GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ Florida coach Dan Mullen's smile said it all.
The 46-year-old's grin began as he waited in the south end zone tunnel of the Swamp and grew as Mullen sprinted to the sideline for his first game as the Gators' head coach.
Mullen's joy soon became contagious thanks to a quick-strike offense led by embattled quarterback Feleipe Franks.
Looking calm, confident and even a little cold-blooded against overmatched Charleston Southern, Franks threw five first-half touchdown passes during the Gators' 53-6 rout Saturday night.
Franks' fourth scoring toss _ a 3-yard hook-up with Tyrie Cleveland _ came on a jump pass reminiscent of Tim Tebow's iconic play as a freshman against LSU when Mullen was UF's 34-year-old offensive coordinator.
Tebow has a Heisman trophy, a statue outside the Swamp and soon will have a place in the school's illustrious Ring of Honor. But Tebow never threw more than five touchdowns in a game, much less a half. The last Gator to accomplish that feat for UF was Rex Grossman in 2000 against Auburn.
Franks, who finished 16-for-24 passing for 216 yards in a half's work, has a long way to go to be mentioned with the likes of Tebow or Grossman. But Saturday's performance was progress by any measure for the 20-year-old. To many, Franks was the scapegoat of the 4-7 2017 season because of his shaky decision-making and deer-in-the-headlights disposition.
Franks, though, had little to fear against Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers are a Football Championship Series program lacking the size and speed of any opponent the Gators will face the rest of the season.
Charleston Southern's starting defensive ends weighed less than 225 pounds and were up against 6-foot-5, 306-pound Martez Ivey and 6-foot-5, 328-pound Jawaan Taylor.
But last season, Franks also did not have the supporting cast or, presumably, the coaching he does now.
Franks' first touchdown throw was a 34-yard hookup on a bubble screen to Ohio State transfer Trevon Grimes, who followed a block from senior tight end R.J. Raymond down the right sideline to give the Gators a 7-0 lead. Franks also threw two touchdowns on slant routes of 6 and 3 yards to Ole Miss transfer Van Jefferson, who like Grimes received an waiver from the NCAA to play this season.
Mullen's reputation as a quarterbacks coach is well documented. His up-tempo, spread attack and play-calling ability puts whoever is under center in position to succeed.
The Gators scored touchdowns on five of their first six drives to stake a 38-0 lead against the reeling and gassed Buccaneers. Each of those touchdown drives spanned 2:31 or less.
Meanwhile, UF's defense opened the game with sack off of a blitz by nickelback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to set the tone for the night.
Charleston Southern had just four first downs and 136 yards through three quarters. The Buccaneers did not even cross midfield until a 70-yard run by tailback Ronnie Harris to the Gators' 8-yard line late in the first half.
With a shutout in jeopardy, UF held the Buccaneers to two yards on the next three plays. Defensive end Zachary Carter then blocked a 22-yard field goal attempt, a nod to the emphasis Mullen and his staff place on special teams.
The Buccaneers finally did get on the scoreboard on a 22-yard touchdown run by Terrence Wilson early in the fourth quarter against UF reserves. But the Gators blocked the extra point and walk-on redshirt freshman Austin Perry returned it for two points.
In the end, there was little to find wrong with the Gators' performance.
Going forward against better teams, though, UF will need better push from the offensive line to create space for the team's army of tailbacks. The team's top two running backs, Jordan Scarlett and Malik Davis, combined for just 62 yards on 12 carries.
Otherwise, Mullen's debut gave fans starved for excitement plenty to cheer a season after UF scored more than 28 points just once. The feel-good vibes of season-opening blowouts also can be fool's gold.
Will Muschamp's final season at UF began with a 65-0 win against Eastern Michigan. A year later, Jim McElwain's team beat New Mexico State 61-13.
Next week's visit from Kentucky in the SEC opener will offer a better idea of how far Franks and the offense truly have come. For a night, though, the Gators had reason to smile.
