GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Stuck in quarantine, away from teammates for two weeks, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask had to find a new go-to receiver.
Star tight end Kyle Pitts' job was safe when the Gators returned to practice Monday. But UF centerfielder Jade Caraway pitched in during the 14-day layoff, giving her boyfriend some reps while playing catch with Trask.
"She's got a nice little arm," Trask said of the former star at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.
Trask's teammates were left to fend for themselves and use their imaginations.
Trask was replaced by a chair as tailback Malik Davis went over his plays at home.
"Using that as my quarterback and just reading off plays and running them from each side," Davis described to reporters following Tuesday's practice.
Linebacker James Houston essentially assembled an obstacle course in order to work on his agility and hand placement.
"I set up pads; I put chairs in the way; I had little balls on top of garbage hands to try to help work my hands," Houston said. "You have to be creative. If you're really interested in your craft and want to get better, you're going to find a way."
The Gators were left with few options after an outbreak of COVID-19 canceled team activities Oct. 13.
The infection of more than two dozen players and some coaches, including Dan Mullen, forced the Gators to quarantine and test daily to determine the extent of the spread and put an end to it.
Forced to stay away from each other, Trask could not dial up his receivers to go run routes and work on timing.
Zoom calls were the only "face-to-face" interaction among the No. 10 Gators (2-1) as they looked to rebound from a dispiriting Oct. 10 loss at Texas A&M and prepare for Saturday night's visit from Missouri (2-2).
"It was mainly just a lot of meetings and making sure everyone knows what they're doing going into the Missouri week, game-planning and things like that," Trask said.
Leaning on their experiences during the spring coronavirus shutdown, players found ways to stay in shape without access to UF's facilities.
Houston said he ran, lifted weights and worked on individual techniques each day to sharpen his skills. The redshirt junior said he wanted to be ready and without regret once the team reunited.
"'What you did for those two weeks?'" Houston asked. "'Were you in the house, sitting on the couch, eating chips and watching TV, or were you working on your craft and getting better and improving every day?' There's a quote I live by: 'You're either getting better or worse.'
"I don't like worse, so I chose to get better."
Not all of Houston's teammates were left with the same choice. Some were left to recover from the effects of COVID-19.
UF medical personnel surmised two players did not report symptoms and traveled with the team on Oct. 10 to play Texas A&M, leading to the spread of the virus.
Davis, a redshirt junior from Tampa, said the subsequent outbreak reinforced the need to remain vigilant combating the virus.
"It's serious, and everyone needs to take it serious," he said. "Wearing a mask, keep your hands clean, just try to follow all the protocols that they explain to us and tell us to do."
While his teammates recovered and the football program was shuttered, Houston said he experienced some nervous and instructive moments.
"It's a little scary, just the whole fact that you don't really know," he said. "It's a new virus; you don't really know what the implications are or the side effects or anything later down the road. That's always going to be scary. But you've got to do what you've got to do.
"It's football, and if you want to play, you're lining up."
After being cooped up for two weeks, Trask and his teammates were itching to go Monday.
"It was really exciting," Trask said. "We've got all this energy built up just to get out there and just have a practice with our teammates. There was a lot of energy in the air and it was very exciting.
"Finally get back, pretty exciting."
