Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Seems like as good time as any to recall the last time Donovan Stiner and the Florida Gators played football in the state of Mississippi. Stiner, then a sophomore safety, didn't just leave an indelible orange-and-blue mark on that game. 

It was a thud. 

The date was Sept. 29, 2018, and UF was clinging to a late 13-6 lead in the Wade Stadium, cowbell-clanging din at Mississippi State. The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs had reached the Florida 45-yard line, but three straight Nick Fitzgerald incomplete passes set up a fourth-and-10 with 1:06 to play. 

Fitzgerald, lined up in the shotgun, brought his unit to the line. The place was in a frenzy, but it took barely a second to silence the State faithful. By the time the center snap reached Fitzgerald, the scrimmage seas had parted, which was unfortunate for the Bulldogs' quarterback because Stiner already had about a 15-yard running start from his spot deep in the secondary on a safety blitz. Fitzgerald could do nothing but brace for impact, as Stiner blew up the play with a throttling hit that sealed a huge victory and proved to be a signature play of Coach Dan Mullen's first UF season (after he came, of course, from Mississippi State). 

"I've not thought about the play in a while, but I wouldn't say I've forgot about, either," Stiner said. "It was a great call by [defensive coordinator Todd Grantham]. I was going no matter what. We'd run it in practice, and it's designed for someone to come open, but not necessarily me. When it happened, I was like, 'Whoa!' "

A lot of people with UF rooting interests shared in that "Whoa," followed no doubt by some other reaction. The good kind.



On Saturday, Stiner and those same folks hope they'll be more reason to celebrate when the fifth-ranked Gators open the 2020 season with a return trip to the Magnolia State, this time to face Ole Miss in a high-noon Southeastern Conference showdown at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. 

The game — the first in the COVID-reconfigured 10-game, All-SEC schedule — will mark UF's first opener against a league opponent since 1989 (a home loss to Ole Miss), and first opener on the road against a conference foe since 1963 (a win at Georgia Tech in that program's final season in the league). 

"Big games every week," Stiner said. 

For the Gators, the noisiest talking points in the run-up to the 2020 campaign have focused on an offense that returns Kyle Trask, a preseason All-SEC selection and the most accomplished returning QB in the league, plus a bevy of playmakers (tight end Kyle Trask, wideout Trevon Grimes, running backs Malik Davis and Dameon Pierce), and an offensive line more experienced than the one that debuted (and struggled at times) a year ago. 

There's been considerably less attention focused on the UF defense, despite the fact six starters return to a unit that finished in the top six nationally in nine key categories. 

• Total defense (ninth at 304.8 yards per game)
• Scoring (seventh at 15.5 points allowed per game)
• Rushing (eighth at 102.8 yards per game)
• First downs (eighth at 213 or 16.4 per game)
• 4th-down conversion percentage (third at 30.0 percent)
• Interceptions (tied for ninth with 16)
• Opponent's red-zone percentage (third at 65.7 percent)
• Sacks (fifth at 3.77 per game) 
• Tackles for loss (10th at 7.8 per game) 

Stiner, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior from Houston, is the elder statesman of the defense with 37 career games, with his 18 starts second only to classmate, roommate and close friend Marco Wilson (26 games, 26 starts), the senior cornerback. Thrown in another classmate/roommate, safety Shawn Davis (31 games, 10 starts), plus safety Brad Stewart (32 games, 11 starts) and the UF secondary is the deepest, most experienced group on that side of the ball, with a trio of SEC-hardened guys as the last line of defense in the deep back end. 

"I feel good about going into this season with these players because they've played a lot of football and they're mature, they're physically mature," safeties coach Ron English said. "You watch them practice, I mean, they're pretty physical players right now and they're smart and they've been around. I'm excited." 

Stiner helps set the tone. 

"You can depend on him," Wilson said of his good friend. 

Stiner's career numbers show 88 tackles (with that one very significant sack) and six interceptions, including a team-high four last season. His tape, admittedly, hasn't always been great. That Stiner recognizes as much and did something about it speaks to both his humility and dedication. 

And dependability. 

"Being accountable is something I try to live by and try to rub off on my teammates," Stiner said. "It's just something in my character. When I make mistakes I want to be mature about it by recognizing them. Instead of making excuses, I want to focus on getting better." 

Last season, Stiner had some tackling issues — specifically, with angles — early on the season and lost his starting job to Davis. He didn't pout about it. Instead, Stiner studied his errors with coaches and took the time (extra time, if need be) to correct them on the practice field. 

He was back in the starting lineup for UF's 34-26 defeat of Virginia in the Orange Bowl and is listed as the starting strong safety heading into Saturday's date with the Rebels. He'll share reps at the spot with junior Trey Dean III. 

"We play a lot of of guys to keep everyone fresh," Stiner said. "Because we have so many older guys on defense, I think it's important to help the younger guys and bring them up to speed and help them. That was important when I was a young guy and helped me in my career. It's given me perspective now."  As a freshman in 2017, Stiner got helpful hints from guys like Marcel Harris (now with the San Francisco 49ers) and Duke Dawson (Denver Broncos). In essence, they were mentors that helped teach Stiner to be a mentor. 

He's come a long way. Now, it's time to play his final season and the circumstances, expectations and stakes right out of the box are as striking as that hit Stiner put on Fitzgerald. 

"Our freshman year we were 4-7," said Stiner, who was a collegiate rookie during that ugly, short-lived, final season under Jim McElwain that eventually brought Mullen from the SEC West. "To have a complete turnaround — to go 10-3 [in 2018] and then 11-2 [in 2019] — we talk about that. To go from what where we were our freshman year to where we are now, it's been pretty amazing."

The possibilities of 2020 are equally so.