Gators QB Kyle Trask's Performance Against Sooners Shouldn't Undo Great Season

The Florida Gators finished the season 8-4 with its worst offensive performance of the season, particularly a rare, forgettable performance from its star quarterback in Kyle Trask, who will enter the 2021 NFL Draft this year.

While Trask's performance left a lot to be desired, the game should not define the player in this instance, regardless of the built-in excuses of not having the full allotment of receivers at his disposal. What Trask did this season was historical, within the SEC and certainly within the Florida football program itself.

This week in the Cotton Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners, Trask completed just 16 out of 28 of his passes for 158 yards and three first-quarter interceptions, including a pick-six. Simply put, the performance was ugly, but Gators head coach Dan Mullen made a good point following the contest, the season Trask had this year was special.

"I couldn't be prouder of him and the season that he had with our team this year," Mullen explained following the game on Wednesday.

"A special, special year for him. Coming out of what he was able to accomplish during the course of this year, I thought was special. I'm really happy for him. I mean, you're talking about a young guy that is came in, I think only played a couple plays in his career before he even graduated college. Didn't play much in high school. And now he's a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he's going to be an NFL draft pick. So that says a lot about him."

Trask is currently a Heisman Trophy finalist along with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVonta Smith, and finally Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Among the quarterbacks that are finalists, Trask might deserve the nod over both, regardless of projections towards the NFL and this season's win-loss record.

On the year, Trask completed 301 passes for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The statistics he posted were historical, especially within a 10-game SEC-only schedule the team was forced to play in, not to mention the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that plagued many teams this year, including the Gators.

Trask leads all quarterbacks in the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns, while completing 68.9% of his passes on the year, good for 12th in the FBS. Trask did lead the nation in completions, however.

There are several takeaways to gather from Trask's performance against Oklahoma. While, yes, the outing was less than stellar and highlighted some of the issues the quarterback had during the season (three pick-sixes prior to Wednesday), and some arm-strength issues, it was far more of a fluke than it was a reality of how he will look next year.

"To be honest with you, what an amazing career he has had," Mullen said of Trask. "You know? And I think a lot of people look at a career, you've had an unbelievable career. This guy, I was here with Tim Tebow, unbelievable career. But Tim Tebow played, won a national championship as a freshman, Heisman as a sophomore, played a lot right from day one.

"Kyle Trask had an unbelievable career because of the adversities he overcame, the character he had to get to where he is. Boy, that is special. You know what? That is something that is special. And I think everybody's pretty confident in Kyle Trask. Whether it's in the National Football League or it's in any aspect of life, he's going to be extremely successful."

Down tight end Kyle Pitts and three receivers in Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland and Kadarius Toney, the team's top receivers during the year, the Gators were essentially playing with scout-team players on offense surrounding its quarterback.

"At the end of the day, it was getting them reps and getting them ready for next year and getting them opportunities," Trask said following the game. "But, yeah, obviously we didn't get off to a great start. But it is what it is, and we just want to get it coached up and move forward."

While it was a disappointing end to the year, Trask's season shouldn't be discounted, and he will forever be known as one of the program's best quarterbacks of all time, even if it were only for a season or two.

"Like I said before, this isn't the way you want to go out, but when I look back on all the memories and friendships I made here, it's all worth it."