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On the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast, David Soderquist, Brian Fox, and Jake Hitt preview Wednesday’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl, which will feature the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners.
Per usual, David takes you through the stats that may (or, may not) determine the outcome while Jake gives you a few players to watch when Oklahoma has the ball. In responding to a listener call, Brian draws at least one parallel between this team and the 2001 UF squad.
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Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White spoke with the media Monday for the first time since Keyontae Johnson’s health crisis on Dec. 12 and touched on the role the star looks to take moving forward with the program and how the team is adjusting.
Johnson, who collapsed on the court against Tallahassee two weeks ago, has been making great strides in his recovery and was released from the hospital Dec. 22 and was able to spend the holidays with his family according to the team.
White, who spent multiple days in Tallahassee while Johnson was in the hospital there, said the team was emotional upon receiving good news about Johnson’s health. However, Johnson has been back with the program and attended practices Sunday and Monday, talking with the team and helping the coaches. White said he’s been watching tape on Vanderbilt and wants to help out with scouting.
“He joked about being heavily involved with scouting on the front end but it’s actually coming to fruition, maybe we thought he was joking and he wasn’t,” White said. “In fact, coach Mincy’s (asisstant coach Jordan Mincy) got the next scout and coach Mincy and I had an early morning meeting set for this morning and when I showed up at the office, Coach Mincy was in his office and Keyontae was in there with him.”
White said he felt Johnson’s new role could help with his development and also the progression of the team by offering another voice.
As for the rest of the season, White said the decision to suspend the final two weeks of non-conference games was made in the best interest of the athletes and the biggest focus ramping back up towards the Vanderbilt game is to make sure not to push the team too far after the time away.
“The first day sprinting was yesterday and we didn’t want to sprint like we did the day before Tallahassee because we haven’t sprinted in two weeks,” White said in one example.
White said that, while the team has become more accustomed to the process to getting back into form after a break or a pause in activities, the lack of time between the resumption of practice and the resumption of play will make being ready for Vanderbilt difficult.
“We’re not going to be in SEC shape on Wednesday,” White said, “We’re just not.”
Even once the team reaches game shape, the coach acknowledges that his unit won’t be the same group without Johnson on the floor and he isn’t quite sure what that will amount to yet, but knows it is all a process the program must work through..
“We certainly got to get to the point where we have that pep in our step and that competitive spirit back,” White said.
Florida is set to take the court for the first time in 18 days against Vanderbilt in its SEC opener on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Kyle Trask’s receiving corps will look pretty different in Arlington, Texas. Gator fans will essentially see what next year’s offense could look like when it comes to skill player utilization.
Florida now won’t have it’s nos. 2 and 3 receivers for the Cotton Bowl after Kyle Pitts opted out earlier. Senior wideouts Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney announced Monday their declaration for the NFL Draft and opting out of the Gators’ bowl game. You can see their statements below.
Grimes arrived at UF via transfer from Ohio State. The St. Thomas Aquinas product posted career highs in catches, yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns at Florida in 2020.
His 38 catches, 589 yards and nine touchdowns were all third-best on the team. And he served as one of Trask’s go-to targets on 50/50 balls with memorable catches against Vanderbilt and Georgia.
Grimes saw immediate time as a sophomore in 2018 under then-first-year head coach Dan Mullen. He totaled 364 yards and two touchdowns on just 26 receptions. His nine TDs in 2020 are triple his number from 2019 despite only catching five more balls. But those 38 grabs came in two fewer games than his junior season.
By way of Blount High School in Alabama, Kadarius Toney arrived on campus having played more quarterback than wide receiver. Throughout the years fans saw his progression at the position. He always maintained a role in the offense since his freshman year whether at wildcat, running back or wide receiver. However, in his senior season, most of his involvement came as a pass catcher.
After never posting more than 300 yards and 30 catches in a season his first three years, Toney paced Florida in catches (70) and yards (984) and finished second in receiving touchdowns with 10. In total, Toney scored 11 times and gained over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2020. Toney broke 100 yards and scored in each of his last three games with a season-high 182 yards on nine catches against LSU.
According to The Draft Network, Grimes is listed as the 257th overall prospect and Toney as the 77th. That makes Toney the ninth-highest ranked receiver and Grimes the 42nd.
Meanwhile, the non-tight end or running back receivers left with at least one reception are Jacob Copeland, Xzavier Henderson, Rick Wells, Trent Whittemore and Justin Shorter. Barring other asbences, they, along with the backs and remaining tight ends, will look to make up for missing so much production.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mullen develops his gameplan for Wednesday with these departures in mind.
Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast as David Soderquist, Michael Pfeffer, and Brian Fox are joined by special guest Will Miles of ReadandReaction.com.
The four of them breakdown the season and share their thoughts on who overachieved and who underachieved in 2020.
Feel free to call into our voicemail line to leave your prediction for the Cotton Bowl prior to Monday night to have your voice heard on The Gridiron Growl Podcast, 352.888.4687.
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Keyontae Johnson, Florida’s star forward who collapsed on the court last week in Tallahassee, has been diagnosed with acute myocarditis, as first reported by the Gainesville Sun’s Zach Abolverdi Tuesday.
The infection is described as an inflammation of muscle within the heart and said to typically be caused by viral infection, which raises the obvious question of whether or not this injury ties back to an earlier bout of COVID-19.
Johnson was released from the hospital Tuesday and will spent Christmas at home with his family. The SEC preseason player of the year is likely to miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
It remains to be seen whether Johnson’s condition is in any way related to being infected with COVID-19. All UF athletes infected must complete a cardiac evaluation in accordance with SEC protocol before being cleared to play, including an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and a blood test.
While the link may not be confirmed yet, it may prompt the NCAA and other leagues to include further testing. Johnson isn’t the first Division I athlete to be diagnosed with myocarditis since the rise of the pandemic, as Miami defensive back Al Blades, Jr. was forced to cut his season short early after concerning bloodwork revealed the heart condition.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images By now, most of us have heard the story of the quiet kid from Manvel, Texas. Against all odds, this young man earned a D-I scholarship offer despite having been a backup since ninth grade. Quietly, he waited in the wings, hoping and trusting that his day would come. It wasn’t for lack of talent that he was relegated to the role of QB2. No. Instead, it was merely an instance of being behind somebody that was just an electric presence in the 5A-11 ranks of Texas high school football.
In fact, this unassuming young man was so good that his coach, Kirk Martin, at Manvel High School used to joke that one day he would be known as the fool that didn’t start Kyle Trask. But it’s because Coach Martin understood just how special Trask was that he campaigned so hard for him. And for all of the deserved ire that Florida fans have for Doug Nussmeier, he deserves lots of credit for listening to Martin.
After speaking with Martin and seeing some tape on Kyle, Nussmeier invited the talented young quarterback to Gainesville for a midsummer camp. Trask left such an impression that he was invited to Florida’s annual Friday Night Lights event in July. The event is known as a veritable who’s who in each recruiting class. As such, the staff at Florida would have an opportunity to see Trask competing head-to-head with the best recruits in the nation.
What happened next was a sign of things to come that was, somehow, overlooked by the rest of the world. In one weekend, this quiet kid who played “backup” to D’Eriq King showed exactly who he was. Not only did Trask hold his own against the nation’s top recruits, he shined. So much so that he was offered a scholarship that very weekend. Trask committed the very next day, revealing his character in the process.
After the Gators received his commitment, Trask suddenly became a very intriguing prospect to a number of high-profile programs. However, Kyle shut them all down immediately. He felt very strongly about being loyal to “the guys who believed in [him] and took a chance on [him].”
Only a few months later, Trask left the quarterback room at Manvel High and joined the Gators. But just like in high school, Trask would have to prove his mettle against a higher rated and more sought after quarterback, in Feleipe Franks. Trask didn’t mind. He knew that if he worked hard and remained patient, his chance would come.
Like the entirety of his high school career, Trask was forced to take the long way around. Twice, Trask suffered injuries that sidelined him before he ever even stepped onto Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. The second injury only seemed to have delayed the inevitable, as Trask was rumored to have finally won the starting job following a lopsided homecoming loss to Mizzou. Despite the setback, Trask continued to work hard and remained focused on being a great teammate and leader.
At this point, Feleipe Franks seemed to finally be putting it all together and it looked like Trask might spend his entire collegiate career as a backup. Transferring was never even a possibility as far as Kyle was concerned. Whether he got to play or not, he was going to see his commitment through. And then it happened.
Late in the third quarter and on the road in Lexington, Franks suffered a broken and dislocated ankle. Trask came in off of the bench and the world took notice. Down by 11-points, Trask led the Gators comeback and Florida came away with the win and a new found admiration for the quiet kid from Manvel, Texas.
In his first career start, Kyle defeated rival Tennessee 34-3. By the end of an abbreviated first season as QB1, Trask had an 8-2 record as a starter, 2,941 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions on a 66.9% completion rate. As good as his inaugural season was, Trask wasn’t going to be satisfied. Instead, he went to work during the offseason, improving his footwork, working on his throwing mechanics, and developing a greater rapport with his receivers.
The results were immediately evident despite a COVID-19 cancellation of Spring practice and a shortened fall camp. In the Gators opening game of 2020, Trask lit up the Ole Miss defense in Oxford, completing 30 passes for 416 yards and 6 touchdowns. This type of production was more of the rule than the exception for what will be known as one of the greatest single seasons a Florida quarterback has ever had.
At the time of this writing, Florida still has their third consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl Game to prepare for, but Kyle Trask has already broken the SEC record for most touchdowns through the first 8 games of a season (34), most consecutive games with 4 or more passing touchdowns (6), the Florida single-season passing touchdowns record (currently 43), and single-season passing yards (currently 4,125).
Additionally, Trask led the Gators to an SEC East Division Title and became the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards on Alabama since Trevor Lawrence in the 2017 National Championship, nearly willing the Gators to the upset win in the SEC Championship game. All of this took place because Kyle was patient, humble, and willing to be a teammate before becoming a star. Even as the Heisman chatter began to grow louder and louder, Kyle always remained focused on what was best for the team.
Although it remains to be seen whether or not Trask will receive the Heisman Trophy, one thing is absolutely certain. There is nobody more deserving of that honor than the quiet kid from Manvel, Texas. Kyle Trask is living proof that hard work, patience, perseverance, and selflessness can pay off. As a fan, it has been a wonderful honor to be able to watch such a special talent lead the team that I have cheered for my entire life.
Whatever decision Kyle makes for his future, Gator Nation has truly been blessed to see him in the orange and blue. Kyle Trask will always be one of our favorite Gators!
The Florida Gators are off to their best start in five years after defeating North Florida 89-64 in it’s non-conference finale on Monday.
Florida got started early and often, scoring 31 points in the first quarter. Danielle Rainey paced all scorers in the first period with ten while Kiki Smith added six and Lavender Briggs poured in five more. As a team, the Gators made 13-26 from the field to take a 31-11 lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter was much more back and forth, but the Gators went to the locker rooms with a 45-24 advantage.
The second half was a little more free flowing as both teams scores 20+ points in the third and fourth quarters. With the game in hand, the Gators also got the opportunity to get their role players and bench players extended minutes on the court.
Briggs and freshman Jordyn Merritt led the scoring column with 15 each while Rainey finished with 14. Kristina Moore added 12 points and Smith added 11.
Nina Rickards finished with a game high 15 rebounds, 11 of those offensive.
UF Team Stats:
FG% – 42% (36-86)
3FG% – 26% (7-27)
FT% – 56% (10-18)
Rebounds – 61
O Rebounds – 31
Reb Margin – 25
Assists – 16
Steals – 7
Turnovers – 9
Player Stats:
Briggs: 15 P, 8 R, 7 A
Merritt: 15 P, 7-10 FG, 5 R
Rainey: 14 P, 4 R
Moore: 12 P, 4 R
Smith: 11 P, 9 R, 3 A
Rickards: 8 P, 15 R, 11 OR
What’s Next:
With Florida’s non-conference slate complete, the Gators will have a little time off before getting back on the court against Vanderbilt on December 31. The game is scheduled for a 4:00 PM tip.
Tale as old at time. Song as old as rhyme. Offense puts up points but needs a perfect game to overcome a problematic defense. And the Gators fall just short. To say it wasn’t a disappointment to lose would be a lie. However, I think the Fighting Dan Mullens put up a much better fight than anyone anticipated.
Offense: A-
Look 46 points is 46 points. You’re doing something right on offense when you post that on a scoreboard. Florida only punted twice against the Number 1 team in the country and gained 462 yards of total offense on 66 plays. Those point and yardage totals are second to Ole Miss for the most against the Crimson Tide this season. Kyle Trask showed out again with a 65 percent completion rate, 408 yards through the air and four total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush). How much more can we say about Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts? Toney led all receivers with eight catches, 153 yards and a touchdown. And Pitts put on a spectacular going away performance with 129 yards and a score on seven catches. Something you could knock the Gators for is fumbling four times on offense (only losing one of them but inside their own 20) along with a stalled drive after the defense got them the ball on a fourth down stop on Bama’s first drive of the second half. But, no matter how many times the Gators were punched in the gut by Alabama, this offense barely flinched and kept them toe-to-toe with the big bad Tide.
Defense: D
I know it’s weird to give the Gators credit on offense for succeeding against Alabama while criticizing the defense for getting torched. But just bear with me. No matter how you slice it, 52 points and 605 yards allowed is embarrassing for a defense. Florida seemingly had no answer for Najee Harris (in their defense nobody did all year). But the most painful part was, for a majority of the game, the defense did the right things to get off the field and things happened to nullify it. Trey Dean made a great effort play to pick off Mac Jones then got leveled by John Metchie III and fumbled the ball to give the Tide possession. You can hardly blame Dean there. He made a great play and Metchie just made a better one. It’s more the offsides penalty on 3rd and 10 to give Bama 3rd and 5 on it’s first drive, allowing DeVonta Smith to pick up the first on a drag route. Or hands to the face to extend a drive after a third down incompletion on 3rd and 3 and a substitution penalty on a different third down incompletion to give the Tide another chance at a first down. Also, when the Gators got within one score with 6:30 left in the fourth, they gave up a touchdown to help Bama keep Florida at arms length.
However, the Florida D played moderately better in the second half. It posted two straight stops to start and even held Alabama to a field goal on sudden change after Kyle Trask fumbled on a sack. They held Alabama scoreless for the entire third quarter! And say what you want but the defense got Trask and Co. the ball back with a chance to win. Albeit with fewer than 20 seconds left, but a chance nonetheless.
Special Teams: B
The Gators didn’t do much on special teams. Kadarius Toney and Malik Davis actually posted some great returns on kickoff. Evan McPherson nailed his lone field goal of the evening. Meanwhile, Jacob Finn and the punt team continue to show how good they are at pinning teams deep.
In Conclusion:
The game played out in reverse of what I expected. The Tide pulled away early but the Gators reeled them and made it a dogfight in the second half. Lots of things to gripe about like bad defense, inopportune drive stalls or sacks, a turnover in your own territory or Dan Mullen making some head scratching play calls. But the fact of the matter is this was probably the closest a Florida team’s played Alabama in years. This offense showed it can have Florida compete with any team in football by putting on the show it did against the Tide. And Kyle Trask showed why he should at the very least get consideration for the Heisman. Trust me, this team is not there yet. We all see it. But Saturday night showed the Gators are capable of closing the gap.
Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast. David Soderquist, Michael Pfeffer, and Brian Fox recap a thrilling SEC Championship Game featuring the Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide.
The trio also delve into the Heisman Trophy candidacy of QB Kyle Trask before sharing their appreciation for the efforts of generational players Trask, Kyle Pitts, and Kadarius Toney.
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Atlanta, GA – Coming into Sunday’s SEC Championship game, most considered Alabama heavy favorites. This narrative was born from several weeks of Florida sleepwalking through easy wins. However, the narrative really gained traction after last week’s devastating and inexcusable loss to LSU. Although I predicted that the Gators would beat the spread, even I was wrong about how closely Florida would play Alabama.
For most of the season, I stated my belief that the Gators matched up better with the Crimson Tide than all but perhaps one other team. Following what felt like a bit of a regression, I lost hope. I felt as though this year’s SEC Championship matchup would resemble the 2016. It was a feeling that we probably didn’t really belong on the field with Alabama.
Well, I was very wrong. Even though there were many miscues, this team never quit and, in the end, they went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country. Even Florida’s defense, which has been a bit of a liability this season, managed to make several stops during the second half. Truth be told, they played fairly well considering they were facing an offense that featured three different Heisman candidates.
In the end, the trio of Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and DeVonta Smith was too much for the Gators defense. Jones completed 33 of 43 pass attempts for 418 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception. Smith lived up to his billing, recording 15 catches for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But it might have been Harris that truly stole the show on Alabama’s offense.
Whether it was on the ground or through the air, Harris made plays all night long. On the night, Harris had 31 carries for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he was just as effective in the passing game. Harris hauled in 5 catches for 67 yards and 3 touchdowns, including one with just six seconds remaining before the half. This was a clutch score for the Tide in response to a beautiful 4-play 75-yard touchdown drive by the Gators. The touchdown extended the Alabama lead and allowed them to take a 35-17 lead at the half.
Florida responded the way any championship caliber team should. Coming out of the break, Kyle Trask capped off another four-play 75-yard drive with a 50-yard dime to Trevon Grimes. This appeared to have sparked the defense because they held Alabama to just 98 yards in the third quarter. Additionally, they provided the offense with the third quarter shutout that they needed in order to bridge the gap. Kyle Trask, in turn, led the offense on a 12-play 80-yard touchdown drive in which he rushed the ball four times.
All told, Trask ran the ball 15 times. He scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion with his legs. But, as usual, it was his arm talent that kept things moving. The Heisman hopeful completed 26 of 40 attempts for 408 yards and 3 touchdowns. While he “only” completed passes to six receivers, Trask found his most lethal targets time and again.
Once again, Kadarius Toney was electrifying and the Alabama defense had no answers for him. The senior receiver had 8 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown. When he wasn’t hauling in passes, he was still frustrating the defense by working through a variety of motions, forcing them to show their hand, and lining up all over the field. Likewise, Kyle Pitts was a matchup nightmare for the Tide. He completed the night with 7 receptions for 129 yards and a beautiful highpoint touchdown reception in double coverage. Senior wideout Trevon Grimes also recorded 4 catches and a touchdown on 78 yards.
Despite giving up 605 yards, the defense had a couple of standout performers. Mohamoud Diabate and Amari Burney each recorded 10 tackles. It seemed like Diabate was in on just about every play, even when he wasn’t the one making the tackle.
By the end of the third quarter, Florida had pulled within four points. Trailing 35-31, the defense was exhausted from a near perfect execution of Alabama’s first-half game plan. As a result, they allowed the Tide to put together a 10-play 75-yard drive that culminated in a Najee Harris touchdown. After recovering a Kyle Trask fumble on the ensuing drive, Alabama was forced to settle for a field goal, giving them a 45-31 advantage.
The Gators weren’t going away, though. They responded with a 9-play touchdown drive to make it a one score game. But the comeback wasn’t going to be that easy. DeVonta Smith hauled in a 15-yard touchdown to make it 52-38 with just under five minutes remaining. Trask once again marched the offense 75 yards down the field for another touchdown.
Knowing that his team was gassed, Dan Mullen decided to go for the two-point conversion. Florida had the nation’s longest streak of failed two-point attempts with 11 straight. After Daniel Wright picked off the pass intended for Kyle Pitts, it looked as though that streak had grown to 12 consecutive failed attempts. However, there was a pass interference penalty that gave the Gators a second chance. This time, Trask took it in, himself. With the Gators down by six, they had to attempt the onside kick.
When the onside kick attempt was recovered by Alabama, it seemed as though that would be the end of Florida’s comeback hopes. However, the defense stuffed Najee Harris on three consecutive plays, forcing the punt. Florida had sixteen seconds and no timeouts to move the ball 93 yards. With all of Gator Nation holding their collective breath and hoping for a miracle finish, Christian Harris sacked Kyle Trask to end the game.
Florida came up just short. But they gave the best team in the nation all that they could handle. The Gators may not have achieved their season goals, but a 52-46 loss to the undefeated and No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide shows that they are much closer to being a legitimate national championship contender than we may have thought after last week’s loss. Even though they didn’t win, Florida can hold their heads up high, knowing that they left it all on the field.
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