GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- He was 14-years old.
Thats how old Kyle Trask was the last time he started a football game under center. But if the redshirt junior had any butterflies playing in front of more than 80,000 people in the Swamp, he did not show it.
In a little more than two minutes, Trask led the offense down the field 75 yards. In just five plays he found the endzone.
"I wasn't really nervous," Trask said after Florida's 34-3 win over Tennessee. "Our coaches do such a great job of preparing us. But we definitely wanted to start fast and we did that by scoring on the first drive."
"He's had an interesting career," Gators head coach Dan Mullen said. "But you know what? Give him a lot of credit for just preparing himself the right way and not being worried about (the wrong things)."
"He came through like he’d been starting every game," said wide receiver Freddie Swain. "He’s comes and taps you on the butt and, ‘hey, let's go, we pick it up.’ You know, tap the O-line, you know. That's the kind of thing you need out of a quarterback, and he has good traits, so I think we’re pretty good."
Trask finished 20-of-28 for 293 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble.
"Phenomenal," said wide receiver Trevon Grimes. "He came out, he executed. He did what he needed to do, and he showed Gator Nation what he can do. I’m really happy for him, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, him being our quarterback.”
He had several terrific throws against the Vols. Trask saw the field well and consistently found the open guy, moving the chains repeatedly. He looked like a man that knew the playbook well.
Trask did not look lost when his first read was not there. This was demonstrated on his first pass of the game, a 43-yard bomb to Grimes.
“I knew I was probably the third read on the play. The only way I would get the ball is if I beat the safety. I saw the safety roll down, and I beat him," explained Grimes. "Look back for the ball, I see Kyle Trask scrambling. Usually when a quarterback scrambles, he’s trying to get out of bounds. But Kyle always reads the field, scans the field. He sees me downfield and threw it up. He had trust in me. He had faith in me to get it."
"I thought he played solid," said Mullen. "Even both interceptions, I mean he kind of threw in coverage but he kind of threw to guys. It wasn't like he threw to a guy and hit a defender in the chest. I mean he took a shot on two plays and gave receivers a chance. Got to make good decisions into taking those chances, but I thought he really managed the game well.
"He was sharp, good decisions all day long. I think the fumble, that's just one he's trying to hold the ball, hold the ball, hold the ball, hold the ball and make a play," added the Gators head coach. "Hey, 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."
Trask's 293 yards passing is the highest single-game total by a Gator since Austin Appleby against the Vols in 2016, while Trask was the first quarterback to throw for over 290 yards on fewer than 30 passes since John Brantley in 2011.
“Kyle Trask, he’s been through a lot," said Grimes. "Last season, dealing with the injuries and stuff like that. It’s an honor to be able to go out there and say that’s my quarterback now, and he’s been through so much...but he’s still stood strong and shows why he’s Kyle Trask and who he is today. It made him who he is, and now he’s our quarterback and doing really, really well.”
It was clear from the beginning that the Gators receivers trusted Trask, and Trask in turn trusted his receivers. Florida threw the ball to ten different targets on Saturday, amassing 313 yards and averaging 13 yards per catch.
"He gives us opportunities to run better routes, try to wait a little more because you know he’s gonna sit back there and actually wait on us," said Swain. "It just gives us a little more confidence."
It was a solid first start.
Trask will have things he needs to clean up, as stated above by Mullen. The Texan did throw twice into double coverage, getting picked off twice, and fumbled on a hit.
However, according to Grimes, he rather have a quarterback that is aggressive and gives his receivers opportunities to make plays.
"He throws balls that takes guts to throw, but it’s the right read and I love that about him," said Grimes. "He’s not scared to throw the ball, and he’s confident in his receivers to go down there and make plays. That’s one thing I feel is very, very professional about him.
"There’s going to be hiccups. Everyone has hiccups. Receivers have hiccups, it can be on the receiver or it can be on the quarterback. Everybody has mistakes, it’s part of the game. He’ll learn from them and become a better player.”
Trask was never worried his number was never going to be called. He was focused on his preparation.
Now Florida can take some comfort that No. 11 is ready for his number to be called upon.
"I've always been preparing like I'm a starter and at the end of the day I'm just trying to do what's best for this team," said Trask. "Once my number was called I understood that it was go time and time to go our and help win the game for my team.”
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