Q & A With Florida Beat Writer Zach Goodall: Slowing Down Kyle Trask, Predictions and More

Ole Miss will take on Florida on the gridiron on Saturday to open the SEC season, the first game of the day and thus the first game of the 2020 SEC slate.

We caught up with Zach Goodall, who covers the Gators for Sports Illustrated's AllGators, earlier this week to break down some pressing questions each of us had entering the meeting.

Q (Nate Gabler): What, if anything, has Dan Mullen said about playing Ole Miss this week, in reference to his time at Mississippi State?

A (Zach Goodall): Mullen recalled "five great memories and four terrible memories" of the Egg Bowl rivalry from his time with the Bulldogs, calling it one of "the great rivalries in sports" on Monday. Specifically, he remembers an encounter with an Ole Miss fan at a local high school game.

"I had a lady come up and say, ‘Coach I pray for you every day.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s so nice of you.’ She goes, “I’m an Ole Miss fan. I pray somebody comes hires and gets you heck out of this state as soon as possible.’ Just the intensity of the rivalry, now I left, so maybe they like me a little bit.”

Q: Who will guard Elijah Moore in the slot?

A: According to UF's initial depth chart, it'll be CJ McWilliams, who missed the entire 2019 season with a torn Achilles. He is otherwise remembered for a poor performance against Georgia in 2018, but it should be noted that McWilliams allowed only 57.7% of his 26 targets to be caught that year, per PFF. If he's fully healthy, it makes sense that he gets a shot at redemption.

Look for cornerback Marco Wilson and linebacker Amari Burney to take snaps in the nickel role as well. Wilson is someone the team will look to move around in order to cover premier, versatile talents.

Q: What do you think QB Kyle Trask's ceiling is?

A: Trask certainly exceeded all expectations a year ago, and I'm intrigued to see where his development is at knowing he's QB1. Trask claims he's shed 13 pounds this offseason after feeling "a little heavy" near the end of last season, which has had him feeling lighter on his feet and believing he'll improve as a rusher.

Taking out sacks, Trask averaged 3.9 yards per attempt with four rushing scores last season - not terrible, but given Mullen's offense is known to thrive with mobility at quarterback, there's room for more. Should he provide that, as well as sharpen some decision-making issues that led to questionable throws at times a year ago, Trask could become a solid NFL quarterback prospect, and that level of play would probably make Florida a legit contender.

Q: From prior games, what has been the most effective strategy to slow down TE Kyle Pitts?

A: You've got to dedicate a jam at the line to throw him off of his release, especially if he starts in the slot or out wide. Pitts has gotten more physical this offseason though, according to both himself and tight ends coach Tim Brewster, so the more physical the defender, the better.

In most cases, it would be in a team's best interest to bracket Pitts unless they have an Isaiah Simmons-type player who can stick with him past the jam. At the end of the day, there's not much you can do to stop a 6-foot-6, 240 lb. tight end who can glide vertically and across the middle of the field without dedicating multiple looks his way.

Q: We know Trask and Pitts and LB Ventrell Miller. Who else on the defense should we know going into the game saturday?

A: Other than the previously mentioned defenders, cornerback Kaiir Elam and defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. are some names to circle. Elam arguably performed better than first-round pick CJ Henderson last year, intercepting three passes, breaking up four, and allowing only 43.5% of his 23 targets in coverage to be caught (PFF) as a true freshman. Expectations are through the roof for the strong, press-cover corner entering his sophomore year as a full-time starter.

Cox, who transferred from Georgia last season, is listed as the starting strong-side end and will also play the BUCK rush end/linebacker spot. A former five-star recruit, Mullen, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, and others have praised his work ethic throughout fall camp and are excited to see what he brings to the table on the edge.

Predictions:

Nate Gabler: There's so few things we can be certain of going into this strange season after a really weird and abbreviated offseason. One thing I've been bullish on entering the year is that teams with more continuity will thrive, especially early.

Even if Ole Miss had the same roster talent as Florida (they don't), the continuity at Florida is head and shoulders above that here at Ole Miss. The Vegas line for this game is sitting right at two touchdowns right now. I do think Ole Miss will be able to score enough to cover, but I also think the lack of normal training camps and non-conference warmup games will keep scoring down a bit across the SEC this week.

Pick: Florida 32, Ole Miss 20 (Ole Miss covers +14, under hits)

Zach Goodall: Ole Miss probably won't be able to slow Trask and Co. down so long as chemistry has carried over from a year ago - granted, a lack of spring camp could certainly be a factor there.

Florida's defense splits pretty evenly between experienced upperclassmen and intriguing young players, such as sophomore cornerback Kaiir Elam who has already proven to be an X-factor. It will be a dependable unit for the most part, but could be susceptible early on to meshes and short passing concepts as the linebacker unit and starting nickel corner, C.J. McWilliams, gel without David Reese II.

At the end of the day, I believe Lane Kiffin will have a few tricks up his sleeve to make this game competitive offensively, but Florida's offense should have little issue moving the ball consistently and the defense should get stronger as the action goes on.

Pick: Florida 41, Ole Miss 28 (Ole Miss covers +14, over hits)

More From The Grove Report:

Everything Dan Mullen Said About His Return to Oxford for First Time Since 2016

How Many Tickets Remain for Ole Miss vs. Florida?

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