"Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it." — Hunter S. Thompson
If Thompson, the late, great author and gonzo journalist, were still alive today, he would undeniably count the Florida Gators as one of those entities that not only have survived on the tight wire of luck; they have thrived.
As the No. 6 Gators blew out a reportedly rejuvenated Arkansas team 63-35 Saturday night at the Swamp, all you had to do was survey the field and focus in on the two key figures of the Florida program — coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Kyle Trask — to realize how college football success is not just about great talent; it's about good fortune. If not for a fortuitous pair of circumstances, Mullen might be coaching somewhere else right now and Trask might still be rotting on the bench as UF's backup quarterback.
Of course, the biggest storyline heading into Saturday night's game was the return to the Swamp of Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks, who just last season was starting for the Gators. For two-plus seasons, Trask patiently watched from the bench as Mullen decided to go with the ultra-talented, often-inconsistent Franks as UF's starting quarterback.
It wasn't until the third game of last year — when Franks attempted to scramble for a fourth-down conversion and suffered a season-ending broken ankle — that Trask became UF's starter. With the Gators trailing 21-10 late in the third quarter against Kentucky, Trask came off the bench and rallied Florida with three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to lead a thrilling 29-21 comeback victory over the Wildcats.
The rest, as they say, is Gator football history.
Trask would go on to lead UF to an 11-2 season and record the highest passer rating for a Gator QB since Tim Tebow led the nation in passing efficiency a decade earlier. It became obvious to everyone, including Franks, that Trask would be UF's starting quarterback heading into this season. Which is why Franks grad-transferred to Arkansas, where, to his credit, he is having his best season 16 TD passes, three interceptions and a 68 completion rate.
But Trask is having an incredible, amazing, spectacular, Heismanesque season. Even playing without his best receiver — otherworldly tight end Kyle Pitts — Trask completed 23-of-29 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns Saturday and threw for as many TDs as he had incompletions. He has thrown more TD passes (28) through six games than any quarterback in SEC history and is the only quarterback in UF history to throw six TD passes twice in the same season.
Trask has the complete package. He's big, he's strong, he's smart, he's accurate and he's unflappable. A perfect example came on Florida's third touchdown drive when Mullen dialed up a flea-flicker, but running back Dameon Pierce errantly bounced the lateral back to Trask. No problem! Trask, without panicking, scooped the ball off the ground and hit wide receiver Xzavier Henderson for 43 yards. That set up a perfect 21-yard TD strike to Justin Shorter to give the Gators a 21-7 lead.
But what if?
What if Franks had never been injured last season against Kentucky?
Would Trask directing UF's record-breaking offensive renaissance have ever happened?
Which brings us to Mullen, the head coach who has choreographed the renaissance, resurrected the UF program, made Florida football fun and exciting again and turned the Gators into a national title contender in his third season.
But what if?
What if the Gators had hired the candidate who appeared to be their first choice — former Oregon and NFL coach Chip Kelly?
Let us not forget, the Gators didn't just interview Kelly once for the job; they interviewed him twice. Athletics director Scott Stricklin took a contingent of UF administrators to Portsmouth, N.H. to interview Kelly in early November of 2017. They were so intrigued with Kelly, school president Dr. Kent Fuchs, Stricklin and others flew up again to meet with Kelly.
There were reports that UF offered Kelly the job although those have never been confirmed. What we do know is that Kelly, according to the Gainesville Sun, called UF to say that the Florida fish bowl and pressure cooker were not for him. A few days after the second UF interview, Kelly chose UCLA because he said the Bruins job was the "best fit."
Kelly has gone 3-9 and 4-8 during his first two seasons at UCLA and is 0-1 this season. Mullen, playing in a much tougher league, went 10-3, 11-2 in his first two seasons at UF and is now 5-1 and marching toward an SEC Championship Game showdown with No. 1-ranked Alabama.
Can you imagine where the UF program would be right now if Kelly had said yes to UF's overtures?
Worse yet, what if the Gators had hired Kelly, and FSU had then hired Mullen instead of Willie Taggart? Would the Seminoles be where the Gators are right now and vice versa?
Let us never forget the wise words of legendary talk-show host Larry King:
"Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are only kidding themselves."
