Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It's rarely quiet the week of a Florida-LSU football game.

While 2020 has been different in so many ways, nothing has changed in this rivalry. There's always something to talk about and Gators head coach Dan Mullen provided the fodder after Saturday's 41-38 loss at Texas A&M when he urged the UF administration to consider implementing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' authorization that permits sporting venues to operate at full capacity.

Mullen's comments were made in the aftermath of an emotional loss in front of a COVID-reduced yet rabid Aggies crowd.
 
UF President Kent Fuchs reiterated on Sunday that the school plans to continue to operate under safety protocols in place since the campus re-opened during the coronavirus pandemic.

"UF remains fully and firmly committed to following CDC guidelines (cdc.gov/coronavirus/20) for every part of our campus from classrooms to athletic venues as well as the guidance (coronavirus.ufhealth.org/screen-test-pr) of our own experts at @UFHealth and local and state health officials,'' Fuchs posted via Twitter on Sunday. "This includes physical distancing by ensuring 6 feet between yourself and others and wearing a mask or cloth face covering. Although adherence to the guidelines restricts our behavior and limits the occupancy of our facilities, these preventative measures remain the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is important that all members of the UF community and our campus visitors follow this guidance."

Meanwhile, Mullen was asked multiple questions during his press conference Monday afternoon about his request to see the Swamp full of 90,000 fans on Saturday when the No. 10-ranked Gators (2-1) host the reigning national champions.

He remained neutral on the topic -- he didn't back away from his comments or push them forward -- following a weekend of passionate opinions from others on both sides of the aisle.

"I think if you look at what we've been able to do, the safety precautions we have that our players have followed, our coaches follow, our staff follows, you know, I think we're a model of safety of what we've been doing during this time period," Mullen said. "So, I'm really proud of how we've handled everything and how safe we've been with everything we're doing and all the precautions we've had in place during this time."

The Gators announced a limited-capacity crowd of 15,120 for their home opener Oct. 3 against South Carolina. Under the current system in place, UF has around 17,000 tickets available for home games in the COVID era.

Texas A&M announced a crowd of more than 24,000 on Saturday, a gathering that Mullen called a "great atmosphere" and one that drew a lot of attention on social media when ESPN's broadcast showed the section behind Florida's bench nearly filled to capacity and many fans not social distancing or wearing face coverings.

Mullen's primary hope appears to be for UF's crowd to provide the Gators a similar home-field advantage as the Aggies had on Saturday.

"Whatever our government officials all say and what everybody does for the game, what we do need to do is however many people they allow into the stadium, we need to try to work as hard as we can — all the Gator fans and all of us — to create the best game-day atmosphere we can," he said.