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Florida quarterback Kyle Trask threw for 293 yards in his first career start Saturday. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/JOHN RAOUX)
GAINESVILLE — In his first career start, quarterback Kyle Trask threw for nearly 300 yards and led No. 9 Florida to a 34-3 win Saturday over rival Tennessee.
The Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC) have now beaten the Volunteers (1-3, 0-1 SEC) by 20-plus points in consecutive games for the first time since 2007-08.
Twenty five years ago, Steve Spurrier’s top-ranked Gators — who had their reunion this weekend — won 31-0 in Knoxville on their way to a 1994 SEC Championship. Spurrier had the UF band play ‘Rocky Top’ in Neyland Stadium afterward.
That shutout had been the Vols’ lowest scoring output in the rivalry until Saturday, with Florida’s swarming defense forcing four turnovers and collecting three interceptions in consecutive games for the first time since 2012.
But the story of the day was Trask, who became the first UF quarterback to start a game wearing No. 11 since Spurrier. Trask completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 293 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Following the game, Spurrier was waiting in the hallway outside of Florida’s locker room. He looked around for a minute as players and recruits walked passed him, before finally asking someone, “Where’s Kyle?”
Trask was still in the locker room, so Spurrier was escorted inside. The HBC patted Trask on the shoulder and told him he did a good job.
When the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner seeks you out to compliment your game, life is good.
“It’s been pretty surreal,” said Trask, who took over as the starter against Kentucky following Feleipe Franks’ season-ending ankle injury. “I feel I’ve done a great job of staying focused and locked in on the task at hand.”
Trask came out sharp on the opening series, completing his first pass for 43 yards to Trevon Grimes and his second to Kyle Pitts for a 19-yard touchdown. Trask hooked up with Pitts four times for 62 yards, continuing their ‘Kyle-to-Kyle’ connection after a 30-yard passing play on the game-winning drive at UK.
“He’s one of the best pocket passers I’ve ever seen,” Pitts said of Trask. “Me and Kyle have been working late nights. During camp was when we got some things done and got our connection together.”
Trask was sacked and fumbled on Florida’s second possession, with the Vols recovering at the UF 19-yard line. But Tennessee QB Jarrett Guarantano gave it right back on third and goal, picked off in the end zone by Trey Dean III.
The ensuing drive ended in a turnover on downs after Trask was stuffed on fourth-and-3 at the UT 30. The Gators settled for three points on their next series, set up by Marco Wilson’s first-career pick in Vols territory.
After Tennessee and Florida traded three-and-outs, Trask checked back in at quarterback for Emory Jones and led the Gators on a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to end the first half.
“He played solid,” UF coach Dan Mullen said of Trask. “He was sharp, good decisions all day long. I think the fumble, he's trying to hold the ball and make a play.
“If it's not there, just burn it and let's play the next play. That comes with experience. But overall, I thought he played really well.”
Guarantano was benched at halftime and replaced by Brian Maurer, whose first series was Tennessee’s only scoring drive. Mullen had to burn a timeout before Florida’s first second-half series and went off on the offense.
“We were going to get a delay of game,” he said. “We were moseying out there on the field.”
The players responded by marching 75 yards in six plays, capped off by Freddie Swain’s 29-yard touchdown reception. Trask went six years without throwing an interception in limited action as a high school and college backup, but his streak ended against the Vols.
He was picked off on consecutive drives.
“They were unfortunately obviously,” Trask said. “It wasn't a bad read. It was just, I saw the one-on-one matchup. I was trying to take advantage of it. I liked the matchup in our favor. I think our team did a great job of bouncing back.”
After just 57 yards rushing through three quarters, the Gators got their ground game going in the fourth with Jones and running back Dameon Pierce. Pierce ripped off consecutive runs of 11, 13, 12 yards and finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown to put UF up 31-3.
Lamical Perine had 62 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Pierce ran the ball 11 times for 39 yards. McPherson added a 37-yard field on Florida’s final possession with Jones, who was 4/6 for 20 yards.
“We would have liked to get Emory in once or twice more early,” Mullen said. “But I was really happy both guys got to get in. I think both guys played fairly well, made some good plays, good decisions while they were in there. Both led us to touchdown drives, so I thought, really managed the game well."
Spurrier’s 1994 team also featured two quarterbacks, with Danny Danny Wuerffel and Terry Dean sharing playing time. As for the shutout at Tennessee that season, Spurrier didn’t consider that game one of his more memorable wins.
“Nah, it wasn’t,” Spurrier said. “It was 31-0, but it was just a game on the way (to the SEC title). Those guys could score. They thought they were going to score every possession. That’s how good that team was.”