The Opening Kickoff (Part III): Mullen's Adaptability, Gators-Vols Storylines, Players to Watch, Notable Numbers

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If there was any doubt whether the Gators had undergone an identity change since last season, their 11-play, 99-yard drive against Alabama blew any cover left.

Florida's offensive transformation has been dramatic in 2021. Think Jimmy Buffet stopping in the middle of "Margaritaville" to belt out Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

When the Gators lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in December, they amassed 462 yards of total offense, but only 54 on the ground. In last week's home loss to the Crimson Tide, Florida generated 439 yards, 244 of those rushing.

With the Gators trailing by eight and the ball at their own 1-yard line, Florida drove for the potential tying score. They did it by grinding up the Alabama defense for 63 of the 99 yards on the ground, 53 from tailback Nay'Quan Wright and 10 from quarterback Emory Jones. Unfortunately for Florida, miscommunication on the two-point attempt ended with Malik Davis being stopped short of the goal line in Alabama's 31-29 win.

Traditional uniforms under the lights this weekend. #GoGators pic.twitter.com/30PXyobV0Q
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 23, 2021

The Gators (2-1, 0-1) return to "The Swamp" on Saturday night to host SEC East rival Tennessee (2-1). Florida's prolific rushing attack, ranked second in the country at 335.7 yards per game, will do battle against the country's fifth-ranked rushing defense (54.3 ypg).

A topic of conversation on Rocky Top this week is how will the Volunteers fare against a jump in competition from Gators head coach Dan Mullen's revamped offense.

"I think that's always been part of what they've done offensively [under Mullen], dating way back to his previous stop at Florida,'' first-year Vols coach Josh Heupel said. "Last year they obviously had great skill players and a quarterback that was extremely efficient. Got big yards in the pass game. I think the option portion of what they do has been a mainstay of what they've done offensively, with all of the quarterbacks that they've had. At the end of the day, you've got to play disciplined and you've got to play your keys and be in the right spot."

The Gators' pronounced shift from a passing offense last season to this year's run-heavy attack has garnered plenty of questions from Florida's media corps early in the season.

Three games in, the Gators are ranked eighth nationally in total offense (552.7 ypg), but 84th in passing after leading the country throwing the ball a season ago. Players come and go. So do offensive systems.

Mullen's job is to adapt.

"The worst thing I can ever say as a coach is, 'I have a great system, but it doesn't fit the players that we have so I guess it won't work,' " Mullen said. "Ours is to always make sure it has enough adaptability within the system to make sure it fits whatever our personnel is at a given time."

Here is more on Saturday's matchup:

THREE STORYLINES

The Gators talked a lot this week about how they are not into moral victories after dominating the final three quarters in their loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama. They wanted to win and weren't good enough on that particular day. Much of Florida's focus with Tennessee coming to town has been on avoiding a letdown and building off the performance against Alabama.
For the second consecutive week, the 11th-ranked Gators enter a game with questions surrounding their most dynamic player, quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson was medically cleared but did not play against Alabama due to a hamstring injury in the USF game. "He's looking good," Mullen said Wednesday. "We haven't really opened him up a whole lot. We're going to do a MRI and see where he's at and do a full test on Friday to give him the maximum time to get to 100 percent."
The Gators have owned the rivalry against Tennessee for more than a decade, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings. The Vols are a program seemingly in constant transition the past decade and hired former UCF coach Heupel to calm the storm. The Gators are a heavy favorite Saturday in Heupel's first trip as a head coach to "The Swamp."

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Florida's offensive line received a lot of praise for the way it controlled the line of scrimmage last week, with starting center Kingsley Eguakun one of the standouts up front. Eguakun has emerged as a leader and strong communicator in his first season as a starter. A lot of eyes will be on UF's offensive line against the Vols coming off a statement game against the Crimson Tide.
Gators sophomore defensive lineman Gervon Dexter had arguably his best game in a Gators uniform last week. Dexter finished with a career-high eight tackles against Alabama's big and physical O-line, a performance the Gators hope serves as a building block for the talented Dexter.
While Tennessee has its own quarterback questions with transfers Joe Milton III and Hendon Hooker, Gators QB Emory Jones turned in his best performance as Florida's starter a week ago. Jones rushed for 76 yards and completed 18 of 28 passes for 195 yards to erase any concerns with Richardson unavailable unless Jones got hurt.

FIVE DIGITS

5.7 – Yards per rush for Gators against Alabama, the most for an opponent against the Crimson Tide since Ohio State in the CFB Playoffs in 2015.
18 – Years since Tennessee won at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a 24-10 victory in 2003.
1,072 – Career passing yards for Gators QB Emory Jones, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 195 yards against Alabama.
1,658 – Total yards for Florida's offense, its most in the first three games of the season since 2001 (1,706 yards).
3.08 – Plays per minute for Tennessee's up-tempo offense, which is tops among FBS schools.

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