The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Samford

Florida Notes | Samford Notes | Game-Day Info

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the 2021 schedule was unveiled, who knew a visit from Samford would mean so much for the Gators.

The Bulldogs make their first visit to town in 99 years and they arrive following a stormy week. In the wake of last weekend's 23-point loss at South Carolina, Gators head coach Dan Mullen revamped his coaching staff and expressed to fans his disappointment on how the season has unraveled.

Florida (4-5, 2-5 SEC) is winless since last playing at "The Swamp," a 42-0 win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 9. In the five weeks since, Florida has lost to LSU, Georgia and South Carolina. The Gators face a must-win Saturday against Samford (4-5) of the Southern Conference, then travel to Missouri and close the regular season at home against rival Florida State.

The Gators need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, but beyond that, they need to reverse the direction they have traveled over the past month.

"These next three games are really important," said linebacker Mohamoud Diabate. "Getting ready to turn it around. This is a great opportunity for us to really go out there and show our max and roll it into next year. That's what we're talking about. We're going to win these next three, hopefully, win a bowl game and just keep rolling from there until I leave."

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Diabate's upbeat outlook is in stark contrast to a cranky fan base that has watched Florida fall to the bottom half of the SEC East a season after winning the division.

The Gators' tone is one of redemption, especially after a pair of their coaches were let go. Senior running back Dameon Pierce has tried to rally his teammates during the transition.

"Of course it's difficult. It's like losing a best friend," Pierce said of the staff changes. "You build a relationship with some of those guys ever since they've been here, upwards of four years."

While fans have aimed much their displeasure at Mullen, the veteran coach took responsibility for the situation and vowed to turn around the program.

Offensive lineman David Reese, who played for Mullen at Mississippi State and rejoined him at Florida, is confident he can get the job done.

"The biggest thing about Coach Mullen that makes him the person for the job is that he's a competitor,'' Reese said. "Regardless of what's going on, regardless of how bad it gets, he's just going to keep plugging and plugging and plugging away until it gets better."

Will this week's moves spark a turnaround in the final three games of the season?

"We're going to find out,'' Mullen said.

For more on the Florida-Samford game, here is The Opening Kickoff:

THREE STORYLINES

The Gators enter the final third of the regular season a team in transition following the dismissal of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy. Linebackers coach Christian Robinson will take over calling the defense as Florida attempts to snap a three-game losing streak and climb back to .500 on the season.
Florida's disheartening loss to South Carolina ignited more unrest in the fan base after a 3-1 start and No. 10 ranking in the AP Top 25. The Gators have lost four of their last five games and eight of their last 12 dating to last season. Coach Dan Mullen and his team need a win in the worst way against FCS-program Samford.
Mullen revealed quarterback Anthony Richardson was unavailable at South Carolina after he hurt his knee dancing at the team hotel. Richardson added perspective with a video on social media of the dance move. Mullen is hopeful Richardson can return to action Saturday and that he and Emory Jones, who has started eight of the first nine games, can protect the ball better than they have most of the season.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter is one of the team's leaders and best players. Carter leads the Gators in sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (9.5). Carter, who spoke of keeping the team together and finishing strong this week, will be a big test for Samford's offensive line to contain.
UF running back Dameon Pierce needs a 100-yard game before his career is finished. Pierce was slowed by the flu last week after a season-high 69 yards in the loss to Georgia. Will Mullen turn to the run game and let Pierce carry most of the load? A lot of people seem to want him to.
Samford quarterback Liam Welch ranks sixth among FCS players in total offense, averaging 343.1 yards per game. Welch has thrown for 2,697 yards and 17 touchdowns, and rushed for 391 yards and five scores. He leads an offense that is averaging 36.8 points a game, tops in the Southern Conference.

SIX DIGITS

99 – Years since the Gators last played Samford, a 57-0 win in 1922.
87 – Years since Samford defeated an SEC opponent, a 7-6 win over Ole Miss in 1934.
35 – Days between home games for the Gators, who last played at Florida Field on Oct. 9.
15 – Interceptions thrown this season by the Gators.
6 – Interceptions by Florida's defense this season.
28 – Receptions by Gators receiver Justin Shorter, which leads the team.

NOTABLES

Third all-time meeting between the schools. Florida defeated Samford (known as Howard College at the time) in 1921 and '22.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen faced Samford as head coach at Mississippi State in 2016. His Bulldogs defeated Samford's Bulldogs 56-41..
Samford is 2-78-3 against current members of the Southeastern Conference.
The Gators are facing a FCS team for the first time since beating Towson 38-0 in 2019.
The Gators have allowed 123 points during their three-game losing streak, an average of 41 points a game.

Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate leads team with 74 tackles, which ranks third in SEC.

Offensive lineman Jean Delance did not play against South Carolina, snapping his team-high streak of 33 consecutive starts.

Gators defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr. has started 21 consecutive games, which now leads the team.
Samford leads the Southern Conference in total offense at 450.7 yards per game.
Samford named its home field Bobby Bowden Field following the coaching legend's death earlier this season. Bowden played at Samford and later was the school's head coach.

INJURY REPORT

FLORIDA — OUT: CB Jaydon Hill (knee, out for season), S Kamar Wilcoxson (knee, out for season); LB Ventrell Miller (arm surgery, out for season); QUESTIONABLE: WR Trent Whittemore (knee), QB Anthony Richardson (knee), OL Jean Delance (undisclosed), LB Lacedrick Brunson (undisclosed), CB Avery Helm (undisclosed), S Tre'Vez Johnson (undisclosed), DL Daquan Newkirk (undisclosed), OL Ethan White (ankle).

BOTTOM LINE

This section has been a bit wobbly of late. The Gators were favored at LSU and South Carolina and lost both games. They were underdogs against Georgia and that turned out as most expected. So, following a month of frustrating Saturdays for Gators fans, Florida returns home to face the Bulldogs on Saturday. They should win. That's about all we've got until the Gators show us what they have left in the tank.

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