College Football
Smart Or Not?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
First and foremost, I am a huge fan of Kirby Smart.
After six years, some honest and constructive assessments seem fair game.
Kirby is hands down the best recruiter UGA has ever seen and probably the best in college football. The Athletic Board has given him a blank check for several hundred million dollars of new and upgraded facilities.
The UGA fan base is one of the most loyal, loud, rabid and die-hard in America. They show up and show out. Kirby has been given every possible resource at his disposal. He has proven himself as a phenomenal recruiter. He has not yet proven himself to be a phenomenal head coach.
Some guys are great defensive coaches. Kirby, Will Muschamp certainly qualify. Some guys are great offensive coaches. Todd Monken appears to be one of the best they have ever had at UGA.
But being a great Coordinator does not mean you will be a great Head Coach, just ask Muschamp and Mullen.
So far, Kirby has been a better than average Head Coach, and he has shown growth and improvement during his six years.
Clearly there are other coaches who have done more with a lot less talent and sub-standard facilities. Kirby is building a program for the long haul. No shortcuts. But to quote Kirby, “you’re either elite or you’re not” and Kirby is not an elite coach … YET.
Elite professionals work as hard improving themselves as they do improving others.
They don’t let egos or stubbornness impede their personal growth. I don’t know if that is what is happening with Kirby this season or not, but the next few weeks will certainly answer the question.
Kirby has tried beating Bama twice with Stetson Bennett. He failed both times.
He has more than enough film to prove he is not going to beat his mentor with Stetson Bennett. He also saw Auburn take Bama to 4 OT ‘s by playing man defense and pressuring Young with a constant blitz.
Georgia has three of the brightest defensive minds and through stubbornness or ignorance, they stayed in zone defense, with no pressure, and allowed Young to pick the Dawgs apart. Auburn had 7 sacks; Dawgs had zero.
Elite coaches will ADMIT their mistakes and make the necessary corrections. Time will tell if Smart has that skill set or not. And soon, we will see if Kirby can become an elite coach.
If he continues to do the same thing and expect different outcomes, then we will know Georgia hired a phenomenal recruiter, and an above average head coach.
Flame away if you like, but these are my constructive thoughts. Good news is you won’t have to wait but about a month to find out if I’m right or not.
Reevaluate the quarterback situation and get JT Daniels ready to play. I don’t know if it will happen but I do believe it needs to. I know many Dawg fans want to see Daniels under center against Michigan.
UGA has to get healthy and get some guys ready to play.
The STAR/nickel position got exploited against Alabama. I think the staff needs to get Kamari Lassiter or Javon Bullard or whoever ready to play winning football going into the playoffs.
The bottom line is Kirby Smart has built an Elite Program but can he win the BIG GAME?
Chomped
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, here we are in the smoldering aftermath of the Damn Mullen era at UF.
It was fun at first, but ultimately, bad roots produced bad fruits.
Mullen is gone and before we turn to the excitement of the coaching search, here are a few takeaways that I think we should all keep in mind for the future:
CFB is a recruiting game; recruiting sorts out all the small details on the field automatically- There are no “master developers”, Portal Kombat is a fantasy, and coaching only beats talent when talent isn’t coached.
Want to know if your team is on the path to an SEC Championship? Show me a composite top-5 class or a superstar QB. Until 30 years of history are proven wrong, that’s reality for today’s game.
Long-term rebuilds are like unicorns. I love the idea, but I sure can’t find one. Only 2 coaches since the early 90s have won their first SEC after year 3 at a school. One had a #1 overall class (Fulmer at Tennessee in 97) and one had a superstar QB (Tuberville at Auburn in 04). But again, winning fast means recruiting fast.
Dan Mullen is not Dabo Swinney and UF is not Clemson 2007. Assembling a great first staff and quickly acquiring a top-notch QB are huge. I could go on at length about this, but instead I’ll offer my evidence in six words: Knox over Seider. Jones over Corral. So, yeah. Watch this carefully over the next year.
The offensive line is still THE biggest personnel issue on this team, dating back to the Meyer era, and it must be fixed if the program is going anywhere.
The program stopped signing quality in numbers at the position around 2010 and it has been crippling to one degree or another ever since. Unlike other positions, the unit comprises almost a quarter of the starting 22, and this lack of excellence can’t continue.
The Gator program must recruit Florida’s elite athletes better if they’re to rise. There’s no way around it. They can’t make up for the home state futility in California, with a national approach, or through the portal.
An entirely new approach to recruiting is necessary that exploits every advantage and loophole. Bags and facilities are tools, but they weren’t why Mullen sucked. Lack of effort, lack of communication, lack of organization, lack of creativity, and lack of having more were the reasons.
It’s time for the program to be transformed into a recruiting organization first and foremost. They must find ways to capitalize on what the rules allow. They must use NIL to the fullest.
People will lie to you in this business, because tickling your ears is good for profit and popularity. Things have certainly improved, but there are still those out there who will mislead fans with optimistic reports that have little factual grounding.
One such profiteer got mad at me on Twitter a few years back when I called him out publicly for lying to fans, telling them “Mullen is en route to a top-5 class”. He demanded that I call him, which I did. When I asked him why he was telling fans that UF was in great position to land Dontae Lucas (who had a family connection to the FSU staff) and other unrealistic targets, he said “where does it leave me business wise if I’m not optimistic”. As consumers, you have a right to look at people’s track record and to ask them to show their math.
We’re fortunate in many ways to have had Mullen when we did. It’s been hashed and beaten to death, but none of the other available coaches that year would have been any better.
Probably a lot worse. We kept ourselves relevant enough to be distanced from Tennessee, Miami, and FSU. The Gators are probably not far off from CFP contenders if the new coach has a passion for recruiting – and it starts with AR15.
To end my breakup letter, I’m glad it’s over, and I’m excited for the future. I never liked him and I am thrilled, but I will always wonder what he might have been able to do here if he wasn’t such a gaping, stubborn, arrogant SOB.
Commit To The Spear
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s time to give Mike Norvell some credit. For the better part of the past six months, one of the biggest questions out there has been whether or not FSU will be able to hold onto the bulk of its No. 13-ranked recruiting class.
For a while, it looked like the answer was no, especially after Week 3’s stunning loss to Jacksonville State, but after FSU’s last-minute comeback win over their rival Miami, one would have to think that the Noles are in prime position to keep most of what it has committed.
Norvell and his staff decided to roll the dice and welcome a large group of visitors to Tallahassee for the showdown with the Hurricanes. Sure, there was bound to be plenty of energy inside Doak Campbell Stadium, but the Seminoles were in no way guaranteed to walk away with a W.
That’s why when Jordan Travis barreled his way into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, a party broke out on FSU’s sidelines. The Seminoles not only snapped a three-game losing streak in the series, but managed to do so in front of nearly its entire recruiting class along with another dozen or so top targets.
Among the visitors Saturday, FSU had the nation’s No. 1-ranked overall prospect Travis Hunter. While the longtime FSU commit had his name linked to Georgia as a possible flip destination, yet he continues to say all the right things about the Seminoles.
Hunter was quick to celebrate Saturday’s win by sharing a 15-minute video from FSU’s locker room to his social media, which was capped off by Jermaine Johnson smashing a rock that had “The U” on it.
Given what’s happening with all the coach rumors at Florida and Miami, the Seminole must capitalize on these speculations. The State of Florida will be wide open for Norvell to dominate in recruiting,
This is the same opportunity Jimbo Fisher took full advantage of when Urban Meyer left. This 4 and 14 game could be the avalanche the Seminole need to build their roster with elite talent.
If Florida State can somehow manage to win out, I predict a top 7 class this season. But if the Seminole’s do not make a Bowl Game, don’t be shocked with a wave of “Respect My Decision” messages on social me
Norvell and the Seminoles aren’t going to sign all of those blue-chip targets. Heck, they might not even get one, but there’s no doubt that their win over Miami improved FSU’s chances with each recruit who attended that win, and that’s big for Norvell as he tries to build the Seminoles back into a championship contender.
Ch-Ch-Changes
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The problem to be solved with the Florida Gator football team runs deeper than Dan Mullen’s hubris. Yes, please fire him (hiring Todd Grantham much less keeping Grantham for another year is a Nussemeier on staff levels of incompetence) but the administration just doesn’t get it.
Florida doesn’t need an X’s and O’s coach; they need a CEO type that knows what it takes to build a program. I have no doubt in my mind that Coach Mullen wants to be successful at Florida, but it takes a lot more than wanting it, especially at Florida.
Someone who “gets it” is Kirby Smart. He sacrifices so much time with his family and so much of his free time to recruit. Kirby demands so much from his assistants, you ask yourself, why the hell would anyone do that?
How do you recruit so hard, you rival Nick Saban in relentlessness and even beat him on the trail consistently? What drives a person to do something that makes many normal men insane?
Well, Kirby is a Georgia alum who spent his playing days being consistently clobbered by Steve Spurrier coached Florida teams. It’s almost like his very identity revolves around Georgia Football. He is Mr. UGA!
Kirby was born and raised in the South and knows the culture. I think that’s why a lot of recruits gravitate to him.
Would you ascribe the same “X factor” about Dan Mullen? This is what recruits think: Some dorky Northeasterner who talks too fast and isn’t funny or relatable, and who thinks Publix cakes and some tastefully Jordan sneakers can woo recruits on their official visits.
Mullen has been quoted as saying “I want guys who want to be Gators”, but at this point as a program when you have the likes of Kentucky and Missouri out-recruiting you. You have to wonder if the brand has lost its’ sheen after the lost decade.
In order to compete with the Elite (hell to even remain relevant in the SEC East) in the present day, you HAVE TO GO ALL IN. There is no half-ass in the current recruiting landscape. The push to become a top 5 public university is great but all these young men have dreams to play in the NFL.
Mullen has some of the top attributes I would seek in a head coach. He can game plan and coach offense, quarterbacks and call plays, but he has to reflect on just about every other part of the program at this point and make some really big changes.
I do believe there will be some significant staff changes this offseason. Todd Grantham being gone is all but a foregone conclusion.
The following coaches have their contract set to expire after the recruiting cycle ends February 8th: John Hevesy, Billy Gonzales, Tim Brester, Greg Knoz and David Turner.
Change is coming Gator fans, but you are not fixing the roster issues overnight and simply replacing coaches is not a guaranteed fix.
“If you don’t recruit, there’s no coach that can out-coach recruiting, I don’t care who you are.” Kirby Smart definitely understands how to build a program.
And The Winner Is…..
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Following an off week, the Florida Gators are set to take on the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville.
The gators re coming off an embarrassing loss to LSU. The Bulldogs enter this weekend game undefeated. The Gators open this week as a 14-point underdog.
The context that makes this year’s World’s Largest Cocktail Party so compelling is that Florida can put up points and move the ball. The Gators are ranked No. 5 nationally in yards per play, better than any team Georgia has faced or will face this season.
With Mullen refusing to commit to promising redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson, the Gators need a Superman performance from their quarterback.
Georgia’s defense is built in the trenches and Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker and Nolan Smith are the main pieces in this dominating front.
These guys not only win on-on-one blocks; they are absolute menaces to opposing offenses. Georgia loves to substitute and play situational defense and does a great job at maximizing their talent while rotating and keeping players fresh.
The Bulldogs are great at creating pressure to make quarterbacks think they are bringing more than they are and forcing sacks and turnovers. Georgia loves to stunt and play games with their defensive lineman.
What is Florida’s identity on offense? Who knows, the first three weeks of the season, the Gators were a top rushing team in the country. The last few weeks, Florida has looked completely different trying to throw the ball around the field.
Richardson seems to spark the Gators offense and they respond when he’s in the game. He gives them the best chance to win. Mullen needs to accept the younger player is better and needs to play.
Mullen will need to dial up a great game plan to exploit Georgia’s aggressive front-7. The best way to score on the Bulldogs is to get to the back end of their defense, but does Florida have the QB, OL and skill players to test them.
No doubt the Gator’s defense spent the entire bye week working on playing the counter better. LSU ate their lunch with it. That makes me believe that Georgia will have to see if the Gators can stop the run.
Look for Zamir White, Kendall Milton and James Cook to rake up big runs against the undisciplined Gators front-7. Georgia’s running game will set up play action passes. Brock Bowers will create big play opportunities with size and speed.
Kirby Smart has owned Dan Mullen in their careers (3-1) as head coaches. He owns Mullen when it comes to recruiting. Smart will own Mullen on Saturday.
My Prediction: Georgia 45 Florida 20
The Big Letdown
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I was a freshman at Young Harris College, I was introduced to a south Florida-based parrot head musician named Del Suggs. The chorus of one of his songs said “when everything’s coming up roses, I get suspicious.”
Boy howdy, does that sentiment ring true right now.
As any lifelong Dawg fan will gladly tell you – whether you want to hear it or not – we’ve been through a lot over the years: Second & 26. Half a hundred between the hedges. No, make that the entire Steve Spurrier run.
The Dawgs have been close (or should have been close) so many times since 1980 that many of us have developed a healthy sense of skepticism. Can you blame us though? We survived Jim Donnan *AND* Mark Richt.
This year feels different, though. Undefeated through seven games. Undefeated in the SEC with our backup quarterback and a decimated receiver corp. A defense that has allowed only 4 touchdowns all year…and it would have been three if Mark Stoops’ bookie hadn’t gotten that call through. Georgia, no matter how badly we don’t want to say it out loud, looks unstoppable.
This year’s Georgia/Florida game shouldn’t be a trap game. So why is it making me so nervous?
The 2021 Floriduh Gaturs are not a good football team. Neither QB has proved to be outstanding, although both were described as such in the preseason.
Yes, they almost took Bama to overtime, but I’m standing by my belief that this year’s Bama is a paper tiger.
Dan Mulllen has already gotten a third L to supplement the two Ls you can’t spell his name without. Not only are they not at their usual spot in the top 2 spots of the SEC East, they’re in 4th, behind Tennessee AND KENTUCKY.
Let that sink in. Florida is behind Kentucky. In FOOTBALL.
I’m pretty sure this is mentioned somewhere in Revelations, I’m just scared to look.
I’m nervous about this game because records and rankings absolutely do not matter in this matchup. Let’s take a look at the last few times a highly ranked UGA team has gone up against an unranked Florida squad.
2017 – #3 Georgia 42 – Florida 7. Okay, this one worked out the way we thought, but just wait.
2014 – Florida 38 – #9 Georgia 20. I’m not sure, but I think this was the year Fred Taylor’s kid decided he had some of his old man’s talent. Not sure, I’ve blocked this game from my memory.
2002 – Florida 20 – #5 Georgia 13. Ron Zook’s first year as coach (yeah, I forgot him, too), and a team led by a QB most famous for almost breaking his fool neck headbutting a cement wall on national television.
If we were to flip the script, the last time an unranked Georgia squad beat a ranked Florida team was 1989.
Thirty-two years ago. When George Bush was still in office. The first one, that is.
This is why I am hesitant to embrace hope this year, much less this week. Weird stuff happens at the WLOCP.
True, the 2021 Bulldogs have started to be mentioned in “best of all time” discussions, and rightfully so. JT Daniels is trending towards playing, and let’s be honest, it won’t be a heartbreak if he doesn’t – you’d like to see the Mailman get some payback for last year too, yeah?
My mind says “we’ve got this.” My heart says “ease up off the gas there, pablo.”
My cardiology nurse, however, says “please stop watching Georgia football.” I should probably listen to her, considering she’s my wife.
The Ole Ball Coach
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Going into the 1990 season Georgia held a commanding 44-22-2 lead in the annual rivalry game in Jacksonville.
UGA fans went to Jacksonville knowing they would find a way to win the contest even if Florida had a better record or more talent.
Bad things always happened to Florida when games were on the line and they would find a way to lose a game they had won. The Florida fan base had come to expect to lose every year.
Florida fans say that was BS, which stands for “Before Spurrier”. Florida hired their Heisman winning QB Steve Spurrier as their head football coach in 1990.
Spurrier’s teams were known for winning with aggressive and high-scoring offenses, and he became known for teasing and “needling” rivals, both before and after beating them on the field.
He is the winningest coach in both Florida and South Carolina program history, and his last Duke squad won the program’s only Atlantic Coast Conference championship over the last half-century in 1989.
Florida’s four consecutive Southeastern Conference championships in the mid-1990s is the second-longest streak in conference history, behind Bear Bryant’s 1970s Alabama teams, and Spurrier and Bryant are the only coaches to hold the record for most conference wins at two different SEC schools.
Spurrier is second to Bryant in total wins, while leading an SEC program.
When Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy during the Gators’ 1996 national championship season, Spurrier became the only Heisman Trophy winner to coach another Heisman Trophy winner.
In recognition to his contributions to the university and its football program, the University of Florida officially renamed the Gators’ home field “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium” in 2016.
Immediately the ball coach dominated the series. Take a look at these scores:
1990: Florida 38-7
1991; Florida 45-13
1992: Florida 26-24
1993: Florida 33-26
1994: Florida 52-14
1995: Florida 52-17
1996: Florida 47-7
Georgia fans stopped coming in droves to Jacksonville and began to say we may never win in Jacksonville ever again as long as this guy is there.
No head coach in history has owned more free space in the head of an opposing fan base than Steve Spurrier has over the Georgia Bulldog nation.
When UGA broke the 7 game losing streak in 1997 to UF the ball coach responded by winning four straight before leaving for the Washington Redskins after the 2001 season.
Spurrier ended his Florida coaching career with an 11-1 record against UGA. Total domination from every possible angle, but the mental control over UGA still lingers to this day.
I’m a huge UGA fan and always seem to expect the worst possible scenario because of one man Steve Spurrier. If you are a Georgia fan and say this Spurrier mojo doesn’t still linger then you are lying to yourself.
The mojo is losing its luster as the years go by, but it still creeps in from time to time.
Steve Spurrier is on the Mt. Rushmore of SEC Football Coaches. The man transformed the SEC into what it has evolved into today.
I’m not a Florida fan, but I respect Steve Spurrier as much as any football coach that has ever roamed the sidelines. Steve Spurrier did a number on the Bulldog Nation that has lingered for 30 years.
Georgia leads the series with Florida now 53-44-2. Florida is 22-9 since they hired the Ole Ball Coach, who got 11 of those wins and he hasn’t coached in this rivalry game since 2001.
Big Game Dan
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dan Mullen likes to play Darth Vader, but this recent stretch of Florida Gator football has exposed Dan as more of a Wile E Coyote.
The last time the Gators played, it was like Coach Orgeron painted a tunnel on the side of a mountain, and Mullen ran right into it.
Mullen has become the hapless villain more likely to have an anvil fall on him than to succeed in chasing down the roadrunner.
LSU lost their star receiver and top two corners. On paper, the Tigers had no chance to win.
But, through the power of Mullen mayhem, the Florida Gators found a way to make it happen.
Todd Grantham, a fan favorite in every SEC town except Gainesville, coached a defense that surrendered 321 yards in rushing yards alone.
Tyrion Davis-Price ran for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns, the most ever against a Gator defense, breaking a record previously held by Herschel Walker. With all due respect to David-Price, it took a special kind of defensive breakdown to let a running back of this caliber not only break a Herschel Walker record, but do it by 50 yards.
Richardson did look terrific on the bulk of his offensive drives, but even that story comes with a twist. The Gators’ quarterback said after the game he couldn’t write off the possibility that he’d transfer. On the plus side, no one threw a shoe!
Losing sucks, and the Gators are going to have more than 3 losses for the first time since 2017.
Mullen’s Record…
LSU is 1-3
UGA is 1-2 (1-3 on Saturday)
UK is 2-2
Alabama is 0-2
His first three seasons were fun. It felt like the swag and excitement were back. For a moment, The Swamp was rocking again. Florida was a top 10 team hungry for more. Playing in the SEC Championship and winning NY6 bowl games. For a moment, The Gator Standard had returned.
How did Florida get to where they are now?
Let’s start with three years of mediocre recruiting, as well as settling on a mediocre staff; and it is finally catching up.
Mullen will not want to get rid of Grantham, but Mullen’s hand will be forced. The heat will turn onto the head coach instead if nothing is done, or better yet, accomplished soon.
Last year, Mullen opted to retain Grantham, instead firing a pair of assistant coaches in the secondary, content that should be enough to fix the issues.
If you go back and look at their last 15 quarters in SEC play, Florida has given up 37 points per game. 49 LSU points later, it might be time for a change.
Florida and Georgia will face off in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, but Florida fans might want to as well start drinking now. The less you remember, the better.
Florida has now lost six of their last eight games against Power 5 teams, dating back to last year.
Of course, Mullen has already explained that the final game of 2020 came before the blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and in fairness, he’s never said when the 2021 season was officially going to start, and with his performance, he could fool me!
Toothless Gators
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Florida Gators are at a crossroads going into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. They are 4 – 3 but the concern is the way they looked against teams perceived as inferior.
Florida started the season off with two blowout victories against Florida Atlantic and South Florida.
It looks like things went wrong after the third game. The Gators lost to #1 Alabama, 31 – 29. They played well against the defending national champs and may have been too satisfied with the moral victory.
Florida had more total yards than the Crimson Tide, 439 yards to 331. They ran for 244 yards and it looked like that would be their offensive identity going forward.
They beat Tennessee the following week, then lost at Kentucky. They pummeled Vanderbilt for homecoming, 42 – 0.
Going into the LSU game the Tigers were a .500 team. They lost two consecutive games to Auburn and Kentucky. This was also the case last season when they beat Florida in The Swamp. UF was favored by 11 ½ points.
Ed Orgeron was on the hot seat again, but he saves his best coaching performances for the Gators. They ran the ball at will and running back Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for 287 yards with three touchdowns.
Florida’s leading rusher was backup QB Anthony Richardson, but he only had 37 yards.
“The one stat to me stands out a lot is we’re minus-4 turnover ratio,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “We didn’t stop the run and make the stops we needed to in the second half when we started to gain momentum. Every time we’d get that kind of fix to get ourselves out of the hole we kind of couldn’t get the stop to get over the hump.”
Quarterback Emory Jones struggles with accuracy, consistency and decision making. He’s thrown for 1,305 yards, 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He has rushed for 495 yards and two scores.
The Gators are coming off of a bye week getting ready for the October 30th game against #1 Georgia.
The Bulldogs have a historically good defense. They are the top-rated defense in the nation in yards and points. They give up an average of 6.6 points per game, the only team that holds opponents under double digits.
Florida ranks 9th nationally in total offense, averaging 502 yards per game and 34.4 points. I don’t think they have a chance to perform like that against UGA.
They rank 38th in total defense and they give up 134.4 rushing yards per game. Running the ball is Georgia’s strength.
Dan Mullen has not publicly said if he will make a change at quarterback. Last season the strength of the offense was the passing game led by quarterback Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts. This season they lack an identity.
They are no longer ranked following the loss to LSU. They will be underdogs for the Georgia game. They will have to limit penalties and turnovers to have a chance to win. The offense will have to produce which is a lot to ask.
This is a rivalry game so strange things can happen but anybody with eyes has to pick UGA to win this game.
Chomped From Inside
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Steve Spurrier created the Gator Standard, Urban Meyer exemplified this standard by taking the program to new heights, and after two failed coaching hires, and numerous embarrassing losses; Dan Mullen was the man hired to awaken the sleeping giant.
Year one under Mullen saw a quicker turnaround than any realistic fan could have expected (and could’ve asked for). Bad losses occurred, and red flags appeared, but they were excused due to the upward trajectory of the program in only one season.
Fast forward to year four, the bad losses and red flags remain; this time, Mullen has run out of excuses. I am no insider, and don’t claim to have any secret knowledge inside the University of Florida’s football program, but several things have made me scratch my head.
Mullen’s ego is disproportionate to his on-field accomplishments. What big game has he won? He has been extremely close twice versus Alabama but lost at both contests.
I would think he’d carry himself with a chip on his shoulder, but quite the contrary. Dan Mullen refuses to hold himself to the Gator Standard.
He does not hold himself accountable! After his second loss to Kentucky in four years, being the first Florida coach since Doug Dickey to lose multiple games to Kentucky (for reference on how long ago that was: Jimmy Carter was President), Mullen snapped at a reporter who asked if felt outcoached tonight.
Mullen’s quoted, “NO! But 382 yards, I guess that sputtering. I don’t know. We had 382. They had 211 yards. I wouldn’t think that would be the case. I think guys did some pretty good things right there, moving up and down. I think we got to really look at the penalties that we have and how to get ourselves in better situations that way. I got to do a better job coaching up the PAT/field goal group. They’re a physical group. We outrushed them. We outpassed. We out total gained them. The time of possession, we were better on third down.”
BUT COACH, AT THE END OF THE GAME, YOU DIDN’T OUT SCORE THEM! SOUNDS PRETTY OUTCOACHED TO ME!
Mullen has also refused to make changes to his coaching staff. He has selectively neglected staff incompetence, especially in recruiting SEC-level talent.
He has yet to win a game as an underdog in his tenure at Florida. Fans will calm down and Florida will finish the season with eight or nine wins. Dan Mullen isn’t going anywhere soon.
I am not one of those calmed down fans. The stench from the Gators’ loss to Kentucky is lingering like burnt popcorn after the worst movie ever. Another loss like the last one and noise will build in the program for an exit.
Mullen will be a name next to Zook, Muschamp and McElwain, and be another coach that can’t return Gainesville to glory.
Let’s not forget that most Gator fans (and I) are already miffed with him for not starting Anthony Richardson.
If Mullen wants to win championships, he is going to have to change.
First, he will have to make significant changes to his coaching staff. Next, he is going to have to give a Damn about recruiting. Finally, he is going to have to hold himself to the Gator Standard.
Mullen has steadied the program, and now, can he take them up to the next level?
