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Wide receiver Trent Whittemore’s trick play against Tennessee got him a lot of attention while also bringing him back to his high school days.
The Trick Play
With only a three-point lead against SEC East division rival Tennessee Volunteers, the redshirt sophomore delivered his first collegiate pass. Whittemore got his chance to make the play of the game in the Gators’ first drive of the second half.
Quarterback Emory Jones took the snap, faked the handoff to Malik Davis and threw the ball backwards to the receiver. Whittemore looked upfield and found tight end Kemore Gamble wide open in the end zone. While the play had been practiced all week, the team wasn’t planning on running the trick play on that snap.
Whittemore’s trick play surprised not only the fans in The Swamp, but also his family and friends. He said he found a lot of texts from people about the play, more than he usually does. His throw was a shock to the fans, but this wasn’t the first time he delivered a pass in a game.
.@trentt_whitt + @kemoregamble15 =6⃣ pic.twitter.com/krPBuKr5Rp
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 26, 2021
Whittemore’s High School Role
While he was mainly a receiver in high school, he played a few other positions when it was necessary. At the end of his junior year at Buchholz, he had to play quarterback when the starter went down with an injury. He enjoyed getting the opportunity to contribute to his team in any way he needed to in order to get the win.
Whittemore said he loves football and wants to help the team however he can. He said it’s harder to play multiple positions in college, and it takes more practice, but he enjoys all aspects of the game.
During his time with Buchholz, he even played on defense against current teammate, Anthony Richardson. He experienced Richardson’s explosive play first hand trying everything he could do just to tackle the quarterback. He credited Richardson with being a challenge to tackle, even when they were in high school.
Preparing for Kentucky
Saturday’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats will be the Gators’ first SEC road game of the season. Whittemore knows what kind of challenge this presents. He mentioned the game being a rivalry for the team especially since the past few meetings have resulted in some close games.
He said the team has to give Kentucky their focus during the game because they’ve earned it. Kentucky is 4-0 on the season and will be hosting the Gators in this year’s game between the two teams. Since it’s an away game for the Gators, Whittemore and the rest of the team hope to use the away game energy to fuel them.
He thinks the offense has been playing well, and he’s seen a lot of improvement from Jones over the last two weeks. He said the quarterback has been making good decisions and putting the ball in a good place for the receivers.
Whittemore is also excited for Richardson’s return as he will complete the quarterback duo for Florida. He mentioned Richardson’s dual threat ability as both a great runner and passer.
Florida will have to be at the top of its game as they head to Lexington where they escaped with only an eight-point victory last time they visited. The game’s kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Coverage for the game will start at 2 on ESPN 98.1 FM/850 AM WRUF.
