Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dan Mullen stepped to the podium Monday afternoon and thus moved into his Zoom square to the benefit of about three-dozen computer screens belonging to members of the media. 

"OK, kind of seems like a long time," the Florida football coach said. "I don't know. It's like Bizarro World, right? Like Bizarro Jerry, if you ever saw that 'Seinfeld' episode." 

Raise your hand if you've seen it. 

Now, raise your hand if you're ready for some Southeastern Conference football. 

Mullen's opening statement (or maybe call it a monologue, given the "Seinfeld" reference) was fitting, given the state of affairs, but it also officially kicked off the first so-called game week of the 2020 football season on the home front. The fifth-ranked Gators open a campaign both shortened and long-awaited — not to mention high on expectation — Saturday on the road at Ole Miss, where the Rebels' home field, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, will allow 25-percent COVID capacity, which equates to about 16,000 fans. Pregame tailgating in the historic Grove (or anywhere on campus) will be prohibited.  As the coach at rival Mississippi State for nine seasons (2009-17), Mullen got his fill of Ole Miss and their Hotty-Toddy-Gosh-Almighty ways, going 5-4 in the Magnolia State's hyped Egg Bowl rivalry. The two teams knew each other backward, but the circumstances for this one are strikingly different. 

Mullen and a handful of his current staff left Mississippi State nearly two years ago and get high marks for rebuilding the Gators into a SEC East Division contender, what with a 21-5 record over the last two seasons and back-to-back victories in New Year's Six bowls. When last seen, Florida was beating Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up Virginia 36-28 in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 in Miami, and returns 14 starters (7 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist) from an 11-2 squad — the program's first 11-win team since 2012 — including a first-team preseason All-SEC quarterback. 

His story is all-too-familiar by now. In 2019, Kyle Trask replaced Feleipe Franks, a starter for the better part of the previous two seasons, in the second game of the season after Franks suffered a grisly broken ankle at Kentucky. Trask, who had not started a game since his freshman year of high school, proceeded to rally his team from two scores down to victory that night. He went on to complete 67 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in going 9-2 as the starter.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound fifth-year senior won't be sneaking up on the league this season. He's expected to deliver in a big way behind an explosive offense keyed by All-America candidate tight end Kyle Pitts (54 catches, 649 yards, 5 TDs), the running back tandem of Dameon Pierce and a healthy Malik Davis, and an offensive line that is much more experienced than this time a year ago.

"I don't really put that added pressure on myself. I just go into this game like I went into any other game last season — that is to prepare to the best of my ability and try to be victorious on Saturday," Trask said. "I don't read a whole lot on social media and get into things like that. I just worry about what is going on in this building and just doing the best that I can to make sure we have the best chance of winning."
 

For sure, Trask won't be sneaking up on the league this season. The Rebels, though, are a different story (and a curious one), what with the arrival of lightning-rod Coach Lane Kiffin, who came by way of Florida Atlantic, but was far more famous (even infamous, at times) for his stops as offensive coordinator at Alabama and a couple cups of coffee as during head-coaching flings at Southern Cal and Tennessee. 

"Lane's a good coach, brings a lot of energy, brings confidence, and kind of a swagger to a team," Mullen said. "I think that's something that will be really good for Ole Miss, to have a guy like that at the helm and to help give that confidence." 

As far as this Florida team, Kiffin represents an element of unknown, which gives the Rebels something of an edge. Without any film of Kiffin's imaginative offense married to his current Mississippi players — the Rebels return 12 starters overall, half on offense— the Gators will fly somewhat blind in the preparation for super-swift sophomore quarterback John Rhys-Plumlee relative to the Kiffin system. Though he completed just 52 percent of his throws for 910 yards, four TDs and three picks last season, Rhys-Plumlee garnered freshman All-America honors by setting an Ole Miss freshman record with 1,023 yards rushing and 12 scores.  Those ground numbers should get the attention of a UF defense that nationally ranked ninth overall and eighth against the run, but will be turning to some young and inexperienced players while looking to replace some standouts in defensive end Jon Greenard, inside linebacker David Reese and cornerback CJ Henderson, the first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

And that's with no tune-up "buy games" to preview players or work out the kinks. 

"We're well aware that he can run. The guy is fast," senior cornerback Marco Wilson said. "We've got to make sure we keep an eye on that. Don't get lazy in our techniques up front and make sure we hone in on that."

Similar mysteries hold true on the Ole Miss defensive side, where D.J Durkin, a UF assistant coach and defensive coordinator under Will Muschamp, is a Rebels co-coordinator. 

"They've never played a game together, so I don't know," Mullen said when asked what to expect from Mississippi on D. "We'll find out on Saturday."

Mullen repeated the second half of that quote a few times during his 30-minute chat. It was as good an answer as he had.

Some questions, after all, can't be answered until a team just hits the field. Finally. 

"At the end of the day, we've got to put on our pads and go play." Davis said. 

UF released both its roster and first depth chart Monday, with a pair of seniors — defensive tackle Kyree Campbell, who started all 13 games last season, and safety Brad Stewart Jr., with four starts — absent from the latter. Their status will be made official on game day. Mullen also said sophomore offensive lineman Ethan White, who was in the mix to start at center, had undergone knee surgery that will sideline him a few weeks. Fifth-year senior Brett Heggie, a starter for 12 games last season at tackle, will make his first career start at center. 

"The good thing for our O-line is that they got a lot of experience last year, and we had a lot of young guys coming in, and a lot of them, they got to get some playing time last year. That's really showing this year," Trask said. "I feel like there's, you know, a good number of guys that are going to be ready to go on Saturday."

Add to that a good number of, you know, Florida fans ready to go, as well. 

Bye-bye, Bizarro World.