Kyle Trask Powers No. 6 Florida to 38-17 Victory over Winless Vanderbilt
November 21, 2020
The 2020 college football season has seen some wild, unexpected results, in no small part because of the complications that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic. Strange enough for winless Vanderbilt to upset No. 6 Florida on Saturday, though?
Not quite. But it was a bit too close for comfort from Florida's perspective in the first half.
Despite leading by just seven at halftime, the Gators moved to 6-1 on the year with a 38-17 win over the Commodores. Vanderbilt held a 10-7 lead after the first quarter before Florida reeled off 24 straight points to seize control of the game.
It wasn't a signature win from the Gators, who looked sloppy at times, especially on offense. But they'll remain atop the SEC East with the win, leaving them three victories away from a berth in the conference title game.
As for the Commodores, they moved to 0-7 with the loss.
Key Stats
Kyle Trask, Florida: 26-of-35 for 383 yards and three touchdowns
Kadarius Toney, Florida: six receptions for 107 yards and a score
Kemore Gamble, Florida: three catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns
Ken Seals, Vandy: 22-of-34 for 319 yards, two scores and an interception
Chris Pierce Jr., Vandy: four receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns
Cam Johnson, Vandy: seven catches for 93 yards
Kyle Trask Deserves to Be the Heisman Front-Runner
Trask shook off a shaky start to lead Florida to an ultimately convincing win, throwing three of Florida's four touchdown passes. His accuracy and poise kept Florida's offense cooking, keeping the team in the national championship conversation in the process.
It's time we start seriously considering the Heisman Trophy as Trask's to lose.
No, he wasn't as big of a name as Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence coming into the season. And it isn't as though those guys are having bad seasons. But Trask now has 31 touchdowns through seven games. Those are absurd numbers. If Trask keeps up this pace, he has to be the Heisman winner.
And he's certainly made a strong case to be taken off the board in the early rounds come the 2021 NFL draft, too.
Vanderbilt Is Knocking on the Door
In most cases, a 21-point loss won't introduce many silver linings. But Vanderbilt played Florida tough for a half before the talent disparity reared its head in the second half.
Vanderbilt played Kentucky (38-35 loss) and Mississippi State (24-17 loss) tough too in its past two games. While the Commodores will be heavy underdogs when they face Georgia, matchups against Tennessee and Missouri are winnable.
By no means is Vanderbilt a good football team. But it feels like a team that might have a win in it down the stretch. That's something for head coach Derek Mason and his Commodores to work for in an otherwise tough season.
What's Next?
Florida hosts Kentucky on Nov. 28 at noon ET on ESPN. Vanderbilt will host Tennessee that same day at 7:30 p.m. ET.