GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Since the Gators resumed their season following a COVID-19 outbreak on the team last month, they have made opposing defensive coordinators ill.
In wins over Missouri, Georgia and Arkansas, the Gators scored 148 points and rolled up 1,678 yards, an average of 559.3 per game. The Gators face a different kind of challenge this week: their first road trip outside the state since a visit to Texas A&M in early October resulted in more than 30 team members contracting COVID and forcing the program to shut down for two weeks.
In preparation for Saturday's game at Vanderbilt, Florida has revamped some of its travel procedures to ensure the safest trip possible.
"We're very defined on where everybody is seated on the plane. Making sure everybody has their mask on at all times on the plane," Coach
Dan Mullen said Monday. "Some of the guys will fall asleep and take it off or one of those deals. Everyone has their mask on; make sure that is always happening in what we're doing on the plane."
Florida's protocols to limit COVID-19 infections produced successful results in the months leading up the trip to Texas A&M. However, in the wake of the 41-38 loss to the Aggies, COVID reared its ugly head and shut down the program starting Oct. 13. Mullen was one of those infected.
Fortunately, those Gators who contracted the disease experienced mostly mild symptoms. Still, they are doing what they can to limit any possibility of another outbreak. The Gators had to postpone home games against LSU and Missouri scheduled last month. They are scheduled to play LSU on Dec. 12 and moved the Missouri game from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31, beating the Tigers 41-17.
"We're going to change up the plans a little bit as far as traveling goes, and pregame and things like that, just to try to prevent anything like that from happening again,'' quarterback
Kyle Trask said. "I think we're being very proactive with the situation."
Food and beverage service will be limited on the airplane. Seating and mask guidelines will be strictly enforced. In addition, the team will remain spread out before and after the game at Vanderbilt, avoiding cramming into the small visiting locker room typical in college football. Much of the speculation after the Texas A&M game centered on the small space the Gators had at Kyle Field in the visiting locker room.
The Gators plan to dress into their uniform at the hotel prior to driving over to Vanderbilt, where they will put on their cleats and other equipment before taking the field. The pregame prep cuts down on time players need to spend in the locker room.
"Since the A&M game, we've put a bunch of different things in place," Mullen said Monday. "We're looking at different things."
The Gators used six buses for their trip to Jacksonville to face Georgia. In addition, the NFL locker room at TIAA Bank Field provided extra space.
Air travel is the top logistical concern for the trip to Vanderbilt.
"They're going to limit any sort of food or drinks on the plane to try to limit that as much so that people don't even take their masks off to do that," Mullen said.
The sixth-ranked Gators (5-1) are heavy favorites over the winless Commodores (0-6), off to their worst start since losing their first six game in 1998.
Receiver
Trevon Grimes, one of four players who hesitated to join the team at the start of preseason camp over COVID concerns, returned following a brief absence confident in the protocols in place. He is comfortable the program is taking all the necessary precautions for the trip to Nashville.
The Gators leave Friday afternoon, will spend Friday night in a local hotel and then fly back to Gainesville after the game.
"Our medical staff is doing everything they can to keep us safe,'' Grimes said Monday. "We're getting protected, we're going to do everything we can to stay protected and I know they're going to put us in the best position that we need to be in. I'm looking forward to going out there playing and flying home safe."
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