Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – This one was a blowout.

Since the moment Dan Mullen stepped off that chartered jet in late November and planted his two feet back on Florida's sandy soil, Gator Nation has welcomed him back with open arms. Mullen has returned the hospitality.

He toured the state speaking to various Gator groups. He hopped around campus to meet with different student organizations. He invited UF faculty, local first responders and former players to watch the Gators practice. He opened the first two practices of spring camp to anyone who wanted to check them out.

Mullen has spent more time selling the program than he has coaching in his four-plus months on the job. That will change come fall. But on a picture-perfect spring afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Mullen was the big winner.

"I thought it was a great finish to our spring,'' he said.

Mullen is officially 1-0 as Florida's head coach and it wasn't even close. Sure, history will show that the Orange defeated the Blue 35-30 in the annual Orange & Blue Game, but Saturday belonged to Mullen's ambitious mission to #PackTheSwamp.

No, the stadium was not packed like Mullen remembers from his days as UF's offensive coordinator and 90,000 rabid fans jammed into The Swamp, but it's hard to imagine a livelier spring-game atmosphere for any team in the country coming off a 4-7 season.

The announced crowd of 53,015 was legit.

"To see that was really special,'' Mullen said. "We didn't fudge one person."

Spring crowds are usually estimates. Some are closer to reality than others. Saturday's crowd was the fourth-highest in school history for a spring game - and the biggest without Urban Meyer as head coach.
 
Fifth-year senior R.J. Raymond, who caught a 58-yard touchdown pass, sensed the Mullen Mania when the team arrived for Gator Walk. The scene was nothing like the one outside The Swamp two days before Mullen landed in town, Florida's loss in the regular-season finale against Florida State.

"It looked like it was a game day,'' Raymond said. "It was like we were playing LSU on Homecoming last year. Coach Mullen did a great job. So many people are excited to have him back and wanted to see us perform and go out there and have some fun."

More than anything else, Saturday was about fun, fun and more fun. And renewal.

The Gators are 34-27 over the past five years with two losing seasons, and despite back-to-back trips to the Southeastern Conference championship game under former head coach Jim McElwain, something was missing, most notably a dynamic offense.

Regardless of what transpired on the field Saturday, Mullen knew very few answers for the fall waited to be discovered on an April afternoon, so he let the Gators turn loose and told the officials to ignore those balls kicked and thrown into the stands. Ex-Gators, too. Who had former UF standouts Lawrence Wright and Travis McGriff with touchdown receptions Saturday?

The players tossed all their chips on the table and bought into the show.

"I like his plan so far,'' said running back Jordan Scarlett, who rushed for 57 yards and two scores in his return.

"This spring has been a learning experience for us,'' junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson said. "Bringing our guys back, guys that have been here, done that. Those championships on the wall, that's them. We've got a chance to put one on the wall, hopefully this year, to make them proud."

Signs pointed to a memorable day long before kickoff.

Fans packed the beer garden on the lawn behind the north end zone prior to Gator Walk. By the time the team arrived, University Avenue was lined with fans waiting to say hello.

Everywhere you looked former players hung out with their families, including former quarterback Doug Johnson. About the only part of Mullen's plan that didn't come to fruition Saturday was a trick play he had drawn up for the Orange team.

With the Blue leading 17-14 midway in the second quarter, quarterback Feleipe Franks tossed a 60-yard scoring pass to an uncovered Travis McGriff. Of course, McGriff snuck onto the field from the sideline the way Wright did earlier in the quarter on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Trask.

Franks was supposed to pass the ball to Johnson, who then was to throw to McGriff.

"I kind of had that organized,'' Mullen said.

Instead, Franks threw deep to McGriff. Oh well, the play worked and fans cheered, something the Gators hope they do in the Sept. 1 season opener against Charleston Southern.

"That's super special and it tells you that he has something special going here,'' Franks said of the crowd. "That's one of the things I love about Coach Mullen. He's always getting everybody involved, especially with the fans."

There will be some who probably wanted to watch more "real football" on Saturday. That can wait.

We still don't know whether Franks or Trask will be the starting quarterback in the opener. We don't know if freshman quarterback Emory Jones will make a run for the job in fall camp. The offensive line remains a concern.

Again, those answers will come. Mullen and the Gators delivered exactly what Gator Nation needed on Saturday. A fresh dose of hope mixed with fun and a touch of history.

"We asked them to come and they came,'' Mullen said. "I'm really thankful for all our fans."

Based on the crowd Saturday, the fans appreciate the new coach.