Eyes on freshman QB on Senior Day
It will be an emotional Senior Day when Florida plays its final home game of the season at The Swamp against Idaho.
But how much a freshman plays against the Vandals could garner the most attention.
Freshman quarterback Emory Jones has moved to the backup role behind starting quarterback Feleipe Franks heading into the Idaho matchup. Jones can appear in two more games before his redshirt is burned and could see extensive playing time to develop for future seasons.
“We always have a plan for Emory,” coach Dan Mullen said.
Jones moved up to the backup role after redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Trask broke his foot in the week leading up to the South Carolina game. Franks started at quarterback against South Carolina and helped lead the Gators (7-3, 5-3 SEC) to a comeback win over the Gamecocks.
Down 31-14 in the third quarter, Florida rallied for 21 straight points in the 35-31 win, with Franks scoring the go-ahead TD on a one-yard QB sneak. Franks accounted for three of UF’s five touchdowns, with two rushing TDs and one passing TD.
“You can’t get complacent,” Franks said. “I think this game will be a big confidence builder heading into Florida State week.”
Mullen said the game against FCS Idaho could be a chance for a number of freshmen to see the field because there are no limitations to the number of players than can dress in a nonconference game (the SEC limit is 70 players). But Mullen is not taking the Vandals lightly.
“It’s a good challenge for us,” Mullen said. “It’s their last game of the season so they can treat it like a bowl game. They can throw everything at us on offense and defense and special teams.”
Florida will honor its seniors on the roster before the game, which includes notable standouts Cece Jefferson on the defensive line and Martez Ivey on the offensive line. The seniors were part of Florida teams that won back-to-back SEC East division titles in 2015 and 2016. Florida stumbled to a 4-7 record last season but is enjoying a resurgent campaign in 2018 in Mullen’s first season as coach.
“I told them once they buy in, we’ll start winning football games,” Mullen said. “They’ve bought in for us.”
