Dan Mullen’s Most Critical Call: Is It Time For Somebody To Go?

These Gators looked like Jim McElwain’s Central Michigan, because it was only other team to yield 49 points to LSU this year. Indeed, the Fighting Chippewas.

Did Anthony Richardson just turn things upside down? (UAA Photo)

There were multiple chances, and even good reasons, to flip off the TV. Go ahead and admit it — you DID consider hitting the “off” button. It was a brutal game to watch. Right before your very eyes, those gol-darn Florida Gators were self-destructing. Your hopes for a return to championship glory were going up in smoke. You kissed goodbye to your dreams of any trips to Atlanta — and a whole lot more. Suddenly this 2021 football season began to turn dark.

The pain of watching LSU bully Florida’s defense series after series, play after play was excruciating. This time the SEC “Just Means More” felt personal, but because of reverse action. It means “more” to Gator fans, even though they forget it’s also that way for fans in Knoxville and Lexington and Columbia and Tuscaloosa and all the rest.

These Gators looked like Jim McElwain’s Central Michigan, because it was the only other team to yield 49 points to LSU this year. Indeed, the Fighting Chippewas. No wonder it felt like Dan Mullen has been regressing. In the world of football today, he is on the proverbial hot seat.

It was Mullen who said in a recent press conference that today’s coaches are re-evaluated differently today — not just year to year, or game to game, but maybe even play-to-play. He was prophesying his own fate for Saturday. No doubt he was “fired” by fans after several plays during the game. Especially the defense.

It causes schizophrenia. Herein lies the problem for frustrated Gator fans. Just as you think you’ve seen the final straw, Emory Jones hits a Hail Mary to Justin Shorter to pull to within one score and you’re hooked again. Then it becomes a 89-point yen-yang, with Anthony Richardson emerging as a star in the second half, only to be betrayed by his paper-thin rushing defense.

In an upsidedown world of SEC story lines, Mullen’s possible job insecurity is just one more unusual and uncommon themes of recent. Nick Saban lost a game — to the first of his former assistants. Over in Arkansas, that favorite uncle, Sam Pittman, had his bubble burst. Kentucky’s high aspirations were flattened by those road-grader Bulldogs in Athens.

Even though he beat Florida,

LSU fired Ed Orgeron effectively at season’s end.

And in the worst blackeye for the SEC in modern history, an embarrassing display of poor judgment and pitiful sportsmanship broke out into a garbage dump on Neyland Stadium field. Everything from a mustard container, water bottles and golf ball showered coaches, players, cheerleaders, officials and the like in an ignominous display of anger by Vol fans over the spotting of a fourth down that didn’t go their way. (It was proof, however, that not all Vol fans bring well water in milk cartons.)

It was frightening. Even after they cleared a bunch of people and fans skooched down front to watch the longest 54 seconds in CFB this season, I feared irate fans would storm the field. Somehow the defenseless, shorthanded security prevailed.

I can hear the bean counters in Greg Sankey’s office totaling up the damages.

Meanwhile, if Vols fans were frustrated and angry, Gator fans were disgusted and conflicted by the mood swings from watching a young quarterback emerge and a defense getting torn to shreds. Richardson and cohort Jones answered the Tigers’ thundering hoofbeats all but once. Sadly the game ended on an interception, 49-42, Mullen's third loss. If — when? — he loses to Georgia he’ll be a .500 coach this year with 7 losses in his last 11 games.

The 287-yard day of Tyrion Davis-Price mashed Florida for chunk yards and three touchdowns. He manhandled Todd Grantham’s defense just when we thought it was improving, perhaps because of the fool’s gold in a 42-0 shutout of Vanderbilt.

True, you could salvage some positive takeaways for the Gators who have finally found the quarterback of their future — if he chooses to stay and claim it. The promising razzle-dazzle hoped for showed up in three touchdowns passes and one rushing. Was he eyeing the dreaded transfer portal? After a short and respectful comment about not “wishing the speak on that right now,” the brilliant young quarterback from Gainesville Eastside amended his comment on Twitter to say:

“I am a Florida Gator, through and through. Sorry if my response wasn’t clear enough, but I’m not worried about anything but maximizing my opportunity now! Don’t count us out…”

Kudos for AR15’s choice to recommit, but the truth is that while it may be nice to hear, his team has, indeed, been counted out as far as any meaningful post-season engagements.

And now the vigilantes convene. They want a change on defense, even if Richardson provides new offensive juice. This reminds me of 1995 after Nebraska’s blowout of Steve Spurrier when Bob Stoops was summoned in a critical need. Result: A national championship.

Some are calling for Dan Mullen’s head, which I think is absurd. One must only recall the sorry state he inherited from McElwain.

The already embattled Grantham is on thin ice and I’m not sure he can, or will, or should be retained at the end of this contract year. I’ve defended Grantham for four years as a brilliant schemer and solid coach, but there is no evidence anymore that he can win big games when physicality is needed up front.

Part of that falls at the feet of Mullen and the inability to recruit big lineman and linebackers. I’m not a football coach, but even I can see what a lack of bulk did to the Gators against the bigger, stronger LSU Tigers. Although I will admit to being at loss over their success against Alabama.

Florida’s problem is trying to move up in weight classification to heavyweight. They are light-heavy weights fighting heavyweights — literally and physically. Right now I see little or no pathway to a victory over the ferocious Georgia Bulldogs, who should be installed as a two-touchdown/plus favorites.

The Gators didn't commit a single penalty vs LSU in a game for what is believed to be the first time in school history after eight false starts vs. Kentucky. Well, Mullen fixed that. Now on to interceptions, missed extra points and finding somebody to plug The A Gap and other holes in that porous defensive line.

Can DC Todd Grantham survive the collapse vs LSU? (UAA Photo)