Florida QB Kyle Trask briefly exits Auburn game with left knee injury
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask went to the locker room for a bit after getting hit in the left knee early in the second quarter of the Gators’ game against No. 7 Auburn. He might have avoided a serious knee injury, however.
Trask had released a pass as Auburn DE Marlon Davidson was barreling towards him. As Davidson got pushed to the ground while he was blocked, he hit the outside of Trask’s knee as Trask went to the ground. You can see the injury here, though if you get squeamish when seeing knee injuries you may want to keep scrolling.
Trask covered his face with his hands as he was being tended to by Florida’s medical staff. He walked off the field without assistance though he didn’t stop on the sideline on his way to the locker room. But Trask wasn’t in the locker room for long and returned to the field before the first half was over with a brace on his left knee.
Emory Jones, Florida’s No. 3 QB to start the season, replaced Trask, the backup to start the season. Trask was starting for No. 10 Florida because Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending broken ankle against Kentucky. Trask had been playing well in his time as a starter but had fumbled twice in the first half against Auburn in addition to throwing for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Mullen wants SEC to ‘keep quarterbacks safe from dirty plays’
Florida coach Dan Mullen was not thrilled about the way that Trask got hit. Mullen was asked by CBS’ Jamie Erdahl at halftime about Trask’s knee and said the QB was going to come back in the second half.
“He’s gonna be OK, he’s going to come back. I think he’s got a light sprain to his MCL. Hopefully the league really tries to keep quarterbacks safe from dirty plays.”
The play where Trask was injured wasn’t dirty. Davidson was getting blocked and pushed down as he went to hit Trask. While he hit the QB in a very vulnerable spot, it’s a far different play than a defender diving low into a quarterback without being touched or affected by a blocker.
It’s fair to wonder if Mullen’s frustration is stemming from the Kentucky game. In that game, Kentucky LB Kash Daniel appeared to try to twist Trask’s ankle in a pile after Trask had replaced Franks. Daniel gave a weak explanation for his actions in the days after the game and said that he was simply trying to get his surgically repaired hand out of harm’s way.
While Mullen had every right to be mad at the Daniel play after watching it after the game, he’ll probably have a different opinion on what happened to Trask against Auburn when he looks at the film Sunday morning.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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