Florida football: 5 questions the Gators must answer in 2020

As Florida football looks to get over the hump in 2020, the Gators face these questions.

Head coach Dan Mullen has Florida football heading in a definitively positive direction. After going 4-7 in 2017, the Gators have gone 10-3 and 11-2 over the past two years, last season culminating in an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia. The Gators defense remained a formidable force, ranking seventh in college football in scoring, but it was quarterback Kyle Trask invigorating the offense that caught everyone’s eye.

Trask returns for the 2020 season and Florida football is hoping that means big things. In fact, Mullen expects to go undefeated and former Florida football coach and current FOX broadcaster, Urban Meyer, is picking the Gators to make the College Football Playoff.

Despite their turnaround under Mullen, the SEC East title has still eluded them. Not only will the quarterback need to continue his upward trajectory for that to happen but the Gators also need to fill some big holes and address some potential issues.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five biggest questions that Florida football must answer in the 2020 season if Mullen’s Gators are going to get over the hump.

5. Will Florida football find a consistent backfield option?

The emergence of Trask as a viable option to spark the passing game drastically changed Florida’s offensive approach. In 2018, the Gators averaged 40.3 rushing attempts per game and just 28 passing attempts. That balance essentially flip-flopped in the 2019 campaign as they threw 35.9 times per game and rushed just 30.4 times per game.

Despite that, there’s no question that Trask and the offense benefitted from having a reliable option in the backfield like Lamical Perine. He finished last season with only 132 carries but ended the year with 676 yards and six scores while also being a nice receiving weapon, catching 40 balls for 262 yards and five touchdowns.

Now that Perine is gone for the NFL, the leading rusher returning for the Gators will be Dameon Pierce, who has been the starter in waiting in Gainesville. Last season, he had 54 carries for 305 yards and four touchdowns. However, he won’t be alone as former 5-star Miami signee Lorenzo Lingard also joins the fold as an immediately eligible transfer.

Whether it’s Pierce as the focal point or a committee approach, Florida needs to find a way to replace the loss of Perine. They need an effective rusher, sure, but also a player who can be a consistent checkdown option in the passing game for Trask to utilize as a safety valve. Without that, this offense could take a step back.