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GAINESVILLE, Fla .– Kyle Trask has gone from hopeful for the Heisman Trophy to a potential Heisman favorite in two months, much of it in the past two weeks.
Trask threw for 356 yards and six touchdowns, stretching his school record for consecutive games with at least four touchdowns to six, and Florida No.6 passed Arkansas 63-35 on Saturday in the swamp.
Trask repeatedly torched the Razorbacks (3-4), who were without coach Sam Pittman due to a positive COVID-19 test – and with little luck at halftime. It was the second time this season that Trask threw six touchdowns in a game; he is the only actor in the history of the school to achieve this feat.
The Florida worshipers even started a “Trask for Heisman” song.
“Yeah, I heard it,” said the quarterback. “But like I said, I focused on the winning games here.”
So far, so good.
“The more teams sometimes succeed, the more individual rewards there are,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said of Trask. “If we continue to be successful as a team, we continue to play, he will have the opportunity to get individual rewards.”
Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks, a three-year-old starter for the Gators (5-1), was booed early in his return to Florida Field and could not do much to steal the show at Trask. Florida players and coaches lined up to hug Franks after the game, and the audience responded with a warm ovation as he left the stadium for the last time.
“It’s awesome, man, just to be around these guys and see the excitement they had to see me and me to see them,” Franks said. “It’s fun. You love the game. That’s what you play it for: the relationships you build along the way.”
Also on Saturday, Trask kicked off a new streak by throwing at least four touchdown passes in the first half for the second week in a row. He’s had five in Florida’s first six practices, and he could have had another if the Gators hadn’t failed to convert a fourth game to Arkansas 16.
Still, it was the most impressive half for Trask in two years as a starter, and it put him in an elite company as the Gators won their 11th straight at home and moved closer to secure a place in the Southeastern Conference Championship game.
“I think I did a great job of execution and efficiency,” said Trask, who has an SEC record of 28 touchdown passes and just three interceptions in six games. “You strive for perfection, but it’s really hard to get there.”
The only downside for Florida: Their defense allowed for a 47-yard TD pass, an 83-yard TD run, and an 82-yard catch-and-run for another score. But Trask’s Night certainly overshadowed these shortcomings.
He became the third player in school history with at least 25 touchdown passes in several years, joining Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel. These two players have a statue outside the stadium.
Trask also became the fourth FBS quarterback since 1996 to throw four or more touchdowns in six straight games in a season. The list includes Colt Brennan (Hawaii, nine in 2006), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech, six in 2007) and Logan Woodside (Toledo, six in 2016).
Trask has had some time in his pocket, thanks to complementary ground play and plenty of open options, despite playing without dynamic tight winger Kyle Pitts, who will miss another game with concussion and nose surgery resulting from a vicious blow against Georgia.
The appellant’s six TDs went to four receivers: Trevon Grimes (twice), Keon Zipperer (twice), Justin Shorter and Jacob Copeland.
The Gators showed no signs of disappointment following an emotional victory over rival Bulldogs. Franks’ return might have had a little to do with it. Florida defenders wanted a part of him, and Trask surely wanted to prove that Mullen had made the right choice by sticking with him on Franks.
Franks completed a 47-yard touchdown pass on his first practice and pointed to the Florida sideline as he ran to celebrate with his teammates. He didn’t do much else the rest of the night and ended up in the locker room in the third quarter with a left hand / wrist injury.
He returned with his hand tightly taped and wore a glove to protect it. He could be seen staring from the stands, perhaps recalling his time in Gainesville, between the third and fourth quarters, as the Gators played Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
Franks completed 15 of 19 passes for 250 yards and two scores.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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