Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dan Mullen didn't toss chairs, punch walls or scream like a drill instructor.

That's not his style.

Mullen can certainly get overheated like football coaches are wont to do, but following Saturday's loss at LSU, a defeat that snapped Florida's 10-game win streak, Mullen was matter-of-fact. It was difficult to tell if he had just walked off the field during an emotional night at Tiger Stadium or off the 18th green after shooting par on a Sunday afternoon.
 

"This league's tough,'' he said. "It's the SEC. But that's part of playing big-boy football here in the SEC. You've got to be ready for the next one."

For the ninth-ranked Gators (6-1, 3-1), the next one is Saturday at South Carolina (3-3, 2-2) in a noon showdown at Williams-Brice Stadium. But before going forward, let's take a look back.

The 42-28 loss at LSU marked 20 games for Mullen as UF's head coach. He took over a program that fell to 4-7 in 2017 and was tasked with returning the Gators to where they resided in his time as offensive coordinator from 2005-08. At or near the top of the polls.

They have been there in 2019, perhaps sooner than many expected. The Gators can claim the Southeastern Conference East title if they can win four in a row against their SEC East brethren, starting with the Gamecocks. Of course, that's much easier to say than actually do.

As for Mullen's first 20 games as head coach, let's take a look at how he stacks up with other head coaches as they got started at UF.
  CHARTING THE GATORS
 
A glance at the record of Gators head coaches in their first 20 games since the start of the 1950 season and the impression their starts made:
 

COACH	RECORD	PERCEPTION
Dan Mullen	16-4	Has rejuvenated program, built excitement about prospects in Year 2
Jim McElwain	15-5	A sense of fool's gold loomed due to lopsided losses to end first season
Will Muschamp	14-6	Signs of hope in rebuild structured around defense, lackluster offense
Urban Meyer	16-4	Did what he was hired to do: returned program to top in 2nd season
Steve Spurrier	17-3	Fan favorite won flashy and had UF's first SEC title by end of 2nd year
Galen Hall	18-1-1	Took over troubled program and led Gators to first No. 1 ranking
Charley Pell	7-12-1	Following 0-10-1 record in '79, Pell had Gators on rise in Year 2
Doug Dickey	9-11	Negative tone after 49-7 loss to Georgia and losing record in 2nd year
Ray Graves	13-6-1	Went 9-2 in first season (1960), which created goodwill from start
Bob Woodruff	10-10	Frustration had built until upset win at Alabama to close 1951 season

  NEWS, NOTES & NUGGETS
 

• Gators defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga expected to be game-time decisions according to UF head coach Dan Mullen. Both players re-aggravated injured ankles at LSU and left game.
• Florida leads the all-time series against South Carolina 27-9-3 but needs a win to avoid losing the series this decade. The Gamecocks are 5-4 against the Gators since the 2010 season.
• Former Gators head coach Will Muschamp is 25-20 in his fourth season at the helm in South Carolina. He was 28-21 in four seasons at UF from 2011-14.
• The Gators have passed for 300 yards or more in four of their seven games this season, marking the first time UF has had four 300-yard passing games in a season since 2004.
• Gamecocks quarterback Ryan Hilinski, a true freshman who took over when starter Jake Bentley was lost for the season due to injury, left last week's win at Georgia with a knee injury. Hilinski is listed as probable Saturday but if unable to play, backup Dakereon Joyner will be ready.
• South Carolina was plus-four in the turnover battle in last week's upset victory at No. 3-ranked Georgia. The Gamecocks are 17-2 under Muschamp when winning the turnover battle, 8-18 when they don't.
• Florida quarterback Kyle Trask (23 of 39, 311 yards) became only the fourth Gator this decade to have a 300-yard passing game, joining John Brantley (2011 vs. Furman), Tyler Murphy (2013 vs. Vanderbilt) and Luke Del Rio (2016 vs. Kentucky).
• Sophomore tight end Kyle Pitts caught five passes for a career-high 108 yards at LSU, becoming just the fourth Gators TE since the start of the 1996 season to have a 100-yard game. The previous three combined for five 100-yard games over that span. Pitts now leads the team in receptions (30) and yards (362).
• By surrendering a season-high 511 yards at LSU, Florida's defense dropped from 10th nationally (276.3 yards per game) to 20th (309.9), but only from second to third in the SEC.
• Senior linebacker David Reese leads the team in tackling with 7.6 stops per game, which ranks fifth overall in the SEC.