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After the Florida Gators 35-31 comeback win over South Carolina, Dana Toney stood in the stands watching proudly as his son, Kadarius Toney, made his way around the stadium. He signed autographs, high fived fans and even took pictures with babies. It had been a big day for KT, the Gators all-purpose offensive guy and as always, his dad was in the stands to see it all.

“I think he’s done pretty much what he always do which is make the best of any opportunity he’s been given when he has the ball. It worked out, everything worked out, it was good,” Dana tells Inside the Gators.

The sophomore Toney has had limited touches this season, with only 16 receptions and 18 rushing attempts through the last nine games (he did not play the first game) and has taken some snaps as a wildcat quarterback. But each time he has touched the ball, it seems something positive has happened.

Of those 18 rushes, 10 have resulted in a first down. Of the 16 receptions, seven have moved the chains. He has had a reception and/or rush in 29 drives so far this season. Of those 29, three have ended in a turnover (though not at the hands of Toney), five have ended in either a punt or turnover on downs, six have ended in a field goal (well technically five, but one also ended in the phantom missed field goal against Kentucky) and a whopping 15 of them have ended in a touchdown with two of them coming at the hands of Toney himself. So it’s not hard to see why Dan Mullen said this of his multi-tool player.

“When he touches the ball, really exciting things happen. I think one of the things…I haven’t done a good job offensively, in just forcing us to just put the ball in his hands. I’ll be honest with you, about half the time he touches the ball the play doesn’t look anything like we designed it to look at in practice, but exciting things certainly happen. We’ll try to continue to do that and make sure he gets touches.”

In fact it rarely looks like how the original play was designed which is why quarterback Feleipe Franks has learned that if has a play go to Toney, he needs to then immediately began scanning the field for his teammate.

“I’m giving the ball and then I’m like, carry out my fake, ok. Then the next thing I know I’m looking this way and he’s cutting back this way. I’m like, alright let me go try and get a block for him or something.

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“Last time, I think it was the Vanderbilt game he cut back and I’m just kinda standing there like this not knowing just trying to look around and see that nobody crack backs me,” laughs Franks, mimicking how he has to turn in circles to find Toney. This is after the teams win over South Carolina and from the back of the room Toney laughs as his quarterback tries to explain what it’s like having a first row seat to watch the dynamic guy.

“He’s an exciting player to watch. Especially from my standpoint because I can just watch him go. He’s an electrifying player. I’m also scared I’m going to get crack backed and I’m not trying to get on no SportsCenter like that but he’s a good player to watch.”

While Mullen and Franks may still be figuring Toney out—and got a pretty good idea against the Gamecocks—Dana Toney says it’s just more of the same of what he’s always seen.

“When gets the ball, his intention is to set up the defenders through his blockers and he starts weaving through the field and what he does, when he bounces out he feels like he can just take off. It’s a thing that I watched him do a lot.”

Because Dan Toney has watched Kadarius for so long, he knew how to read his son, even from up in the stands, when the sophomore muffed a punt on Saturday. Typically Toney and Freddie Swain handle kickoff returns together but Swain takes care of punt returns by himself. He was injured on Saturday though so Toney had to step in; then on a 45-yard punt in the third quarter, he muffed the catch, resulting in a fumble which South Carolina recovered.

While many thought that the fumble would have a lingering impact on Kadarius, his father Dana knew better.

“My brother was sitting there and one of the other parents was sitting there during the muff. And I said ‘no he’s fine. He’ll be fine.’ I said ‘I just hope he don’t get down on himself, just bounce back.’

“I said ‘no what it is, he was probably anticipating his moves and the ball slipped through’ and I said ‘it’s not a deal breaker but he’s fine.’ I was looking at his reactions and he was fine. I knew he was fine, he probably had forgotten about it by the time he hit the sideline so that wasn’t anything that I was worried or concerned about because I knew he’d bounce back. Just because of his spirit, he’s that type of guy.”

He did in fact bounce back. After the defense held South Carolina to a field goal, the Gators got the ball back two possessions later on and a 2nd and 7 from the Gamecocks 18, Franks hit Toney on a screen. He then bounced his way into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season (he threw one at Mississippi State but had not caught or rushed for one this season) and his first ever in the Swamp. Up in the stands Dana Toney knew the exact moment his son would score.

“When he set the corner out, when he planted on his left and bounced back to his right I knew he was gone cause that was his burst of speed we always talk about and that was his setup move. He was playing him to the left, the defender was bouncing to his right, so when he planted and he pounced, I just stood up, I started clapping, I said ‘he’s got it.’ I was telling my brother ‘I’m so happy for him because that’s his first one of the season.’”

The smile he had then though was nothing compared to the smile he got to see on his son’s face after the game, elated with the day he had showing off his talent and what it meant for his team who is now 7-3.

“We were walking back to the car and I was telling him I was happy for him and he said ‘actually dad that was my first TD in the Swamp’ and this big smile comes over his face and he’s all laughing and we’re all laughing and talking about the game and just how resilient the guys were and how they powered back and how they were able to power back. It seemed like every time they had the ball, they were on a mission…he wants to win and that’s the most important thing so he’s not forcing anything; when his number’s called I guess he makes the best of it.”

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