Dameon Pierce, left, and Mohamoud Diabate celebrate Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Samford. (Photo: Alex Rodriguez/UAA Communications)
A Topsy-Turvy Saturday for Gators and Record Book
Saturday, November 13, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There will be a Saturday on the future schedule years from now when the press box chroniclers land on the game of Nov. 13, 2021, in search of oddities.
They will want to know the last time this or that happened, or perhaps take a glance at the box score from one of the strangest games in Gators history: Florida 70, Samford 52. They should also check out the weather report.
It matched the outcome. Cool and rainy early, then a burst of heat, followed by sunshine and crisp air into the night.
Afterward, when asked about the school-record 42 points the Gators allowed in the first half and if that dampened a victory over the FCS Bulldogs, UF head coach Dan Mullen referenced cynical journalist Trent Crimm from the hit Apple TV series "Ted Lasso."
Remember, there was a lot to unpack from this one.
"Calling a win disappointing is disrespectful to the game and their players,'' Mullen said in one of his wittiest comebacks of the season. "They made plays. So, I know we're enjoying the win because it's hard to win, it is hard to win in the game of football."
Mullen's Crimm reference prompted chuckles in his postgame press conference, but what transpired for much of Saturday afternoon at "The Swamp" had Gators fans flashing back to an embarrassing loss to Georgia Southern in 2013. Once a pregame drizzle faded, both offenses raced up and down the field with the first six drives of the game ending in touchdowns.
You didn't need to be a psychologist, body language expert or defensive coordinator to see the start of the game is not what Florida expected following the dismissal of assistant coaches Todd Grantham and John Hevesy in the wake of a disheartening 23-point loss to heavy underdog South Carolina seven days earlier.
Mullen and interim defensive coordinator Christian Robinson barked passionately at the defense during a UF timeout on Samford's opening drive after an off-sides penalty with the Bulldogs facing third-and-goal at the Gators' 1. Montrell Washington scored on the next play and the tone of a tense first half was established.
You could hear a sneeze inside "The Swamp" when Samford took a 42-28 late in the second quarter on quarterback Liam Welch's 10-yard run. The score eclipsed Florida State's 38-point half in their victory over the Gators 29 years ago in Tallahassee. Florida responded on its next drive when quarterback Emory Jones connected with Nay'Quan Wright for a 45-yard score to cut Samford's lead to seven at halftime.
Then a heart to heart at the break.
"I don't care who you're playing, you've got a name on your back,'' linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said of the halftime message. "You have a logo on your helmet, so you've got to represent that logo, represent that name with everything you can, whether you're playing Samford, whether you're playing Tuskegee University, I don't care.
"You go out there and you play."
As the clouds dissipated and a bright sun splashed across Florida Field in the second half, the Gators finally took control by scoring the first three touchdowns of the second half, all scoring throws from Jones. He hit Malik Davis for 49 yards, Kemore Gamble for 7, and Dameon Pierce for 13 on the way to a 28-for-34, 464-yard, six-touchdown passing performance. A seven-point halftime deficit had turned into a 56-42 lead in a shootout that stands as the second-highest scoring game in Gators history.
What's No. 1? A 144-0 win over Florida Southern in 1913. The Gators lost to Auburn 55-0 in their next game.
With heat building on Mullen after a promising start to the season devolved into a three-game losing season entering Saturday's game, a loss to the upstart Bulldogs would have been catastrophic to his bid to salvage the season and rebuild the program.
Despite the victory, the tone afterward remained less-than-joyful.
"There's nobody that's more disappointed when we don't live up to the Gator Standard and expectations than me,'' Mullen said. "I know a lot of people don't think that, but I got to tell you, last week's game, that's disappointing. I'm disappointed with our performance and how we were.
"I mean, the criticism is the criticism, and you know what, my self-criticism is probably a lot worse. Mine was probably enough on me that I didn't need to look at everybody else's."
The Gators (5-5, 2-5) climbed back to .500 with the comeback win and need to win at Missouri or at home against Florida State to become bowl eligible. Neither game is guaranteed victory.
If anyone thought Samford was, they found out otherwise quickly.
This is a team in flux that on any given Saturday can cause Gators fans a panic attack. That is what happened on a seesaw afternoon in November that had social media abuzz until Florida's late rally.
The season is at the point where words mean little. The Gators have to do all their talking on the field.
"People just have to realize the way we played the second half, we can play like that all the time," Diabate said. "We just have to come out with the same confidence and same swagger. Nobody should have to come in at halftime, yell at everybody. Everybody should be ready."
The sooner the better at Missouri — or the oddities likely will continue to pile up.
They will want to know the last time this or that happened, or perhaps take a glance at the box score from one of the strangest games in Gators history: Florida 70, Samford 52. They should also check out the weather report.
It matched the outcome. Cool and rainy early, then a burst of heat, followed by sunshine and crisp air into the night.
Afterward, when asked about the school-record 42 points the Gators allowed in the first half and if that dampened a victory over the FCS Bulldogs, UF head coach Dan Mullen referenced cynical journalist Trent Crimm from the hit Apple TV series "Ted Lasso."
Remember, there was a lot to unpack from this one.
"Calling a win disappointing is disrespectful to the game and their players,'' Mullen said in one of his wittiest comebacks of the season. "They made plays. So, I know we're enjoying the win because it's hard to win, it is hard to win in the game of football."
Mullen's Crimm reference prompted chuckles in his postgame press conference, but what transpired for much of Saturday afternoon at "The Swamp" had Gators fans flashing back to an embarrassing loss to Georgia Southern in 2013. Once a pregame drizzle faded, both offenses raced up and down the field with the first six drives of the game ending in touchdowns.
You didn't need to be a psychologist, body language expert or defensive coordinator to see the start of the game is not what Florida expected following the dismissal of assistant coaches Todd Grantham and John Hevesy in the wake of a disheartening 23-point loss to heavy underdog South Carolina seven days earlier.
Mullen and interim defensive coordinator Christian Robinson barked passionately at the defense during a UF timeout on Samford's opening drive after an off-sides penalty with the Bulldogs facing third-and-goal at the Gators' 1. Montrell Washington scored on the next play and the tone of a tense first half was established.
You could hear a sneeze inside "The Swamp" when Samford took a 42-28 late in the second quarter on quarterback Liam Welch's 10-yard run. The score eclipsed Florida State's 38-point half in their victory over the Gators 29 years ago in Tallahassee. Florida responded on its next drive when quarterback Emory Jones connected with Nay'Quan Wright for a 45-yard score to cut Samford's lead to seven at halftime.
Then a heart to heart at the break.
"I don't care who you're playing, you've got a name on your back,'' linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said of the halftime message. "You have a logo on your helmet, so you've got to represent that logo, represent that name with everything you can, whether you're playing Samford, whether you're playing Tuskegee University, I don't care.
"You go out there and you play."
As the clouds dissipated and a bright sun splashed across Florida Field in the second half, the Gators finally took control by scoring the first three touchdowns of the second half, all scoring throws from Jones. He hit Malik Davis for 49 yards, Kemore Gamble for 7, and Dameon Pierce for 13 on the way to a 28-for-34, 464-yard, six-touchdown passing performance. A seven-point halftime deficit had turned into a 56-42 lead in a shootout that stands as the second-highest scoring game in Gators history.
What's No. 1? A 144-0 win over Florida Southern in 1913. The Gators lost to Auburn 55-0 in their next game.
With heat building on Mullen after a promising start to the season devolved into a three-game losing season entering Saturday's game, a loss to the upstart Bulldogs would have been catastrophic to his bid to salvage the season and rebuild the program.
Despite the victory, the tone afterward remained less-than-joyful.
"There's nobody that's more disappointed when we don't live up to the Gator Standard and expectations than me,'' Mullen said. "I know a lot of people don't think that, but I got to tell you, last week's game, that's disappointing. I'm disappointed with our performance and how we were.
"I mean, the criticism is the criticism, and you know what, my self-criticism is probably a lot worse. Mine was probably enough on me that I didn't need to look at everybody else's."
The Gators (5-5, 2-5) climbed back to .500 with the comeback win and need to win at Missouri or at home against Florida State to become bowl eligible. Neither game is guaranteed victory.
If anyone thought Samford was, they found out otherwise quickly.
This is a team in flux that on any given Saturday can cause Gators fans a panic attack. That is what happened on a seesaw afternoon in November that had social media abuzz until Florida's late rally.
The season is at the point where words mean little. The Gators have to do all their talking on the field.
"People just have to realize the way we played the second half, we can play like that all the time," Diabate said. "We just have to come out with the same confidence and same swagger. Nobody should have to come in at halftime, yell at everybody. Everybody should be ready."
The sooner the better at Missouri — or the oddities likely will continue to pile up.
Players Mentioned
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