Hampered by a slow start Saturday against Missouri, a pair of game-changing plays from both No. 1’s for Florida late in the first half and a cheap shot on quarterback Kyle Trask lit a fire under the Gators.

After trailing 7-6 for the majority of the second quarter, they scored 28 straight points en route to a 41-17 victory on Halloween. The night was marred by the halftime brawl, which resulted in three player ejections and a joint statement from both teams.

The fight broke out after Trask was clocked by Tigers defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat on the final play of the half.

“How Kyle got hit late, obviously everyone just doesn’t like seeing the quarterback get hit,” said UF wide receiver Justin Shorter, who scored his first career touchdown. “It definitely fired us up.”

With a three-week hiatus and COVID protocols keeping half of his offensive line out of practice until Wednesday, Gators coach Dan Mullen admittedly had concerns about converting third downs against Missouri’s defense. Those fears came to pass with an 0-for-7 start.

“We did have a rough start,” Trask said, “with our third-down efficiency at the beginning of the game.”

So did Missouri.

Florida’s third-down defense ranked second to last in the FBS heading into Saturday, but Todd Grantham’s unit flipped the script against the Tigers. They converted just three of 15 third-down attempts, including 1-for-8 in the first half.

With just over five minutes to play, a holding penalty on UF cornerback Kaiir Elam gave Mizzou a rare third-down conversion. Sensing an opportunity to strike, first-year coach Eliah Drinkwitz dialed up a trick play on the ensuing snap.

The Tigers ran a reverse to Keke Chism, who appeared to be looking to throw. Florida’s Brenton Cox Jr. spotted Chism in the backfield and contained the edge with an incredible pursuit, blowing up the play and bringing him down for a 15-yard loss.

That derailed Missouri’s drive and gave the ball back to Trask, who had a pick-six and two three-and-outs on his three previous possessions. He finally converted a third-down attempt with his 36-yard pass to Jacob Copeland, and then Florida’s other No. 1 made his presence felt.

Two plays after Copeland’s reception, Kadarius Toney caught a screen and spun out of several tackles to break free for a 19-yard touchdown. He was back in the end zone 33 seconds later after Cox made his first career fumble recovery, setting up Toney’s 30-yard TD catch on the next play.

“He did well,” Mullen said of Toney. “You watch how he's matured and grown into playing within the offense. Not just give him the ball and I'm going to run around like crazy.

“He plays within the scheme, he sets up runs, he sets up blocks. And then he can make special things happen and make you miss great tackles.”

The huge plays from Cox and Toney put the Gators in control before the break, and then all hell broke loose. Mullen charged toward midfield after the hit on Trask and appears to be shouting at the white hat official, presumably about no flag being thrown.

One of the Missouri players nearby, Tre Williams, then sets off the melee by throwing the first punch. He was ejected for fighting along with UF defensive linemen Zachary Carter and Antwuan Powell.

“Our guys told them don’t hit the quarterback. I didn’t see what was going on. I didn’t see the late hit. I was told that guys thought that was the case,” Mullen said.

“I was trying to get our players off the field to make sure we didn’t have issues and have a whole bunch of guys suspended. We’re already a paper-thin outfit right now.”

As ugly as the scene was on the field, it led to what Trask described as a “special moment” with his teammates. They gathered in the locker room and rallied around their star quarterback, bouncing up and down as a group after a passionate speech by Mullen.

“There was a lot of energy in the locker room. Honestly, it was everybody. It wasn't just him,” Trask said. “It was really cool just to see my teammates have my back. That’s just what is so special about this team.

“It really caused a moment for us to just come together and have each other’s back no matter what. We played with a lot of that energy in the second half and really got the ball rolling.”

Florida put the game away in the third quarter with back-to-back touchdown drives and consecutive three-and-outs on defense. Trask showed he wasn’t fazed by the cheap shot on the opening possession, carrying the ball three times for 43 yards. He moved the chains twice with a 26-yard run on third-and-1 and a 15-yard run on fourth-and-1.

“Honestly, I was just trying to get the first down on that one I lowered my shoulder on the sideline,” Trask said. “That's just how I play whether or not that whole situation happened.”

Toney capped off the first series of the second half with a 16-yard touchdown run, twisting and turning into the end zone. He finished with four catches for 60 yards, three carries for 23 yards and a hat trick, showing again why he was awarded numero uno last year.

“That’s what he’s capable of on any given night,” Trask said. “It’s pretty hard to cover Kadarius Toney one-on-one, to say the least. That’s what he can do when you give him those opportunities.”