A three-game skid isn’t exactly how one wants to close out its season. But with an unspeakable loss to LSU, falling to Alabama in the SEC Championship by one possession and a humiliating curb stomping from the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners in the 2020 Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night, Head Coach Dan Mullen and the No. 7 Florida Gators take exactly that into the offseason. However, if one thing is for sure, you always learn more about a team in a loss than in a win. And Florida has three of them to learn from. Unfortunately, in those losses the Gators learned that improving in 2021 isn’t just a matter of losing quarantine weight. Instead, Florida will have to get an introspective look at itself when formulating a path to self-betterment. And there’s no better time to do that than during New Year’s. Here’s three New Year’s resolutions the Gators can focus on to kickstart their 2021: 1. The Gators must find offensive balance Like anyone else with eyeballs, I thought Florida’s offense was one of, if not the most entertaining offenses in college football this year. The amount of grace the Gators’ offense operated with exemplified the “dance” of college football we all love. But the Gators peaked at the wrong time. The three game stretch of Missouri, Georgia and Arkansas saw Dan Mullen’s offense orchestrate offensive clinics The Gators tallied 514 yards, 571 yards and 593 yards, respectively. In those three games, Florida tallied a total of 474 rushing yards. In five games that followed, the Gators rushed for 485 rushing yards. Excluding the Oklahoma game, Florida went from posting 158 rushing yards a game during that three game time frame, to tallying just 97 rushing yards per game -- including a performance in Knoxville that saw the Gators post just 19 rushing yards. And while I understand, “If they can pass, why do they need to run?” There is a lot of truth to that. And I selfishly don’t mind watching Mullen call an air-raid offense that punishes opponents. Yet, before long, those same opponents learn from one another and start sniffing things out. Though guys like Kyle Pitts, Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney present matchup nightmares for opposing defenses, it’s only a matter of time before opponents learn how to do just enough to slow Florida’s offense. Florida’s run game doesn’t reside on this side of the sun. If one takes away the passing attack, there’s not much of an attack. Look at the disgraceful loss to the Sooners on Wednesday night. The passing attack wasn’t thriving as Kyle Trask quickly threw three interceptions, shoving a dagger in the sternum of his Heisman campaign. However, the Gators did manage 250 rushing yards against the Sooners. But it’s no coincidence that in the game Florida had to rely on the ground game the most, also saw the Gators post the lowest number on the scoreboard all season. And without the likes of Trask, Pitts, Grimes and Toney next season, the Gators will likely have to find ways to establish a run game prior to the 2021 season. 2. Dan Mullen must be willing to clean his house when it gets dirty and the HOA complains Dan Mullen has been no stranger to criticism both this season and in the past when it comes to keeping assistants, er… longer than he should. And personally, I think that’s very admirable. Loyalty to a coaching staff typically breeds success. When you can create a cohesive staff that works for a program, half the battle is won. And in Dan Mullen’s first two and a half years, he had that. But like much of Florida’s overall production and efficiency on both sides of the ball, come midseason, a downward trend got underway. The first murmurs (this season) of Florida fans’ displeasure with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham came after the Gators’ loss to Texas A&M in week three. Florida’s defense gave up 543 yards to the Aggies. But more alarmingly, the Gators’ defense allowed Texas A&M to convert 12 of its 15 third down tries—hence the glorious term “Third and Grantham”. Yet, even then I wasn’t sold on Mullen giving his defensive coordinator the boot. Afterall, take a peek around the league and try to tell me that even the “good” defenses are great. For whatever reason, the oddities of 2020 spilled into the defenses of the SEC. But as the defensive troubles bled into midseason, and I still dug my heels into the ground and would make claims like, “Well, Todd Grantham isn’t the one missing all those tackles.” But as the fanbase continued to call for Grantham’s head, it became more and more evident that it might be time for Mullen to assess that spot on his staff. Not because Florida’s defense was bad -- in fact, that’s not the case at all, I think there is way more that goes into defensive planning than the Florida Faithfull realizes -- but because the friction is being felt now. Calling for Dan Mullen’s job is absurd. But some are doing it. Simply because he isn’t remedying the issue that we all see crystal clear. As Gators Territory’s Nick de la Torre pointed out, in the last three games of the season, the Gators defense allowed 1,707 yards, 144 points and 7.29 yards per play. And as noble as Mullen wants to be, that blame for that can’t be placed on the offense. Again, I think it’s asinine for Gators fans to even hint at ridding of Dan Mullen, but it’s happening. As the title of this section suggests, when the HOA tells you to clean your house and you don’t do it, you might be asked to leave. And there’s not better time to break out the cleaning supplies than the New Year. 3. No more “seven points away” This has dual meaning. The first: three of Florida’s four losses were lost by less than a touchdown. There’s not really a reason Florida shouldn’t have won at least one of those. The second: When there’s obvious issues during a game, reminding fans that the Gators were “seven points away” does no favors for Dan Mullen. The first meaning points to Florida’s inability to close games in 2020. In basketball, every team has a series of plays to help them come from behind and put up points if they need them. Now obviously scoring is a lot easier in basketball than in football, but still. There should be some plan… some scheme that the Gators can fall back on when in those tight situations. Obviously a few poorly timed missed field goals came back to haunt the Gators in 2020. But Florida left a lot of points on the board when it really needed them. And now for the latter part. This simply boils down to accountability. I’ll happily admit that I’m a big Dan Mullen fan. I think he is 100% the perfect guy for the Florida job and I get the feeling that he genuinely wants to be in Gainesville. Compare him to Jim McElwain and tell me they aren’t night and day differences… except for one small thing: accountability. Fortunately, Mullen doesn’t use the word “neat” nearly as much as McElwain did, but there are a lot of similarities in their postgame demeanors. And while I’d never want to see a coach ream his players or assistants for a loss during a press conference, sometimes you just need to hear something more stern than the moral victory of being seven points away from a win. The Florida job is a tough gig to have. Everyone knows that. The expectations are painfully high. And with that comes the need to address issues when they arise. Trask threw a bad game? Say that. The defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed? Say that. But stating the obvious in saying the Gators were seven points away won't cut it… not with this fan base. And Mullen is a good guy. He cares about his team and his staff. It’ll be a hard adjustment for him. But fans aren’t asking for him to be demeaning or degrading, just to identify the issues and speak on them.

Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen met with local media following the No. 7 Gators 55-20 loss to the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners in the 2020 Goodyear Cotton Bowl. As a valued subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. COACH MULLEN: Yeah, tough game for us. Appreciate we had a lot of young guys. A lot of opportunities for guys to go out there and play in the course of the game. Give Oklahoma credit, did a great job, made a bunch of explosive plays, ran the ball well, made some plays in the pass game, played disciplined football. They really weren't penalized; we had a lot more penalties than they did as well. We turned the ball over a couple too many times, which you can't do playing good teams. But a lot of guys got some really good experience for us out there tonight. Q. What's a fair takeaway for people from this game, I mean, for your team, Kyle Trask, the future of the program after a performance like this? COACH MULLEN: Yeah, I think the future's really bright. You look, we had a guys get an opportunity to get experience on the field tonight, go play. We were down a Kyle Trask, you know, I couldn't be prouder of him and the season that he had with our team this year. A special, special year for him. Coming out of what he was able to accomplish during the course of this year, I thought was special. I'm really happy for him. I mean, you're talking about a young guy that is came in, I think only played a couple plays in his career before he even graduated college. Didn't play much in high school. And now he's a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he's going to be an NFL draft pick. So that says a lot about him. For the program, I'm excited. You look at the experience we were able to get out there on the field tonight, all the different young guys. A lot of the guys that were out there playing tonight were on the scout team most of the year for us, so very few guys that were playing had even really we kept things simple. Some simple things for them, because they just haven't really had the chance to even to play with the within the normal game plan week. Some really good experience for those guys, and a lot that we can teach off of with that group. Q. Just building off of that, you knew coming into this game it was going to be young guys and a lot of young guys. Can you see now maybe where there are some depth issues in certain positions and where other you might have to recruit a little bit differently this next cycle? COACH MULLEN: Well, I think, yeah. It's hard to say. That really with the number of people that were out for the game, we were under numbers, actually. To be honest, we could have said I give our guys credit. We had the numbers to not play the game. You see a lot of games have been canceled and not played. But our young guys, I was really excited. They wanted to go play in that game. They wanted to get the experience. They wanted to be on that stage. So I think you're able to see us, by playing so many players tonight, guys have experienced their stuff now that they know they can go build off of and learn from. They know now, hey, when I step on the field in a big game against a great football team, there are certain things that you know, when I was recruited when I was playing other high school football, you know, the last time I was really on the field, it wasn't like this, and it's a very different game. So I think there's a lot of those little things that our guys had the opportunity to learn, and they'll be able to take that experience with them as we get going into spring football. Q. This season had such high expectations, and you guys really accomplished some great things along the way. Obviously, this is a sour note. And there were some really glaring mistakes in some other games too. So how should this team be remembered? COACH MULLEN: Well, you know what? I would have loved to have played the season we were supposed to play with the team we were supposed to have this year; but, unfortunately for COVID, we weren't able to do that. I think it's a pretty special team right now you know what I mean? when you look back at what we do. I mean, the I don't know. I look at the games that we played with the team that we had we were supposed to have, which we there were a few this year. SEC championship game, we were close to having our team. The Georgia game, we kind of had our team. There were some games in the season where we had our team playing, and then there were a bunch that we didn't, just for all the extenuating circumstances that happened. But, to me, during the course of the year, you know, I kind of viewed maybe this is wrong. I viewed this game that wasn't the 2020 football team that you saw. I mean, there were about 25 guys missing off the 2020 football team out there tonight. That was kind of like a kickstart for us for the future and the opportunity for young guys to go play and, you know, even with me, all the coaches, I wanted to make sure. I think you saw all a lot of different guys on the field, us rotate a lot of different players in different situations, and a lot of that was for me to get to evaluate guys and for us to be able to teach those guys moving forward. That's how I kind of view this game. Not really; I view the last game the last team the 2020 team played was 11 days ago. Q. Do we need to start looking at bowl games differently with all of the optouts, and does that take some of the luster of a bowl game from the team itself? COACH MULLEN: Well, I think that's an interesting question. And I don't have the answer for you to that right now, because I think this is such a unique year. You're talking about a bowl game that we played on 11 days' rest. We didn't really get to have, you know, the full bowl experience, which I think is one of the things that make the bowl games so special is the bowl games are a reward for the end of your season, the opportunity for young guys to come to somewhere, big places. I know there's so many stories about it, but it's simple. One year, we were playing in the Orange Bowl not last year, earlier in my career. And the guys you have a day they bring you to the beach, they treat you to the beach. And guys are like, "This is the first time I've ever seen the ocean." There's a learning experience in that for college students. I thank the Goodyear Cotton Bowl people. The very short time we were here, the hospitality was unbelievable. The people took care of us. Everything we needed, they bent over backwards to try to help and make this game happen. And I think it is so special that we're able to make these games happen. But I think your question is a much bigger question, which is the future of college football and the direction college football is heading. Now, I think you see a lot of optouts, but you saw whole teams opt out, whole teams not play this year. It's a very different year. In our past two bowl games that we've played before this year, in those two combined, we had one player opt out and not play. So I don't know if this year is kind of a unique anomaly for what it is. I don't know if that's going to be the future. But I think college football really needs to do a lot of evaluating. And I'm a traditionalist. I think everybody that knows me knows I'm a traditionalist. I love college football. I love college football history, I love the game, I love the passion, I love that everybody has the fans, the people. I love bowl games. I love all of the history and tradition involved in college football. But things are changing, and I think one thing that we have to do is sit there and say, okay, if we can't hold on to the past, how do we forge into the future, reevaluate and rethink the games? And ask me in a couple of weeks, because I have a couple thoughts on that, but this isn't the time or the place to go into that. Q. If you said this was kind of a kickstart for the future, what did you see for the future of your defense tonight? COACH MULLEN: I think I'm really excited that some guys got some experience out there to go play. A bunch of those guys have been on the scout team all year, like I said. I'm looking out there at Kamar Wilkinson should be finishing up his senior year in high school, and he's playing corner in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. And so I think there's a lot of things that we can grow off of. and those guys now, guys that have played very played minimum snaps throughout a season, guys that were at best in backup roles, a majority of who were on the scout team for most of the year, so they didn't even get to run our defense, got opportunities to go play in a bigtime atmosphere in a big game on the defensive side of the ball. And I think there's a lot of those things that guys can learn from, and we can build off and take that into the future for this team. And I think we have a very young defense that I'm very excited about. Q. We've been asking you about evaluating your coaching staff. Given your comments about this game and how young you were and the optouts, do you evaluate them off of this game and this performance or what you guys have done in the previous 11? COACH MULLEN: I evaluate everything in our program. This season is now over officially, so I evaluate every aspects of our program as we move forward. Q. With Emory Jones and even Anthony Richardson entering the game, you mentioned Kyle Trask is going to become a draft pick, so with that, what did you see from them and how you can build upon their performance moving forward? COACH MULLEN: I think this: Emory obviously has gotten a lot of experience. I think Emory has learned an awful lot. Sitting there with Kyle Trask, he has learned to prepare, to develop, to be ready. And I'm really excited to see what he's going to bring to the table here moving forward within the offense. And the same with Anthony. Anthony is just a young guy. You know, I'm really excited about us getting going in the spring and seeing a lot of these guys out here on the field, especially at the quarterback position. We have a couple of young quarterbacks coming in that will be enrolling in school in a couple weeks. I think today you saw the excitement. Both Emory and Anthony are very different style quarterbacks than Kyle, which I think, as everybody knows, we always play to the strengths of our players. So we'll run. There will be a lot of similarities and a lot of differences in our offense next year, but we're going to build around the strengths of those guys. And then you know what? You look at this right now, Anthony Richardson is throwing a touchdown pass in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma. Emory Jones has played in a lot of big games and a lot of big moments, so he has the experience and he's really learned how to prepare to get ready to take over that main role. And, you know, I'm excited. Hopefully I hope. I hope we get back a little bit back to normal and we're able to have a spring practice and an offseason to go develop. I was talking to a bunch of the guys, and you look at this. You look at Kaiir Elam is really the leader of our secondary moving forward. He has never had a spring practice, not one spring practice day in his life, and he is our veteran leader in the secondary. He's never had a spring practice, not one, not one. So I think I am really excited about all of these guys and life hopefully getting a little bit back to normal as these guys continue to grow and develop to see what type of team we're going to have next year. Q. How many guys, because you said you might have been under, and also do you think this was fair to Kyle Trask, this situation, I mean, that he was put in? COACH MULLEN: Yeah, I fair. Situations are what they are. I don't know that there's anything that's fair or unfair. I don't know that anybody in the world is going to say this past year has been fair to them, to be perfectly honest with you. That's not just football; that's everything in the world. And that's life. There's a lot of people that have gone through a lot tougher things. I'm really proud of all our guys and how they've handled this year, but there's a lot of people that have gone through a lot tougher things than that. Kyle is a competitor. He wanted to go out there and play. I think a little bit different, but he's going to be playing with a whole bunch of new receivers next year. He's always learning, he's always trying to improve, he's always trying to get better. That's just the character and who he is. That's what's going to make him successful in the National Football League next year. So I don't know if fair has anything to do with anything. Q. Going back to Emory [Jones], he led I think he had 11 plays on that long 16play drive, and then we didn't really see him. Did that have anything to do with him being sick? COACH MULLEN: No. He has to get in shape or something like that. You know what I mean? You've got to play those long drives right now. He's used to going in for a couple plays here and there and getting a breather and some water. Like I said, we were going to play a lot of people. He was in. He had a couple plays. We just let him in to go finish the drive. To be honest with you, I talked to Kyle [Trask] at halftime. I said, I'm going to let you play the first series and make a decision in the second half. To share you with Kyle, he wanted to play. It says a lot to him. After the first series, I just said, hey, I want to give these other guys an opportunity. We're building right here within this course of this game. That's what we were looking to do coming into it. And so the but, I mean, I don't want to underplay what an amazing year. You know what? And to be honest with you, what an amazing career he has had. You know? And I think a lot of people look at a career, you've had an unbelievable career. This guy, I was here with with Tim Tebow, unbelievable career. But Tim Tebow played, won a national championship as a freshman, Heisman as a sophomore, played a lot right from day one. Kyle Trask had an unbelievable career because of the adversities he overcame, the character he had to get to where he is. Boy, that is special. You know what? That is something that is special. And I think everybody's pretty confident in Kyle Trask. Whether it's in the National Football League or it's in any aspect of life, he's going to be extremely successful. Q. You mentioned all the players that were missing that you could have not played the game if you wanted to. I wonder if you could just kind of fill us in on what the makeup of that was? You know, we knew about the receivers opting out, but just... COACH MULLEN: The Dline, we didn't have enough Dline to play. Dante Lang ended up playing. We had to scramble to get him medically cleared. We would have been under the Dline number, interior Dlinemen that they have. They never put a number on secondary players, but if they ever did, we would have been under that of, I guess. You know what I mean? So there's a lot of breakdown of different things. You know what I mean? You look. As you guys saw, there's a lot of guys that hadn't played before playing tonight. But, I mean, part of the deal was us talking to the team, and those guys wanting the opportunity to go out there and play. And wanted those opportunities to go out there and grow. And wanted the opportunity to go out there and compete. And now you know what? There's an awful lot we can learn from those guys in this game. Q. A lot of fans were disappointed with the way the season ended. What would you tell them? Obviously, losing three games wasn't the way you wanted to end the season. What would you just tell the fan base in terms of this season and the future of the program? COACH MULLEN: We just went to our third straight New Year's Six bowl game. We played for the SEC championship this year. I think we're headed in the right direction. Can't wait to see the Gator Nation pack the Swamp. Hopefully, we're healthy enough to pack the Swamp. I know all the Gator fans are going to be fired up for the future of this program.

A few thoughts to jump start your New Year’s Eve: KYLE TRASK DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS Even though he threw three first quarter interceptions in his final Florida (8-4) football game, don’t blame Kyle Trask for what happened to the Gators in Wednesday night’s Cotton Bowl Game. It’s not his fault that he was playing without his top four receivers, three of whom opted out allegedly to prepare for the NFL Draft rather than play one last game for the coach whose offense showcased them so well that they’ll all be earning serious bucks on Sundays. Trask could have opted out, too, but he decided to suit up one more time even though it meant throwing to a new batch of receivers, some of whom either left their sticky fingers back in Gainesville or wore gloves coated in grease. Two of those three interceptions are on the receivers, not on Trask. Give him his receivers and you can bet the farm the Gators wouldn’t have gotten blown out 55-20 by Oklahoma (9-2). Given the way the defense played – well, playing is a matter of perspective isn’t it? – there is every good chance the Gators would have still given up a ton of points, but there is also a possibility Trask would have at least made it interesting. He lit up Alabama and you won’t convince me that Oklahoma’s defense is better than the one Trask sliced and diced for 408 yards and three TDs in the SEC Championship Game. Kyle Trask deserved better than what he got Wednesday night. Much, much better. As much as I have tried to understand why Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes elected to opt out, right now I’m wondering how they’re going to look themselves in the mirror today and in the future. Maybe they really were afraid they would suffer an injury that would affect their draft status. Maybe, but if they were so afraid of getting hurt, then why didn’t they opt out during the 10 games of the regular season or the SEC Championship Game? Maybe they were more interested in signing with an agent and getting more spending cash in their pockets than they’ve ever known, enough to hold them over until after they’re drafted and they get that first No Fun League contract. I don’t want to believe that’s the case, but I’m a realist. Money talks, particularly to guys who’ve never had a lot of it and who understand that when they get to the next level the clock starts ticking on a career that isn’t going to last forever. Whatever the reason they didn’t play, I have to also wonder if they understand that they may have cost Kyle Trask a boatload of money, too? If he had gone out with a flurry against Oklahoma it could have moved him up in the NFL Draft from a marginal first rounder to a solid choice. That he had an ineffective game might even move him down into the second round. I’m already in the process of getting over the Cotton Bowl. I won’t allow what might have been erase the good memories of Kyle Trask. This game with Oklahoma won’t define him in my memory bank. He should have been allowed to give us one more good memory. That’s not on him. That’s on the opt outs. OPT OUTS DIDN’T EXACTLY HELP THE DEFENSE Oklahoma averaged 10.5 yards per offensive play against a Florida defense that was missing quite a few opt outs and some who were injured or affected by Covid-19. Even at full strength I’m not at all sure the Gators would have been able to contain Oklahoma for large portions of the game, but to give up 435 rushing yards (10.9 per carry) is absolutely embarrassing. I expected the Gators to have problems with the passing game after what Alabama did to them a couple of weeks ago, but I didn’t think they would give up more than 400 yards on the ground. Because I am the eternal optimist I have always felt things would get better for the defense, but they didn’t. In the last three games – all of them losses – the defense just seemed to get worse to the point that it’s time to start asking can it get better with Todd Grantham as the defensive coordinator? After the Cotton Bowl I wonder if (1) Dan Mullen fires Todd Grantham; (2) Grantham decides to leave on his own rather than suffer the indignity of getting pink slipped although I have to ask who’s going to pay him $1.8 million a year; (3) Grantham stays but there are some new faces on the defensive staff; (4) Grantham stays and decides he has to scrap his entire defensive philosophy; (5) Mullen tells Grantham he can stay but only if he tosses his defensive playbook and starts over from scratch; and/or (6) there is a parting of the ways who will Mullen bring in to pick up the pieces? THE FUTURE: EMORY JONES OR ANTHONY RICHARDSON? Emory Jones is a gifted runner and an adequate passer but is he going to be the Florida quarterback next year or will he back up freshman Anthony Richardson? Jones got the majority of the quarterback snaps in the second half when Mullen decided to sit Trask rather than have his quarterback deal with the continuing humiliation of making good passes only to see the ball dropped or having to rush throws because the protection kept breaking down. Jones finished the game with 60 rushing yards on 10 carries with a long run of 22 yards. He ran for a first half touchdown from a yard out. Jones was 8-16 throwing the ball for 86 yards. Richardson ran three times for 42 yards with a long run of 28 while completing his only pass for 27 yards and a TD to Jordan Pouncey. Granted, Jones was going against the first team Oklahoma defense for most of his snaps and Richardson went against the backups, but Richardson looked very, very good. Good enough to take the starting job in the spring? And if Richardson takes control of the team in the spring, will Jones hang around or will he put his name in the transfer portal since every player in Division I is free to transfer even before permanent transfer legislation is introduced? THE FIRST POST-KEYONTAE TEST WENT WELL Florida’s first basketball game in two plus years without Keyontae Johnson went better than expected. Even in years when Vanderbilt (4-3, 0-1 SEC) hasn’t been top tier in the SEC, the Gators (4-1, 1-0 SEC) have had some struggles playing in Nashville at Memorial Gym, but Wednesday night’s 91-72 win was encouraging on a lot of fronts. The Gators shot well, defended well most of the game, and got more productivity from Colin Castleton and Anthony Duruji than anyone except maybe Mike White expected. Memorial Gym with its strange end zones that provide weird depth perception issues hasn’t always been conducive to good shooting by the Gators, but they hit 61.8% on 34-55 shooting overall and 41.2% from the 3-point line on a 7-17 effort. The Gators shot 53% from the field in the first half, 72% in the second. You win a lot of games if you can shoot like that. Castleton went off for a career-high 23 points while hitting 11-13 from the field. He had five rebounds and a couple of blocked shots. Duruji, who started at power forward in Johnson’s place, was good for 11 points on 4-5 shooting (1-1 on 3-pointers) to go with five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. White addressed the big games for Castleton and White post game: “I thought it was really big with both of those guys. Colin is very talented. We’ve known that. He has had some huge practices and he and I have talked at length about his opportunities for him moving forward, not just this week but the next couple months. His ceiling is really high and he’s going to end up being a guy down the line will get more touches as he earns more touches. How do you earn more touches? You earn more minutes and you produce. He broke through obviously tonight. He’ll have more of these. He will. I don’t know if we can always expect him to go 11-of-13, but he’s a talented guy. He’s very skilled. I thought he made some decisions on the perimeter that were really good as well. In addition, I thought our guards did a really good job of finding him. And Anthony Duruji – yes, they’re very close. Anthony would be the first one to tell you that he struggled a bit to this point but not for a lack of effort or character. It’s really nice to see them break through together, especially Duruji because Colin has kind of had some moments at least. Duruji was terrific. To me, his stat line doesn’t show how well he played. He did have three blocks, but I thought he altered some shots and did a really good job with some ball screen defense and guarding some smaller, quicker guys. Did a really good job of moving his feet I thought.” Besides Castleton and Duruji, the Gators got double figures scoring from Scottie Lewis (16 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots, one steal), Tyree Appleby (13 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals) and Noah Locke (10 points, two rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots, one steal). Tre Mann scored nine points, but led the team with eight rebounds to go with four assists. Next up for the Gators is LSU (6-1, 1-0 SEC) at the O-Dome Saturday afternoon. SEC WEDNESDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL RESULTS FLORIDA (4-1, 1-0 SEC) 91, Vanderbilt (4-3, 0-1 SEC) 72 #7 Tennessee (7-0, 1-0 SEC) 73, #12 Missouri (6-1, 0-1 SEC) 53 Mississippi State (6-3, 1-0 SEC) 83, Georgia (7-1, 0-1 SEC) 73 Arkansas (9-0, 1-0 SEC) 97, Auburn (6-3, 0-1 SEC) 85 ONE LAST PITHY THOUGHT: What happened to the Gators with all the opt-outs turning the team into a shell of what it was during the regular season is going to be repeated on a more regular basis if the people in charge of college football don’t hurry up and do something. Doubling the number of teams in the College Football Playoff would certainly help eight teams but what about the teams that aren’t involved in the playoff but are bowl eligible? How about paying players instead of giving them gifts that they’re going to sell anyway? Maybe given an extra $5,000 to seniors as a thank you? And for those in the playoff $5,000 for the quarterfinals, $7,500 for the semifinals and $10,000 for the championship game? Networks pay an exorbitant amount of money for broadcast rights to bowl games and the playoff games. If they want quality games in the future, then they need to pony up.

The No. 7 Florida Gators (8-3) will face the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (8-2) in the 2020 Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday night. Here is everything you need to know in preparation for the New Years Six Bowl game. This is the Gator third straight New Year's Six game, making it a clean sweep in the Dan Mullen era. They are 2-0 in those games thus far, defeating the Michigan Wovlerines in the 2018 Peach Bowl and the Virginia Cavilers in the 2019 Orange Bowl. Kickoff: 8pm ET, 7pm CT TV: ESPN Line: William Hill Sportsbook has the latest line as +7.5 Florida. The Oklahoma Sooners became the odds on favorite over night due to a flurry of Gator opt outs. Opt Outs and Unavailable (COVID and Injury): Tight end Kyle Pitts Receiver Kadarius Toney Receiver Tre Grimes Corner Marco Wilson Safety Shawn Davis Defensive lineman Kyree Campbell Linebacker Ventrell Miller The Last Time: These two teams, despite being two premier programs in the sport, have only met once before. Following the 2008 season, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford won the Heisman but Tim Tebow had the last laugh, leading the Gators to a win over the Sooners to win the National Championship.

In a way, however this game ends tonight—the Goodyear Cotton Bowl matchup between No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 7 Florida Gators—will be perfectly in-line with this abnormal, unusual frankly exhausting year. Either Florida will succumb to opt outs and COVID absences, getting underneath what is still one of the best offenses in the nation in Oklahoma. Or young guys and unknowns will step up in the interim, shocking us all and bursting on to the empty stage and making their own name known. Both would be on brand for 2020. Both are possible. As is the fact that Florida is going to end this year at best at 9-3 but possibly even at 8-4 and neither record is indicative of what this team—this roster—has actually accomplished during this unprecedented season. To recap the changes; tight end Kyle Pitts and receivers Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes elected to opt out of tonight’s game and prepare for the NFL Draft. With the historically short turnaround between the SEC Championship game and the bowl game, there was little time to recover, especially for three guys who played the hardest game of their lives in Atlanta. Pitts is a near guaranteed first round pick with his 770 yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter of which is third in the country amongst all receivers, much less tight ends. After having to miss three games this season already with injury, his decision to sit out after earning his pay-day versus Alabama wasn’t a surprise. Toney and Grimes were always a good possibility. Both have a year of incredible tape, making their decision to come back for a senior year pay off. Toney was 16 yards shy of a century mark, finishing with 984 yards receiving. He did however top the threshold with 1,451 all-purpose yards: 984 receiving, 161 rushing, 12 passing, 139 punt return yardage and 155 in kickoff returns, along with 12 touchdowns Grimes rounded out the nation’s leading trio with 589 yards and nine touchdowns of his own. He was one of Trask’s best deep field threats with six receptions of 25 plus yards and 17 of 15 plus yards, with a knack for picking up yards after the catch in a bruising fashion. According to Matt Zenitz of al.com corner Marco Wilson has also opted out of the bowl game. All of the opt outs means over the last 24 hours, the line has shifted from Florida -3 to Oklahoma -3. Head Coach Dan Mullen has always been adamant guys should only opt out if they’re guaranteed to be a first or second round pick and have already established their draft stock. While Pitts is arguably the only guaranteed top pick amongst the group, Toney and Grimes both have an opportunity to work this offseason into a second day selection. And in what is a strange season, rules must be bent according to Mullen. “I think it's a pretty unique year, and I think everybody has to understand that, the stress that these guys have been under from week in and week out,” explained Mullen of opt outs on Tuesday. “This is our third straight New Year's Six bowl game. In the previous two, we had a grand total of one opt-out between those two games. So I think this year is just such a unique deal. And the stresses and pressures that these guys have been under this year, I think it's led everybody to be under a little bit of a different mental state of where they're at. “You look to the build-up of the bowl game, it's cut way down. The opportunity to be here and spend the experience—the entire bowl experience has been cut down. So I think this could be just a unique year.” Opt outs or not, even getting to this point will be seen as a success for Oklahoma Head Coach Lincoln Riley. No matter who walks out of AT&T Stadium with the win or the loss on Wednesday night, this season will be one every team should be proud of according to Riley. “The rest of my career, I think, will always look back at this season and be proud of what this team accomplished, be proud of what college football was able to accomplish. You've seen some of the other sports be able to finish the season successfully, but this one is tougher. “We have the worst possible setup to make it during a pandemic with a lot of times community living, just the way our programs are set up. Guys still having to go to school. It's not the ideal sport to survive during a pandemic, and we've found a way to do it.” That was made clear yet again this week when multiple positive COVID tests meant Trask’s fourth receiver Jacob Copeland was unable to make the trip. With his entire first string of the receiving corps gone, it would not have been shocking for Trask to sit out Wednesday night as well. But the opportunity to play back in his home state and actually leave with a win this time was one part of a compelling argument to play. He’ll have around 20 family members and friends make the trip up from Manvel—which is just south of Houston—to Arlington for the game. But there was also the opportunity to write one more chapter in what has become the best story in college football. “It's a huge opportunity. Every time you get a chance to get on the football field, you've got to make the most of it. And I think we have a lot of up-and-coming weapons that a lot of fans are going to get to know before they really break out in this bowl game,” said Trask last week. “I mean, nobody expected us to have the kind of year that we had this year when we had all those NFL receivers leave. But this is what we do here at Florida. As soon as we have big-time guys leave and move on, we have more big-time guys step in and continue that winning tradition.” And with so many of his top receivers out, it will fall on younger guys to write their name into this story tonight as well. Trask sees opportunity for several, naming Xzavier Henderson, Justin Shorter and Ja’Quavion Fraziars among others. “You're going to see a lot of these guys coming up and making plays and filling these big shoes.” While the narrative typically exists—especially among teams that are playing in non-playoff bowl games—that these postseason games simply become exhibitions for younger talent, Mullen also sees it as an opportunity for those who will return next year to learn from the man leading them. “On Kyle, you know, I think he's done an unbelievable job of leading our program since the day he stepped on the field about a year and a half—a little over a year and a half ago. I think he's a great role model for all young players in the game of football but I think a great role model for people in life about how to prepare, how to work, how to put yourself in a position to be successful. And when your opportunity comes, you're ready for it and don't look for the easiest road or the shortest road or the quickest road. “The path to success is to sit there and work and put your time in and prepare. And when your moment's called, you're ready for it. And I think he's a guy that you look and you look for the opportunity for him to come into this game. I know he's excited to get -- to go play, to go play. He's such a competitor and the opportunity to go play against a great Oklahoma team. I know he is. “So when you say "perfect guy," he's a guy you want leading. Whether you're out there playing Oklahoma in football or whether you're going into a corporate sales meeting, he's the type of guy you want leading your organization.” There will have to be ample supporting roles step into the limelight. Mullen says the Gators have “about 60 scholarship players” suiting up Wednesday night. “There are guys that have kind of been in maybe that supporting actor role now that are going into the lead role in the show tomorrow night. And so I think those guys are excited for that opportunity to get out there and go make plays.” Florida’s offense is putting up an averaging of 508.8 yards per game—ninth in FBS—and still leads the nation in passing offense, putting an average of 388.4 yards per game into the air. The Sooners defense—much maligned as a typical Big 12 defense—is much improved this season, giving up 333.6 yards per game, good for 19th in total defense in the FBS. “They're very active defensively,” explained Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson last week of the Sooners. “I think, on the front end, they do a great job of pursuing the football and shedding blocks, not staying blocked long, and making plays in the backfield. And in the secondary, I think particularly at corner, they have great ball skills. They play with great patience. They have great footwork and they make plays on the ball when it's in the air. So definitely a huge challenge for us. You know, our guys are excited for the opportunity to go out there and compete on the big stage.” Of note though is the fact that Trask won’t be throwing to brand new faces. There have been 13 different receivers catch a pass this season, with none of them catching fewer than six. From freshmen to seniors, receivers to tight ends, Florida and Trask haven’t been afraid to spread the ball around. And after all three losses coming one arguably one play a piece, Mullen knows each of those that get their chance in Arlington will have to make the most of the moment. “We've got to prepare for each one of those and be prepared for that moment to go make the play. And that's the great challenge that football presents, and it presents it as a team. Because it's not one individual that's going to do it, it's the entire team that has to be ready for those moments.” Defensively, coordinator Todd Grantham is having to prepare for yet another in what has become a long line of dynamic Oklahoma quarterbacks under Head Coach Lincoln Riley. Said Grantham of the freshman Spencer Rattler, “he was a highly recruited guy out of high school. A lot of people wanted him. And if you look at his Game 1 continuity all the way up till now, he's a guy that you can tell is getting more comfortable in the system, understanding more about where to throw the ball, where to go with it relative to the formations and what the defense is giving you. “And then he has the ability to make plays with his feet. He can pull it in the run game. He can extend plays in the pass game to get guys open. I think the one thing that we'll have to be conscious of is the word "plaster" this week, meaning that even when you're playing zone, as he continues to scramble, you're going to have to basically match the guy in your area and cover him man-to-man because he really can extend plays for guys to get open, which creates explosives. And he's doing a nice job with their offense.” The Gators defense has been a sore subject with fans, players and coaches all season, something that has become the third rail to the point of being ignored in game previews. In addition to Wilson opting out, a recent report from Pete Thamel stated due to injuries and opt outs, the Gators would also be without linebacker and leading tackler Ventrell Miller and well as defensive lineman Kyree Campbell. But Riley isn’t letting his team roll into AT&T Stadium with the mindset they’ll just need to win a shootout. "It's a very talented group,” said Riley on Tuesday of the Florida defense. “Got a lot of respect for Todd Grantham and the job he's done throughout the years. Got a lot of very talented and outstanding players to work with, a lot of guys that really flash on tape, and have the ability and have made a lot of big plays throughout the season. So it's a talented group. "You've got to play very well, very sharp football to have the chance to move the ball and score points against them. What you would expect out of a Florida defense, active, well-coached. Be a fun match-up.” Some of that could be dependent on Brad Stewart. The senior who was moved to nickel will be one of the few older faces, along with defensive end Zach Carter, and coming off arguably his best game of the season against Alabama, Stewart can set up the secondary for success. "He's a guy that has continued to progress," Grantham said of Stewart. "Even though it was a new position for him, he's a football player. He understood leverage. He understood blocks. He understood running to the ball, doing those kind of things. He understood how to cover guys as a safety. So it just kind of fit naturally. And, again, it allowed us to get our best players on the field and put him there to give us some flexibility with some other guys." No matter what happens on Wednesday night under the big Texas sky though, both coaches will be walking out of that stadium proud of what it took to even get there in the first place. For the Gators especially, coming off arguably what is always the toughest loss in the game—a loss in the SEC Championship Game—the 2020 Cotton Bowl is about a win but more so about getting to the finish line. Proving they have the mindset to bounce back and the heart to fight, cementing their legacy; and the talent to show yet again they can reload and be a perennial contender in college football.

No. 7 Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen and No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach Lincoln Riley met with local media on Tuesday to preview Wednesday's Goodyear Cotton Bowl matchup. As a valued subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. COACH RILEY: We're very excited to get down to Arlington (Texas) and come play in the Cotton Bowl. It's been a great lead-up for our guys. I think they all appreciated the opportunity to take a quick break and get home and see their families for Christmas. And then I think they were all excited to get back and begin preparations to play a great Florida team. So I have been excited about the way our guys have handled this, and I think they understand the opportunity that playing in the Cotton Bowl presents, not only that but an opportunity to close out a strong season and a team that's really enjoyed playing this game together and especially in this year. And the fact that we get one more chance to do it is very much appreciated by our staff, our players, everybody. And so I want to thank the Cotton Bowl for all they've done in a very tough year to still be able to put on such a high-quality bowl. First class, as always, even though this year has been so different. So I want to thank everybody at the Cotton Bowl for all their hard work in making this happen. And certainly look forward to the game tomorrow night. COACH MULLEN: I want to thank the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, the experience of what makes bowl games so special, the opportunity to come and experience a different city, a different location, experience and see things you never got to see. I know this year, being very unique, being shortened. But I tell you what is really special to me is getting here yesterday and even here at the hotel, the hospitality, the game room that's set up for the players. And last night to see all of those guys, it's been such a difficult year and so much has happened this year. But to just see all of our guys with smiles on their face enjoying an unbelievable hospitality setup here by the people at the Cotton Bowl and to see what that does and how that brings the team together and the smiles and that joy that it puts on these young guys' faces. My wife was telling me last night, and you forget. I know we watch these guys perform week in and week out on the main stage, on national television. You forget, these are young college kids. To see them just come together, enjoy and have such a great time with all the smiles, all the laughs, that seems to -- in a lot of the world have been missing this year. So I think that is so special, and I'm thankful. I know we're excited to be here, excited for the game. I know our guys are thrilled right now to go over to AT&T Stadium to see that and experience that for the walk-through today and just enjoy the experiences around the Cotton Bowl. And then get to obviously go compete against one of the top programs in the country in Oklahoma. Q. I had a big-picture question for both of you guys. Dan, if you could speak first, though. I know the season wraps up tomorrow obviously. And I'm just wondering, given the challenges going forward for coaches created by the transfer rules, athlete compensation changes, these matters, does that make the NFL more appealing to top coaches? And is that a move either of you guys would ever consider? COACH MULLEN: I don't know more appealing, less appealing. I think college football -- to start with college football, I think with everything going on, college football, as we know it, will be very different over the next several years. And I don't want to say it's going to be better, worse. It will just be different than a lot of what college football is used to. And the world is ever-changing. And so I think that part of it, everything changing in college football, will just mean it will be very different moving forward. As it pertains to coaches and within the NFL, I'm sure coaches -- it's not something I've thought about. But if it's something -- as opportunities present themselves, like everything in the world, you take things as they come and you visit them and you sit down and reflect where you're at in your life. Very much like we have a lot of players that are deciding to move on to the NFL. I meet with those guys and say, “Make sure you make great decisions. Reflect upon what's best for you in your life and your situation and where you're at. And you make a decision that's best for you and your family in everything.” Q. There's a reason the wishbone isn't run anymore, the veer isn't run anymore. How much do you worry or prepare yourself, scout, on people, quote, unquote, catching up to the spread or RPOs or everything else? Or is that here to stay? Because you two guys are in the vanguard of that. COACH RILEY: That's part of the fun in football. The trends schematically are always going to go in phases. Is it here to stay? Is it not? I don't know. There's principles of the wishbone and the option that have been used. They look a little different to the untrained eye. A lot of those same principles that were developed when the wishbone offense was developed are still very prevalent in offensive football today, so even though the majority of them come out of spread sets. So do I think they'll ever go away? No. Will there be new trends that come up as we go on? I'm sure there will be, and that's what makes the game fun. I think as a coach it challenges you to continue to evolve. COACH MULLEN: I agree with Lincoln [Riley] on that. If you go back, I remember about almost 20 years ago now we started this at Bowling Green. We had an offense, we're snapping to the quarterback and he's running off-tackle power offense with a guy named Josh Harris. And then someone kind of looked. And at Utah had to do it with a tight end. It's like, Oh, that's -- haven't seen that since the single-wing back seven years ago. I think football's constantly evolving. And I think everybody's looking and saying, Okay, how am I taking a concept and continually improving it? And you're evolving the things and always looking for new ideas. So I don't know that the wishbone's gone. Like Lincoln said, you just see it in a very different light maybe than you saw it years ago. But a lot of the philosophies, the principles, are still there. And football's just constantly evolving. Q. Dan, I know last week you said you don't want to share the names, you want to let guys announce. But with the news of several guys opting out yesterday, do you have a tally on just how many guys didn't end up making the trip that you expected to? COACH MULLEN: We kind of knew who was going to make the trip and not. What we're excited about is really getting to see some of the guys, as we have all year. Our guys are excited with the opportunity to get out there and go play. So there are guys that have kind of been in maybe that supporting actor role now that are going into the lead role in the show tomorrow night. And so I think those guys are excited for that opportunity to get out there and go make plays. I want to say we're -- off scholarship number, I think we probably have about 60 scholarship guys playing in the game. Q. Lincoln, you've had at least one opt-out, a couple of guys transfer. Dan, you've had guys opt out. Is that not an indictment of the bowls? Nobody opted out before your conference championship games. But you've had guys say, I just really don't want to play in the bowl game. It's been such a long history of college football. It seems to me it's an indictment that this just isn't that important to us. COACH RILEY: I think it's hard to gauge this year. I think the -- I think what this year has been like, obviously, with everything that's changed, with the pandemic, I think, is absolutely a factor. So I don't know that that's very easily judged. We've had a couple of our guys that have made the decision to transfer out and the transfer portal and guys wanting to get to a new home and kind of get that all figured out as a factor as well. So do a couple of guys -- or are there going to be a couple of players here and there through the years that maybe think the bowl game is not that important? There may be. But we've got to be careful and take the 1 or 2% and say, Well, that's how everybody feels. Because there's a big percentage of both of our football teams that are going to be pretty excited to play this football game tomorrow night. So I tend to go with the majority and think these games are still pretty darned important. COACH MULLEN: I think it's a pretty unique year, and I think everybody has to understand that, the stress that these guys have been under from week in and week out. This is our third straight New Year's Six bowl game. In the previous two, we had a grand total of one opt-out between those two games. So I think this year is just such a unique deal. And the stresses and pressures that these guys have been under this year, I think it's led everybody to be under a little bit of a different mental state of where they're at. You look to the build-up of the bowl game, it's cut way down. The opportunity to be here and spend the experience -- the entire bowl experience has been cut down. So I think this could be just a unique year. Q. Lincoln, we've heard a lot about the match-up with Coach [Dan] Mullen's offense against your defense. But take us to the other side of the ball, your offense against the Florida defense. What do you see in the Gator defense? COACH RILEY: It's a very talented group. Got a lot of respect for Todd Grantham and the job he's done throughout the years. Got a lot of very talented and outstanding players to work with, a lot of guys that really flash on tape, and have the ability and have made a lot of big plays throughout the season. So it's a talented group. You've got to play very well, very sharp football to have the chance to move the ball and score points against them. What you would expect out of a Florida defense, active, well-coached. Be a fun match-up. Q. Coach [Lincoln] Riley, when you look back at the season, even before the season, when you didn't even know if you were going to have one and kind of every game week not knowing if you're going to get to play for sure, all the difficulties of COVID. When you get to step on the field for the Cotton Bowl, what's it going to mean emotionally to know you made it through this season and you were able to finish on such a strong note and a bowl game like this? COACH RILEY: A little difficult to say. I think you're kind of just in the moment right now of preparing and trying to play and coach your best. But it will be special no matter what happens. The rest of my career, I think, will always look back at this season and be proud of what this team accomplished, be proud of what college football was able to accomplish. You've seen some of the other sports be able to finish the season successfully, but this one is tougher. We have the worst possible setup to make it during a pandemic with a lot of times community living, just the way our programs are set up. Guys still having to go to school. It's not the ideal sport to survive during a pandemic, and we've found a way to do it. So I'm excited we've been able to have a season. Think it's been a great season. It's been a lot of fun, despite the challenges. And certainly has made us more -- I think more appreciative of each and every time we get the chance to step on the field. COACH MULLEN: I agree with Lincoln on that. I'm just really proud of our guys. Of all the players, of what they've had to deal with to get to this point, it has been an extremely difficult year. The emotional tolls that you add on to the physical tolls, I'm just really proud of our guys for them to be able to handle what they've handled, to be able to go out and play. Guys love to play the game of football. They love -- so what they've had to do, the sacrifices, the toll and the strain that it's taken on them to get to do what they love during this pandemic, I'm happy for them and I'm proud of them for what everybody has been able to accomplish. Q. Dan, I know you've been busy prepping for the bowl obviously, but I was wondering if you had seen the reports about your old colleague, Urban Meyer, maybe being interested in coming to Jacksonville (Florida) and what your thoughts are, in general, of him coming back into coaching, specifically at the NFL level. COACH MULLEN: I haven't seen any of that, but I've spoken to Urban. I think he's probably happy with where he is in his life with his family and all of that. But I know -- knowing him and the competitor that he is, it would never surprise me to see him back on the sidelines enjoying coaching the game of football. I haven't seen anything about it and haven't spoken to him about that. But one of these days you might see him back on the sidelines. Q. Lincoln [Riley], read about a number of quarterbacks from the state of Arizona obviously with Spencer [Rattler], and you saw Brock Purdy last week, both Fiesta Bowl guys are from there. There's quarterbacks all over the country from that state. I'm just kind of wondering why you think that is and what you think about that rise in that particular position from a state that doesn't produce a ton of players at this level. COACH RILEY: It's an interesting question. I've kind of thought the same thing. When you look at the number of overall players that come out, it doesn't totally make sense. But I think you've seen a run of some really talented guys. I think there's a lot of really good coaches in that area. I think maybe part of it is it provides a climate where those guys can train year-round, and that's probably a small thing honestly. The guys that I've seen, had experience with, both from the player and coach level, have been very impressive. When you get that matched up and some talented young guys who want to work and a lot of good coaches in the area, then that's going to be the recipe. But I don't know that I have anything further on it. Q. Lincoln [Riley], I was just wondering if you could let us know what you ended up deciding to do with Shane Beamer's position for this game and how that worked in such a short time frame getting somebody acclimated? COACH RILEY: Not too bad. We've elevated Ryan Dougherty who's been our special teams quality control, we've elevated him to coordinate and to take over Shane's responsibilities. And he's done a great job. Obviously we know that we didn't have Coach Beamer available for a game earlier this year. And Ryan did the same think and did a tremendous job. He'll serve in that same role and is very comfortable and very well-versed in what we want to do there. Q. Coach [Lincoln] Riley, if you could go back and answer the one about the challenges of college football and NFL interest. And, Dan, Kyle Trask, is he the perfect guy to kind of lead this team tomorrow night, given -- his history is kind of similar to what could happen with some young guy tomorrow, come out nowhere and rise to the occasion? COACH RILEY: Every game has its challenges. Every game changes. Rules change. Guidelines change. You've got to adapt. I know this, we've got an unbelievable sport and product in college football, and I love coaching it. And that's about all I would say. COACH MULLEN: On Kyle, you know, I think he's done an unbelievable job of leading our program since the day he stepped on the field about a year and a half -- a little over a year and a half ago. I think he's a great role model for all young players in the game of football but I think a great role model for people in life about how to prepare, how to work, how to put yourself in a position to be successful. And when your opportunity comes, you're ready for it and don't look for the easiest road or the shortest road or the quickest road. The path to success is to sit there and work and put your time in and prepare. And when your moment's called, you're ready for it. And I think he's a guy that you look and you look for the opportunity for him to come into this game. I know he's excited to get -- to go play, to go play. He's such a competitor and the opportunity to go play against a great Oklahoma team. I know he is. So when you say "perfect guy," he's a guy you want leading. Whether you're out there playing Oklahoma in football or whether you're going into a corporate sales meeting, he's the type of guy you want leading your organization. Q. Lincoln [Riley], most coaches view good performances and outcomes in bowl games as momentum builders, going into an off-season and even next year. If you guys play well defensively tomorrow night, is there any part of that that would exorcize some ghosts of the past three years in terms of Oklahoma’s defense in the post-season? Do you have any interest in doing that? COACH RILEY: I mean, I hope we play well defensively, but I don't -- I just think each year is its own year. You guys have heard me say that a lot. Every challenge is different. Your team's different. Opponent's different. Situation's different. So we're just going to try to be the very best that we can tomorrow night. Whatever people want to say about a big picture, that will be their choice. The only thing we can control is the way we prepare and the way we perform tomorrow night, and we're going to try to stay locked on that. Q. Dan, I think everybody saw the news coming out yesterday about receivers opting out and wondering why would a guy like Kyle Trask play in this game with his NFL stock. What does that say about maybe Kyle's competitiveness or his character to play in this game with all that going around him? COACH MULLEN: Well, I think everything that has led up to this moment, even his life, shows his character, the type of person he is and why he's the team captain for us. I mean, he's the guy that to get to this point in his career, it's shown what he was. He's a guy that battled through, was at a high school and they had another quarterback so only got to play part-time at his high school. He didn't let that deter him. He wasn't looking to immediately get out of the school, go transfer, go somewhere else. He came to a college, got an opportunity to come play at Florida, and was on the bench and really didn't get on the field until after he graduated but took advantage of that opportunity. And now he is a guy to go from a guy that didn't play high school football to a Heisman Trophy finalist. It just shows the character that he has. You never want to count him out on anything. So we met and I know he's excited to go play in the game. He's worked his butt off to get the opportunity to go play. I know people look at things and say, Okay, we're at the Cotton Bowl and this is a big, big game. You know what? And competitors, they want to play in big games. I know he's a competitor and he's really excited to play in this game. Q. Lincoln, all year you had the opportunity to play young players on the defensive side, especially in the secondary. So you lose your most experienced guy, but those guys have all made a good play. Those guys have all played pretty well. That philosophy that you and Coach [Alex] Grinch came up with is going to help in a game like this when you take on a powerful offense that Florida has, I would guess. Talk about that decision earlier in the year, because it's going to play big for you in this game. COACH RILEY: Yeah, we felt like we had some guys that were close to being ready earlier in the year, and I think just from a development standpoint, as we've all talked about probably enough, the spring, summer camp, losing guys for extended time to COVID and to contact tracing, and all that has stunted some of their growth. And so especially around mid-season we got to the point where we felt like we had a number of guys that were ready to take snaps and ready to go compete. And so, yeah, I think going into a game like this against such a tremendous offense, to have more guys available, more guys that have played in big-time games and that have felt the fire a little bit is an advantage. And, obviously, we're going to need some of those guys to step up with the quality opponent that we have. Q. Dan, depending on how you look at this season, you guys are just a few mistakes away from potentially being either undefeated or being in the college football playoffs. So I was just curious kind of how you reconciled that. Do you look at that as, We are now on the level of those playoff-caliber programs or that those mistakes tell you that you still have a ways to go? COACH MULLEN: Well, I think this being our third straight New Year's Six bowl game, I think the program's right there and competing with all the top teams in the country. And you look at that and as you talk about it, you look at the margin for error to go win championships is extremely small. And, I mean, as you said, for us, we've lost two games on the last play of the game and then fell six points short to Alabama in the championship game. That's always tough. But when you're playing in a league, when you're playing in the Southeastern Conference, you're playing -- the quality of teams you play week in and week out, you look at -- the margin for error gets extremely small to get there to go win championships. I've been part of two national championship teams at Florida. You go back and reflect upon those seasons, and the margin for error in those seasons is so small. You flip ten plays and you're not even competing in the championship game. We flip a couple of plays this past season, you could be in the playoffs very easily. And very easily flip a couple of plays would have won the SEC championship, one or two plays here or there. So I think that's just the focus that you have. That's why we do what we do. That's why you work as hard as you do year-round to make sure. If you could tell me tomorrow night what play is going to be the difference in tomorrow night's game, I'll make sure I'm ready for that one play. But since we don't know, it could be one of about 180 plays that could be the difference in the game. We've got to prepare for each one of those and be prepared for that moment to go make the play. And that's the great challenge that football presents, and it presents it as a team. Because it's not one individual that's going to do it, it's the entire team that has to be ready for those moments.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: One of my history professors told the story that in response to the quote, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” Mark Twain said, “Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” With his three leading receivers opting out of tonight’s Cotton Bowl game with Oklahoma and Jacob Copeland unable to play due to Covid-19 issues, Dan Mullen’s script for success might best resemble the Mark Twain quote. It’s a little late in the season to be reinventing the Florida offense, but it’s never too late to take a few chances. Oklahoma has plenty of tape on the Florida offense but what it doesn’t have is enough to determine tendencies of Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer, who will get the tight end reps that Kyle Pitts would have had, or those of Justin Shorter, Xzavier Henderson, Rick Wells and Trent Whittemore, the wide receivers who will replace Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Copeland. Because he sees them every day in practice catching passes from Kyle Trask and backups Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson, Mullen knows what his guys are capable of doing. Without making any changes at all in the Florida offense, he can take a few chances that might catch Oklahoma completely by surprise. The 2020 season proved once again that Mullen is one of the more creative play callers in the college game. The perfect example is the Georgia game when he caught the Bulldogs by surprise running Malik Davis and Nay’Quan Wright on wheel routes that were good for eight catches and 171 yards. When Pitts went down because of a vicious targeting hit, Mullen unleashed Gamble and Zipperer for four catches that were good for 90 yards and a TD. Georgia was certainly caught flatfooted, but Mullen already knew what these guys could do and wasn’t afraid to cut his guys loose on the unsuspecting Bulldogs. In a perfect world, Mullen and Trask would have all the weapons they’ve been working with all year healthy and ready to attack but take into consideration that Mullen has been adapting his offense to fit the personnel all three years he’s been at Florida. Adapting on the fly is nothing new as we saw in 2020 when Mullen had to replace four receivers who are now playing for pay on Sunday. The Gators didn’t miss a beat and actually increased from 308.8 passing yards per game to 388.4 with Trask leading the nation in passing yards (4,125) and touchdown passes (43). That doesn’t happen with a coach who is afraid to take chances. There are no guarantees the Gators will burn the Oklahoma secondary early and often tonight, but don’t think it’s out of the question, either. Just because he is lining up with new receivers don’t think Mullen will go conservative. And, what might appear to be taking a few chances against Oklahoma will probably be simply doing the things in a game that he sees every day in practice. NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF TAKING CHANCES, PART II When Mike White and the Florida basketball team (3-1) take the court in Nashville for their Southeastern Conference opener with Vanderbilt (4-2) tonight (9 p.m., ESPN2), the starting lineup will be minus Keyontae Johnson for the first time since January of 2019. With Johnson sidelined for at least three months after his collapse back on December 12 against Florida State in Tallahassee, White will turn to Louisiana Tech transfer Anthony Duruji, a 6-7, 220-pound junior who averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2018-19. While averaging only 11 minutes in Florida’s four games so far, Duruji is averaging just 1.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. Replacing Johnson’s production (16 points, 4.5 rebounds) will be a tall task for Duruji, so the Gators will need increased productivity from the likes of Tre Mann (15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.75 assists), Scottie Lewis (12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds), Noah Locke (10.5 points, 47.6% on 3-pointers) and Colin Castleton (6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds). What White might do in Johnson’s absence is to try to turn the game into a full court track meet. Duruji is an excellent press defender who can run and jump (48-inch vertical) so it might be in the Gators’ favor to push the tempo in an attempt to disrupt Vandy’s already poor shooting (43.5% overall from the field, 32.5% from the 3-point line) offense while finding some points for the new guy in the lineup. A word of warning: If you plan to watch the basketball game, you might choose to turn off the sound on ESPN2 and listen to Kyle Crooks handling play-by-play (Mick will be doing the radio broadcast of the football game) with Lee Humphrey doing the analysis. Beth Mowins will be handling play-by-play for ESPN2. Think fingernails running down a chalkboard if you’ve ever had to endure the announcing version of “40 minutes of hell.” TUESDAY SEC BASKETBALL RESULTS LSU (6-1, 1-0 SEC) 77, Texas A&M (5-2, 0-1 SEC) 54 Alabama (6-3, 1-0 SEC) 82, Ole Miss (5-2, 0-1 SEC) 64 WEDNESDAY’S GAMES FLORIDA (3-1) at Vanderbilt (4-2) Mississippi State (5-3) at Georgia (7-0) Arkansas (8-0) at Auburn (6-2) #7 Tennessee (6-0) at #12 Missouri (6-0) THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER AND OTHER SEC FOOTBALL STUFF Covid-19 issues at TCU have forced the postponement of the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on Thursday, ending Arkansas’ season at 3-7. This will mark the fourth consecutive year the Razorbacks haven’t played in a bowl game, the longest streak since the pre-Frank Broyles drought years from 1955-58. It also puts an end to a record that saw every Arkansas senior since 1958 being able to play in at least one bowl game in his career. Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith is the first wide receiver to win the Associated Press Player of the Year award. Runner-up was Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Smith, Jones, Florida QB Kyle Trask and Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence are the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Tennessee linebacker DeAndre Johnson, who led the team with 4.5 sacks, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal. He wants to transfer to a Florida school. He prepped at Miami Southridge … QB JT Shrout will be transferring to Colorado. South Carolina DB John Dixon is transferring to Penn State … Former South Carolina starting QB Jake Bentley, who was a grad transfer at Utah in 2020, is on the move again. No new destination has been announced. Auburn running back Mark-Antony Richards has officially placed his name in the transfer portal … Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, safety Jamien Sherwood and DB Christian Tutt are apparently opting out of Auburn’s Citrus Bowl encounter with Northwestern. Senior linebacker Lakia Henry will return to Ole Miss for the 2021 season, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted for every player on a 2020 roster ... CB Lakevius Daniel is entering the transfer portal. QB Brock Vandagriff, one of Georgia’s most highly regarded signees for the 2021 recruiting class, is undergoing surgery for a torn PCL. Center Michael Maietti and punter Grant McKinniss will use the extra year of eligibility to return to Missouri. Kentucky corner MJ Devonshire is transferring to Pitt. SOME NON-SEC FOOTBALL STUFF Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports says expanding to an 8-team playoff could help repair college football’s broken system. Wetzel proposes the five Power Five conference champs get automatic bids with a couple of at-large berths and a conference champ from the Group of Five. Quarterfinal games would be played on college campuses. Kirk Herbstreit, the face of ESPN college football, has tested positive for Covid-19. Herbie will be working Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal between #2 Clemson (10-1) and #3 Ohio State (6-0) from his home. Miami quarterback D’Eriq King suffered a potentially serious knee injury just before halftime of the Hurricanes’ 37-34 Cheezit Bowl loss to Oklahoma State Tuesday night. King announced this past weekend that he plans to return to Miami for the 2021 season. ARIZONA BASKETBALL SELF-IMPOSES POST SEASON BAN FOR 2020-21 Arizona is the latest of the schools implicated in the college basketball corruption scandal to self-impose a post season ban. The Wildcats have already received a notice of allegations from the NCAA charging nine violations including five Level I (the most serious of all), lack of institutional control, failure to monitor and lack of head coach control by Sean Miller. Rather than face the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions which would likely insist that Miller be fired, Arizona has requested its case be heard by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. This is basically a trial format in front of people who have no current affiliation with any school under the NCAA umbrella. By self-imposing, Arizona is trying to convince the people who will conduct the trial that they are ashamed of their bad behavior so they will go lightly on the sanctions. Writes Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, the nation’s best basketball writer, “I hope the NCAA handles Arizona's self-imposed postseason ban the same way I hope it handle Auburn’s self-imposed postseason ban – by completely ignoring it and making it clear that the NCAA will decide how and when the programs are punished, not the other way around. When you're a teenager, you don't get to ground yourself for the weekend and get credit for time-served when the weekend appears to be lame relative to the weekends you hope to enjoy in the future. That's not left up to you. For similar reasons, this should not be left up to Auburn and Arizona. And I'd write the same about literally any other school.” WEDNESDAY REQUIRES A FINAL PITHY COMMENT: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is catching all sorts of grief because he voted Ohio State 11th in the Coaches Top 25 poll and says he doesn’t think it’s right for the Buckeyes to make the College Football Playoff when they have played only six games while the other three teams played 11. This isn’t the first time Dabo has spoken his mind and it certainly won’t be the last. He sounds a lot like Steve Spurrier to me. Spurrier was always willing to say whatever was on his mind, didn’t care what anyone else thought and refused to back down when the media and opponents feigned outrage. Remember his Free Shoes U comment or the one about the Citrus Bowl being the winter home of the Tennessee Vols? College football has become all too predictable in everything from the same teams always making the playoff to expectations that coaches will speak softly and act humbly in every situation. I think college football needs more coaches who don’t necessarily follow the politically correct course. Keep on talking Dabo. College football needs more like you.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: It wasn’t all that long ago when college football players wouldn’t have considered skipping a bowl game to “prep” for the National Football League Draft. The idea of suiting up in that uniform one last time to play a final game with coaches and teammates who are like brothers was just too important. That was then. This is now. And now bowl games are increasingly considered meaningless and someone is convincing players that it’s best to avoid the game because they might get hurt so start preparations immediately for the NFL. As if there is a greater chance to get hurt in a bowl game than there was in any one of those regular season games and as if one extra week of prepping for the draft is going to make a bigger difference than perhaps playing well on national television against a brand new opponent from a different conference. There was a time when I thought that the only good reason to opt out of a bowl game was because a player or his family were in such dire financial straits that the instant money some agent advanced in exchange for a services contract would provide a much-needed lifeline. Part of me still wants to believe that. Part of me also wants to believe in loyalty to the coaches who have done their best to improve players to the point that they’ll have a chance to make enough money playing on Sundays that they can take care of their moms and dads, brothers and sisters and others who have helped them along the way. Part of me wants to believe there should be loyalty to teammates on the second, third and scout teams who showed up every day to practice and who never missed out on mat drills at 5 a.m. on winter mornings and whose efforts to provide adequate competition helped the team get better. Maybe I’m old fashioned because I want to believe those things but increasingly my old fashioned way of thinking gives way to the very harsh reality that the College Football Playoff is in the process of rendering bowl games obsolete and meaningless for those who are draft eligible. I’m not naïve enough to think that these kids who play college football are so stupid they don’t realize that a bowl system that has become a pawn of ESPN only exists (a) to provide 15 extra practice days, (b) keep college presidents and athletic directors from feeling the need to fire coaches for break-even seasons, and (c) help the tourist industry in cities where games are held. Now, before I continue this rant, I do acknowledge that not every bowl game is meaningless. Try telling those kids from Liberty that their Cure Bowl win over previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina was meaningless. Try telling those kids for unbeaten Cincinnati that they have no reason to have a chip on their shoulder for being passed over by the playoff committee or that the burning desire they feel in their gut to take it out on Georgia in the Peach Bowl is meaningless. Cincinnati doesn’t care that Georgia will be missing several players who have opted out. The only thing the Bearcats care about is it’s a chance to finish the season unbeaten by whacking a Georgia team that was an odds-on favorite to make the playoff before Alabama and Florida exposed the Bulldogs as frauds. For every Cincinnati that has an axe to grind in the Peach Bowl you have a Cotton Bowl that is going to struggle to attract viewers because Florida will be playing the game without All-Americans Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney along with Trevon Grimes, Brad Stewart, Marco Wilson and a few who will miss because of injury or Covid-19?. All-America QB Kyle Trask is going to play but he’ll be throwing to a bunch of unproven receivers. The Gators will be facing an Oklahoma team minus starting corner Tre Brown (opt out), running back Kennedy Brooks (opted out of the entire season) and three players have entered the transfer portal. What’s going on with the Cotton Bowl isn’t a rare circumstance but the current trend that is affecting just about every significant bowl game. The only way to reverse the trend is to expand the playoff. You don’t see basketball players opting out in March because the NCAA Tournament has 68 teams and is likely to expand in the future. That chance to win a national title is a lure for every basketball player. Add more college football playoff games and give more opportunities to win a national championship and you won’t have nearly as many players using the excuse of “preparing for the draft.” They want to play in games that matter. Without an expanded playoff, players will continue to opt out and bowl games will become glorified scrimmages between teams’ second and third teamers. It is my belief that most of the following needs to happen: (1) Division I needs to break away from the NCAA, the sooner the better; (2) Division I either needs to contract to something like 96 teams with eight conferences or break into a Power Five division and a Group of Five division; (3) If it’s a singular Division I, either an eight, 12 or 16-team playoff; (4) If there are two Divisions – Power and Group of Five – then each has its own playoff and each can claim a national champion; and (5) Eliminate paycheck games with Division IAA schools unless they are played in the spring, which would make the spring game meaningful and fun while throwing a financial lifeline to D1AA. Finally, once there is a breakaway from the NCAA, appoint Greg Sankey as the commissioner and give him the power to break the vise grip in which college football finds itself in with the increasing ABC/ESPN monopoly. For college football to survive and thrive it’s going to take a strong, forward thinking commissioner willing to move beyond the current financial house of cards by moving from cable and network TV into the realm of live streaming. URBAN MEYER, DAN MULLEN AND THE NFL Countdown to Firing Day: NFL Version is a week away and the Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen rumors to the No Fun League are already gathering steam. There are reports that several teams have already spoken with Meyer or his agent to gauge his interest in returning to the sideline. Mullen has also been approached. Meyer will do what he always has done – listen to what is being offered – and then he will make a decision accordingly. That doesn’t mean he is actually interested or that he intends to coach in the NFL, but he will listen. Back earlier in the month, the University of Texas approached Meyer intent on offering him the mother of all contracts to coach the Longhorns. Meyer listened and said no even though Texas is one of those jobs he considers a real plum because of booster money, facilities and recruiting. I have no doubt he will say no to the NFL if he hasn’t already. At some point, the itch to coach again might require scratching but if Meyer returns to the sideline it will be when he’s good and ready and at a place where he believes championships can be won in short order. Right now, I think he’s content with his TV gig with Fox which keeps him involved with football but with time to enjoy life and good health. Ever since 2010, Mullen has been offered at least one or two jobs every single year. He spent nine years in Starkville before he finally said yes to Florida. Mullen wants to win championships, something that was next to impossible at Mississippi State. It has taken three years to get the Gators to get past the speed bump that is Georgia for the SEC East championship. Next he has to get Florida past Nick Saban and Alabama, a tougher task for sure but one that can be accomplished in Gainesville and couldn’t be accomplished in Starkville. There may come a day when Dan elects to give the NFL a shot, but it’s my opinion that day hasn’t arrived yet. Once he’s won the SEC and/or the national championship, then I think Gator fans can sweat. For now, he will listen but that’s about it. THE JAGS LOVE TREVOR LAWRENCE BUT WILL HE LOVE THE JAGS? Thanks to their 14-game losing streak, the Jacksonville Jaguars have outlasted the New York Jets, clinched the number one pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and have set their sights on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is considered the most NFL-ready college quarterback since Andrew Luck in 2012. For a franchise that has made an art form out of dumb moves, drafting Lawrence seems to be a way of righting so many past wrongs. The only problem is Lawrence may have taken note of what happened to last year’s number one pick Joe Burrow operating behind a rotten offensive line and surrounded by some of the worst talent in the NFL. Burrow suffered a horrible season-ending knee injury. Is Lawrence willing to put his career at risk in Jacksonville? There is precedent for franchise quarterbacks to refuse to play for bad teams. John Elway did it in 1983 when he threatened to play professional baseball rather than play for the Baltimore Colts, who had gone 0-8-1 in a strike-shortened 1982. The Colts drafted Elway but traded him immediately to the Denver Broncos where he ended up winning two Super Bowls. In 2004, Eli Manning refused to play for the San Diego Chargers, who were 4-12 in 2003. The Chargers traded Manning to the New York Giants where he led the Giants to a pair of Super Bowls. There are numerous NFL teams with quarterback issues who have both veterans to trade and draft picks. The New England Patriots come to mind. Bill Belichick desperately needs to find his next Tom Brady. The Cam Newton experiment isn’t going to work because too many injuries have diminished his skills to the point that he’s a shell of the player he once was. Backup Jarrett Stidham has career backup written all over him. Belichick has four picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft to go with veterans who might fit a need in Jacksonville. I think the Jacksonville Jaguars have until April 29 to convince Lawrence they have a plan to make him successful but while they’re making their sales pitch they would be smart to listen because there are going to be numerous teams ready and willing to make a deal. A PITHY TUESDAY THOUGHT: Every Georgia fan I talk to seems convinced that JT Daniels will return to Athens to lead the Poodles to a national championship next year but what happens if he lights up Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl? He’s draft-eligible and there are enough NFL teams needing a QB that might make a late first or early-to-mid second rounder of him, particularly if he has a strong bowl game. Then there is 5-star Georgia QB recruit Brock Vandagriff. The memory of getting hurt and losing his job to Kedon Slovis at Southern Cal is still quite fresh on Daniels’ mind, plus he has to know that Kirby Smart may not want to alienate another stud freshman QB like he did with Justin Fields. The NFL might be beckoning more than you think and transferring out might not be out of the question either. Just saying.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: Wednesday is going to tell us a lot about both the football and basketball programs at the University of Florida. For football, the Cotton Bowl encounter with Big 12 Conference champ and 6th-ranked Oklahoma (8-2) will tell us if there is any hangover from losing on consecutive weeks to LSU and Alabama. Dan Mullen needs positive momentum heading into the spring and a third straight New Years Six bowl win will help to eliminate the bitter taste of those last two games. For the basketball team (3-1), Wednesday night’s road trip to Vanderbilt (4-2) will be the Gators’ first game since Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court at Florida State. The emotional toll that has taken on Mike White’s team was enormous. A solid outing and a road win in Nashville will be a sign that they’re recovering from the trauma. In the Cotton Bowl, the Gators will be facing an Oklahoma team that has allowed only 57 points in the last four games. The Sooners come into the game allowing only 333.6 yards and 21.9 points per game. Over on the offensive side of the ball, they’re averaging 41.8 points and 475.8 yards per game. Even though Oklahoma is a vastly improved defensive team, Florida figures to put points on the board. The Gators lit up Alabama for 46 points and the Crimson Tide had allowed only 53 points combined in its last 22 quarters prior to facing UF in the SEC Championship Game. As long as UF can keep Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask upright and healthy, the Gators figure to put enough points on the scoreboard even without All-America tight end Kyle Pitts. It’s the Florida defense that should be a concern. Oklahoma freshman QB Spencer Rattler threw four of his eight interceptions in the Sooners’ first two games. During the Sooners’ current six-game winning streak he has thrown for 16 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Oklahoma throws for 321 yards per game and runs for 154 so the Gators won’t be able to confuse Rattler by dropping seven on every play. Florida comes into the game allowing 28.6 points and 404.7 yards per game, the kind of numbers that are usually associated with a Big 12 defense. The Florida basketball team will not only be playing without its best player (Keyontae averaged 19.7 points and six rebounds prior to the FSU game) but also its team leader. Finding a replacement for the points and rebounds might be an easier task than replacing the leadership. Tre Mann (15.8 per game) and Scottie Lewis (12.8) are both capable scorers and Noah Locke (10.8) is one of the better 3-point shooters (47.6%) in the country. This might also be an opportunity for Louisiana Tech transfer Anthony Duruji to finally step up and start playing the way he did at LaTech. He has a 48-inch vertical and was a 12.2 per game scorer as a sophomore before transferring to UF. The emotional devastation of losing Johnson has probably been eased somewhat by his release from the hospital along with encouraging signs that his health is improving on an almost daily basis. What we don’t know is how the Gators will respond in tight situations without Keyontae, who has been the unflappable on the court the previous two seasons. We won’t know until Wednesday how the Gators will perform under duress without Johnson’s unflappable presence. The importance of both these games Wednesday night cannot be overstated. Lose them both and it’s not the end of the world, but coming away with a couple of wins would be a very positive sign moving forward. OVER, UNDER AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC ALABAMA: Nick Saban has posted 13 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins. If Saban gets 10 or more wins in 2021 he will tie Bobby Bowden for most consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins … Alabama (5-3) opens SEC basketball play Tuesday night against Ole Miss (5-1). ARKANSAS: Three seniors have already announced they will return to Arkansas for 2021. Center Ty Clary and left tackle Myron Cunningham are coming back but the best news was that linebacker Grant Morgan, second in the nation with 111 tackles, is going to return ... The Razorbacks (8-0) hit the road to Auburn Wednesday for their SEC basketball opener. AUBURN: At his first press conference as Auburn’s head coach, the first question was about Alabama and the Iron Bowl … Since losing two straight, Auburn (6-2) has reeled off five straight basketball wins. The Tigers face Arkansas (8-0) at home Wednesday night in their SEC opener. GEORGIA: Missing for Georgia’s Peach Bowl close encounter with unbeaten Cincinnati (9-0) will be opt-outs Ben Cleveland (RG), Tre McKitty (TE), Monty Rice (MLB) and Eric Stokes (CB) along with center Trey Hill. Georgia may be missing several players due to Covid-19 ... The 7-0 start for Georgia’s basketball team sounds better than it really is. The Bulldogs have beaten a number of homeless shelters and champions of the local inter-convent league. Georgia opens SEC play against Mississippi State Wednesday. KENTUCKY: Kentucky will be playing in the Gator Bowl, but win or lose, not that many in the Big Blue Nation will actually care. They are in a mild state of panic over what’s happening with the basketball team that is now off to a 1-6 start with SEC play set to begin Saturday at Mississippi State. Of particular concern is the play of 7-footer Olivier Sarr, the Wake Forest transfer who was supposed to be the answer in the middle. In the most recent loss (62-59 to Louisville) Sarr had one more point and one more rebound than a dead man. LSU: The way Max Johnson finished the season by leading LSU to wins over Florida and Ole Miss, you could see a quarterback exodus from Baton Rouge. Myles Brennan, who threw 11 touchdown passes in 10 quarters before he went down for the count with an injury, and freshman TJ Finley, who wasn’t nearly as effective as Johnson in the games he started, are thought to be prime candidates to enter the transfer portal … LSU (5-1) opens SEC basketball play Tuesday night against Texas A&M (5-1). MISSISSIPPI STATE: Despite their 3-7 record, the Bulldogs are only a 2.5-point underdog to Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl … The Bulldogs (5-3) open SEC basketball play Wednesday night against Kentucky (1-6). MISSOURI: Mizzou and the Music City Bowl will have to wait for another year. The virus has shut down all football activities, so the planned close encounter with Iowa in Nashville has been called off … Mizzou’s 14th-ranked basketball team (6-0) hosts 8th-ranked Tennessee (6-0) in the SEC opener for both teams Wednesday. OLE MISS: Matt Corral, who leads the nation in completions to the other team (14), will be going against an Indiana defense that ranks second in the country in interceptions (17 in seven games). Corral tends to throw interceptions in bunches – six against Arkansas and five against LSU. He has also thrown 27 touchdown passes. SOUTH CAROLINA: New head ball coach Shane Beamer is retaining four assistants from Will Muschamp’s staff along with director of player personnel Connor Shaw, who could be targeted for an on-the-field role. Retained are Mike Bobo (offensive coordinator/QB), Des Kitchings (RB), Tracy Rocker (DL) and Mike Peterson (OLB) … The Gamecocks (1-2) have had five basketball games canceled because of Covid-19. They are scheduled to face FAMU on Saturday if they have enough players to field a team. SEC play is scheduled to start on January 6 against Texas A&M. TENNESSEE: Unless this NCAA recruiting violations story has some legs that will allow the firing with cause of Jeremy Pruitt, expect him to be back for the 2021 season although he’ll be missing yet another QB. Joining Jarrett Guarantano in the transfer portal is J.T. Shrout. Don’t be surprised if both end up someplace where they are well coached and successful ... The 8th-ranked Vols (6-0) are the SEC’s only top ten team. SEC play opens Wednesday night with a road trip to 14th-ranked Missouri (6-0). TEXAS A&M: In the Orange Bowl, the Aggies (8-1) will be facing a North Carolina (8-3) team without three of its best players – RB Michael Carter (1,245 yards, 9 touchdowns), WR Dyami Brown (55-1,099, 8 TDs) and LB Chazz Suratt (91 tackles) … The Aggies (5-1) travel to LSU (5-1) for their SEC basketball opener Tuesday night. VANDERBILT: New HBC Clark Lea has yet to name any assistant coaches … The Commodores … The Commodores (4-2) are scheduled to open their SEC basketball schedule Wednesday against Florida. TACKLE FOOTBALL PLAYED SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE SEC One of the most amazing things that happened during the regular season was the way Coastal Carolina and BYU put a game together in a matter of days. Coastal’s game with Liberty was cancelled because of the virus on a Tuesday. By Wednesday, Coastal and BYU had agreed to play. By Wednesday afternoon, the equipment truck was rolling out of Provo and on its way to Conway, South Carolina for a Saturday night game that was won by Coastal 22-17. What that game showed me is that we don’t need to schedule college football games 10 years in advance. And, with bowl games being cancelled such as the Music City Bowl due to a Covid-19 outbreak at Missouri, it would seem to me that a few phone calls could produce a team that would be willing to play Iowa. Speaking of Coastal Carolina and Liberty, it will be difficult for any bowl game to be more entertaining than Liberty’s 37-34 overtime win in the Cure Bowl Saturday night. This isn’t a one-and-done for either of these teams, particularly with the NCAA ruling that nobody loses a year of eligibility this year. Both teams will retain most of their seniors for yet another year. Both will benefit from the transfer portal. And, both have their quarterbacks returning – Malik Willis for 10-1 Liberty, Grayson McCall for 11-1 Coastal. It seems more and more likely that Boise State is going to hire Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as its head coach. The 32-year-old Moore is considered to be the greatest QB in Boise State football history. If you want further proof that the College Football Playoff is rigged and needs to be overhauled, then take a look at the point spread for Alabama (11-0) and Notre Dame (10-1). Alabama is favored by 19.5 points. If the fourth best team in the country is a 19.5-point underdog to the number one team, then there is something seriously wrong with the system. In the other semifinal, Clemson (10-1) is a 7.5-point favorite over Ohio State (6-0). I think that spread is way too low. I think Clemson will blow the doors off the Buckeyes. FEELING PITHY ON A MONDAY: As the NFL regular season winds to a conclusion, there are expected to be numerous head coaches on the unemployment line. Already there are numerous reports that several teams are expected to make a pitch to hire former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. I think Urban will listen when they come calling but I have serious doubts that he’ll ever coach in the No Fun League. I think he’s quite content with his TV work which keeps him engaged in football without the hassles of recruiting. If he were going to coach football again, I think it would be a college job at a place where he knows (a) national championships can be won and (b) recruiting will all but take care of itself. He turned down Texas about three weeks ago and that’s one of the places I know he had circled as a job that all but recruits itself. He may get the coaching itch again, but I doubt it will be this year and I don’t think he would be happy dealing with prima donnas who play for pay and for owners like Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder.

SPECIAL TO GATORBAIT MAGAZINE Trask Named Finalist for the Heisman Trophy Trask becomes the fifth Heisman finalist in Gators history following record-breaking season GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy were announced tonight, and Florida’s Kyle Trask was among the four invitees for the 86th annual Heisman Trophy Ceremony Presented by Nissan, set for Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. with ESPN providing television coverage. The Heisman Trophy first established a group of finalists in 1982, making Trask the fifth finalist in Gators history, joining Emmitt Smith (1988), Danny Wuerffel (1995, 1996), Rex Grossman (2001), and Tim Tebow (2007, 2008, 2009). Florida’s previous three winners are quarterbacks Steve Spurrier (1966), Wuerffel (1996), and Tebow (2007). “It is a true honor to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. It just feels surreal to join the list of Gator Greats who have been named finalists for this trophy in the past,” Trask said. “I am so thankful to be in this position and without the help of my teammates, coaches and family, none of this would be possible.” According to the Heisman Trophy’s official website, the number of finalists for the award vary from year to year, with the only requirement being a minimum of three finalists. The site goes on to note, “whether or not more will be invited is determined by how close the fourth-place finisher’s point total is to that of the third-place finisher’s, how close the fifth-place finisher’s is to that of the fourth-place finisher’s and so on.” Although Shane Matthews finished fifth in the 1991 Heisman Trophy balloting, there were only four finalists that year. Since the award first named finalists in 1982, Matthews is the only Gators player who finished at least seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting and was not a finalist. In addition to Trask securing a finalist spot, Florida’s Kyle Pitts was among the top 10 players to receive votes, becoming the first tight end to finish in the top 10 since Norte Dame’s Ken MacAfee in 1977. Florida’s All-Time Finishes in Heisman Trophy Balloting Steve Spurrier, Quarterback (1965) – 9th Steve Spurrier, Quarterback (1966) – Winner Jimmy DuBose, Fullback (1975) – 6th Wes Chandler, Wide Receiver (1977) – 10th Emmitt Smith, Running Back (1987) – 9th Emmitt Smith, Running Back (1989) – 7th Shane Matthews, Quarterback (1991) – 5th Danny Wuerffel, Quarterback (1995) – 3rd Danny Wuerffel, Quarterback (1996) – Winner Rex Grossman, Quarterback (2001) – 2nd Tim Tebow, Quarterback (2007) – Winner Tim Tebow, Quarterback (2008) – 3rd Tim Tebow, Quarterback (2009) – 5th Kyle Pitts, Tight End (2020) – 10th By The Numbers – Trask’s Heisman-Worthy Season 46 – Total Touchdowns Nine more than any other FBS player in 2020 prior to bowl games Tied for sixth on the SEC single-season record list With three total touchdowns in the Cotton Bowl, Trask would join LSU’s Joe Burrow (65 in 15 games in 2019), Florida’s Tim Tebow (55 in 13 games in 2007), and Auburn’s Cam Newton (51 in 14 games in 2010) as the only players in SEC history with 49-plus total touchdowns in a season 43 – Passing Touchdowns Eleven more than any other FBS player in 2020 prior to bowl games Tied for third on the SEC single-season record list, trailing only Missouri’s Drew Lock (44 in 13 games in 2017) and LSU’s Joe Burrow (60 in 15 games in 2019) Tied for the eighth-highest total through the first 11 games of a season in FBS history Of the nine quarterbacks in FBS history with 43-plus touchdown passes through 11 games, the only three to accomplish the feat with fewer than 50 attempts per game are: Trask (37.2), Hawaii’s Colt Brennan in 2006 (48 touchdowns, 38.1 attempts per game), and Louisiana Tech’s Tim Rattay in 1998 (44 touchdowns, 45.5 attempts per game) Broke Danny Wuerffel’s school record of 39 from his 12-game 1996 season (although bowl stats were not counted for records prior to 2002, Trask also eclipsed Wuerffel’s bowl-adjusted season total of 42) 4,125 – Passing Yards Led all FBS players by 386 yards Ranks third on the SEC single-season record list, only trailing Kentucky’s Tim Couch (4,275 in 11 games in 1998) and LSU’s Joe Burrow (5,671 in 15 games in 2019) Marks the fifth 4,000-yard passing season in SEC history Broke Rex Grossman’s school record of 3,896 from his 11-game 2001 season (although bowl stats were not included, Trask only needs 20 yards in the Cotton Bowl to break Grossman’s bowl-adjusted total of 4,144) 375 – Passing Yards Per Game Leads the nation and is one of only two FBS quarterbacks averaging at least 340 per game On pace for the third-highest single-season average in SEC history, only behind Kentucky’s Tim Couch (388.6 in 1998) and LSU’s Joe Burrow (378.1 in 2019) On pace to break the school record established by Rex Grossman (354.2 in 2001) If Trask accumulates 441 passing yards in the Cotton Bowl, he will post the 26th season of at least 380.5 passing yards per game in FBS history 186.65 – Passing Efficiency Currently ranks third on the FBS single-season record list (minimum of 30 attempts per game) Ranks fifth in the FBS this season, but first among players averaging at least 30 attempts per game On pace to break Danny Wuerffel’s school record of 178.4 from the 1995 season 69.7 – Completion Percentage Currently ranks fifth on the SEC single-season record list (minimum of 250 completions) Ranks second in the FBS among players with at least 250 completions this season, and ninth overall On pace to break Florida’s single-season school record (minimum of 200 completions) established by Tim Tebow (67.8 percent in 2009) 7 – Games with Four-Plus Passing Touchdowns One of nine FBS players since 2000 with seven such games in a season Broke the single-season school record previously established by Danny Wuerffel (five in 1995 and 1996) Included two games of six passing touchdowns (at Ole Miss, vs. Arkansas), making him one of five SEC players in history with multiple games of six passing touchdowns in a season 5 – 400-Yard Passing Games Leads all FBS players Became the only SEC player since at least the start of 1996 with five 400-yard passing games in a season Broke the single-season school record jointly held by Rex Grossman (two in 2001) and Danny Wuerffel (two in 1996) Included two outings of 474 passing yards (vs. Georgia and LSU), which are tied for second on Florida’s single-game record list WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT TRASK Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson: What do you say to those who need convincing Kyle Trask has put together the best season in country by a quarterback? “I would tell them that I have some oceanfront property in Idaho to sell. I mean, what Kyle has done this season is absolutely remarkable, the amount of information that we put on him and his ability to play at a really consistent level throughout the course of a season has been exceptional. I can’t say enough about just how proud I am of him as a player, but even more so as a person. He’s just a great example for not only for the quarterback room in general, but just our program and how he has worked for his opportunity and made the most of it when he got it. Obviously, we have nothing to do with how people vote or what kind of accolades you get, but from my perspective, he’s been nothing short of amazing all season long.” Head Coach Dan Mullen: Make Kyle Trask’s case for awards? “Make a case, he leads the nation by far in touchdown passes, he leads the nation by far in passing yards. Hard to say anybody’s meant more to their team than Kyle Trask has to our team this year. So I don’t know, I don’t know what criteria people are looking for. If the Heisman Trophy is looking for somebody that is the best player that means the most to their team, most outstanding player in college football, I guess the guy that I think has a double-digit, I mean, double-digit lead in touchdown passes - double digit. Hard to say I think the record last year was set by Joe Burrow with 50 in a season, is that right? That sound about right? Four less game … huh … It was 60? Oh, he still has a long way to go, but Kyle’s played a lot less football game. And to do it all against SEC opponents. But I don’t know, I don’t have a vote for any of those awards. The all-conference team, I don’t know, there’s a bunch of different of all those things that you guys vote for.” It was coaches … “Oh, it was coaches? I guess that’s what people think of him. I don’t have a lot of those votes. But I think he’s well deserving. You talk about a guy who didn’t start in a high school game and you look at his career and what he’s been able to do. That’s an unbelievable story. Again, that’s for these people with these different awards to figure out what the award means to them.” Tight end Kyle Pitts finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting, the first tight end since 1977 to finish that high.

From here on out, Kadarius Toney is not to be compared to Percy Harvin. From here on out, Kadarius Toney is in a class of his own and deserving of his own categorization. And from here on out, if we see a Florida Gator with jaw dropping shiftiness and elusiveness, the question, “do you know who they look like” shall be followed with the choices of both Harvin and Toney. It’s human nature to compare; to provide ourselves some sort of reference for an uncommon sight. And Percy Harvin did set the standard during his time with the Florida Gators. When Head Coach Dan Mullen first arrived in Gainesville, he informed fans on his speaking tour they would likely be using the young Toney in the same way Harvin was used when Mullen was offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer. “Very similar to a Percy Harvin,” Mullen said at the time, “… [Harvin] played a lot of high school quarterback, came to Florida and ended up being a pretty good everything. If you know the offense we run, we’re going to use Kadarius in a lot of different ways similar to how we used Percy.” And Toney, understanding what Harvin’s name means in the echelon of college football, responded with appreciation. “It's kind of an honor, really, just to know what Percy did in the past and implementing that into today's game,” Toney told reporters after Florida’s win over Mississippi State in 2018. Still, Kadarius Toney came to Florida to chart his own path. Two years ago, he posted a picture on his Instagram page with a simple caption: Not Percy Harvin Now as Kadarius Toney prepares to close out his Gators career, he can leave Gainesville knowing he’s charted his own path, made his own name and leaves his own legacy. “I think when you look at the reasons for comparison are the playmaking abilities,” explained Mullen earlier this week, while previewing the No. 7 Gators upcoming Cotton Bowl game with the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners. “He’s a guy that when the ball is in his hands, special things happen. And you know, Percy, when you put the ball in his hands, special things happen. Kadarius, put the ball in his hands and special things happen. You know, it just so happens they played, their careers ended up rolling out, they played in a similar offense. I want to say we've evolved through the years so we're a little bit different than we were back then, but a very similar offense, so you can see the similarity in styles. But, KT is KT.” Already the most versatile player on the Gators roster, Toney elected to return for his senior year (2020) and chase a championship while also refining his game for the NFL. He always had innate talent and skill that couldn’t be taught. But coaches had long hinted that the reason Toney didn’t receive as many touches his 2018 and 2019 season was because the trust hadn’t been fully built. They never knew in any given moment what he would do; for that matter they still don’t know, but they needed to at least trust something bad wouldn’t happen. For Toney to put together better tape for the NFL, he needed to show league scouts and coaches as well he could be trusted. So that’s what he worked on this offseason. “I feel like I made a lot of strides through learning and practicing from Coach Billy Gonzales, just running different routes, different patterns, different ways to get open. I feel like I got more into that,” explained Toney following the Gators matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship. “Just a lot of mental preparation. Through the break, it was mental, locking in on the playbook, locking in with the coaches, getting extra maybe film sessions or something like that. I guess you could say it became natural through teaching…I learned that along with my mind, as long as I'm focused in other words, I feel like I can do anything.” Anything just about sums it up. Toney finished the regular season and SEC Championship with 1,451 all-purpose yards: 984 receiving, 161 rushing, 12 passing, 139 punt return yardage and 155 in kickoff returns, along with 12 touchdowns. And of course still made video game like plays as he went. “The one run I will never forget about K.T. is South Carolina, when he bounced back and forth between all those players and scored. I don't know how he even did that,” admitted receiver Justin Shorter this week. The human joystick had his most productive season yet largely because he learned not how to play receiver in spite of his elusive natural talent, but instead alongside it. That always seemed to be the biggest disconnect in Kadarius Toney’s game; the knowledge that he could be both precise and unpredictable, sharp while running loose like Gumby, fast and patient. It’s an evolvement that turned the most exciting player on the roster into one of the most dangerous weapons in the country, to the point he's been chosen as one of five finalists for the Paul Hornung Award, the Louisville Sports Commission announced on Wednesday. The Paul Hornung Award is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football. Fans can vote for Toney here. And with the evolvement came the trust for Dan Mullen to turn Kadarius Toney loose. “He’s always been such a dynamic playmaker,” described Mullen. "You put the ball in his hands and exciting things happen. But if you watch what he’s been able to do, his ability to understand the routes, be a great route-runner. He understands he has freedom within a lot of different routes at that position. “We give that position a little bit more freedom even than other positions within the route running, and he understands though the freedom that he has and doesn’t just freelance it, but he understands the defensive coverages and the looks that he has, and he has a great feeling of how to attack those different coverages and looks, and how to win versus the different coverage people are playing against him.” It’s rare for a player of Toney’s promise and magnitude to leave the state of Alabama. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban rarely loses an Alabama native that he wants. But he couldn’t hold on to the Mobile native Kadarius Toney despite his best efforts and while preparing for the SEC Championship last week, Saban had to give credit to the electric Toney. “He was an outstanding high school player. His quickness and ability to run jerk routes and change direction, get in and out of breaks, is fantastic. I just think he's a really complete player as a receiver, especially when he's in the slot. He's a difficult matchup, creates a lot of problems. We'd love to have him here, I can tell you that.” Toney finished with 153 receiving yards (his fourth 100+ yard game of the season) and a total of 211 all-purpose yards in the game versus the Tide. Through an all-SEC season, Toney helped create the nation’s No. 1 passing offense (the Gators average 388.4 yards a game through the air, the best mark in the country) and a potent attack that even baffles the man pulling the trigger, quarterback Kyle Trask. “If you look at the big picture, you just think of explosiveness. The amount of explosive plays we had this whole season, with all the guys that you named, it's unreal. I can't even imagine what it's like being a defense and you turn on the tape, we're winning all of our one-on-one matchups, making plays.” The trio of Kadarius Toney, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Tre Grimes was in fact explosive this season, to the point that the three gave the Gators the only trio in the country to have at least nine touchdowns and 500 plus yards, each. They set a new precedent together and each deserve recognition in their own right. And Kadarius Toney? As he prepares to close out his Florida Gators career, he deserves his own recognition, his own due and his own legacy. He’s earned that right.

Santa was all set to start wrapping up Dan Mullen’s gifts and flying them away to Gainesville when a last-minute encrypted message dropped down the chimney. We learned from an elf whistle-blower that a change was being made to Coach Mullen’s list due to a late report on behavior. “Sorry, but because Dan was a bit of naughty boy earlier this year, we are adding one gift and taking away one,” the whistle blower wrote. “He gets a bucket of sand with switches in it. And we are taking away the case of Terry Bradshaw Bourbon.” Others close to Mullen were stunned. “He is a paragon of integrity, a man of principle and he conducts his program in a very ethical manner,” said Tim Tebow, considered one of the most honest people in sports. To which Nick Saban responded: “What’s a paragon?” Clearly, said Mark Emmert, head of the NCAA, “there‘s some kind of skullduggery going on here. So there must be a penalty.” Which caused Judge Judy to respond: “I love the truth. If you don’t tell me the truth, you’re gonna be eating your shoes.” (She actually once said that.) This Heinous Crime called for an Elf Kangaroo Court, with the wisest Old Elf Presiding. He invoked the “Naughty-but-Nice” Santa Claus Clause, saying that while Dan had been a “naughty boy” for breaking the rules by hosting those high school recruits on campus, that his wife Megan’s report card was sooo good that her pristine conduct helped offset the deficit. And besides, he did a very, very nice job coaching the Gators in football. So we thought we’d intervene and finish off Dan’s list to Santa and help out with his Christmas gifts, plus a few other items he might like: 10. A Dale Carnegie course for dealing with officials. 9. A new Rolex with a stopwatch for keeping time in the final two minutes of a game and has a warning signal in case you actually bump into a recruit illegally. 8. Enrollment in a class at LSU Law School called “How to Cheat and Not Get Caught – Even If You’re Not A Cheater,” taught by the law school’s firm of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe. 7. Copy of the book “Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery” by Eric Franklin. (To be re-gifted to Todd Grantham). 6. An Autographed Copy of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run.” 5. Some new Halloween costumes to replace that Darth Vader outfit with something more friendly, depending on the post-game mood. (One of them should be a Mr. Rogers Cardigan sweater, and possibly Forrest Gump if the game was vs. Auburn or Alabama.) 4. Contract for a two-book sequel: 1. “How I Transformed The Transfer Portal Into A Horn-A-Plenty.” 2. “How I Went From Playing Tight End At Ursinus To The $6 Million Man at Florida.” 3. A nice big, fat check in his stocking from Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, Tim Tebow – and maybe Kyle Trask. 2. Emily Post’s etiquette book on the appropriate time for decorating your Christmas tree and stringing up lights. 1. A tee-shirt with the word “Cause” on the front so he can show it to the NCAA.