Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks expected to miss the rest of the year

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before — the Florida Gators will have to roll out a backup quarterback against the Tennessee Volunteers. Treon Harris and Tyler Murphy immediately come to mind from 2013 and 2014, each of whom had to come off of the bench in relief. Both were successful in finishing off victories for the Gators.

That same scenario played out in Lexington on Saturday night. Kyle Trask entered the game for Feleipe Franks, who suffered a gruesome ankle injury. Down 21-10, Trask led a comeback that saw the Gators find a way to win, advancing Florida to 3-0.

But the news after the game confirmed what most believed to be true — Franks is likely out for the season with a dislocated ankle. That means Tennessee will also face Kyle Trask, fresh off of his come from behind win over Kentucky.

You can make the argument that the Florida offense was more efficient under Trask, who finished up the night going 9-13 for 126 yards.

“Kyle was waiting for his moment,” Florida coach Dan Mullen told ESPN after the game. “The team believes in him and we believe he’s a starter just like Feleipe is. There was never a doubt he could do the job.”

Next up for Trask will be Tennessee in Gainesville. The Vols picked up their first win of the year on Saturday against Chattanooga, winning 45-0 in Knoxville. SEC play will begin for Volunteers this weekend after dropping two of three non-conference games to start the year.

The 6-5, 239 pound Trask has been patient at Florida — a rarity in this day and age of college football. Now a redshirt junior, Trask will finally get his shot to play. The former three-star recruit has seen very limited action so far in his career, but was outstanding on a big stage on Saturday night.

Now he will be a part of the next chapter of the Tennessee-Florida rivalry.