The Opening Kickoff: No. 13 Gators at USF (Raymond James Stadium)

Florida Notes | USF Notes | Raymond James Stadium A-Z Guide

TAMPA — Dan Mullen spent the start of that week doing what he has done the majority of his adult life: preparing for a football game.

In September 2001, Mullen was in his first season as quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green in Urban Meyer's first season as a head coach. The Falcons were scheduled to play at South Carolina that week when the sun rose on Sept. 11. Of course, by the end of that Tuesday morning, the world was in a state of shock over the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

"I remember a lot about that day, you know that whole situation,'' Mullen said this week. "We're sitting in there and like someone said, 'hey, you know a plane crashed into the World Trade Center.' We're game planning, supposed to play South Carolina."

The trip to South Carolina never happened and while the Falcons and the rest of the world eventually returned to normal, nothing has really been the same since.

The No. 13 Gators (1-0) face USF (0-1) on Saturday afternoon here at Raymond James Stadium on the 20-year anniversary of 9/11. Everyone at the game and watching on TV will be reminded of the horrific events of that day and given an opportunity to pay their respects to the victims. There will be a moment of silence prior to the game and both teams will have special touches on their uniforms in tribute.

The Gators are wearing while helmets that feature a stars-and-stripes theme on the Gators script logo, and they are wearing special shoes.

Saturday's shoes. Remembering those we lost and thanking those who serve. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/unm1n9pmCy
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) September 9, 2021

Mullen spent the first four years of his coaching career in the New York City area, two as receivers coach at Wagner College and two as receivers coach at Columbia University. The terrorist attacks on the city struck him hard even though at the time he had moved on to other stops in his career.

"Living in New York for four years, you're like, 'something must have gone horribly wrong right there at LaGuardia Airport or something for that to happen.' And, you know, then you realize what was really going on and it's kind of a very, very scary day and, you know, kind of canceled football for that week, had a huge impact on that season for us, in football aspect of things, but obviously, bigger impact on on life,'' he said. "I think as everybody remembers it's changed a lot about the world, you know, in those 20 years, it's changed an awful lot about the world and how we carry ourselves on a daily basis."

It certainly has. And on Saturday afternoon, at a college football game in a city nestled on Tampa Bay and home to MacDill Air Force Base, a crowd will gather and be reminded of that harsh reality.

Another opportunity to Never Forget.

As you may have noticed, I've altered The Opening Kickoff this season to offer expanded items throughout the week. You can check out the other parts at the following links and the rest of this week's offering below:

Part I: Gators QB Emory Jones, 5 Questions
Part II: Jones, Fortin Part of Prized Georgia QB Crop
Part III: Gators-USF Storylines, Players to Watch, Notable Numbers
Part IV: Richardson's Star Rises, They Said It, They Wrote It

NOTABLES

Florida seeks to improve to 4-0 in road openers under head coach Dan Mullen. The Gators won at Tennessee in 2018, at Kentucky in 2019, and at Ole Miss in 2020.
The Gators are 3-2 all-time at Raymond James Stadium, which opened in 1998. Florida has appeared in five Outback Bowls since the stadium's debut, losing to Michigan and Iowa, while defeating Iowa twice and Penn State once.
Gators quarterback Emory Jones needs 274 yards passing to reach 1,000 for his career. Jones threw for 113 yards last week in his first career start and 25th appearance overall.
USF is 11-30 all-time against ranked opponents since joining the FBS in 2000. The Gators enter ranked 13th in the AP Top 25.
Five defensive players made their first career starts for the Gators last week against FAU: DL Daquan Newkirk, DL Antonio Valentino, CB Avery Helm, DB Tre'Vez Johnson and S Mordecai McDaniel.

As Mullen goes for his 100th career win as a head coach (99-55), USF is chasing its 100th home win (99-53) in program history.
The Gators rushed for 400 yards against FAU and averaged 8.7 yards per carry, its highest single-game average since rushing for 9.3 yards per carry against Vanderbilt in 2012.
Tailback Malik Davis (104 yards) and quarterback Anthony Richardson (160) became the first Gators to rush for 100 yards or more in a season opener since Mack Brown in 2013 vs. Toledo.
USF is 22-2 all-time in home openers, the only losses to Wisconsin in 2019 and McNeese State in 2013.
The USF communications staff, with slim pickings to hype after the Bulls' blowout loss in the season opener, noted that USF recently beat the Gators in soccer and baseball.

INJURY REPORT

FLORIDA— OUT: CB Jaydon Hill (knee, out for season), S Kamar Wilcoxson (knee, out for season); DOUBTFUL: DL Chris Thomas Jr. (knee), OL Yousef Mugharbil (scooter accident); QUESTIONABLE: DL Jaelin Humphries (undisclosed), DL Jalen Lee (undisclosed), DL Lamar Goods (undisclosed). USF — OUT: WR Christian Helms (foot), S Will Jones II (undisclosed), RB K'Wan Powell (knee, out for season).

BOTTOM LINE

The Gators are a heavy favorite against an in-state opponent for the second consecutive week, this time on the road. Let's face it, most outsiders are looking at this game as nothing more than a final tuneup before No. 1-ranked Alabama visits "The Swamp" next week. USF is coming off a 45-0 loss at N.C. State in its season opener and struggled in all facets of the game. Once upon a time, the Bulls climbed as high as No. 2 in the country and beat Florida State on the road. Those days seem a long time ago and USF is trying to figure out its place in the shifting landscape of college football. Meanwhile, the Gators want to play more efficiently on offense than in last week's win over FAU, especially in the passing game. Look for that to happen on Saturday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium in a big way as the Gators cruise past the Bulls and return home 2-0 with their showdown against the Crimson Tide looming.

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