GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ Florida quarterback Kyle Trask's first start since he was 14 years old proved to be worth the wait.
For both Trask and for Florida fans long-starved for consistent quarterback play.
With an announced crowd of 82,776 looking on and cheering his every move, Trask was not perfect during the No. 9 Gators' 34-3 rout of Tennessee Saturday in the Swamp. Trask, though, was calm, collected and accurate _ three qualities too often lacking with the much-maligned Feleipe Franks, despite quarterbacking UF to a 12-3 record since coach Dan Mullen's arrival.
A week after coolly replacing Franks and leading a fourth-quarter comeback at Kentucky, Trask showed his late-game heroics in Lexington were no fluke, rather a harbinger.
Trask had not started a game since he was a high school freshman in Manvel, Texas. The 21-year-old did not need long to scratch the seven-year itch, quickly leading the Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC) to a 7-0 lead with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts.
Standing tall in the pocket and surveying his options like a season veteran, Trask dissected Tennessee's secondary much of the day. The Vols _ 1-3 for the first time since 2008 _ entered the day allowing opponents to complete just 48.8% of their passes. Trask finished 20-of-28 (71.4%) passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
Franks' career high during 24 careers starts was 284 yards last season at Vanderbilt. The Gators have not had a 300-yard passing game since Luke Del Rio in 2016 against Kentucky.
"I thought he was relaxed," Mullen said of Trask. "You never know in that situation, he hadn't been out there before."
A first-quarter fumble and two third-quarter interceptions by Trask, both into double coverage, were the few shaky decisions the redshirt junior made. They did not spoil a breakout performance by a player all but forgotten until Franks' injury late in the third quarter at Kentucky.
Trask's second snap as a first-time starter ended with a 43-yard complete pass to Trevon Grimes. A perfect fake on a designed run two plays later led to an 8-yard pickup by Trask, who then followed the play with a 19-yard touchdown pass over the middle to the 6-foot-6 Pitts.
But one of the more efficient drives of the Mullen era was followed by one of the sloppier ones. Two fumbles in the span of three plays _ the second by Trask _ gave Tennessee the ball on the Gators' 19-yard line.
The Vols, though, could not cash in. On third-and-goal from the Gators' 3, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano's pass to leading receiver Jauan Jennings was too hot to handle, bouncing off Jennings' hands and into those of UF nickelback Trey Dean.
Guarantano's day did not get any better and ended up with a halftime benching in favor of freshman Brian Maurer. Maurer promptly led the Vols to a 40-yard field by Brent Cimaglia, but otherwise the Vols' offense had little to celebrate against the Gators' swarming defense.
UF finished four sacks, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions, six pass break-ups and one fumble recovery.
Following the Dean pick, Trask quickly moved the Gators into Tennessee territory, but a defensive stop by the Vols on fourth-and-3 from the 30. Windy conditions in the Swamp likely played into Mullen's decision-making, but since going 4 of 4 on fourth down during a season-opening win against Miami the Gators had converted just one in four attempts.
The Gators' next fourth-down try, though, paid off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Lamical Perine as time expired to give UF a 17-0 halftime lead. The Gators pushed the lead to 24-3 when Trask found Freddie Swain in single coverage on a post pattern for 29-yard touchdown that looked almost too easy.
From there, the Gators were on their way to their easiest win against Tennessee in some time, particularly in the Swamp, where the past two meetings came down the final minutes.
"He really managed the game well," Mullen said of Trask. "I thought he was sharp and made good decisions all day long. Overall, I thought he played really well. He looked relaxed. I joked with him, 'Make sure you're having fun.' "
