but that's because he wants his team focusing on what they have to do to win their SEC opener. You can bet the farm that during practice this week Mullen has made it abundantly clear that he remembers all too well what the Wildcats did at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium last year. You can also count on the fact he's let the Gators know without perhaps saying it outright that by going up to Lexington and giving the Wildcats a beatdown it will go a long way toward erasing the bad memories of 2018. Make no mistake about it, this is a game the Gators need to win and the more convincing they can be in winning, the better it will be for the rest of the season. When this game is complete, 25% of the regular season will be in the books. What Mullen wants and needs is a confident team that is building momentum from one week to the next. Obviously, it's important to win even if it's by a single point, but a win by two or more touchdowns sends out messages loud and clear that the Gators are a very dangerous team moving forward. The Sayer Says Sooth:It might be close for a half, but by the time the band cranks up “We Are the Boys” at the end of the third quarter, UK quarterback Sawyer Smith will think his body is a continuous bruise from the tips of his toesies all the way to the upper extremeties. The Gators get seven sacks, Feleipe Franks throws for three, runs for one and the final is something like FLORIDA 31, Kentucky 14. THE SEC SOOTHSAYER #2 Alabama (2-0, 0-0 SEC) 35, South Carolina (1-1, 0-0 SEC) 7: Ryan Hilinski is about to discover how the Christians felt when they released the lions in the old Roman Colosseum. #3 Georgia (2-0, 1-0 SEC) 42, Arkansas State (1-1) 10: To honor the late wife of Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson (she died of cancer about three weeks ago), they've asked everyone at Sanford Stadium to make this a pink out. It's a lovely gesture but it won't help Arkansas State make this game any closer. #4 LSU (2-0) 59, Northwestern State (0-2) 0: This could be worse except that Northwestern State is Coach O's alma mammy so he'll let the tuba section and the Golden Girls take all the fourth quarter snaps. #8 Auburn (2-0, 0-0 SEC) 49, Kent State (1-1) 3: Call this the cure for the freshman quarterback (Bo Nix). At least Clark Kent State is a Division I team. #16 Texas A&M (1-1, 0-0 SEC) 41, Lamar (2-0) 10: There's nothing like a game against Hedley Lamar to take the sting out of butt stomping at Climpson. Mississippi State (2-0, 0-0 SEC) 24, Kansas State (2-0) 21: You can flip this script if it turns out that Tommy Stevens can't go and MSU is forced to play a backup QB. Ole Miss (1-1, 1-0 SEC) 38, Southeastern Louisiana 13 (1-0): By halftime most of the alums will be back in The Grove seeing if MoJo Pork goes well with sour mash. Missouri (1-1, 0-0 SEC) 55, Southeast Missouri State (1-1): Mizzou people will be clamoring for every all too early Heisman poll to include Kelly Bryant after he throws for about 400 yards and 4-5 touchdowns against a D1AA team. Arkansas (1-1, 0-1 SEC) 20, Colorado State (1-1) 17: If the Hogs find a way to blow this one, Chad Morris might want to have his wife start interviewing real estate agents for a faster exit when firing day arrives. Tennessee (0-2, 0-0 SEC) 35, Chattanooga (1-1) 20:If Jeremy Pruitt figures out a way to lose this one will he claim the Vols were looking ahead to playing the Gators in Gainesville next week? COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: EDITION THREE ON LIFE SUPPORT Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: If he had lost to San Jose State last week, he'd be gone already. Will they forgive him after he gets his doors blown off by Okie State this week? Bob Davie, New Mexico:He has heart issues. He won't make the trip to Notre Dame this week and there is no telling when or even if he coaches again. Expect the New Mexico administration to avoid firing by announcing Bob will take a position in the athletic department. Lovie Smith, Illinois: Lovie could be gone Saturday evening if the Illini lose to Eastern Michigan but even if he wins, there's only one other winning game (Rutgers) on the schedule. Chris Ash, Rutgers: Open dates are wonderful things for a coach whose seat is so hot his fanny is on fire. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee:Pruitt was talking about the Titanic at his Monday press conference, something that you don't do when you have Phattus Maximus believing that only he can save Tennessee football. If the Vols are 1-5 or 1-6 out the gate, it will be buyouts be damned and Phil to the rescue. Brent Brennan, San Jose State:Nobody in San Jose has quite figured out that poorly paid coaches, rotten facilities and a lousy recruiting budget have everything to do with why this is a graveyard. ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST Clay Helton, Southern Cal: Lynn Swann “resigned” as the athletic director and the first thing the interim AD did was a vote of confidence for Clay, who, by the way, is 2-0 after obliterating Stanford, which was ranked and coached by Willie Shaw. The USC prez and boosters are desperate to try to lure Urban Meyer out of retirement. The cool thing here would be for Clay to go 10-2 or better. It would be like giving the finger to the people who want him gone. Randy Edsall, UConn: They won't have Randy Edsall to kick around this week! No, they didn't fire him although they would like to. The Huskies don't play. That's why. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech:The Hokies get a game with Paycheck Tech (Furman) this week so nobody will be talking about firing Fuente. That is, unless, the impossible happens and they lose. Mike Bobo, Colorado State:These are the country cousins of Colorado, which is off to a 2-0 start. If Colorado does well, the folks in Fort Collins feel obligated to do well, too. The Fighting Bobos need to go at least 6-6, which might be a tall task. Tony Sanchez, UNLV: Given what's ahead for UNLV, Sanchez is probably a defibrillator away from On Life Support. After Northwestern, it's Wyoming, Boise State, Vanderbilt, Fresno State and San Diego State. It will be a small miracle if he's still gainfully employed in November. Matt Luke, Ole Miss:The win over Arkansas last week was a reprieve from all the criticism from the season opening loss to Memphis. There will be no good will if the Rebels somehow find a way to lose to D1AA Southeastern Louisiana this week. BEADS OF SWEAT FORMING Charlie Strong, South Florida:If the Bulls somehow manage to lose to South Carolina State this weekend, Charlie is all but a goner. Kalani Sitake, Brigham Young: The win over Tennessee buys him time, but he still needs some good wins to make people forget he got hosed by Utah. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: Firing is so distasteful at a school where white wine, brie and grapes are standard fare for tailgates. Mason probably doesn't have to worry until November but if he can't do better than four wins, he might be encouraged to find a new place to work. SAVED BY THE BUYOUT Willie Taggart, Florida State:Did you see Willie celebrate when FSU got a win over Lousy Monroe in overtime thanks to a missed extra point? You do those kind of things when you know you've got a $17 million buyout and not enough rich boosters to pony up the cash. Chad Morris, Arkansas: If he goes 2-10 or 3-9, one of their megarich boosters might elect to write the $12.25 million check it will take to send him back to Assistant Coachville. Chip Kelly, UCLA: The Chipster will be 3-12 after Oklahoma lays waste to UCLA and leaves the Bruins in a heap in the weeds on the side of the road this weekend. As if that matters. UCLA is a basketball school and couldn't afford the $8 million it would have taken to buy out Jamie Dixon. They darn sure don't have the more than $9 million it will take to ask Mr. Kelly if he'd like to try running a convenience store or a Dunkin Donuts rather than coach football. Will Muschamp, South Carolina:His job is safe but having an $18 million buyout doesn't hurt. GOOD QUOTES FOR FRIDAY From Dana O'Neill of The Athletic on the latest revelations regarding Arizona, its head coach Sean Miller and the college basketball corruption scandal: “There should be outrage. There will be no outrage, not from the general public that has been numbed to the nonsense of college athletics; not from coaches, who have no problem verbally undressing a manager if the clipboard doesn’t materialize during a timeout but who go Marcel Marceau when it’s time to castigate their own; and not, most assuredly, from the University of Arizona. The school has dug its heels in deeper than the desert sand, denying, distancing, rebuking and rebutting any and all accusations that have threatened to unseat its head coach, Sean Miller. While the university’s reputation flails in the wind with each new accusation, the administration refuses not only to budge but also to acknowledge anything.” From Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic on the remarkable first week performance by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson: “Let’s put his performance (17 for 20 for 324 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions) into context. Jackson averaged 16.2 yards per attempt (YPA). That’s the highest mark of any quarterback in a single game over the last 10(!) seasons. Yes, I am aware the Dolphins stink, but this was still an epic performance by the second-year QB. There have been a lot of bad defenses over the past 10 years, and still no quarterback ever averaged 16.2 YPA. It’s not like every receiver was wide open either.” From Jenna West of Sports Illustrated talking with Urban Meyer about how he misses waking up in the morning when he doesn't have that daily “fight” to prepare for practice, games and recruiting: “The morning is the hardest time of day. You're not in a fight. I've been in a fight for 33 years, and now you're not in that fight. So how do you fulfill that fight? And I feel that every morning. Every morning … It's all about a win and a loss for 33 years. I mean every day was. Not just you're getting ready for a game. No, no, no, no. You're recruiting every day. You're going against Alabama and Clemson every day, The Team Up North every day. Now you're not. That’s the number one void, is you're not in a fight." RANDOM THOUGHTS: Former Gator Pete Alonso, who hit two home runs Monday for the Major League lead (47), is 0-13 since. Thursday afternoon, after a bad third at bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Alonso shaved his mustache in a gesture of superstition. He struck out and grounded out in his next two at bats … Florida State, which is an 8-1/2 point underdog for Saturday's game at Virginia, ranks near the bottom of every NCAA defensive category. This week the Seminoles will have to stop UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins, who threw for 2,640 yards and 25 touchdowns last year while rushing for 923 and nine more … Tonight's non-conference matchup between 20th-ranked Washington State (2-0) and Houston (1-1) pits Mike Leach against his protege Dana Holgorsen.

This a cred game for the Gators and they need to make a bit of a statement to earn the respect of CFB influencers in their Lexington contest. That means winning, scoring at least 30, sacking Sawyer Smith or throwing him for a loss 3-4 times and Feleipe Franks taking care of the football. They are 8-point favorites and should be able to do it.

By HUNTER TURNER GatorBait GameDay Coordinator Game Preview: The Florida Gators will take on the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday at 7 p.m., looking for redemption as they head to Lexington for their first road game of the season. The Gators are enjoying a six-game winning streak for the first time since 2015 when they won seven in a row. Their loss to Kentucky last year snapped a 31-game winning streak against the Wildcats. Kentucky last beat Florida in Lexington in 1986. Florida has not lost consecutive games to Kentucky since 1976 and 1977. Florida leads the series 51-18 overall. Time and Channel: 7:00 PM on ESPN with Steve Levy play-by-play and Brian Griese/Todd McShay as analysts as well as Molly McGrath reporting. Ticket Prices: Tickets cost between $135-$535 on www.StubHub.com. Betting Line: Florida opens as a -9.5 point favorite. Weather Forecast: 86 degrees is the daytime high and 64 degrees is low with a 30% chance of rain in the morning. The forecast for kickoff is for partly cloudy skies in the evening with only a 10% chance of rain. Franks Facts: Feleipe Franks completed 25-27 passes for 270 yards and 2 TDs. The 92.6 percent completion percentage is a school record (minimum 20 passes thrown) eclipsing Tim Tebow’s record of 88.6 percent in the 2010 Sugar Bowl. Feleipe Franks has thrown for at least 250 yards in the last 5 games. Franks ranks sixth nationally in completion percentage 77.8 and behind only Joe Burrow and Anthony Gordon among those who have 40 attempts. Franks is the first player since Mackenzie Milton to complete over 90 percent of his passes. Offensive Fact: The Gators have 500 yards of offense in 4 of their last six games. Florida already has passing plays of 60-plus yards this year. That is the highest total since 2016. Defensive Facts: The Gators are leading the FBS in sacks with 15. The Gators took five games last year to record 15 sacks. This was the defense’s first shutout since 2016. Jabari Zuniga is Florida’s top disrupter with 3 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss and leads the SEC. Florida is the only SEC team with four players with 1.5 sacks. In 15 games under Todd Grantham, Florida has 5-plus sacks in seven of those games. Opponent Facts: Kentucky has lost two players for the season, QB Terry Wilson and S Devontae Robinson who was injured this past summer. The Kentucky Wildcats are 12-3 over the past 15 games, which is tied for second in the SEC during that period only behind Alabama. Kentucky’s 10-3 record last year is its best in 41 years, and only third 10-win season in program history. Kentucky going 5-3 last season was its best record in the conference since 1977. WR Lynn Bowden jr. was able to reach 1,000 receiving yards and is only three catches away from reaching 100 career receptions. Hunter’s Predictions: This game is a big one for Florida to get the taste of last year’s loss out of its mouth. Also, the Gators still haven’t lost in Kentucky since five years before I was born. I expect Florida to try to establish the run game. I would like to see them pass to open up the run because I believe the offensive line is better at pass protection. I believe that Florida will run for over 100 yards against Kentucky. Feleipe Franks will throw for at least 250 yards and 2 TDs. Florida will get at least one turnover and continue the winning streak in Lexington. I predict the Gators will win, 28-14. Key Matchups: Sawyer Smith will get his first start as a Kentucky Wildcat on Saturday Night. Smith is a graduate transfer from Troy where he threw for 1,669 yards as a starter. He threw 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions last season. He will take over for the injured Wilson, out for the season. He completed 5x9 passes for 76 yards and 2 TDs in mopup duty against Eastern Michigan. Kentucky’s defense is ranked 5th in the SEC in sacks. Kentucky’s defense is led by inside linebacker Kash Daniel who is the inside linebacker. Kash had 5 tackles and 1 interception in the game vs. Eastern Michigan. Daniel also has 119 tackles in his career. Wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. will need to have a great day to help out Sawyer Smith. Kentucky will also need help from the running game and will turn to AJ Rose and Kavoisey Smoke as well as Chris Rodriguez. Kentucky will use a running back by committee approach. Jon Greenard will be looking to stop the running game for Florida along with Jabari Zuniga who continue to be Florida’s disruptors on the defensive front. Look for Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes to step up for Florida on the offensive side of the ball with the absence of Kadarius Toney. These players will need to make their presence felt for each team on Saturday night to earn the victory.

By KASSIDY HILL GatorBait Special Reporter The feeling in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was primed for excitement. As the Florida Gators rolled towards the fourth quarter already up 31-0 on UT-Martin, the remaining strains of Tom Petty hung in the air and the offense took the field just nine yards shy of the goal line. Quarterback Kyle Trask dropped back and delivered a dart over the middle to receiver Jacob Copeland; touchdown. The requisite fireworks went off, the band struck up the fight song, arms went into the air as fans celebrated. But nowhere in the Swamp at the moment was the excitement more real and overwhelming than on the Gators sideline. Copeland, the redshirt freshman who battled through injuries and obstacles, had finally made the debut fans and players alike had been waiting for and notched that memorable first touchdown. Senior receiver Van Jefferson had to be held back by strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage, so as not to receive a penalty for going too far past the sidelines. “Jacob Copeland, I mean I thought he had a great game today. Got his first college touchdown,” bragged Jefferson. “I was running on the field man, trying to run on the field but Coach Savage was holding me back.” Once on the sidelines, Copeland was bombarded by his teammates with a celebration that didn’t let up for the remainder of the game, as receiver Tre Grimes explained. “I don’t think we stopped talking to him after his touchdown. It’s phenomenal you know he’s been through a lot with his injuries and stuff like that. To see him back on the field, going hard and going strong is phenomenal and like I said we’re very happy for him.” The long road to a night with 38 total yards (one rush, three receptions) and one touchdown has winded for a year and a half, since Copeland first arrived as the 4-star wide out from Escambia, the cherry on top of Dan Mullen’s first recruiting class. Copeland has existed largely in the shadows. As the highest rated recruit in that 2018 class, the hope was that he would make an immediate impact. Yet he was injured as a true freshman then tweaked the injury again in spring practice, meaning so little has actually been seen Copeland as a Gator. His freshman year saw only one catch for 16 yards and one kick return for 26 yards against Idaho. He did see snaps against FSU and Michigan and was able to redshirt. Teammates, specifically fellow receivers, made it a point to keep Copeland involved in every possible way they could off the field and give encouragement when needed. "It’s hard. It’s more of a mental game. I’ve been through it,” said Grimes. “I had an ACL injury coming out of high school. I talk to him, that’s my roommate when we go to the hotel and we talk a lot and it’s a honor for him to be able to go out there and show what he has to do. There was a couple of times where he got a screen and to get like an extra 15 yards.” What he has to do couldn’t come at a better time for the No. 8/9 Gators. After losing do-it all scat cat Kadarius Toney to a shoulder injury (Toney will be out for at least a couple of weeks according to head coach Dan Mullen) Copeland’s skill set provides an answer to the loss. Safety Donovan Stiner, who faces Copeland in practice, was careful not to force Toney’s game on Copeland, commenting—“I’m not going to necessarily say that they’re the exact same player. I think they do different things, but yeah, I think he can. He’s really talented, so I think he’ll make a lot of plays,” but added the following. “He’s really talented. He can make a lot of things happen. He’s really talented. He’s strong, he’s fast, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do since KT is out for now.” Added Mullen, “He’s a physical guy. Has size. He has that ability where he’s a little bit multiple. He’s still learning how to be an every-down receiver. But a lot like Kadarius in that way, you can do different things, put the ball in his hands and he can make things happen. A little different style than Kadarius. It’s not like hey, we’re going to plug him in with what things Kadarius was doing. But there are some things that he does pretty well with the ball in his hands.” During limited snaps his true freshman year, Copeland primarily saw time at receiver and was also used as a kick returner. But on Saturday night, he took snaps at both receiver and running back, showing a versatility that defensive players have already seen in practice. “You can put him anywhere on the field and he’s gonna make plays,” noted corner Marco Wilson. "That was really only the first time he got to do something serious in a game and that’s only the beginning for him, I think that guy is gonna be a great player for the season to come.” Coaches and players alike have teased what the redshirt freshman has done in practice, giving hope to fans as to what he’d do when finally on the field. Receiver coach Billy Gonzales said in spring practice, “one of the practices I was blown away. I was like ‘wow’, you kind of forget like a little kid when you forget about that little toy that you haven’t had in a while. Oh my gosh. He was explosive, in and out of breaks.” But for quarterback Feleipe Franks, seeing what Copeland was able to do on the field when healthy was never as impactful as seeing how he was off the field while hurt. “It’s just more his grit, the way when players get injured and things don’t go the way they want, how do they respond? I think that he’s responded in all the right ways by continuing to keep his body healthy, continuing to do the right steps to maintain his body healthy. "I think that’s important when you first get to college and things don’t go the way you want them to go. Just continuing to have that mindset of, you know, ‘I’m not going to stop here just because I’m hurt. I’m going to continue to battle through this, get healthy again and just continue to grind.’ I think he has done a really good job of that.” Now though the path has straightened to give Jacob Copeland an opportunity to finally make the impact Gator Nation has been waiting to see. As Tre Grimes put simply, “he’s a phenomenal player and he’s gonna be one of the best when it’s his time to come.”

It’s a new year and a new era for the Florida-Kentucky rivalry. After Mark Stoops Wildcats beat the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium last season, ending a 31-year win streak by UF, the narrative around the most lopsided game in college football changed. Now the Gators travel to Lexington, looking to avenge the loss while not focusing primarily on revenge. They’re looking to extend their win streak to 3-0 and open up their SEC—and more importantly, SEC East—slate with a crucial win. Before the 7pm kickoff on Saturday, here are five last things to remember. One Thing to Remember Kentucky’s defense is still stout. After the departure of edge rusher Josh Allen to the NFL, it’s easy to think the defense has fallen off but the Cats returned much of their front line and have a strong linebacker corps in the middle. That corps is led by veteran Kash Daniels. The senior has nine tackles and an interception, numbers slightly below average but it’s his off the field leadership that has kept this defense point in the right direction. The Cats gave up only 49 rushing yards to Eastern Michigan, an area where the Gators offense has struggled thus far. One Florida Player to Remember Shawn Davis has had a sneaky great two games to open his junior season. Filling in while Jeawon Taylor recovers from injury and Brad Stewart served suspensions, Davis stepped in next to Donovan Stiner to take significant more snaps at safety. He’s had eight tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass break up through the first two games. His tackle for loss on the opening play against UT-Martin set the tone for the shutout game. But it’s his pressure on the backend that has really helped him elevate his game. Davis credits coach Ron English and staff for giving him confidence to play smarter and faster, not relying just on his wrecking ball hitting ability. “They saw something in me that I didn’t really see in myself,” says Davis. “It made me feel like ‘Oh, since they see it in me, I have to play to a higher level’.” One Kentucky Player to Remember Sawyer Smith has the weight of Big Blue Nation on his shoulders now. The Troy transfer has had the starting quarterback role thrust upon him with the season ending injury to Terry Wilson. Smith isn’t as much a mobile threat as Wilson—he’s only rushed once for five yards this season—but can attack the Gators secondary through the air. The best news for Florida is that he’s only thrown nine passes all season. They can attack early and rattle him against his first SEC defensive line as a starter. The bad news for Florida is that he’s only thrown nine passes all season. There’s a lot of unknowns around the junior; like will he average the 62.9% completion rate that he did as a sophomore at Troy. Or will be cripple under the blitz heavy defense Grantham is sure to bring? He’s the Wildcat wildcard here and could be the difference maker in a close Kentucky win or a blowout Gator win. One Big Question Can quarterback Feleipe Franks be the game changer? Head coach Dan Mullen has been inspiring more and more confidence in the passer and he could use a break out game to convert wayward naysayers. This could be that game. It sounds weird to say he needs a breakout game the week after he went 25-27 and two touchdowns. But doing something along those same lines against a SEC defense will really say he’s here to make some noise. Against this Cats defense—specifically the aforementioned linebacker corps—and with the Gators offensive line still struggling to establish the run game, this could very well be the game Franks has to take over and win through the air. One Last Prediction As much as the Florida players want to say they aren’t dwelling too much on last years loss, it’s on their minds. It can’t not be; and it’s already been seen that Mullen likes to build up rivalry games. He’ll do the same this week. The scare Kentucky gave Florida last season is also a good reminder to not take the Cats lightly. That being said, Stoops’ squad also has the monkey off their back now and isn’t afraid of the Gators. They know they can beat UF and are expecting to do so again. At the end of the day though, with a new quarterback and no Benny Snell, I don’t think Kentucky has enough to win this one, although it’ll be close. The Gators close it out in the 4th quarter and win by a touchdown.