The Florida Gators certainly understand they simply can’t wait for Nick Saban to hang up his whistle. Retirement for college football’s preeminent dictator could be another 5-10 years away.
At some point, coach Dan Mullen and Florida’s aspirations of becoming a championship program requires standing up to the SEC bully that is Alabama, balling up their fists, and punching them right in the mouth.
There’s no way around it. Either you take down the king and silence all that “Roll Tide!” noise or you settle for a permanent label as no better than a respectable-but-less-than-elite program. Not that there’s any shame in that.
But Mullen has repeatedly stated he wants to get to the mountaintop, not be like Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington or what Florida has been since Tim Tebow’s departure ended its football Camelot.
For that to happen, the Gators must flex the kind of football muscle few opponents have shown once the Saban dynasty took root with that 32-13 thumping of Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship game, avenging a galling title defeat to Urban Meyer’s team from the previous year.
From that moment on, ‘Bama has turned into the most amazing machine in college football history. This stat line might be the most impressive: six national titles with five different offensive coordinators in 12 years, 93 weeks ranked as the No. 1 team, and a 95-11 record in the SEC from 2008-present.
Breaking the Alabama mystique
Gators’ defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who worked for Saban at Michigan State (1996-98) as a defensive line coach and is also 0-2 against him in SEC championship games with Georgia and Florida, knows him about as well as anybody in the league.
“Regardless of who the coordinator is, the [Alabama] offense doesn’t change from that perspective,” said Grantham. “There might be a new guy in the seat, but from a core, philosophical standpoint, it’s going to stay the same, so there’s carryover for the players and there’s continuity.
“When you look at their lineup, No. 1 is they’re physical up front and are able to move you at the point of attack. They got guys that get the hard yards, but they can also create double-digit runs and keep them on track to where the quarterback’s never really in stress or feels like he’s got to go make a play to win the game.”
Yes, the Alabama aura has a way of overwhelming opponents, but the Gators can’t let it distract them from the primary task of delivering a signature win for Mullen and a potential program-changing moment.
With 90,000 delirious fans in the Swamp providing one of the best homefield advantages in the country, the Gators have an opportunity on Saturday to take a major step toward being elite again. Oddsmakers view this as only slightly better than a puncher’s chance, seeing as how No. 1-ranked Alabama is a 15.5-point favorite over the 11th-ranked Gators.
But Mullen wouldn’t want any part of narratives that imply built-in excuses. Quarterback controversy aside — regardless of how UF intends to divvy up the snaps between starter Emory Jones or tantalizing backup Anthony Richardson — the Gators absolutely have to seize this moment.
With future SEC schedules beyond 2022 a fluid situation, it could be a while before Florida gets another shot to take down Saban’s program, depending on how many years both might advance to the league championship game.
Since there’s almost zero chance of not having to go through ‘Bama to achieve Mullen’s stated goal of winning the conference title, the Gators can’t be content just losing a close game like they did in last year’s SEC Championship, dropping a 52-46 thriller.
Gators must be near-perfect
As great as Saban’s program has been since bringing his first national title to Tuscaloosa in 2009, the Tide has still lost nine SEC games in that span, including three to Auburn and twice each to LSU and Ole Miss. Even 19th-ranked South Carolina under Steve Spurrier took out ‘Bama 35-21 in 2010 when it was No. 1.
Though the margin for error is small, it can be done if the Gators get off to a fast start and stay away from turnovers, something Jones has been unable to do in wins over Florida Atlantic and South Florida.
But with two dual-threat QBs and tailback Dameon Pierce spearheading the nation’s top rushing attack (382.0 yards per game), plus the recent memory of UF almost winning a shootout against a more potent Tide offense nine months ago, it’s not preposterous to think the Gators could pull off the upset.
“The outcome of this game certainly is not going to define the season either way,” said Mullen. “There’s a lot of football to still be played throughout the course of the year, but it’ll be a good measuring stick to where we’re at this point of the season.”
A lot depends on how Grantham’s defense can transform from the punching bag it was in 2020. The Gators have to keep the Tide offense from going off, try to rattle ‘Bama redshirt freshman quarterback Bryce Young – making his first road start in a most hostile environment – and force a key turnover or two.
Now the talented, poised Young might not be so easily shaken, but any chance the Gators have of winning at least partially rests with their pass-rush having success.
Florida defense under spotlight
Here’s the good news for Florida: it has enough experience along the defensive front — with stalwart Zach Carter surprisingly returning for one more season and three transfers from SEC schools (Brenton Cox, Antonio Sheldon and Daquan Newkirk) — to possibly do some damage without Grantham dialing up a ton of blitzes.
In addition to his talent as a pass-rusher, Cox brings with him from Georgia some swagger, which can get a sold-out crowd amped up if he’s impacting the line of scrimmage.
Check out this poke-the-bear moment he had this week when asked if he felt UF was ready after winning two games against outmanned opponents.
“Yeah, we’re ready,” said Cox. “Of course, we’re ready. Big question is: Are they ready?”
That’ll likely make for some ‘Bama bulletin-board material, but none of that hype will matter as much as UF’s preparation. It’s up to Mullen to push the right buttons with his quarterback strategy, then hope his team plays well enough to keep the capacity crowd fully engaged for 60 minutes.
Power of The Swamp
Florida didn’t have that usual homefield advantage last year with the COVID-19 restrictions, but enough players remember or have heard what a packed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium can sometimes do to opposing quarterbacks.
Auburn’s Bo Nix came unhinged a bit in 2019 as the freshman quarterback completed just 11 of 27 passes for 145 yards and had three interceptions. The No. 7-ranked Tigers lost 24-13, going scoreless in the second half, as Lamical Perine’s 88-yard TD run in the fourth quarter sent the crowd into a tizzy.
The year before, future Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow had a pedestrian game in the Swamp. He threw for just 192 yards with two interceptions, including a pick-six by Brad Stewart with 1:45 left that sealed a 27-19 win over No. 5 LSU.
“It was a magical atmosphere,” UF linebacker Mohamoud Diabite said of that Auburn game. “I remember when Perine broke that tackle how loud it was. It was real big, but I think this weekend [against Alabama] will be bigger than that simply because it’s a higher ranked team.”
Cox is banking on that homefield edge in what promises to be one of the loudest environments in Gator history.
“I mean, when there’s 90-100,000 people in the stands, that will rattle anybody,” said Cox. “It don’t matter if you’re fifth-year [senior], [or] freshman. The Swamp is different. It’s hot, it’s loud.”
But it’s up to Florida to give its partisan crowd a reason to keep cranking up the noise. Saban teams are accustomed to having a target on their back and don’t get intimidated easily, as evidenced by their 81-9 record as the No. 1-ranked team.
The odds are stacked against the Gators, who are 0-2 at home when facing a top-ranked team (losing to FSU in 1993, Miami in 2002). 'Bama has also beaten them seven straight and Mullen is 0-10 as a head coach against Saban. But this is the best possible environment for UF to make a statement about the advancement of Mullen’s program.
If Florida doesn’t take down the SEC bully now, then when?
