Feleipe Franks and the Arkansas Razorbacks couldn't keep up against his former team and the man who replaced him at Florida.
Quarterback Kyle Trask threw for five first-half touchdowns, including four in the second quarter, as the Gators (5-1) eased by the Razorbacks 63-35 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
Arkansas (3-4) trailed 35-14 at halftime, but scored on the opening possession of the second half to cut the lead to 35-21. That's as close as the Razorbacks would get for the rest of the game.
FIRST QUARTER: Arkansas 7, Florida 7
Arkansas won the toss, deferred and Florida rattled off a 14-play TD drive that took nearly half of the period and included 2 of 3 3rd down conversions and 1 of 1 4th down conversions. Kadarius Toney had a 12-yard catch. Trevon Grimes had the key play, a 14-yard catch in tight coverage from Hudson Clark to convert 3rd and 7 from the Gators’ 40. Dameon Pierce had six carries for 34 yards against mostly a 3-man front, and Kyle Trask converted 4th and 1 with a 3-yard keeper. Grimes got the TD on a 9-yard tunnel screen. De’Vion Warren went 12 yards with a screen to start the Hogs’ drive. A couple of 4-yard Rakeem Boyd runs led to Blake Kern’s 8-yard catch to convert 3rd and 2. Franks dropped a play-action deep ball perfectly to Mike Woods on the next snap to beat Kaiir Elam for a 47-yard TD. Jalen Catalon made Trent Whittemore woozy after a 13-yard catch on the Gators’ first snap. Tight end Keon Zipperer caught a 39-yard strike to the Hogs’ 25. On 3rd and 13, Toney caught a double-tipped pass for a 12-yard gain, then Trask threw incomplete on 4th and 1. Franks took a 7-yard sack before Boyd took a screen pass 15 yards with 15 yards tacked on for a Gator penalty. Franks scrambled for 14 yards to the Hogs’ 49 on the final play of the period, setting up 4th and 1.
SECOND QUARTER: Florida 35, Arkansas 14
LB Ventrell Miller broke up Feleipe Franks’ play-action slant to Mike Woods on 4th and 1 and the Gators took over at the Arkansas 49. Kyle Trask converted 3rd and 2 with a 5-yard run. Nay’Quan Wright had four straight carries to pick up 17 yards. Montaric Brown dropped Kadarius Toney for a 4-yard loss to set up 3rd and 11 and Trask converted it with a 23-yard TD strike to uncovered Trevon Grimes. The Razorbacks drew a couple of false start calls and Reid Bauer had the game’s first punt, a 39-yarder. The Gators ran a flea-flicker that Trask had to snag off the grass, but he fired off a 43-yard completion to Xzavier Henderson. On the next play, Trask delivered a perfect strike to Justin Shorter in the right corner of the end zone for a 21-yard TD. Trelon Smith wriggled through the middle and got a springing block from TE Blake Kern for an 83-yard TD. Grimes caught a 21-yard strike, then Jacob Copeland hauled in a 33-yard TD. The Razorbacks went 3 and out with a 4-yard sack on third down. Toney took a 3rd and 9 pass for 21 yards. After pass interference on Hudson Clark, Trask found Keon Zipperer for a 5-yard TD with 17 seconds remaining in the period.
THIRD QUARTER: Florida 42, Arkansas 21
The Razorbacks uncorked a sharp, uptempo drive to open the half. Treylon Burks had a pair of 11-yard catches — one converting 3rd and 8 to the Gators’ 20 — and Blake Kern caught a 10-yarder on the series. Rakeem Boyd had two carries on the sequence for 25 yards, starting with a 13-yard tackle-breaker at left end. The last was a 12-yard score with two nice cuts over the right side. Florida quickly drove to midfield, but Eric Gregory had a 10-yard sack of Kyle Trask, then Trevon Grimes dropped a tunnel screen, bringing on punter Jacob Finn for the first time. Cornerback Marco Wilson made a big solo tackle on the edge to hold Blake Kern 1-yard shy of a first down. A pair of 15-yard penalties against Julius Coates and Hudson Clark aided Florida’s 83-yard scoring drive. Backup quarterback Emory Jones capped the drive with a 1-yard keeper to make it 42-21. A delay of game penalty kicked off the Hogs’ sequence, but Trelon Smith moved the chains with a hard-earned 7-yard run. Linebacker Amari Burney sacked Franks for a 5-yard loss to force a punt. Grimes had a 12-yard catch with Florida fans chanting “Trask for Heisman” and Nay’Quan Wright a 6-yarder to end the period.
FOURTH QUARTER: Florida 63, Arkansas 35
Kyle Trask hit Trevon Grimes with lots of grass around him on a 3rd-and-1 pass for a 30-yard pickup against reserve defenders. Nay’Quan Wright broke a tackle and ran 14 yards. Trask’s pump fake gave TE Keon Zipperer space down the middle for an 11-yard TD. Defensive tackle Zachary Carter scooped it for a 35-yard touchdown return. De’Vion Warren hurt his right leg on an 18-yard kickoff return. Feleipe Franks found Mike Woods beyond corner Kaiir Elam and Woods cut back across the field for an 82-yard touchdown. Emory Jones subbed in at quarterback for the Gators, completing Trask’s 6-TD night. Safety Jalen Catalon put a jarring clean shoulder hit on receiver Justin Shorter, popping off his helmet and causing an injury delay. Jones drove the Gators 75 yards and hit Xzavier Henderson with a 9-yard TD to cap the series. With KJ Jefferson in at quarterback, the Razorbacks moved the chains on a pair of Trelon Smith runs for 16 yards before the drive bogged down. Catalon picked off a tipped pass and returned it to the Florida 23. Four plays later Jefferson rushed over the left side for a 12-yard TD.