Uncertainty is the one certain thing the Florida Gators can count on in this season of complete and total uncertainty. Yet, even with all the things that have gone sideways to create an ongoing "what’s next" atmosphere, almost every goal the Gators had when the season began back on September 26 remains attainable. Uncertainty might be Florida’s constant companion but it hasn’t altered what can be achieved. Go figure. Now, with the season cranking up after a two-week Covid-19 caused hiatus, uncertainty remains the key word. How many players will head ball coach Dan Mullen have at his disposal Saturday? The SEC says the Gators have to have 53 available and Mullen feels certain there will be at least that many available, but even if Florida can dress out enough players it only takes one or two key absentees to throw a serious wrench into the works. Mullen can prep and plan for most anything but the virus is unpredictable. Some get it and they’re fine in two days. With others it lingers and still others get sick and stay sick for quite awhile. When the Gators take the field Saturday with however many healthy players Mullen has at his disposal, how many will be fully recovered and how many will be physically run down to the point their ability to contribute is limited? Then there are questions about the offense and defense for which we have to wait until the Gators take the field before we have answers. For example, what about the offense? It was humming along (42.3 points and 464 yards per game) and operating at the highest level of any UF offense since 2008 when the virus forced postponement of the LSU game (rescheduled for December 12) and forced a re-boot of the entire schedule. The Gators went 10 days without practicing when football operations were suspended prior to the postponement of the LSU game. Will they be able to find enough traction to get the offense firing on all cylinders against Missouri? Prior to the shutdown, there was exquisite timing between Kyle Trask (71.8% completions, 9.7 yards per attempt, 14 TDPs) and a bevy of receivers led by Kyle Pitts (17-274, 7 TDs) and Kadarius Toney (18-237, 4 TDs). Trask could throw with confidence knowing if he got it close to the target he would have a receiver there to catch it. Timing is everything, especially in the Southeastern Conference where it seems every defensive back runs like a gazelle and a split second usually means the difference between a big play or something bad. When the Gators take the field against Mizzou will Trask and his receivers still be on the same page? Will he throw accurately? Will his receivers run precision routes and see the ball all the way into their hands? The offensive line, shaky for so much of 2019, played well in the first three games (only four sacks allowed; Gators were averaging 7.61 yards per snap) and was just beginning to get the kind of cohesion that is necessary to dominate. Brett Heggie at center was playing the best football of his UF career. Grad transfer Stewart Reese was looking rather beastly and left tackle Stone Forsythe was playing with purpose and consistency. The entire O-line was improving game-by-game but O-lines require reps in both practice and games to maintain their timing and efficiency. That was interrupted. Rumors abound that the virus hit the O-line hard. If one or more starters either can’t play or they’re limited, will the backups be ready to do the next man up drill? Will they be able to protect Trask or open holes so Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis can carry the ball and get to the second level? Can the defense, which at its current pace will go down in Florida history as one of the worst (Gators are allowing 33.3 points and 495 yards per game), find its sea legs and start to get stops? Kyree Campbell, who missed the first three games for non-virus issues will be back at nose tackle. He is a presence on the D-line. Is he the steadying influence that has been missing? Can middle linebacker Ventrell Miller (averaging 10 tackles per game) find some help? Can Brad Stewart become that leader in the secondary that has been AWOL through the first three games. The talent is there and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and his staff haven’t forgotten how to coach so maybe the scheme needs tweaking and some personnel need to be shuffled. There was talk during the two weeks away that Grantham would simplify things, that maybe the schemes were a bit too complicated for a team that didn’t have a spring practice. Will a simplified scheme equate to stops on third down (Gators are allowing conversions 58.7% of the time and that ranks 98th out of 100 teams that have played a game so far)? Can the defense begin playing up to its potential or will it force the Gators to win every game in shootout fashion? Those are just a few of the questions for which Dan Mullen must find answers and he doesn’t have nearly enough time to contemplate what has to be done. At this point, with the Mizzou game looming followed by six consecutive weeks without an open date, Mullen must be wondering if there is enough bubble gum and baling wire to hold things together. This virus has thrown all conventional wisdom out the window. Mullen is dealing with a fluid situation that changes daily. And yet with all this unparalleled uncertainty, it remains possible for the Gators to win the SEC East and make it to Atlanta, knowing fully well that a win there will propel them into the College Football Playoff semifinals for the very first time. That much is certain. There is no smooth path to get there, but getting there isn’t an impossible task, just one that is very, very difficult. The loss to Texas A&M back on October 10 eliminated the goal of an undefeated season, but it didn’t alter the goal of winning the SEC East. The Gators knew all along that the road to Atlanta goes through Jacksonville, which means beating Georgia. On the same day the Gators lost on the last play of the game to the Aggies, Georgia was stomped by Alabama in Tuscaloosa. With one loss apiece, both Florida and Georgia know what will be at stake when they meet in Jacksonville on November 7. Getting to Atlanta will not be an easy task. Whereas the Gators have been hit hard by the virus, Georgia has yet to have even one player test positive. Either they are doing something very right or else they’re just lucky and biding their time until the virus makes its way to Athens. Should Georgia make it to Jacksonville having experienced no problems with the virus, the Bulldogs should have an advantage in terms of conditioning and strength. That isn’t to say Georgia can’t be beaten – by the time Alabama was finished with them, the Bulldogs looked like they had been assaulted and left in a ditch – because they can but whatever advantages the Gators had might be compromised due to Covid-19. Still, if the Gators arrive in Jacksonville with the roster back to full strength and the rust from missing those two weeks of games shaken off, this is a winnable game. Georgia might have a great defense, but that great defense was carved up and dissected by Alabama. Conventional wisdom tells us the Gators might be sloppy, out of shape and gasping for breath Saturday against Missouri, but Las Vegas, which generally has a fairly good handle on things, likes Florida by 13 points. Can a sloppy, out of shape and gasping for breath team beat Missouri by a couple of touchdowns? Can the Gators pick up where they left off offensively against a Mizzou defense that gave up more than 400 yards in each of its first three games only to find itself and hold Kentucky to 10 points and 145 total yards last week? Can the Florida defense force some punts? In three games opponents have only punted eight times. What is critical for Florida is to beat Missouri whether it’s a sloppy white knuckler, a shootout or a blowout. In the immortal words of Al Davis, “Just win baby!” Just win. That’s all that matters this weekend. Emerge with a 3-1 record and live to fight another day. A win won’t quell the concerns about this team but a win advances the cause. The virus shot holes in all the what could have been scenarios long ago. Right now it’s all about surviving and moving on to whatever is next, which, in this case, is Georgia. For the Gators to have a chance to keep one of their most important goals of all – getting to Atlanta – intact, then they have to go into the Georgia game with a level playing field. A loss to Missouri would mean the Gators have to beat Georgia next week and then hope and pray someone on Georgia’s remaining schedule (very weak after UF) gets lucky. The better option is for Florida to beat Missouri, then beat Georgia next week to shift all the pressure onto Georgia’s shoulders. It is do-able. The Gators can beat Missouri and that will give them a shot at knocking off Georgia and taking the SEC East for the first time since 2016. Starting with the shutdown of all sports last spring, Covid-19 has taken its toll on the Florida Gators. Three potential national championships – gymnastics, baseball and softball – were stopped dead in their tracks and spring football, which is so essential to player and team development was cancelled. In the months since, the Gators have dealt with nearly 70 football players and several coaches testing positive, the postponement of the LSU game and a rescheduling that altered the remainder of the season. Adversity has stuck to the Gators like superglue yet they’re still standing, still with their eyes on the Atlanta target. These next two weeks will go a long way toward telling us just how well the Gators manage adversity. The seven remaining games on the schedule starting with Saturday’s game with Missouri offer plenty of uncertainty. The one key certainty in all this chaos is the possibility of making it to Atlanta. In a season in which it seems each new week brings a brand new speedbump, uncertainty is the one certain thing the Gators can count on.

Twenty-five years in the industry, and Mike Morgan’s family still doesn’t have a firm understanding of what he does for a living. “I come from a family of artists,” Morgan says. “The gift of gab was something my family had, but they were never sports fans.” Meanwhile, Morgan grew up playing every sport under the sun and coming home to turn on ESPN instead of cartoons. It helped that Morgan grew up in West Palm Beach in the 1980s, while any football team hailing from Miami was wreaking havoc in its respective league. But turning his cheek to Dan Marino and Vinny Testaverde came easy. His brother had gone to school at Auburn, therefore, he had gotten a taste for the SEC. “I learned at an early age what SEC football was all about,” Morgan said. “I knew the history of Auburn-Alabama, I knew Johnny Majors at Tennessee… I knew just everything about that conference was unique.” And paired with his comfort in front of a camera or on a microphone, Morgan’s path to sports broadcasting unfolded before his eyes pretty quickly. When the time came to pick a university, the choice was pretty clear. Not only did it make sense economically to stay in-state, but the University of Florida had a state of the art broadcasting school (and still does, Morgan attests). And, to sweeten the deal, Florida had recently brought in a firestorm of a football coach in Steve Spurrier when Morgan arrived to campus. “I still find myself trying to explain to the younger generation what a Rockstar and what an innovator Steve Spurrier was at Florida,” Morgan said. Unlike most UF students, Morgan didn’t spend his time tailgating before the game or cheering in the stands during the game. Instead, he slaved away collecting content for the postgame show he might be hosting, or prepared for postgame interviews. Yet, he still got to watch the visor-donning mastermind revolutionize how football is played in the conference he grew up loving. “As someone who grew up watching SEC football, it was all about run, run, run… control the line of scrimmage, outrun your opponent, play nasty defense and that was the formula to win” Morgan said. Many members of the younger generation recognize that Spurrier won lots of football games and SEC titles at various stops throughout his career. However, many lack the understanding of just how big of an impact Spurrier had on the game of football as we know it. And now, just as we all do, Morgan gets to watch the post-Spurrier dance of college football on Saturdays. Except, he watches from the press box. Morgan joined ESPN in 2009, where he calls college football games, in addition to college basketball and baseball games for the SEC Network. "For SEC fans, having an announcer who knows about the league and has a lifelong background in the league, it just means more," Morgan says. Residing in Atlanta, Morgan was also found on air covering spring training games for the Atlanta Braves, as well as being the voice of the AAA Gwinnett Braves. However, he has since given that up to focus on television with the worldwide leader in sports. But on Saturday, Morgan will be in the press box of The Swamp calling the Florida-Missouri game. The same place where it all started. But first, a pit stop to Weimer Hall, the home of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications – the real place it all started. While in town, Morgan will stop by his old stopping grounds to offer wisdom to current telecom students at UF. After all, he has been in their shoes and remembers his time there fondly. “I was never in a fraternity,” Morgan says. “I was never all about that life. My fraternity were the broadcasting students I was working with. We all got to know each other well, we all hung out well, we all supported each other as we graduated and went looking for that first job. So that comradery, that fellowship is something that I cherish to this day.” And if you take a visit to Sonny’s BBQ in Gainesville this week, you might run into Morgan. Anytime he’s in town, he tries to pay the Gainesville-bred barbeque joint a visit. “We don’t have those in Atlanta. We don’t have those when I’m back home visiting family in West Palm,” Morgan says. “So whenever I’m in Gainesville, there’s always a mandatory stop at Sonny’s BBQ. It used to be The Swamp until they bulldozed that down. I’m running out of options that have been around for a long time, frankly.” Indeed, a lot has changed since Morgan left Gainesville and embarked on his journey as a sports broadcaster. However, there are some things that are the same. The SEC still means more. College football is Steve Spurrier football. The College of Journalism and Communications still carries a family-like culture. And Sonny’s BBQ still serves a mean pulled pork sandwich.

Missouri (2-2, 2-2 SEC) @ No. 10 Florida (2-1, 2-1 SEC) Location Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida Kickoff 7:30 p.m. Broadcast SEC Network Alternate On the call Mike Morgan, play-by-play; Hutson Mason, color commentary; Taylor Davis, sideline Vegas Line -13.5, Florida Setting the scene Missouri has always spelled trouble for the Gators. And after dropping Florida’s first game against Texas A&M two weeks ago, everyone on Florida’s roster must be ready to play on Saturday night. Missouri leads the series over Florida 5-4. And the two teams have won two games a piece in The Swamp. Missouri is coming off of two notable wins against LSU and Kentucky, while the Gators are playing catch-up after going 16 days without practice due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. Rosters Florida: Click Here Missouri: Click Here

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: My grandmother always told me that idle fingers made for idle minds. Just to prove my mind hasn’t been idle since taking a day off from writing to tend to family matters, here are a few of the thoughts that stormed the gates of my mind and demanded they be shared with the masses. (1) DOES 13 POINTS SEEM A TEENSY BIT TOO HIGH?: As of Wednesday night, the 10th-ranked Florida Gators (2-1) are 13-point favorites to beat Missouri (2-2) at Ben Hill Griffin Saturday night (7:30 p.m., SEC Network Alternate Channel). That seems a teensy bit too high to me given the Gators (a) weren’t able to practice for a full 10 days; (b) might not have all their personnel available including some starters; (c) have a shaky (at best) defense and (d) Missouri is coming off a game (20-10 win over Kentucky) in which it snapped the ball 92 times including 62 running plays. In Missouri’s first win of the season (45-41 over LSU), the Tigers threw it all over the ball yard (406 passing yards) and still ran the ball effectively (180 yards). In the win over Kentucky, it was time to pound the rock (220 yards) but they still threw effectively for 201 yards. Because they knew Kentucky couldn’t throw the ball well, Mizzou played eight in the box and dared UK to open things up. Will Missouri choose a similar ground and pound offensive strategy that worked against Kentucky while dropping eight into coverage and daring Kyle Trask to throw the ball? Can the Gators get Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis going in the running game to force Mizzou to play the receivers straight up? And, can Kyree Campbell make enough of a difference at nose tackle that the Florida defense shows signs of life? Since we won’t know answers to any of these questions until Saturday night, that 13-point spread seems awfully high. (2) LEAVING THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF STARKVILLE: So maybe you don’t have Starkville on your must visit bucket list but a lot of people who grew up in small towns in Mississippi think of it as bright lights, big city. The tallest building in town (Davis-Wade Stadium) can be seen from 30 miles out as you make your way to Starkville and Mississippi State from Birmingham. Obviously the lure of Starkville isn’t enough to keep a few more players from bolting Mike Leach’s program. With the announced departures of defensive ends Tre Lawson and Jamari Stewart and wide receiver Tyrell Shavers plus the expected opt out of running back Kylin Hill, Mike Leach will have lost eight players off the roster he began with back in August. Leach said two or three weeks ago that some players might need to find a new bright lights, big city to live in. It’s not clear if these most recent players are departing on their own accord or if they’ve been nudged out the door. (3) WILL THE REAL TEXAS A&M PLEASE STAND UP?: The Aggies (3-1) are ranked eighth nationally, mostly because they scored a 41-38 win over then 6th-ranked Florida. Are we reading too much into the Aggies’ success? They have unimpressive wins over Vanderbilt (0-3) and Mississippi State (1-3) and a 41-38 win over defensively challenged Florida that was an absolute gift. When the Aggies faced 2nd-ranked Alabama it was blowout city (52-24). Even though A&M played its safeties 30 yards off the line of scrimmage, the Alabama wide receivers still got behind them. Bama had little reason to run the ball that day because there was no way the Aggies could cover in the secondary. What we’ve seen so far is inconclusive. We don’t know if the Aggies are real or if they’re going to limp in at 7-3 when the regular season concludes. This weekend’s homer with Arkansas (2-2) could go a long way toward unearthing who the Aggies really are. If Barry Odom dials up a defense that reverts Kellen Mond into the indecisive QB of the last three years, then bet the farm the Aggies are way overrated. If they light up Arkansas, then maybe, just maybe they’re for real. And lest we forget, this is the Feleipe Franks redemption tour. If F-Square can avoid completing passes to the Aggies he might just have an upset in his quiver. (4) WILL MYLES BRENNAN BECOME LSU FOOTBALL’S VERSION OF WALLY PIPP?: For those of you unfamiliar with baseball lore, New York Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp asked manager Miller Huggins for a day off because he had been beaned the day before. Huggins inserted Lou Gehrig into the lineup who responded with three hits. Gehrig went on to play 2,130 consecutive games and Pipp went on to play three more seasons with the Cincinnati Reds before he retired. Fast forward to 2020 and college football. LSU quarterback Myles Brennan got hurt in the Tigers loss to Missouri. He’s still not able to play three weeks later so true freshman TJ Finley is the QB, coming off a rather auspicious debut in which he threw for 265 yards (17-21) and two touchdowns and ran for another. If Finley goes on the road and lights up Auburn this weekend will Brennan (1,112 passing yards, 11 TDPs) get his job back when he’s healthy again? Prediction: If TJ Finley retains his starting job, Myles Brennan and his family will become very familiar with the NCAA transfer portal. There will be many, many suitors. (5) BRAIN DEAD IN THE BIG TEN (PLUS FOUR): Big Ten (Plus Four) purists were hoping their opening weekend would drown out the talk that their commissioner and presidents would get knocked on their collective butts if an intelligent thought ever struck them. The first weekend giddies have been replaced by the sobering reality that no one bothered to come up with a Plan B in case Plan A didn’t work. Example 9th-ranked Wisconsin. The Badgers were scheduled do a roadie to Nebraska this weekend but last week’s record setting QB Graham Mertz (20-21 passing, 248 yards, 5 TDPs) tested positive for Covid-19 so per Big Ten directives, he’s out for 21 days. Then came the news that the backup QB also tested positive and Wednesday, it was revealed that six players and six coaches including head coach Paul Chryst are now in quarantine. So the road trip to Nebraska has been cancelled. If this were the SEC then the game would be re-scheduled for December 12, the universal makeup date that commish Greg Sankey inserted just for such occasions. But that is smart and nobody to my knowledge has accused the Big Ten (Plus Four) brain (dead) trust of being smart. There is no makeup date possible in the league’s eight-game schedule and with the mandatory 21-day quarantine, Wisconsin’s entire season could be torpedoed, especially if the virus has spread among the team and coaching staff. It is entirely likely that there will be other cancellations in the Big Ten (Plus Four) in the next few weeks and there will be no way to make up the games because the people in charge had no backup plan. Imagine if Justin Fields tests positive and has his Heisman campaign derailed or there is an outbreak of the virus that forces Ohio State to shut down for three weeks? (6) SPEAKING OF OHIO STATE …: The mighty Buckeyes travel to Penn State Saturday for what looked like the game of the year whether it was played on its original week seven or in week two. Penn State took a powder against Indiana while the Buckeyes were steamrolling a bad Nebraska team, which is why the Nittany Lions are now a 12-point home dog. Judging by the preseason hype that has been re-booted now that the Big Ten (Plus Four) is playing football again, the mighty Buckeyes are the next thing to an No Fun League franchise. So what happens if Penn State kneecaps them Saturday night? That might be a very clear signal that (a) Ohio State wasn’t nearly as good as advertised; (b) Penn State was looking ahead to the Buckeyes last week when they lost to Indiana; and (c) the Big Ten (Plus Four) as a whole isn’t nearly as good as the hype. (7) LIFE IN THE FUN BELT: Coastal Carolina (6-0) might be the only unbeaten team in the Fun Belt Sun Belt, but the Chanticleers (that’s a big rooster that is king of the barn yard) are only 3-point favorites at Georgia State Saturday. Obviously, the gamblers in Las Vegas question whether Coastal can stop a Georgia State offense that is averaging 42 points a game and features a stud freshman QB in Cornelious Brown IV. On paper it looks like the Chanticleers could go down in flames, but Coastal already has blown out Arkansas State (which beat now 16th-ranked K-State of the Big 12) by 30 and Louisiana (which beat now ranked 23rd-ranked Iowa State) on the road in Lafayette. I like Coastal by more than the three … Appalachian State is a mere 31.5-point favorite to make life miserable for Louisiana-Monroe … Louisiana is a 16.5-point favorite to dispose of Texas State. Louisiana coach Billy Napier is going to be on a number of hot lists. (8) A FEW OTHER COLLEGE FOOTBALL THOUGHTS: Southern Miss lost its head coach Jay Hopson after game one when he “resigned” (which is a kind way to say he was allowed to say he quit when in fact he was forced out). Earlier this week interim coach Scotty Walden resigned to take the head coaching job at D1AA Austin Peay. Southern Miss would love to hire Liberty’s Hugh Freeze, who is a USM alum, but Liberty plans to do whatever it needs to do to keep Hugh in Lynchburg. The smart move for USM would be to go after Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who is definitely ready to be a head coach … The folks in Michigan think they have their answer at QB in Joe Milton, who prepped at Orlando Olympia … I’ve watched 7th-ranked Cincinnati (4-0) twice. The Bearcats are pretty good, but 7th nationally? I don’t think so. I think they have a real shot at losing this weekend against Memphis (3-1) … UCF (3-2) leads the nation in total offense (646.8 yards per game) … Just in case you’re holding your breath, the Pac-12 doesn’t begin playing tackle football until next weekend. A PITHY THURSDAY TO YOU TOO: Former Gator Carlos Dunlap has gotten his wish. Thanks to a trade Wednesday, he won’t be seen in that varicose pumpkin helmet the Cincinnati Bengals wear and instead will be dressing out in the navy and lime green of the Seattle Seahawks. One fashion statement to another and with a potential Super Bowl to boot. Dunlap has 82.5 sacks in his pro career ... I thought Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash yanked starting pitcher Blake Snell way too early Tuesday night in the deciding game six of the World Series. Through 5-1/3 innings Snell had allowed two hits and had struck out nine Dodgers … Deebo Coleman of West Nassau High School committed to play basketball for Georgia Tech and Josh Pastner Wednesday. The only question is why? He’s too good to be playing there and Pastner should have been fired long ago … I keep wondering what the course at Augusta National is going to look like when the Masters tees off on November 12. In the spring when the tournament is traditionally played, it’s the most beautiful course you can imagine. The grass might be green in a couple of weeks but I have to wonder if the species of azaleas will be in bloom. Of course, they’ll also play some golf and I predict someone not named Tiger Woods will win.

Florida Gators Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham met with local media on Tuesday to discuss changes in the defense, how they can grow from the A&M loss and returning Kyree Campbell. As a valued subscriber of GatorBait Magazine, we are offering you this transcript in full. How are you holding up? “I’m good, man. Making it. Getting in shape.” I know that you guys were planning on possibly shifting some guys around coming out of that A&M game. With the two weeks off, what did that do in terms of implementing those changes? “We didn’t get to practice much, so it didn’t really help you from a preparation standpoint as far as practicing. It allowed us to go through kind of a self-scout deal, look at things we’ve done, the players that we have available, which we always try to do to say, ‘What are the best match-ups for us to be successful?’ And really try to implement the players we’ve got relative to that. It’s really about a match-up, trying to get our best 11 relevant  to the situation on the field to be successful.” Do you see more potential somewhere to generate more disruption? Are you seeing places where you guys can generate more disruption in general? “I think the biggest thing when I look at everything, we want to play to the standard that we have the last two years. No. 1, we have to improve our physicality, and I don’t just mean in the front. I’m talking about across the board in everything we do. That means tighter coverage, contested, physical at the point, just really improve our physicality as a defense in general. And then the next thing is as opportunities present themselves, we’ve got to make plays. You can say play zone, play man. At the end of the day, as routes distribute, everything becomes basically a one-on-one deal. So, we have to be able to make plays in our one-on-one match-ups. When opportunities present themselves, we’ve got to make plays. As you’re not really playing to maybe the standard that you want, you’ve got to make sure you do your job. I’m saying you can’t start trying to do too much. Do your job and do what you’re expected to do. And the last thing is play with energy and effort. When our guys look at everything that we’ve done, those things they’ve really bought into. I’ve been pleased with the two days of practice that we’ve had. And just try to emphasize the physicality, making plays when they’re there to make. And just doing our job and always playing with the effort and the physicality that we've kind of set for the last two years to be successful. That’s really what we’ve got to do, to continue to do those things, and as we do those things, plays will come.” How much of a boost will the addition of Kyree Campbell be? “Well I think any time you are able to add someone that’s played a couple of years within the system and the SEC it helps. I think any time you can add a veteran guy it’s good.” With all the distractions, do you find yourself shuffling things around depending on when someone will be back, how much have you altered depending on who is there to work? “You know it’s kind of like baseball. You know my son plays baseball. You know you’ve got to be able to hit the curve ball. You know what I’m saying? You know when you get the curveball. You know it’s not always the day before. It might be 30 minutes before practice. As things present themselves to you, you take the players available and you work to get them better. Our guys have done a good job of that and we’ll continue to do that. We understand that we’re not in a normal situation and things are going to come, but it’s how you handle the adverse situations that allow you in the long haul to be where you want to be and do what you want to do. So that’s what we want to impart on our guys, you know, when your opportunity comes you get a chance to go and make plays and do what you’re supposed to do. So we’ve really kind of adjusted as the situations have forced us to do. Sometimes it can be maybe a day in advance and sometimes it may be 30 minutes before. Whenever that happens, you just have to adjust to it.” How is your son doing in Starkville? “He’s doing good. He’s finding out that being a college athlete is a lot of work between baseball and academics and all of that. They’re in fall ball. I think they have the world series going on now. I’ll have to see what the score is.” Have you changed philosophically in your coverages or dialing up pressures? “Nah. Yeah, each team is its own and honestly no different than when I was at Mississippi State when we were 10th in the country and last year when we were 10th. You know we really haven’t changed. Quite honestly sometimes you feel like as you move forward and progress, you have better answers. It’s always about what’s the answer to what’s happening and doing those kind of things. You know the thing that can be frustrating you feel like from a preparation standpoint you are ready for the situations that come up because, you know, some of the people that we played, we played a couple times and you kind of get a feel for what's getting ready to happen and you want to have some things that you can adjust to and go to. And, you know, that probably ends up being the most frustrating thing from that standpoint. At the end of the day it's about getting lined up playing with physicality, we talked about doing your job and consistently giving effort on each play and embracing the grind of what we're doing right now. And really that's about it but as far as changing. We really haven't changed anything and what we're doing. I personally think we actually have made better answers than say two years ago to certain things. We just got to continue to work and let that success come about." What have you seen from Missouri's offense? "Well the thing about them is I think their head coach does an excellent job with their offense. They've kind of won two games two different ways, meaning you know they're kind of ground and pound against Kentucky and really kept the ball from Kentucky's offense and basically, you know, really out physical and went and did it that way. And then in the LSU game, they were really to be able to score with some shots — explosive plays — and get into a shootout, you know, so they've actually won the last two games two different ways. So I'm sure that gives them confidence so you understand that don't have confidence. You know there'll be a challenge their running backs are excellent. They're obviously the strength of their team and what they can do. You know, so we've got to understand that and we've got to play our style our brand, and, and, and play with the physicality needed to be successful." Does anything hold you back from playing more freshmen? "No, I mean you earn your reps to practice and, you know, we have guys that are playing and earned their reps, and we like a lot of our young guys. And as we continue to, you know, play the games and have our roster and see who is available, who we may or may not play, you know, it's just based upon who's available and, and the style of offense we're going to see, you know whether guys play or not. We're developing guys every day, and we'll continue to develop guys, and as guys earn those reps we'll put them in the game.” What have you seen from freshmen as the season has gone on in terms of development? "I think those have done a good job, and when you look at each guy, each guy's going to be at a different level where they are. So, we evaluate that, where they are. And as they're ready to play and have success, we want to do that. I mean, the worst thing to do is to put someone in there and they're not ready and they don't have success, then you have a confidence issue. So, I've always been a guy that I'd rather play him a week late than a week early from a developmental standpoint to make sure they're ready, so we'll continue to do that based on what we see in practice." What has been different about practice? "I don't think anything necessarily is different than a two-week, other than the fact that you haven't done anything for two weeks. You know, so there's a little bit of rust with tempo and understanding a routine. You know, I think we're all creatures of habit and understanding, like, hey, like Monday's first, second down day. You know, here's we're doing this period, you know, Tuesday, we got inside run. Those kind of things and you kind of get that routine as the season goes and all of a sudden, you have a layoff and you have to get back in your routine. You know what I'm saying? And I think today's practice was much cleaner and better than yesterday. And it's like, we told the guys we're really trying to work ourselves ready to play Saturday, you know what I'm saying? And we got to get better and develop every day to be ready for the challenge that we have on Saturday. So, I think the biggest thing is, as a coach, as a player, you have a routine. And Monday means this, Tuesday means this, you kind of get into here's a call we're going to have relative to the situation. Well, when you get that layoff, you may have something that you may only call twice in a week because it doesn't show up. If you called it for the last eight weeks, so you kind of have some continuity or some carryover. Well, when you have that 14-day lag, some of those things can be new again, you kind of got to refresh it. So really it's just trying to get back into routine to allow us to be ready on Saturday." Have you noticed any conditioning issues? "Not really, just because we do try to play a lot of players, and we try to get guys a lot of reps. I think that we do a good job of having our two-deeps ready to play, so you're not really getting as many reps as you may think. And I really haven't noticed guys needing to tap out relative to the rotations that we have." What's the message to the guys about getting off the field? "Yeah, we mean, it's pretty simple. You got to be able to get off the field. I mean, the thing about that game against Kentucky is there were a lot of fourth-down attempts by Missouri. And we've talked about that before, we're, you know, it's like Game 7 of World Series, NBA championship. You've got to close guys out. And I don't think it'll be any different this week, as we'll have to make plays and understand what the situations are and go make plays and get off the field. I think it's a mindset that we've addressed, so we're looking to other challenges on Saturday." Did you see a guy that could emerge as a force to lead the defense? "I think we're always working to create one-on-ones and the matchups you're talking about. And as those guys get those matchups, we're looking forward to guys making plays and flashing like that."

Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen met with local media on Monday for the first time in almost a week. He talked about life post the Gators COVID-19 outbreak, how the team can respond and what to expect from the Missouri Tigers. As a valued subscriber of GatorBait Magazine, we are offering this transcript in full. Opening Statement: “Good to be back in the office today. We’ve got practice this afternoon, so we’re kind of getting back into our routine and our schedule that we get ready for game week. Obviously, a big opponent with Missouri coming up. Team had a dominating win last week. Have already had a big win over LSU this year, so, obviously, an excellent football team. Should be a big challenge for us, as we get ready to go.” Was one of your players hospitalized last week for Covid-19? "I'm not going to confirm or deny anything, I mean I don't get into medical records of players and what goes on, just like anything. I'm not going to say yes or no on anything as far as medical records and stuff. But we feel that, again, we have not had tons of, really, a whole lot of major issues or anything that we've seen be really serious to this point." Where do you anticipate coming back from this long layoff? What's the challenge? "Yeah, you know, I think just getting back into the flow of the game routine here. We haven't, it's been two weeks since we've practiced, it'll be three weeks between games. That's not kind of a normal deal. Usually when you have that break, you're playing a bowl game but you have a very different, set schedule and different organization, different planning. So, you know for us, just getting our guys back into regular game week routine, we'll try to do that today." Does it almost feel like you're restarting the season? "Not really, because we've played some games already so we're kind of beyond that part of it. You know, and I mean, basically, this is right around where we were going to have a bye anyway. So, you're kind of treating it as coming off the bye week, is kind of how I view it. Of, you know, we're coming back from a bye week, is kind of where we're playing it as." HOW YOU FEELING, WHAT WAS LOW POINT FOR YOU? WHAT ARE PROTOCOLS FOR GETTING BACK OUT ON DAY 1? "Yeah, I mean, the uh... one, thanks, I feel pretty good. Rested. Uh, for sure. For what we've done, I don't know. Low point? I guess being isolated in your house and not being able to see your family, that was probably a low point. You know? My symptoms were pretty minor, thankfully. Really didn't have much for me, that deal. Protocol? Well, we'll let everybody know who's available on Saturday, like we've done throughout the year that way. So for us, just kind of the same protocol we left with that we're doing. We're still trying to look at all the different ways of how it occurred, which you know it occurred during the trip, during playing a road game, which always, we knew that coming into the season was going to be one of your biggest challenges of how you manage all that, so we'll look at that. Fortunately for us, you know, we've got a couple of home games. We have two road games, really, left this season. Traditional road games. So we have some time to make sure we try to organize some things and look at some different options for that moving forward. But our protocol for home games will be pretty consistent with what it's been." ANTICIPATE HAVING ENOUGH GUYS TO PRACTICE TODAY? "Oh yeah, we'll figure it out. Right? I mean we should have, what, I think you need 53 is what they say? The league says if you have 53 you've got to play. I'm sure we'll have 53 guys ready to play." OFFENSE IN RHYTHM, WORRY ABOUT GETTING THAT BACK DURING LONG LAYOFF? "I mean we've got some veteran players, so, you know, for those guys, just uh picking it back up and getting going. Fortunately when you have some older, veteran guys it helps, I think, getting that going. But we'll see. We're playing an excellent defense. You saw that, I think Kentucky only ran 36 plays in the game. You're playing really one of the top defenses in the league, so that will probably be more of a challenge than anything else: the quality of the defense that we're playing." How close to full strength when resume practice? “We’ll see. I don’t know. I’m not going to get into any of the specifics to that stuff.” Do you know when last positive test? “Yep. Saturday." How many players registered to vote, schedule changes to ensure players can vote? “We have early voting in Florida. So unfortunately the NCAA put in that rule that if during a game week you can’t practice that day. So we did have a lot of things plan within our team that now we can’t do any team activity that day, so unfortunately no. We did voter registration, so everybody on our team is ready to vote. It’s very unfortunate the NCAA kinda decided to implement that rule. I think it makes it harder for the guys to vote by not practicing that day.” View of SEC up-and-comers Mizzou, Arky? “I don’t know. Each coach, each program you look at it differently how you build a program. Missouri’s been a solid program. Had some ups and downs, but they’ve been pretty solid for quite awhile. I know Arkansas has gone through a downswing, got a new coaching staff bringing some excitement, bringing some energy, brought in a quarterback that has won a lot of games, knows how to win. When you look at that, that certainly has helped them. I think in this league there’s a lot of talent in the league. One of the things that makes the Southeastern Conference maybe different, pretty much every team expects to compete for and win a championship in the league. I spent a lot of years at Mississippi State and people told me we weren’t supposed to win and we did win there. I think if you just look at the programs that have been built. The quality of  coaches, the quality of players and very similar maybe to the NFL is probably the closest thing to that. Certainly, if you look at the number of players that come out of the league and go to the NFL, the quality and depth in the league is that way so that every week if you don’t bring yourA game, you’re not going to win. That’s really been the landscape for me for quite a long time for right now. You can’t really just roll the ball out there and expect win week in and week out. No matter who you are, you’ve got to bring your a game is you want the opportunity to win.” Carlos Alvarez being saluted: “Obviously, has a great a legacy, been around the program, has a lot of pride in the program. I never got to watch him play; I think that was before my time. So never really got to see him play much, but I know he’s always been a great ambassador for the Gators.” Time off wrinkle your desire to make changes on defense? “Uh, no, we’re going to keep looking at different things. I mean, obviously, it gave you time to really kind of research it, spend some time on it and find ways to make sure our best 11 guys are out there on the field at all times and make sure we’re putting guys in the best position to be successful to go play. I think it gives you just that opportunity to kind of look at the roster, look where everybody is and making sure we’ve got the guys in the right position and doing the right things.” Biggest thing you want to see at this point? “I just want to see consistency to play. To me, that is a big part of it, watching our consistent effort, consistent performance on the field, our physicality. As I said, I saw some positives. I saw us doing some things better from one week to the next over the first three weeks of getting back to being kind of normal defensively, I think slowing down. We want to see guys react today at practice and to make sure we’re kind of taking care and doing all the little things the right way: the effort to the ball, the technique, fundamentals, make sure we’re fitting our gap and that as a coaching staff, like I said, that we’ve put the guys in the right positions to make plays. It’s one thing to say, ‘OK, you draw up a play and this is what we need done.’ If the guy you’re asking to do it, if you’re asking too much of somebody, that’s not good defense. It draws up great on paper, but the guys that you’re asking to do have to be able to do what we’re asking them to do as well.” Could you elaborate on why it would be more difficult for players to vote if they have day off on Tuesday? “We had a big thing set for the whole team to do a team vote. So, we had a big thing that we’ve had to cancel now because we were going to do a whole team-vote deal and bring the whole team together to go do that. We’re not allowed to do the organized team activities that day now.” How do you go about what your players were able to accomplish during the time off in quarantine? “I guess they got some rest.” What about Zoom meetings, etc.? “Yeah, we did some Zoom meetings.” How much do you have hone in players’ focus with so much going on (coming back off layoff, new uniforms, etc.?) “I mean, it’s game week, you know what I mean. That just is what it is. You’ve got to make sure we’re doing that. For us, for the coaches – and we talk about it – we had a team meeting this morning, getting prepped, getting mind back in, just like I said, coming off a bye week. Treating it as kind of coming off a bye week even though it’s like a double bye, you’re just still coming off the bye week to get back into the game routine, get back into the game schedule, you know, and get ready to go. I don’t get caught up in too much with all the different – the uniforms that we’re wearing and all of that stuff. Those are fun, cool little deals, but, you know, the biggest focus for us is getting into our routine and getting ready to go play.” What did Kyle Trask show you in that game two years ago against Missouri when he got a chance to show what he was capable of? “You know, I just think his preparation. He constantly prepares so he is ready to go when he gets his opportunity to get on the field. He’s done that throughout his whole career, so that when you put him out there, he’s been prepared for his opportunity and we expect the same. He kind of prepared when he wasn’t a starter to be ready to go to get on the field and when he got his opportunities he showed that he was ready go do that. When he became the starter, he did a great job of preparing for each game each week so that when Saturday comes he’s ready to go play at an extremely high level and give everything that he has on the field. We talk about that. A lot of it comes to, you now, that we can control our effort and our preparation and we can control our attitude, all the little things we can control, he does a great job of controlling what he can control so he’s prepared to go play Saturday.” How involved have you been with the defense making personnel changes? "A little bit. I'm not telling them what defense to run. I just have gone through some things, like I normally do. And I just want to make sure that we're doing the right thing. I come in more as a challenge than, 'This is what we're doing.' I'll come in and kind of challenge what we're doing to make sure that we're confident that we're doing it the right way, more than coming in and telling people what to do." Have you identified ways to create more turnovers? "Yeah. We always want to do that. We're going to be a very fast, physical, aggressive defense and cause issues. But the offense, they did a good job of ball control last week. But, I mean, everybody is different. You go into a game plan, their game plan was that: to control the clock, control the time. Usually Kentucky is that team. They're usually running the ball and controlling the tempo and having the time of possession. Missouri was able to kind of flip the scale on that to go the other direction. But if you look at it, we gotta do a good job of getting off the field, whether it be third- or fourth-down conversions. Do a good job of getting off the field. We gotta be efficient offensively, because if they're going to play that type of game you're not going to get many possessions. So it looks like kind of as the year has gone, that's how people have played us to really slow games down and limit the number of possessions we have. So that calls for you to have great offensive efficiency as well with how the game plays out." Usually work on fundamentals during a bye. How much was accomplished on Zoom? "Yeah. You didn't have the opportunity to do that with guys because you missed out on so many practices. You missed a whole week of game practice and then you missed another whole week of bye week practices, so we've missed a whole bunch of practice opportunities." SEC protocols calls for a four-day reacclimation period? Eat into your practice week? "There's a build up with that. You have certain guys that can build up and do certain percentages of workouts each day." Met with the team this morning, enthusiasm level? Eager? “Yeah I think everybody’s really excited, ready to get back after it, ready to get back to football, you know. I think after not playing, I think that is something that is big within the team right now, is that ability to get back out on the field, get back to doing football, you know what I mean. This year’s been kind of a unique year like no other, with stops and starts, and different schedules, and kind of everything going on. Our guys, I thought, have handled everything extremely well throughout the year, so I think they’re going to be really excited to get back out there on the practice field today, hopefully it is. It’ll be, I don’t expect us to come out there and have certainly our sharpest, most crisp practice of the year, but I do expect us to have great energy, excitement and enthusiasm to be on the field to be back out there to get going as we kind of build up to Saturday.” You were rolling along a few weeks ago well with the virus, you said consistency was key in life, you feel this was breaking from consistency? “I think, what we’re always worried about is when you look at travel, right, and you’re going to take our kind of bubbled group that we have, and you look at the environment through the months of July and August and through September, we had three minimal things, so obviously what we were doing was working, you’re with very few positive cases, unfortunately you end up going on the road and then you’re adding in, you’re adding in a two-and-a-half hour plane ride, you’re adding in bus trips to and from the hotel, you’re adding in pre-game meals, and usually the hotels are not quite as big, and the spacing, as it is at home, so you’re in a tighter meal environment. You’re adding in a visiting locker room –– I don’t know if you’ve been to many, it’s not like the NFL where they have standards, right, of the home and visitor locker room. A lot of times, the visitor’s locker room, when you’re in there, it’s about a quarter of the size, so basically, when you travel right now, you’re going to put your team, there is no social distancing. You’re putting your same number of people in 25 percent of the space, you know, when you’re in there on the road. So we always knew the travel was going to be a concern and an issue for us, and we were trying to evaluate, and we got through game 1 without an issue. We had some concerns in game 1, we had a couple things that we did and we were kind of able to get through it, so we thought ‘OK, we’re heading in the right direction even with that, with the road game’ and unfortunately all of those things, when you add those all up, all of those different combinations, you add that up, and you throw the virus in the middle of it with obviously someone having it on the team, or at least maybe 2 people I’m guessing have it on the team, and then you put it in to that environment, you’re going to get a spread, especially when for us, with a team we’ve had so few numbers. I think there’s a lot of people out there that have had these large numbers of guys already have it, so you’re not seeing a spread anymore because they’ve already had it. We’ve had so few numbers that have had it that it was able to spread throughout the team, where a lot of I think other teams, my understanding of the league, we’re still on the low number I think of total positives with people. It was my understanding, our trainer said there’s still teams that have a lot more positives than we even do now. So when you’re looking at that aspect of things, you know they’re not testing that many guys, they’re not doing that, so the concern of that spread was much greater for every road game.”

Florida Gators Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson met with local media on Monday to discuss quarterback Kyle Trask staying focused over the two bye weeks, finding a way to progress virtually and keeping up an offensive rhythm. As a valued GatorBait subscriber, we are offering this transcript in full. Had a good offensive rhythm before the outbreak, what is the biggest challenge to recapture that? I think the biggest thing is having that excitement and ready to go play and trying to get a sense of normalcy. Obviously you have to throw, catch, block and not hurt yourself with procedural penalties. You just have to be clean with your preparation, have a great week of practice and get ready to perform at a high level on Saturday. What did you tell Kyle Trask? The biggest thing is making sure that we try to continue our established routine as much as possible in terms of our preparation: what we’re watching, how we’re studying, watching ball, watching tape that are not us. Just trying to.. just trying to stay sharp. He is pretty easy in that respect? Yeah absolutely. He loves football. He was fine. We obviously had our virtual zoom meetings and we got the chance to go over some things in terms of what we do. I think we got some stuff out of it. How difficult will it be going through preparation not knowing who will or will not be available? I think..we..football players, football coaches are all creatures of habit. Our schedules are exactly the same now. We just finished practice, so luckily we have had the chance to go through the routine of how to prepare for a game week. So I don’t think that should be difficult in terms of what we’re doing. We just have to make sure that we have a great week of clean practice. Everybody is organized and energized and making sure we are putting players in the position to go out there and be successful out there on the field. Do you foresee a lighter game plan? We will be full systems go in terms of finding ways to do what we need to do in order to go win the game. We are playing a very good team and we go to the ready to go, so I’m excited and looking forward for our guys to go out there and play on Saturday night. What goes through your head during a COVID outbreak with a wife and three kids at home?  "Yeah. Um, you know, very nerve wracking. Certainly, um, yeah I think the biggest thing is I, you know like, well, 2020 has been a very, very unique year, and no one's really been exempt from that, including a football program. So you know I think the biggest thing is, is making sure that you're just trying to be as diligent as possible. Masking up, taking care of yourself. And, you know, and really just protecting the people that you love and protecting—really protecting everybody so, um, you know, fortunately, you get a chance to kind of sit back and reflect; we had two weeks off to reflect on the whole deal but, you know, luckily, we're all back and for the most part, everybody's recovered well and healthy and getting guys out on the field, getting the chance to do what they love and play football.” Make it easier to come back from this having a veteran offense with Kyle, O-line, receivers. And secondly,  what makes Missouri tick on defense?  “Um, you know, our guys love football, and I think, you know, we got some smart guys who have played a lot so certainly I think that helps in terms of putting in a game plan and having it organized and putting those guys in a position to be successful. And to answer the second part of your question, Missouri is, they have an excellent scheme. I think Ryan Walters does a great job of putting guys in position to make plays. He does a great job of scheming looks to look similar pre-snap and having great post-snap movement. They're very active; slippery, they don't stay on blocks. So they I think they do, they do a great job, and like I said they've won games in shootouts and they’ve won games where they held people to 36 plays like they held Kentucky to last week so we definitely are looking forward to getting out there and competing against those guys on Saturday night." What kind of pressure on offense knowing that Mizzou controlled the ball so much versus Kentucky? “You know I think we have to do a great job of understanding that each game takes on its own identity. They played LSU 45-41 and they played Kentucky and it was 20-10. You know, games will be won many different ways. The biggest thing for us is to control what we can control, focusing in on each and every possession. I think generally in offensive football you never want to waste a possession to begin with. I think you go out there with every drive with every mindset hoping to score a touchdown. How much of going through spring practice prepared you for the last two weeks? “I think the biggest thing is, certainly everyone got a PhD in Zoom. Just the ability… you know I give a lot of credit to Drew and our video crew. Those guys did a phenomenal job of having all of our stuff organized so that we could work from home and be able to watch and get a lot of good work done over the break, not only as a staff, but positional groups also. It definitely helped in terms of everybody being able to navigate the virtual learning experience. It’s kind of like it was for us during the majority of the spring and the majority of the summer.” Who were the teams you watched? “The biggest thing we did was obviously spend that time and kind of self-scout. Essentially it was our bye week. So, you want to have a great understanding of what you’re presenting to the other team as well and what you’re doing. But also you’re watching other guys on offense and seeing what they’re doing. Watching NFL teams, seeing people trying to put together the puzzle in different ways and anything you like you can steal.” The puzzle of 22 isn’t that what you call it? “Yeah, that’s it.” Renewed enthusiasm getting away from all this COVID stuff and getting back to football?  “Yeah, I think that was huge. For me personally, I enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces for the first time in two weeks and just get the chance to get that personal interaction face-to-face. But I think definitely for the majority of our guys, it was. … they were very pleased to get out there on the field and excited to get out there and go out there and compete.” In terms of the practice, was it as sharp as you would expect or did it look like guys hadn’t played football in two weeks?  “No, it was good. Guys had really good energy. Caught well. Blocked. It was kind of business as usual.” Just want to go back to Kyle. I’m sure two years ago against Missouri you already had an idea what he was capable of. What specifically in that game did that show you about what he’s capable of? “The biggest thing is it highlighted just how well he prepares. You knew what you could call whatever in the game plan and he would be able to execute it. And you know, he’s practiced well. Trask, because we’ve seen him so much in practice, there was never really any doubt in terms of how he would do when he got out there on the field. He’s an extremely intelligent guy. He works really hard. He’s a really good football player.” Emory Jones has been out, any difference in his preparation? “Yeah I don’t think so. Emory’s great. I really enjoy coaching him. He’s got a great temperament, great demeanor, works really hard, studies his tail off with the gameplan and he’s always ready to play. So, I’m excited to get out there and watch him contribute.”  Reaction of players back out there, I’m sure this was hard on them? “I think they were excited to get back to playing football and have some sense of normalcy. 2020 has been a strange year for everyone. For those guys to get a chance to do what they love is something that obviously can’t be taken for granted. It was good to get them out there and see everybody.”  Do you worry about these guys and keeping balance in life, mental focus? “Absolutely. You know I love everybody in my position group. I treat those guys as if they are my family. I know from experience that having a great relationship, having a great relationship with your players is bigger than football. These relationships last longer than the four or five years that they’re here. You have to obviously understand they’re people first and they’re dealing with 2020 just like everybody else. Certainly, there is a human element to that and I think it’s wise to acknowledge it, make sure that your door is always open and ready to serve.” What did Kyle Trask do in order to maintain during this time? “I think the biggest thing was just us, with our zoom meetings, starting to go over a little bit of Missouri over the course of the zoom and introduce what they do defensively. I think that was probably the best thing we could have done for them. Obviously their bodies got a chance to rest and get healthy and do some of those things but they were able to meet virtually and do some football as well.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: “It just goes to show you it’s always something. If it isn’t one thing, it’s always something else.” – Roseanne Rosannadanna First it was the virus which forced postponement of the LSU game until December 12. Then came the quarantine which along with Covid-19 related issues at Vanderbilt forced SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to reshuffle Florida’s football schedule, meaning the Gators will have to play seven consecutive weeks without a break. And now comes the aftermath of the two weeks off in which the Gators have to prep for a Missouri team that comes in hot with consecutive wins over LSU and Kentucky. Okay, maybe LSU isn’t the LSU of last season and Kentucky certainly looked inept on both sides of the ball in losing to Mizzou last Saturday, but at least the Tigers got in a game last weekend. The 10th-ranked Gators will be playing for the first time since their 41-38 loss to Texas A&M and while it’s possible they might be somewhere close to full strength – at least from a numbers standpoint – there is also the chance they will be somewhere north of the bare minimum 53 players the SEC says you have to have ready to suit up in order to play a game. Dan Mullen didn’t exactly sound like he has any kind of a handle on just how many players the Gators will have ready Saturday when Missouri (2-2) takes the field in Gainesville. “I think you need 53,” Mullen said at the first Monday press conference he’s held since October when he was talking about an impending road trip to Texas A&M. The league says if you have 54 you have to play. I’m sure we’ll have 53 guys ready to play.” How many and how ready are questions that will probably take all week to answer. Mullen said the Gators were excited to get back out on the practice field, but practice and all football-related activities have been shut down since October 14. Who’s to know how many players will be cleared to play, how many still have the virus and how many may have lingering issues such as fatigue. Mullen questioned just how sharp the Gators could be when they took to the practice field. “You missed a whole week of game practice and then you missed another whole week of bye week practices, so we’ve missed a bunch of practice opportunities,” Mullen said. And as if that’s not enough, the Gators won’t be able to practice next Tuesday as they prep for Georgia because it has been mandated by the NCAA that everyone has to take the day off to vote. In the immortal words of Roseanne Rosannadanna, “It’s always something.” THE LANE TRAIN TAKES A $25,000 HIT The Southeastern Conference did what Lane Kiffin expected Monday, fining the Ole Miss coach $25,000. Considering Lane makes just south of $4 million a year, it’s not like he’s really going to miss the money, but in this case it’s the principle of the matter, not the amount of the fine. Yes, it’s against SEC rules for coaches to complain in public about the officiating. It’s not an unsound rule. Theoretically, if coaches are allowed to call out the zebras then it will make it extremely difficult to hire good officials. Most officials are in the game because they love it and not for the money, which can be more than $30,000 a year for the good ones. That’s not bad for weekend work in the fall months. The problem is the officials make far too many mistakes. Most of them are overturned on replays in the booth but then you get games like Auburn-Arkansas and Auburn-Ole Miss. In the Auburn-Arkansas game, the mistake was blatant and it definitely cost Arkansas a win. It was a far more subtle mistake in the Auburn-Ole Miss game when a kickoff apparently touched Auburn’s Shaun Shivers. Ole Miss recovered in the end zone, but it was ruled Shivers never touched the football. Television replays convinced the SEC Network announcing crew that Shivers had touched the ball, but the zebras didn’t change the call. When Kiffin asked about it, the explanation was the play had been briefly reviewed and the call stood. Ultimately, it cost Ole Miss the football game. Monday, the SEC issued a statement that admitted the play should have gotten extensive review which is the equivalent of saying, “Gee, we goofed. Too bad it cost your team a victory.” This is the same kind of idiotic answers we always get when officials blow critical calls. Late to his own Monday press conference because he was getting an explanation from the SEC office about the decision on the field and the fine the league was about to levy on him, Kiffin said, “I really wish for our players, for our fans, that they could hear what I was just told. I think they deserve to.” I’ve been writing sports for the majority of my adult life (and I’m old!), much of it spent writing about football in the Southeastern Conference. I can’t remember a time when the officiating was as bad as it has been in the past few years. I’m not talking about bad calls perceived against the Florida Gators, either. I’m talking about bad calls in games played by just about every team in the conference. Zebras blow the call. The SEC issues a goofed again statement and everything is expected to be fine and funky. The same zebras are calling games the next week as if nothing happened. Only everything isn’t fine and something did indeed happen. The officiating doesn’t get better and we keep hearing the exact same lame goofed again excuses. I’m at that point where I wish there were coaches willing to speak out even though they know they will get fined $25,000. The worst paid coach in the league makes nearly $3 million a year so while $25,000 is a lot of money, even to someone in the multi-million tax bracket, it’s not like paying the fine will put them in the poor house. Perhaps by speaking out about bad officiating, some young and up and coming official might think twice about staying in the profession. On the other hand, if the coaches sufficiently embarrass the league and call out an incompetent official, then maybe the SEC will actually do something about it. MORE RUMBLING, STUMBLING AND BUMBLING IN THE SEC #2 ALABAMA (5-0): Alabama has the receivers to make up for the lost production of Jaylen Waddle, who is gone for the year with a broken ankle. Alabama replaces exceptional wide receivers every single year so it’s no big deal. The place where it’s a big deal is in the punt return game where Waddle consistently made a difference in field position. In three years, Waddle returned 39 punts for an average of 18.76 yards and two touchdowns. ARKANSAS (2-2): The Razorbacks’ surprisingly good defense took a hit Monday when corner Jerry Jacobs announced he is opting out the rest of the season. Jacobs was in on 17 tackles, which ranked seventh on the team. AUBURN (3-2): True freshman running back Tank Bigsby is the lone bright spot in an otherwise dull Auburn offense. Bigsby is 74-432 (5.34 per carry) running the ball with three TDs. Can someone explain why it is Auburn has the fastest receiver in college football in Anthony Schwarz and yet he’s averaging only 8.89 yards per reception? Has anyone at Auburn figured out it’s legal to make a vertical throw to a really fast guy? #5 GEORGIA (3-1): Stetson Bennett IV is still Georgia’s quarterback according to Kirby Smart, who said Monday, “Stetson is still repping with the ones, taking reps.” Not exactly a powerful, confidence-inspiring statement but Bennett isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring after his second half performance in Georgia’s loss to Alabama. Georgia fans would love to see a change, but there is every good chance that Bennett is the best they have, in which case they have a game manager and not a playmaker who’s going to win close games with his brilliant play. If Georgia fans wish to watch great quarterbacks from the state of Georgia, they should tune in to watch Ohio State’s Justin Fields or Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. KENTUCKY (2-3): Mark Stoops has listed both Terry Wilson and Joey Gatewood as his potential starting quarterback for Saturday’s game with Georgia. Kentucky is averaging an SEC low 124 passing yards per game. LSU (2-2): Myles Brennan’s status remains questionable for Saturday’s road trip to Auburn, which means true freshman TJ Finley could get his second straight start … LSU has suspended starting left tackle Dare Rosenthal indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-3): Mike Leach hasn’t decided on who he starts at quarterback Saturday against Alabama, either grad transfer K.J. Costello or true freshman Will Rogers. The two of them have thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (7). MISSOURI (2-2): The Tigers are coming off a game in which they snapped the ball 92 times (30 passes, 62 rushes). When Mizzou travels to Florida this weekend, the Gators can expect a steady dose of running back Larry Rountree III (85-396, 3 TDs), who has back-to-back 100-yard games to his credit. In his career against the Gators, Rountree is 36-185 rushing for four touchdowns. SOUTH CAROLINA (2-3): The Gamecocks were blown out 52-24 by LSU, in part because they gave up a pick six, a kickoff return for a TD and missed three field goals. Take away the 14 those 14 they gave up and add three field goals to their total and it’s a 38-33 game. Of course, if frogs had wings they wouldn’t bump their butts every time they jump. TENNESSEE (2-3): Tennessee has lost three consecutive games by a combined 81 points, which might have something to do with why Vol fans find it curious that HBC Jeremy Pruitt says he’s got the program going in the right direction. When you’re in year three and going in the right direction you don’t get blown out three straight games. Three years ago, the Vols could have hired Greg Schiano, who’s back at Rutgers where he got a 38-27 win over Michigan State, the Scarlet Knights’ first Big Ten win in three years. #8 TEXAS A&M (3-1): With Alabama and Florida behind them and Georgia not on the schedule, the Aggies have a legitimate chance to finish 9-1. With the distinct possibility whoever wins the SEC East having two losses, the Aggies could very well find themselves very much in the playoff picture as an at-large team. VANDERBILT (0-3): The Commodores are allowing 33.7 points and 451.7 yards per game. Their offense (8.7 points per game) gets to go against the horrendous Ole Miss defense this week, but the Ole Miss offense could hang 50 on the Commodores. A VERY PITHY TUESDAY MORNING: Several mock NBA Drafts have LaMelo Ball, younger brother of Lonzo and son of LaVar Ball, going to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the first pick. LaVar is certifiable. Are the T-Wolves so desperate they would choose to deal with LaVar meddling? Just as the Lakers, who were all too happy to trade Lonzo to the New Orleans Pelicans get LaVar out of their hair ... As we near the midway point of the NFL season, it’s quite clear that Tom Brady (now with the Bucs) still has some football life and that Cam Newton (now with the Patriots) is on life support. The Bucs could make the Super Bowl. The Brady-less Patriots could battle the Jets for the rights to draft either Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence … As expected Arizona has requested that the NCAA’s case against its basketball program and head coach Sean Miller be turned over to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. This is a court-like procedure that supposedly lacks the potential for prejudice of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Considering Zona has been hit with nine violations, six of which are Level I (the worst), they’re going to need a successful “if the shoe don’t fit, you got to acquit” defense. By the time the NCAA gets through with LSU, Zona’s record six Level I violations will be in serious jeopardy.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: If the 10th-ranked Florida Gators (2-1) had been able to practice last week, you might feel a bit more confident heading into Saturday’s matchup with a very surprising Missouri (2-2) team that will arrive in Gainesville riding the momentum of a most unexpected two-game winning streak. Since all football operations have been shut down for about 10 days there are far too many variables in the Gators’ equation, especially on the defensive side of the football. Over on the offensive side, Dan Mullen has a veteran quarterback in Kyle Trask who ranks sixth nationally in passing efficiency (quarterback rating of 196), sixth in passing yards per game (332) and seventh in touchdown passes (14). Mullen has the nation’s best tight end in Kyle Pitts (17-274, 7 TDs), the SEC’s most versatile offensive weapon in Kadarius Toney (18-237, 4 TDs receiving; 5-60 rushing) and a veteran offensive line that might see Ethan White (6-5, 335, SO) return from injury this week. With so many veterans who were playing at such a high level when Covid-19 forced back-to-back open weekends, the offense seems the least of Florida’s worries heading into the Missouri game. Defense? That’s a different story. Had they been able to practice last week, coordinator Todd Grantham might have been able to implement some personnel and scheme changes. Because the Gators start game-week preparations today, it’s going to be very difficult to make a lot of changes on the fly, particularly against a Mizzou team that threw it all over the ball yard to beat LSU and then ran it right down Kentucky’s throats to win that one. Of course, there is also the matter of who’s available and who’s not coming off of quarantine. How many were false positives? How many had the equivalent of the sniffles or a mild cold? How many recovered quickly? Are there players still in quarantine? The Gators should have no problems meeting the SEC minimum of 53 available players but even if they’re at full strength will there be lingering physical issues from this shutdown? The earliest we’ll know any of those answers will be at Mullen’s midday press conference. ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 POLL (1) Clemson 6-0; (2) Alabama 5-0; (3) Ohio State 1-0; (4) Note Dame 5-0; (5) Georgia 3-1; (6) Oklahoma State 4-0; (7) Cincinnati 4-0; (8) Texas A&M 3-1; (9) Wisconsin 1-0; (10) FLORIDA 2-1; (11) BYU 6-0; (12) Miami 5-1; (13) Michigan 1-0; (14) Oregon 0-0; (15) North Carolina 4-1; (16) Kansas State 4-1; (17) Indiana 1-0; (18) Penn State 0-1; (19) Marshall 5-0; (20) Coastal Carolina 5-0; (21) Southern Cal 0-0; (22) SMU 5-1; (23) Iowa State 3-2; (24) Oklahoma 3-2; (25) Boise State 1-0 COACHES TOP 25 POLL (1) Clemson 6-0; (2) Alabama 5-0; (3) Ohio State 1-0; (4) Notre Dame 5-0; (5) Georgia 3-1; (6) Oklahoma State 4-0; (7) Cincinnati 4-0; (8) Texas A&M; (9) FLORIDA 2-1; (10) BYU 6-0; (11) Wisconsin 1-0; (12) Miami 5-1; (13) North Carolina 4-1; (15) Oregon 0-0; (16) Kansas State 4-1; (17) Penn State 0-1; (18) Marshall 5-0; (19) Indiana 1-0; (20) Southern Cal 0-0; (21) Coastal Carolina 5-0; (22) Iowa State 3-2; (23) SMU 5-1; (24) Oklahoma 3-2; (25) Army 6-1 RUMBLING, STUMBLING, BUMBLING IN THE SEC #2 ALABAMA (5-0): Jaylen Waddle broke his ankle early in the win over Tennessee so it’s next man up for the Crimson Tide. With Waddle gone, John Metchie III (7-151 receiving vs. UT) steps into the #2 receiver role and Slade Bolden (6-94) becomes the #3. Alabama won’t miss a beat in the passing game, but is there anyone who can be as explosive as Waddle in the return game? Mac Jones was 25-31 for 387 yards and Najee Harris was 20-96 with three TDs running and 6-61 receiving. Next week: vs. Mississippi State (1-3) ARKANSAS (2-2): Can Barry Odom come up with another defensive game plan that frustrates a QB? In scoring the Razorbacks’ first two wins over an SEC opponent since 2017, the Hogs have force 11 turnovers (4 vs. Kentucky, 7 vs. Ole Miss). The task will be a bit more daunting this week because Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond has thrown only two picks and both of them were in the Alabama game. Next week: at #8 Texas A&M (3-1) AUBURN (3-2): Officially what happened Saturday at Ole Miss will go down as an Auburn win. Realistically, it’s the second Auburn time this season Auburn has won a game because the SEC zebras and replay crew blew a critical call. Ole Miss was leading 28-27 with 5:43 remaining in the game. On the ensuing kickoff the ball hit the hand of Auburn’s Shaun Shivers. Television replays were seemed to indicate the ball hit Shivers but the zebra crew said no and told Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin the play was briefly reviewed. I can’t wait for the SEC explanation. Next week: vs. LSU #5 GEORGIA (3-1): In his first game of the season, former Georgia QB Justin Fields went 20-21 passing for 276 yards and two TDs while running for 54 more plus another TD in the Ohio State’s blowout win over Nebraska. Meanwhile back in Athens, former Georgia walk-on Stetson Bennett IV is the QB and Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels is riding the pine because he can’t beat Bennett out. Do you think Kirby Smart looks back and wonders what might have been? Next week: vs. Kentucky (2-3) KENTUCKY (2-3): What the Wildcats’ 20-10 loss to Missouri told us is (1) the UK defense isn’t nearly as good as it appeared to be the two previous weeks and (2) if Kentucky hopes to have a decent season then it’s time for Mark Stoops to find himself a new QB. Defense – or lack of it – first. The Wildcats couldn’t get off the field. Mizzou snapped the ball 92 times, including 60 rushing plays and held the ball for 43:10. Terry Wilson (3-9 for 35 yards against Mizzou; -2 yards rushing) was worse than bad. For UK to have a chance to win games against even mediocre teams they have to throw the ball decently and Wilson can’t do it. It’s Joey Gatewood time in Lexington. Next week: at #5 Georgia (3-1) LSU (2-2): ESPN announcer Dan Wischusen and analyst Dan Orlovsky were so enamored with the play of true freshman QB TJ Finley (17-21 passing, 265 yards, 2 TDs; 8-24 rushing, 1 TD) Saturday night that they think he should retain the starting job even when Myles Brennan returns from an injury. All Brennan has done in three games is throw for 1,112 yards and 11 touchdowns, with three consecutive games of more than 300 yards, the first time in LSU history that a QB did that in his first three starts. Next week: at Auburn (3-2) MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-3): Will a week off be all Mike Leach needs to figure out who’s playing quarterback from here on out? K.J. Costello has thrown 10 interceptions in four games and hasn’t averaged more than 5.3 yards per completion since that opening win over LSU. Freshman Will Rogers has thrown more interceptions (2) than touchdowns (1) and averages only 4.9 yards on his 33 pass attempts. Next week: at #2 Alabama (5-0) MISSOURI (2-2): Expect the Tigers to try to do against Florida what they did against Kentucky, which is play defense with their offense. Mizzou ran the ball 62 times against UK with Larry Rountree III, the SEC’s most underrated running back, carrying 37 times for 126 yards as part of a 220-yard team effort. That kept Missouri’s defense fresh. They only had to play 36 snaps, allowing just 145 total yards. Next week: at #9 FLORIDA (2-1) OLE MISS (1-4): Lane Kiffin might bet fined by the SEC for re-tweeting a fan going off on SEC officiating which had plenty to do with the Rebels’ 35-38 loss to Auburn. The tweet read, “Y’all are a disgrace @SEC your officiating is absolutely atrocious. If y’all want to just keep gifting Auburn wins, just say it.” Next week: at Vanderbilt (0-3) SOUTH CAROLINA (2-3): Following South Carolina’s 52-24 loss to LSU, HBC Will Muschamp said, “We got outcoached and outplayed.” The biggest problem for the Gamecocks is at quarterback where Collin Hill is an immobile statue in the pocket (sacked five times by LSU) who doesn’t make quick decisions with the football, therefore missing opportunities to hit open receivers. Since this season won’t count against eligibility Muschamp needs to make the move to Ryan Hilinski. No sense in saving him and he can’t do any worse than Hill. Next week: Open TENNESSEE (2-3): The good news is that Jarrett Guarantano went an entire game without throwing a completion to the other team, threw two touchdown passes and he wasn’t sacked a single time. The bad news is he’s still the Tennessee QB and the Vols have lost three straight games. Teammates want freshman Harrison Bailey. Late in the game against Bama, HBC Jeremy Pruitt inserted Brian Maurer into the game, not Bailey. Was that because Pruitt didn’t want Bailey injured by Bama’s defense or was it a purpose message to his team that he, not they, will decide who’s playing QB? Next week: Open #8 TEXAS A&M (3-1): The Aggies could stake a claim to having the best offensive line in the country through the first half of the season. They’ve given up only one sack for -2 yards while the running game averages 5.34 yards per carry and the passing game is good for 250 yards per game. Next week: vs. Arkansas (2-2) VANDERBILT (0-3): The good news for the Commodores is they didn’t play the last two weeks so they couldn’t lose. Their race to an oh-fer continues Saturday when they serve as a get well game for Ole Miss. Next week: vs. Ole Miss (1-4) THEY PLAY FOOTBALL OTHER PLACES THAN THE SEC Louisville’s 48-16 poleaxing of Florida State tells us two very important things: (1) Reports of Florida State’s resurrection from the dead are tremendously exaggerated; and (2) the Always Climpson Conference is not very good. Regarding point number one, this is a bad Louisville team that lost by 19 to the same Georgia Tech team that beat Florida State and lost to Climpson 73-7. Louisville ran for 291 yards (threw for 278). As far as point two, there is Climpson and there is a very good but not great Notre Dame (5-0) team and a 5-1 Miami team that looks very good but only because it’s in the ACC. The other 12 ACC teams would have problems beating anyone in the SEC not named Vanderbilt. Today’s winner of the Peter Principle Award is Mike Locksley at Maryland. He’s a fine assistant coach, coordinator and recruiter. He’s abysmal as a head coach and in way, way over his head. The Yertles (if that’s over your head brush up on your Dr. Seuss) got hammered by Northwestern, 45-3. Hugh Freeze put the squeeze on his alma mater Saturday as Liberty (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 56-35 kneecapping of Southern Miss. The Southern Miss people are hoping that Hugh will come home and rescue the program at the end of the season. Can you imagine a state with Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach, Hugh Freeze and Deion Sanders as head coaches? Speaking of Deion, he’s the coach at Jackson State, which just got hit with two years probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations prior to his taking the job. Graham Mertz, who completed 20-21 passes for 248 yards and give touchdowns in Wisconsin’s win over Illinois Friday night, has tested positive for Covid-19 per a couple of newspaper reports. If confirmed, Mertz will have to miss a minimum of 21 days per the Big Ten’s Covid-19 protocols. Coastal Carolina (6-0) continues to lead the Fun Belt and is the league’s only ranked team (20th). Fun Belt purists will argue that the league is 3-0 overall and 2-0 against ranked Big 12 teams (16th-ranked Kansas State and 23rd-ranked Iowa State). HOW PITHY CAN ONE GET ON A MONDAY?: Saturday night I wanted to watch the Cincinnati-SMU game on ESPN2. Beth Mowins was doing the play-by-play. I had to watch without sound. I would rather deal with fingernails on a chalkboard instead of listening to her … I don’t like Colin Cowherd at all, but I give him credit for this tweet: “I give @Vol_Football fans credit. Haven’t been a legit title contender for over two decades but they never stop believing 1998 is pulling into the driveway any day now.” … With Dak Prescott done for the season and Andy Dalton probably in concussion protocol, the Dallas Cowboys need a QB in the worst way. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to make a deal with the Saints for Jameis Winston would they? … The Tampa Bay Rays will have to win two in a row over the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series after losing 4-2 in game five Sunday night. If you saw the last two innings of Saturday night’s 8-7 win by the Rays then you know miracles do happen.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: Another Saturday and no Florida football but there is hope on the horizon. The Gators will open up football operations on Monday with as they begin preparation for Missouri coming to Gainesville on October 31. The Gators will have to have the SEC minimum 53 players available for Mizzou but the hope is that UF will be somewhere close to full strength as reports indicate none of the players or coaches affected by Covid-19 are seriously ill. The big questions for UF heading into Monday will be about conditioning and defense. With football ops shut down, nobody has been in the weight room or out on the practice field for the better part of two weeks. Conditioning seemed to be an issue particularly in the fourth quarters of the first three games. If the Gators return to the practice field in fairly good condition, then they should be able to pick up timing on the offensive end rather quickly. The defense? That’s another story altogether. Will two weeks off make Florida’s troubled defense two weeks better? A friend texted me this Thursday afternoon: “The Gators are expected to score a win over Open Date this weekend if the defense can get a fourth quarter stop.” My response: The defense can’t be any worse than it has been the first three weeks can it? SOOTHSAYING IN THE SEC #2 ALABAMA (4-0) at TENNESSEE (2-2): It has been exactly 5,116 days since Tennessee last beat Alabama. Phil Fulmer was the Tennessee coach and Alabama was coached by Mike Shula. Much has changed since then. Alabama has won six national championships with Nick Saban as the head coach and Tennessee is on its fourth coach since Phattus Maximus was fired. Ironically, Fulmer is now the AD at Tennessee and the guy who hired current coach Jeremy Pruitt, the same Jeremy Pruitt who fired his defensive line coach during last week’s beatdown at the hands of Kentucky. Last Saturday night, Saban and the Crimson Tide destroyed Georgia, 41-24. That’s the same Georgia that ho-hummed its way to a 44-21 win over the Vols. Alabama comes into this game averaging 48.5 points and 561.3 yards per game. What that tells us is Tennessee is in very serious trouble. The Sayer Says Sooth: The Vols made Georgia’s Stetson Bennett IV look like the second coming of Joe Montana. Imagine what that crack defense will do against Mac Jones, who is averaging 13.2 yards per pass attempt. Texas A&M played its safeties 30 yards off the line of scrimmage and Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie still got behind them. And when Mac Jones isn’t heaving it deep Najee Harris (499 yards, 11 rushing touchdowns) will run over them. And lest we forget, Jarrett Guarantano (0 TDPs vs. Alabama in three previous years) will be the QB for the Vols. Alabama is a 21-point favorite. It won’t be that close. Alabama 56, Tennessee 14 AUBURN (2-2) at OLE MISS (1-3): If Matt Corral completes passes to his own team instead of to the other team Ole Miss can score enough points to win this game. If the Ole Miss defense plays the way it’s been playing through the first four games, it may not matter how many passes Corral completes to his own guys. To help out that beleaguered defense, Lane Kiffin has moved three players from offense to defense. Offense is never a problem for the Lane Train when they’re throwing the ball to the same team. Meanwhile there is the Gus Bus, which can’t seem to figure out how to get the ball in the end zone. Auburn’s defense has been erratic at best, largely because the Tigers can’t seem to defend the pass. Gus Malzahn is clearly on the hot seat so this is a game he has to win, which means he better get the offense going and his defense better figure out how to stop people in a hurry. The Sayer Says Sooth: Lane Kiffin can lose this game and they’ll still love him in Oxford. Gus Malzahn can lose this game and they’ll be ready to run him out of Auburn on a rail. A week ago, Matt Corral couldn’t handle the zone defense Barry Odom threw at him. Expect the same this week only this week Corral needs to eliminate the turnovers. If he can do that, then Ole Miss can win this game if the defense can get a couple of stops. Auburn doesn’t have to play a perfect game to win but if the Tigers can’t play better than they did last week they could be in deepest and darkest. Ole Miss 41, Auburn 34 KENTUCKY (2-2) at MISSOURI (1-2): Kentucky’s formula for winning this game is run the football (206 yards per game) and force turnovers (nine interceptions in the last two). When it comes to throwing the football Kentucky ranks dead last in the SEC (142.5 yards per game). Can Missouri stop the Kentucky running game (Tigers allow just 3.66 per carry) and force the Wildcats to throw it? And when the Tigers have the ball can redshirt freshman QB Connor Bazelac avoid throwing interceptions? Expect the Tigers to load the box to try to force Kentucky out of its comfort zone. If they can’t stop the run, Kentucky will dominate time of possession and that will simply make their defense all the more lethal. If Kentucky can’t run it, can Terry Wilson throw the ball effectively enough? If Wilson can’t complete passes will HBC Mark Stoops make the change to Joey Gatewood during the game? The Sayer Says Sooth: Tennessee ran the ball for 232 yards on the Mizzou defense and the Vols aren’t nearly as good running the ball as Kentucky. If the Kentucky offense and defense come to play, it will make the Wildcats October 31 game with Georgia very interesting. Kentucky 24, Missouri 17 SOUTH CAROLINA (2-2) at LSU (1-2): The Gamecocks have been competitive in every single game and if not for a special teams goof in the season opener there is every good chance they would be 3-1 right now. LSU, on the other hand, is 1-2 with a defense that has been a no show in both losses. The defense better show up Saturday because it’s very likely the Tigers are going to be starting a true freshman QB so the offense might sputter a bit against the best defense they’ve seen so far. With Myles Brennan still recovering from what an injury suffered two weeks ago, the Tigers will have to start TJ Finley with another true freshman (Max Johnson) ready to step in if Finley is ineffective. They will be going against a South Carolina defense that has gotten to the QB 10 times and has forced seven turnovers. South Carolina’s path to win is fairly simple. The Gamecocks have to avoid turnovers offensively and keep LSU’s very fast receivers in front of them. LSU has to run the football, which they haven’t done very well so far, and their defense has to hold the Gamecocks to 24 or fewer points, which is a tall order. The Sayer Says Sooth: In Columbia this would be a no brainer. In Baton Rouge, even with the possibility of a true freshman at QB, LSU is a 6-point favorite. The key matchup to watch is South Carolina corner Jaycee Horn on Terrace Marshall Jr, who is averaging 20.19 yards per catch and 141.3 receiving yards per game. Shut him down and LSU might have some serious issues. The thought here is that Horn gets the best of the matchup and Will Muschamp gives some exotic looks to confuse a freshman. South Carolina 28, LSU 21 MORE SEC STUFF LSU has self-imposed sanctions on the football program ahead of the NCAA for players getting cash from former player Odell Beckham and a booster. Among the sanctions are four scholarships given up in each of the next two years as well as eliminating 12.5% of official and unofficial visits. The NCAA could impose further sanctions but this is an effort by LSU to head that off, particularly since LSU basketball is going to get seriously hammered for Will Wade. It’s possible that the entire LSU athletic program could get hit with that dreaded lack of institutional control moniker. Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray, who is an analyst with CBS Sports Network, has an answer for Georgia fans who believe Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels should be the QB instead of Stetson Bennett IV. Murray said earlier in the week, “If he [Daniels] were the best quarterback he would be out there.” Even though the Wildcats have won their last two games with impressive defense, Kentucky fans already have their sights set on basketball, especially now that Wake Forest transfer Olivier Sarr and Rhode Island transfer Jacob Toppin have been granted waivers by the NCAA. THEY PLAY FOOTBALL OTHER PLACES THAN THE SEC The Big Ten opens play tonight with Illinois traveling to Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a 19.5-point favorite over the Fighting Lovies. I’m sure you would be riveted to your TV sets if only you got the Big Ten Network. Don’t have it? Pity. Ohio State is a mere 26-point favorite over Nebraska Saturday which is understandable. Penn State is only a 6-point favorite to whack a pretty average Indiana team on the road. That seems rather close for a team that a lot of Big Ten people think is a serious challenger. Over in the Fun Belt, those same Arkansas State Red Wolves who beat Kansas State of the Big 12 in the Little Apple got stomped by Appalachian State, 45-17. The Happy Appys ran for 305 yards. The other big game in the Fun Belt this weekend is Georgia Southern at 25th-ranked Coastal Carolina, which is the last unbeaten standing in the league. Texas is an 8.5-point favorite in Austin over Baylor on Saturday. If Baylor can upset the Longhorns the Texas faithful will be calling for Tom Herman’s head on a pike at the base of the Colorado River bridge that takes you into Bubba Land, where you can tell the good restaurants by counting the pickup trucks outside. A VERY PITHY FRIDAY FOR YOU: Since arriving from Houston in 2019, Charlie Morton has been money in the postseason for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was 2-0 in 2019 with an 0.90 ERA and he’s 3-0 this season with a miniscule 0.57. He got the Rays into the World Series by beating his old Cheatin’ Hearts (aka Astros) teammates twice, throwing a combined 10-2/3 shutout innings while giving up just seven hits and walking only two. The Rays need Morton to be dominant tonight against the Dodgers in game three of the World Series when he will go against Walker Beuhler (no relation to Ferris as far as we know), who was brilliant in his last outing against Atlanta in the National League Championship Series, throwing six shutout innings while giving up seven hits. If Morton is on his game, the Rays have a really good shot at going up 2-1 … Fans at the ZoZo Championship in Los Angeles were hoping Tiger showed up Thursday but instead were treated to a 4-over par 76 by Eldrick Woods, who is 12 shots behind first round leader Sebastian Munoz. When he’s on his game he is indeed Tiger. When he plays like he did Thursday, he’s Eldrick … Russell Wilson believes bad boy wide receiver Antonio Brown deserves another chance to play in the NFL. Brown has a list of troubles longer than Tacko Fall’s leg but NFL teams will sign a repentant axe murderer if they think it will help them make the playoffs.

What will the coming days look like for the Florida Gators? That’s the prevailing question as the No. 10 Gators sit through their second bye week with close to 50 players in quarantine due to positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing, along with Head Coach Dan Mullen. The latter is staying to his side of the house, away from his wife and kids and in solitary isolation. Mullen told reporters on Wednesday’s SEC Teleconference that all players who tested positive are exhibiting only mild symptoms. That is a blessing in itself, since this strain of the novel coronavirus affects people in so many different ways. Knowing that those players are now in quarantine and are relatively safe and healthy, we move back to our original question. What will the coming days look like for the Florida Gators? This is an estimated timeline: The initial outbreak was discovered the Sunday evening/early Monday morning following the Texas A&M game. By that Monday, October 12, at noon, Florida began putting players into quarantine as tests returned showing positive results. In weekly numbers released on Tuesday October 20, Florida revealed their total October numbers had risen to 31 positives. Dan Mullen told reporters on Wednesday that another positive has since come through. Payton Titus of “The Alligator” has reported that number is actually two. The Gators LSU game was postponed to December 12. The Missouri game (originally scheduled for this weekend) was rescheduled for next Saturday, October 31. When a player test positive, they must enter quarantine for 10 days. If they immediately return three negative test, the first test is considered a false positive, which we saw recently with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. If however, a second test is given and it returns positive, the first test is a confirmed positive. From there, a player can’t “test out” of quarantine early with three negative tests. They must serve the full 10 days of quarantine while also providing multiple negatives. If a player is identified through contact tracing, they must stay in quarantine for 14 days. Their stay is longer because that is the CDC provided incubation period. In other words, it could take up to 14 days for a person who has been in contact to then test positive and exhibit symptoms. This period of time is why the Missouri game was postponed. For the sake of getting it out of the way, let’s assume the worst and say that the vast majority of players weren’t put into quarantine until last Wednesday, October 14. We’re assuming this because the numbers given initially were from those Monday tests (October 12) that identified the outbreak. The numbers given the following week (October 20) jumped by 10 players, but those could have been identified the Tuesday or Wednesday of that week. That would mean they could test out by this Saturday, October 24. Those serving the 14-day quarantine can leave by next Wednesday, the 28th. This is purely a rough estimation, but it hopefully provides some context to the dates in question. Those two new players who tested positive this week would not be out of quarantine in time. This will provide a full week of practice for most of the players, but there will be one more significant hurdle. After exiting quarantine, players are required to go through a four-day re-acclimation period. The rules in the SEC task force document read as follows: “In addition to cardiac testing, a minimum of a 4-day period of re-acclimation to exercise will be required to monitor for any signs or symptoms of cardiac complications (i.e. chest pain, shortness of breath, presyncope, syncope). Day 1 of re-acclimation should be approximately 25% of a normal practice or conditioning session, with Day 2 being 50%, Day 3 being 75% and Day 4 being full participation. Prior to starting Day 1 of re-acclimation a medical evaluation, and EKG should be completed and deemed normal by the team physician. A troponin must be obtained on day 1 prior to exercise and results must be available prior to beginning day 2. An echocardiogram should be completed prior to final clearance for full participation.” In the NFL, the Tennessee Titans proved a team can come straight out of quarantine with little to no live reps in practice and still win a game. This week will be a lot of mental reps for the Florida Gators, and require them to really determine what Mullen preaches as the most important part of the game; mental toughness. ADDITIONAL NOTE: GatorBait has identified at least four players NOT in quarantine: quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Emory Jones, receiver Kadarius Toney and defensive end Jeremiah Moon.

The recent outbreak of Covid-19 that has forced a re-boot of football scheduling in the Southeastern Conference is the perfect example of why Greg Sankey is the best commissioner in all of college sports. When the virus forced the postponement of the LSU-Florida and Vanderbilt-Missouri games, Sankey had to shuffle schedules, which created some inconvenience, but the result was the possibility that all 14 teams in the conference will be able to play their full 10-game schedule. As awkward as it seemed when Sankey stepped in to give Florida two consecutive open dates with the Missouri game bumped back to October 31, it turns out the move was a stroke of genius. The virus has run amok through the Florida team and coaching staff. Even Dan Mullen has been in quarantine. The hope is that the Gators will have the SEC mandated minimum of 53 players available on the 31st when Missouri comes to Gainesville, otherwise that game will be postponed without the possibility of a makeup date. This is why Sankey put three consecutive weeks in which all 14 SEC teams had an open date. Sure, the open date was nice because it broke up the schedule so no one had to play 10 consecutive weeks, but it also gave Sankey some flexibility to do a re-boot if the virus got loose in one or more programs, which is exactly what it did. In the original re-boot, the one Sankey did back in August when he went with a 10-game, conference only schedule, both Florida and Georgia had an October 31 open date a week prior to their annual showdown in Jacksonville on November 7. The Florida-Georgia game was in August and is in October the game that if it doesn’t decide the SEC East championship will heavily influence who will walk away with the title. Florida’s loss to Texas A&M gave Georgia a short-lived advantage that was eliminated when Alabama scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to take a 41-24 win a week ago. Now both teams have a loss so the game in Jacksonville could prove to be winner take all for the SEC East title. When Sankey adjusted the schedules due to the outbreak at Florida, he leveled the playing field by taking away Georgia’s October 31 open date. Instead of playing Kentucky October 24 and having an open week to get everybody healthy in preparation for the Gators, Sankey moved the Kentucky game to October 31. Initially, Georgia fans were quite unhappy with the adjustment, but given the pounding they took in Tuscaloosa, even they see the wisdom in the changes. The loss at Alabama exposed Georgia’s offense, particularly at the quarterback position. Stetson Bennett IV is a great story. He walked on at Georgia, left for junior college to get experience and played well enough that he got a scholarship to return to Athens, one that was made available when Justin Fields elected to transfer to Ohio State. Bennett came back, did a year of apprenticeship behind Jake Fromm, and then found himself third or fourth on the depth chart after no spring football and a late August start to fall practice. Wake Forest grad transfer was supposed to be THE GUY and then he opted out. Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels was supposed to be THE guy but it wasn’t until October before he was medically cleared for contact. D’Wan Mathis spent last year recovering from brain surgery but he’s got a game similar to Newman in that he can throw and has good wheels. Freshman Carson Beck has a big arm and a huge upside. When Mathis couldn’t cut it and Georgia seemed on the verge of a loss to Arkansas in game one, it was Bennett who got the fireman’s call to come put out the fire. Daniels was cleared prior to game two against Auburn but Bennett was flawless albeit unspectacular in getting that win. He did a repeat in the win over Tennessee and had an exceptional first half against Alabama before the Bennett wheels came off. The loss to Alabama left Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken needing to re-evaluate the quarterback situation, particularly with the way Kentucky is playing defense. The Wildcats have intercepted nine passes the last two games as they have completely dominated Mississippi State and Tennessee. Bennett’s lack of pocket presence was exploited by Alabama in the second half when the Crimson Tide batted down five passes at the line of scrimmage and picked off two throws that Bennett might not have made if he had a clearer vision of the entire field. Smart says Bennett is still the number one QB for Georgia, but will he light up Kentucky or will the Wildcats exploit him the way Alabama did? A better question: Will Bennett still be when the Bulldogs roll into Jacksonville to face the Gators? Even though Georgia has to play a rugged Kentucky defense the week before the Florida game, it’s the Gators who might be at a distinct disadvantage. Florida is hoping to resume football operations on Monday. When the Gators practice, it will be their first time on the field since the loss to the Aggies. How many players will be available for the Missouri game is a question that still has to be answered. What kind of physical condition the team will be is another question since the weight room has been off limits during the shutdown. Prior to the shutdown, the Florida offense was operating at a very efficient level. The Gators were averaging 42.3 points and 464 yards per game. Kyle Trask had lit up three consecutive opponents and with 14 touchdown passes moved past Steve Spurrier (36) and Terry Dean (39) into eighth place on the all-time list at UF (Trask has 40 and is 14 behind John Reaves). With two 300-yard plus passing games, Trask moved past Tim Tebow into a tie with John Reaves (6) for sixth place on Florida’s all-time list. His next 300-yard game will move him into a fifth-place tie with Doug Johnson and Chris Leak. And before the Gators got their unexpected hiatus, Kyle Pitts (17-274, 7 TDs) was on his way toward a landslide win for the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end and Kadarius Toney (18-237, 4 TDs receiving; 5-60 rushing; 2-42 punt returns) was becoming the nightmare matchup Gator fans have always expected him to be. Yes, the defense was rotten in those first three games and the disruption has cost coordinator Todd Grantham valuable time on the field to implement changes both in terms of scheme and personnel. The lack of practice time for the defense probably will have more of an adverse effect than it will for the offense. With Trask operating with such confidence, there is every good chance it won’t take long for him to crank back up. With the defense, you worry. You worry a lot. Trask is capable of putting up shootout numbers but can the defense get one or two stops that allow the Gators to win a high scoring affair? And can the Gators put up Alabama-like numbers? Despite these legitimate concerns on Florida’s part about a season that could go sideways because of the virus, credit must be given to Sankey for implementing the three weeks of open dates and adding in a makeup week for December 12. The Gators will play LSU that week and Vanderbilt will make the trip to Missouri. If there are other virus outbreaks at other programs in the next two weeks schedules can be rearranged if necessary and there is always the makeup week of December 12. What this interruption has proved is that Sankey has no peers when it comes to foresight and efficiency. The same cannot be said of Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren or Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. They absolutely dropped the ball when it came to fall football. Warren, in particular, believed that if the Big Ten opted out in the fall everyone else would follow suit. The Pac-12 did and so did Group of Fivers Mountain West and Mid-American, but Sankey held firm as did the Big 12, ACC, Sun Belt, American Athletic and Conference USA along with a small group of independents. When pressure mounted on the Big Ten and Pac-12 to play, they reversed field but their re-boots leave no wiggle room. The Big Ten begins play this weekend with an eight-game schedule that has no makeup dates. If there are virus outbreaks and postponements, the Big Ten might be a quagmire of problems in determining a conference champ. The Pac-12 starts on November 7 with a seven-game schedule that, like the Big Ten, offers no makeup dates plus with four California schools and an ever-changing political atmosphere in the state where church services have been banned the potential is there for an unmitigated disaster when it comes to football. Furthermore, will it be fair for a Big Ten team unbeaten but perhaps with a postponement or two or a 7-0 Pac-12 team to make the College Football Playoff over perhaps one or two one-loss teams from the Southeastern Conference that played full 10-game schedules thanks to the foresight of Sankey? The Covid-19 virus has wreaked havoc with all college sports, but headway has been made in a positive manner in the SEC. It doesn’t take someone with an Einstein IQ to figure out that Sankey is light years ahead of his conference commissioner peers. Sankey’s leadership at a time when it takes someone with serious navigational and planning skills is unparalleled. There are questions galore and numerous potential speedbumps ahead, but who would you rather have leading the way at this perilous time: Greg Sankey or Kevin Warren or Larry Scott? The answer is obvious. It’s Sankey. And when – not if – the Power Five and perhaps one or two other Division I conferences break away from the NCAA to form their own independent division, Sankey should be the unanimous choice to become the new czar. At a time when leadership is required, Sankey has put a premium on a thoughtful approach that elevates the SEC far beyond every other conference in college sports.