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There were a whole lot of bright spots following Florida’s 63-35 victory over Arkansas on Saturday evening. It’s difficult eliminating certain players from this list, but that is certainly a good problem to have if you are Dan Mullen.
With that being said, jump inside below as GatorsTerritory breaks down the handful of UF players who received a game ball for their performance against the Razorbacks.
Offensive Game Balls
QB Kyle Trask
What else is there to say about the Heisman Trophy contender?
Trask completed 23-of-29 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns, resulting in an eye-popping 250.7 quarterback rating in just roughly three quarters played. He broke Tua Tagovailoa’s SEC record for the most touchdown passes through the first six games and is the seventh quarterback in conference history to throw six passing touchdowns multiple times in a career. He’s also the first Gators quarterback in school history to throw four-plus passing touchdowns six different times in a season.
The list of career accolades go on and on for the Manvel, Texas native, and considering the remaining opponents on UF’s regular season schedule, additional records will likely be broken in the coming weeks.
If Trask’s performance against the Razorbacks doesn’t elevate him to the top of the Heisman Trophy race, then we need to reevaluate the criteria that comes along with the selection process.
Saturday marked another elite performance for the future first-round draft pick.
WR Trevon Grimes
With Kyle Pitts out of the lineup, I expected Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney to lead the way in the passing game and that ended up being the case, as the duo was targeted seven times a piece en route to 13 receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Dan Mullen prioritized Toney during the first half in hopes of getting him in space, but it was Grimes who recorded 100-plus yards and both of the aforementioned touchdowns. He showed good concentration throughout the evening and did a good job of hanging onto the ball despite taking some solid hits from the Arkansas defense. He recorded a highlight-reel touchdown against the University of Georgia as well.
Grimes, a former five-star prospect, arrived on the collegiate scene with a whole lot of expectations and seems to be finding his groove when needed the most, especially with Pitts out of the lineup.
TE Keon Zipperer
As I noted above, there are a flurry of players who could receive the nod here, but Keon Zipperer is the most deserving following a multi-touchdown performance.
Filling in for the nation’s top tight end, Zipperer was targeted three times and came through each time Trask looked in his direction. The sophomore out of Polk County finished the game with three receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns, with a long of 31 yards.
It’s extremely difficult filling the shoes of Pitts, a future first-round draft pick, but Zipperer and Kemore Gamble answered the bell over the past two games and will be relied upon against Vanderbilt as well.
Having the likes of Grimes, Toney and Shorter on the field opens things up for the overlooked duo, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see either of them repeat their success and find the end zone against the Commodores.
Defensive Game Balls
DL Zachary Carter
Carter made his presence known during the second half of the Georgia game, and then picked up where he left off during Saturday’s near 30-point victory over the Razorbacks.
The Tampa Bay native recorded a big sack on Feleipe Franks in the second quarter when the Gators were faced with 3rd and 4, but his highlight of the evening was a 35-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. That was also UF’s first defensive touchdown of the season.
Having Kyree Campbell back in the lineup has allowed Carter to shift outside to his natural position of strong-side defensive end, and he certainly has not disappointed.
LB Mohamoud Diabate
I still believe Diabate is one of the more underutilized players on Florida’s defense.
The former high school All-American sits behind Amari Burney on the depth chart but possesses the versatility to wreak havoc at BUCK as well, a position in which he recorded 4.5 sacks as a true freshman in 2019.
Against the Razorbacks, Diabate led the Gators with seven tackles and recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. He also did a nice job of breaking down and wrapping up in space, flashing impressive acceleration in the first quarter when reading a swing pass out of the backfield.
Diabate can be utilized in a variety of ways, but I believe he’s at his best when firing off the edge and utilizing his quickness against offensive linemen.
LB Ventrell Miller
Miller is a throwback-type MIKE who is known for his run-stuffing ability, but he’s developed into more of a well-rounded defender in 2020.
The junior kicked things off with a half-sack on Feleipe Franks, showing impressive acceleration and straight-line speed when locating his lane to the backfield. He then showed good timing to record a pass deflection on fourth down, resulting in a turnover on downs to give UF the ball in Arkansas territory.
Another native of Polk County, Miller finished Saturday’s game with four tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass deflection.
Many predicted Miller would lead UF in tackles following David Reese’s graduation, and that has proved to be true through six games as he currently leads UF with 41 tackles on the year.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
