Gators Notebook: Mullen Respects Wildcats, More Tidbits

Tyrie Cleveland, Tyler Jordan (2018 opener)

The Gators seek more fireworks on Saturday when they host Kentucky in the SEC opener. (Photo: Kaila Jones/UAA Communications)

Gators Notebook: Mullen Respects Wildcats, More Tidbits

Monday, September 3, 2018 | Football

By: Ethan Hughes, FloridaGators.com Intern

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators have every reason to be confident heading into Saturday night's Southeastern Conference opener against Kentucky (7:30, SEC Network). Florida (1-0) has won 31 consecutive games against the Wildcats (1-0), the longest active win streak of one FBS team over another in an uninterrupted series and the fourth longest such streak in NCAA history.

The few times the streak appeared in jeopardy – 1993, 2014 and 2017 come to mind – the Gators found the magic they needed to keep it going. A year ago, the Gators played one of their worst games during the streak while Kentucky played one of its best. Still, UF prevailed thanks to the Wildcats leaving two Gators receivers uncovered for touchdowns.

57303 — Dan Mullen interacts with fans following his first win as head coach at Florida. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)

The Gators are riding high following a 53-6 demolishing of Charleston Southern on Saturday, while Kentucky turned the ball over four times in an uninspiring 35-20 defeat of Central Michigan.

"I imagine, one day, the streak will be broken," UF coach Dan Mullen said. "That's just the nature of sports."

Still, the Gators are confident that this year is not that year.

"It's 31, right?" junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson said. "It'll be 32 after Saturday."

While Mullen said he doesn't want to be remembered as the coach who lost the streak, he doesn't feel any additional pressure headed into this game. He wants to win because it's the next game on the schedule and a tone-setter for the season ahead.

What's happened the past 31 years will have no bearing on what will happen between the lines on Saturday, he said.

Mullen said his team earned the right to be confident by its preparation during the week and its performance against the Buccaneers. However, he cautioned that this game will not be easy.

"You look at Kentucky and what Mark [Stoops] has done there, and you look, even at game one, you see what kind of team they are," he said. "They fall behind in game one, in the home opener, in a game I think most people think they should win. You watch their team, no panic.

"It's a team that has expectations. They know how to win, have learned how to win and what it takes to come back and win the game. They have a lot of talented players, a lot returning starters and very veteran defense with guys who have played a lot of football. They have some playmakers on offense, great running back. A bunch of guys out there on the perimeter. So, it'll be a great challenge."

Better Preparation Needed

With a new coaching staff comes new philosophies and approaches to prepare for games. Mullen said the Gators didn't meet his expectations Monday through Thursday last week but handled the new routine much better on Friday and Saturday. He wants to see a full week of good work prior to taking on the Wildcats.

"When you go through a week of practice and then you get to Friday, how they build up their confidence and then went out on the field and performed, that can help you being more comfortable going into every game," he said. "Now, they know what to expect for this week, from us, the coaches, what they need to do. We just have to do it a lot better."

One of the new philosophies Mullen has instituted involves how his team handles night games. He believes in gradually building up the players' energy and excitement for the game and exploding when it's game time. He doesn't want his players' energy to peak during the day and leave them with less than a full tank for the game. For example, the Gators came out for pregame warmups last Saturday wearing orange T-shirts and blue shorts rather than their uniforms. Expect the Gators to follow the same routine again this week.

Mullen's Better Half

At Gator Walk prior to the Charleston Southern game, Megan Mullen, the coach's wife, was one of the first people to greet the players as they walked off the bus. After the game, pictures of her hugging and talking with players, including redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks, made their way around the internet.

57304 — Megan Mullen greets quarterback Feleipe Franks after Saturday's game. (Photo: Kaila Jones/UAA Communications)

"Whenever you're having a down day, she's right there with a big smile on her face to pick you right up," Franks said. "She's just a great human being, somebody you want to be around when you're having a gloomy day because it seems like she's never having one. She never has a bad day. That's one of the things I love about Mrs. Megan."

When Dan was the Gators' offensive coordinator from 2005-2008, Megan was the main anchor for the Golf Channel and wasn't able to be around the players as much. However, when Dan became the head coach at Mississippi State in December 2008, the couple mutually agreed that they needed to go all-in one way or another. Dan joked that if Good Morning America had called, he would've moved to New York and coached high school football.

Of course, they chose to go all-in on football, and Dan now refers to Megan as his co-head coach.

"It's really a two-person job," he said. "She does such a great job. I'm probably tough on people, and she's a lot more loving than I am on everybody.
"I think it's a huge help, and I think it's a major part of our program."

Fighting Through Adversity

At his introductory press conference in November, Mullen promised Florida fans that they would see a team that played with "relentless effort" every game, from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. He said the two blocked kicks on Saturday stood out as examples of what he's looking for.

After CSU running back Ronnie Harris broke off a 70-yard run in the waning moments of the first half, the Gators defense held the Buccaneers to just two yards on the next three plays and forced a field-goal attempt. The kick was blocked by redshirt freshman defensive end Zachary Carter. Rather than conceding points after the long run, the Gators persevered to keep the shutout intact heading into the locker rooms.

In the fourth quarter, CSU finally got on the board with a 22-yard scoring run. Rather than getting down about losing the shutout, UF blocked the extra point and returned it for two points. These are the kind of effort plays Mullen wants to see his team make consistently.

"I don't care what the score is, I don't care what time of the game, our effort should never change," he said. "Shouldn't be like, 'Oh, this is a big play, so I'll go hard on this play.' If you do, that means you can pick and choose when you go hard. I don't want that. There is no choose when we go hard. All we do is go hard every snap, every play, every game, every play, and, whatever we're doing, the effort level should never change."