Who Tweeted: I have watched Tennessee football since I was 3 years old and this is rock bottom. Beyond words. Beyond belief.

FSU-Boise moved out of Jacksonville and back to Tallahassee. It’s going to interesting to see if this gives Willie Taggart the boost he needs to survive. Meanwhile, Charlie Strong Is squarely on the hot seat at USF after that miserable beat down from Wisconsin. He better turn it around fast.

By Buddy Martin GatorBait Editor The composition of the photograph was simple, three women with arms interlocked, watching a football game, bonding and interacting, yet packed with emotion. It was as if Shelley Meyer, Megan Mullen and Jerri Spurrier were singing a hymn in church – and in a way they were. In a candid moment, the three First Ladies of Florida football were singing We Are The Boys, helping usher in the fourth quarter at the Florida-Miami game at Camping World Stadium. While she was standing and swaying, arm in arm, Jerri said she thought to herself, “I wish somebody would take this picture – because it’s so special.” Little did she know her husband was lurking behind them with an IPhone. Jerri and Megan joined arms and Shelley, sitting behind them, thought, “I’ve got to get in on this.” So she scrambled down front. The significance of the picture didn’t crystallize for Shelley until she saw it later. “It was a great moment – it really was,” said Shelley. “Divine Intervention. The fact that we were even all in the same geographical area …Us three girls love each other. We had such fun chatting in between (plays), in between moments of nervousness. That was perfect right then.” We Are The Boys evoked sweet memories for Shelley. “That song, right at that moment at every Gator game for six years,” she said. Jerri was struck by the bond and the rarity of the photo. Seldom, if ever, do you see photos of coaches wives from three eras all in one place. “You could never plan it,” said Jerri. “You don’t say, ‘all right, you three stand together and put your arms around each other.’ You just don’t.” Rare, indeed, to even see them all in one place. “I’ve never even been at a game before with the wives of two former head coaches from a team that I’ve been with before ,” said Shelley. Shelley said she found it very comfortable rooting for the Gators. Several times she experienced fan angst when something didn’t go right for Florida. She still cares. Reportedly Urban was rocking a Gator shirt, but there is no photographic evidence. Urban and Steve hung out with each other, Tim Tebow and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. The fact that it was Steve Spurrier who snapped the picture and then posted it on Twitter made it unique, if not a bit surprising. “When Steve took it, I was even more impressed that he would notice -- it was such an important picture,” said Jerri. At his Wednesday press conference, Dan Mullen talked for several minutes about the photo and the closeness of the three women, all bound by the same limitations: “About that picture – it’s a hard thing to think about in lots of ways. I don’t know if anybody who can understand – and those three do – what they go through. At least on the sideline I have a little bit of control of what’s happening. They’re sitting up there watching … I don’t know if there have been three people more invested in Florida football the last 35 years who are more invested in every aspect of that game who have no control over it. “So I guess it’s a pretty special bond and a special picture… All three and going through that moment together, and really, probably and suffering through at that moment as well.” There are so many implications to the photo and the emotions that it spawned. Love, compassion, harmony, unity – even an element of forgiveness for some. “That is one I am and going to hold on to for a lifetime,” Megan said of the picture. “There is so much love in that picture. It’s a really special To have that captured on film … I’m so thankful. What a moment!” It speaks volumes. “I told Megan, ‘You don’t even have to talk,” said Jerri. “Just look at it.” Jerri said the photo “says a lot about the responsibility of us wives,” understanding the happiness and pain that their husbands endure. “It’s what we do. And how we understand what the other person does. Every good, bad, ugly, hurt that happened in our husbands’ lives. We’ve all been there.” The guy who snapped it was proud of his work, too. “It was kinda neat,” said the HBC.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: AUGUST 30, 2019 SOME NOTES FROM UF COACHES AT THE OCALA TIPOFF CLUB Florida men's basketball coach Mike White and women's coach Cam Newbauer were on the program at the Ocala Tipoff Club, which held its annual August meeting at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club Thursday night. Here are a few notes from White's comments. Depth and talent: The Gators have size, depth and talent to be really good. The key will be team chemistry and for the coaches to find the right combinations for each situation. Coaching staff:All three assistants – Darris Nichols, Jordan Mincey and Al Pinkins – turned down chances to be a head coach and opportunities to make more money as assistants somewhere else to remain with the UF program. Kerry Blackshear Jr.: Extraordinary talent who gives the Gators scoring options in the post they haven't had. Showing good leadership qualities. Gorjok Gak: Healthy for the first time in a long while and doing things on the offensive end that are surprising everybody. Noah Locke: Was able to avoid surgery and has healed quite nicely from last year's hip injury. He's close to 100%. White said he's super tough. Andrew Nembhard:He's currently playing for Team Canada and is only going to be a better player after playing with and practicing against pros the last few weeks. Keyontae Johnson: Another very tough guy who plays much bigger than 6-5, but has skills that give the Gators lineup flexibility. They can play small ball with Johnson at the power forward and he's a good enough shooter that he can play on the wing. The freshmen:Tre Mann is an extraordinary offensive talent with tremendous range (and accuracy) on his jumper and the ability to get to the rim … Scottie Lewis is an incredible leaper who is a tremendous defender. White described him as a “one-man full court press” in his high school days. Lewis has to continue to develop offensively … Omar Payne has size (6-10, 222), good feet and talent. He's going to play … Jacques Glover is seriously fast and is a blur going from one end of the court to another … Jason Jitoboh will be a candidate for a redshirt if he can't get into better shape. On how the Gators landed Lewis, Mann and Payne: Florida was in on all three early on and began recruiting all three when they were freshmen in high school. What sealed the deal was when all three came to UF for an elite camp. Transfers Tyree Applebee and Anthony Duruji:Both will redshirt this year … Applebee is a fine outside shooter who is quick enough to get into the paint almost at will … Duruji has a 46-inch vertical. White said he might be the best player in the program. Cam Newbauer on women's basketball:There isn't a single player on the UF roster that played under former coach Amanda Butler. On Newbauer's remade roster, the Gators have the size that was lacking when he took over the program in 2017 ... Newbauer got a recruiting assist from former UF men's point guard Erving Walker in landing guard Nina Rickards, who played at Walker's high school alma mater, Christ the King in Middle Village, NY … Freshman Brylee Bartram set the national high school record with 533 3-pointers during her high school career at Seffner Christian in Metro Tampa. Bartram is the only player who played her prep basketball in the state of Florida … The Gators landed freshman Lavender Briggs from under BYU's nose in Provo, Utah, where she averaged 32.2 points and 12.5 rebounds en route to making the Jordan Brand Classic … Four of the 12 women on the roster are from outside the US. GOOD QUOTES FOR FRIDAY From Andy Staples of The Athletic on the possibility the Alabama-Clemson stranglehold on college football's national championship will be broken maybe sooner and not later: “Now it feels as if only two programs (Alabama and Clemson) have a chance to win because they’ve played for three of the past four national titles – and met in a semifinal the year they didn’t play for all the Tostitos. The root cause of this is Saban’s dominance at Alabama. It is the only constant the past 10 years. But even if Saban remains at Alabama for another 10 years, a change in the membership at the top is coming because some other coaches (most notably Clemson’s Dabo Swinney) have made it so Alabama doesn’t get every player Saban wants.” From Jay Glazer of The Athletic on Andrew Luck's decision to retire from the National Football League and walk away from the money and fame that goes with it: “As far as Andrew Luck’s decision, he has every right to decide what he wants. He said it very well in his press conference, it was very self-aware: he lost the joy. This is not a game you can play if you don’t have joy. You can’t put your body on the line like that, the way he does, with the injuries he’s played through, and there have been a ton. Never question Andrew Luck’s toughness. Ever.” SEC FOOTBALL STUFF Alabama:On his Thursday night radio show, Nick Saban said, “We had a couple of guys that exited the program, whether it was their choice or ours for them to do that, that were what I call energy vampires, where you spend all your time trying to manage them and you can’t spend time with the guys that are doing things right.” Auburn:HBC Gus Malzahn will start true freshman Bo Nix at quarterback against Oregon Saturday. Malzahn said Nix was impressive in fall camp and “he earned the right to lead us out Saturday.” Georgia:Due to Hurricane Dorian shifting some Saturday games around, Georgia's opener with Vanderbilt in Nashville has been moved from the SEC Network to ESPNU. Kentucky:Mark Stoops agreed to a restructured contract that will extend him through 2025 with guaranteed raises of $500,000 per year. LSU:Offensive tackle Saadig Charles, who has missed practice time this week, will be available but Adrian Magee will probably start at LG as Chase Hines is still battling through injuries … If there are suspended players, they will be announced Saturday. South Carolina:Out for Saturday's game with North Carolina are S Jaylin Dickerson (hip), TE Kiel Pollard (neck), DL Devontae Davis (foot) and DL Keir Thomas (ankle). Texas A&M (1-0):Kellen Mond threw three touchdown passes and ran for one other as the Aggies opened their season with a 41-7 win over Texas State. The Aggies had two backs go over the100-yard mark – Isaiah Spiller with 106 and Jashaun Corbin with 103. The Sayer Says Sooth #2 Alabama 45, Duke 7:The only reason the Crimson Tide won't score 60 is because Nick Saban will take it easy on David Cutcliffe, who played his college football at Alabama. Arkansas 41, Portland State 14: Arkansas isn't that good but Portland State is bad and from D1AA. #16 Auburn 24, #11 Oregon 14: The Pac-12's nightmare start of the season will only get worse. Auburn's defense is so good the Tigers won't have to score a lot to win, good news since they're starting a true freshman QB. #3 Georgia 37, Vanderbilt 21:Vandy's offense is good enough to score some points. The problem is the Commodores can't stop anyone. Kentucky 35, Toledo 27: Toledo will give Kentucky fans white knuckles with that really good offense. Kentucky will put up a bunch of points on a bad Toledo defense and win the game. #6 LSU 42, Georgia Southern 10: LSU's retooled offense won't look anything like LSU offenses of the past few years. Mississippi State 27. Louisiana-Lafayette 10: This might be an upset special if the bulk of those 10 players who will miss eight games due to NCAA suspensions turn out to be starters. Missouri 31, Wyoming 17:It's a night game at altitude with temperatures expected in the 50s. That might affect Missouri and make this a close call. Memphis 44, Ole Miss 35:Whoever has the ball last might win this one. Don't expect much in the way of defense. South Carolina 34, North Carolina 14: The Mack Brown Era at UNC will begin the way the Larry Fedora Era ended – with a loss. Tennessee 35, Georgia State 7: Tennessee isn't that good but Georgia State is that bad. COLLEGE FOOTBALL THURSDAY NIGHT Is there any conference more in need of something good than the Pac-12? The last thing the league needed after last week's disastrous loss by Arizona to Hawaii was for UCLA's season to start like a blocked punt, but the Bruins had it stuck to them by Cincinnati, 24-14. With that loss, Chip Kelly is now 3-10. The Pac-12 did pick up expected wins by Utah (over BYU) and Arizona State (over hapless Clark Kent State). It might be the upset of the century if a Pac-12 team makes the College Football Playoff. Geoff Collins, who belongs to the coaching trees of both Jim McElwain (Florida 2015-16) and Dan Mullen (2011-14), had the misfortune of facing 2018 national champ Clemson in his first game as Georgia Tech's head coach. It wasn't pretty even though the Yellow Jackets picked off Goldilocks Lawrence twice. Tech had no prayer against the run as Clemson ran for 411 yards (Travis Etienne had 205 of them on 12 carries and three TDs) to pound out a 52-14 win. UCF fans will be talking as if the Knights are the best team in the state of Florida after their 62-0 win over D1AA Florida A&M. The Knights threw for 356 yards and ran for 358. Old Yeller is 1-0 at Central Michigan after the (Corn) Chips beat up on D1AA Albany, 38-21 … Is there a worse place for Division I football than UConn? The school is $40 million in debt, has to pony up $13.5 million to leave the American Athletic Conference and join the Big East, and they've got a coach they'd love to fire (Randy Edsall) but can't because they can't afford to buy out his contract. Making matters worse, the Huskies barely beat D1AA (Honus) Wagner, 24-21, in the season opener. Official attendance was 19,648. Real attendance? Probably a lot less … Former Gator QB coach Scot Loeffler is off to a good start at Bowling (For Dollars) Green with a 46-3 win over (Capt) Morgan (and Coke) State … A bad night at the office for Butch Davis. Two Lane blew the doors off FIU, 42-14 … Mini Soda of the Big Ten (plus four) had to rally past D1AA South Dakota State, 28-21. RANDOM THOUGHTS:The threat of Hurricane Dorian has caused Saturday's Florida State-Boise State game to be relocated from Jacksonville to Tallahassee. Instead of the 7 p.m. kickoff that was scheduled for Jacksonville, game time in Tallahassee will be noon … Southern Cal offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, the former record-setting quarterback for Mike Leach at Texas Tech, is well-known as a passionate professional wrestling fan. He named his son Herschel Hawk Harrell – Triple H … Serena Williams bounced back from a first set loss to beat Catherine McNally in the second round of the US Open, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 … Feleipe Franks' older brother Jordan, a Cincinnati Bengals tight end, caught three passes for 32 yards in the Bengals' 13-6 exhibition loss to the Indianapolis Colts ... Former Gator Jordan Scarlett ran for 22 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards and a TD in the Carolina Panthers' 25-19 exhibition win over the Pittsburgh Steelers … Former Gator Nelson Maldonado (Chicago White Sox minor league system), who has shown he can hit in three different leagues since leaving UF back in June, is hitting .321 with two homers and 33 RBI through Wednesday night's games … Former Gator Brady Singer (Kansas City Royals minor league system), who has split the season between A and AA ball, is 11-5 with a 2.93 ERA.

Let’s talk about Feleipe Franks. The Florida Gators quarterback walked off the field Saturday night having helped his team to a 24-20 season opening win over in-state rival, the Miami Hurricanes. He’s the first Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow that can say that and joins the Heisman winner along with Kerwin Bell as one of only three Florida quarterbacks who can make the claim in the last 10 meetings. Coincidentally, both of those two previous matchups were the opening games for seasons that included a No. 1 ranking, ending No. 6 with a bowl ban (1985) and ended in a National Championship (2008). But I digress. After walking off the field following the win Saturday night in Orlando, Franks was met with a barrage of criticism. Everything from his play to his celebrations were being picked apart by commentators, pundits, fans (both of Florida and others) and even the casual viewer. After going on somewhat of a redemption tour the last four games of the 2018 season, the Gators passer found himself back under the microscope that wanted to magnify every slip-up, perceived or otherwise. I hesitated to write this, tried to put it off as long as I could. It hasn’t been any secret that I’ve defended Franks often in the past, from his time as a redshirt freshman to this past weekend. There was a worry that if I did so again here, it wouldn’t be taken seriously. I ultimately decided though that I have platform and a glimpse into the subject matter that warranted a response. There has been a perception from some that this is a media driven story; that Gators beat writers made a mountain out of a molehill and made sweeping assumptions. A quick perusal of Twitter and message boards prove otherwise. While that isn’t an accurate representation of the entire fan base, it is a decent sample size and often indicative of a narrative that exists throughout the fanbase on some level. To ignore it would be just as irresponsible as making up a story that didn’t really exist. See, as media members, we are taught from the beginning to be unbiased, neutral and focused. This can be tough in today’s age when social media gives a megaphone to anyone that wants to create a following and call themselves media as well. It seems at times that we have to speak on that level just to keep up in the rat race. But alas, we must strive to be that unbiased voice that reports the facts, presents the information and—when it comes to the fun parts—help the guys tell their stories. It’s the latter that makes weeks like this interesting. When someone shares their story with you, it creates a bond that isn’t found in other relationships. It might not be a friendship or something of that kind, but there’s a trust that exists when a person opens up to you about areas of their life that might have been private, or feelings they would normally hide. And when that happens, you feel somewhat responsible for how others view them. That’s been the case with Feleipe Franks this week. See, again, as media members, we are cognizant of remaining neutral as much as possible. But part of our job requires being around the team, the coaches, the players, and learning the nuances of their personalities. It’s why on weeks like this we get to use that magical word “column” and take a moment to say “here’s my opinion, created from a front row look at the situation.” That being said, I feel some of the criticism of Franks this week has been undue, some unfounded and some possibly justified (more on that below). Let’s walk through it all. On Saturday night, Franks was the center of three plays that resulted in turnovers. On Tuesday night following the game, he was candid and self-aware when discussing each one. The first, a fumble between he and running back Lamical Perine in the redzone, was what Franks explained as a miscommunication on a RPO. “I was trying to throw it to [Tre] Grimes. I tried to pull it, it just go mixed up. [Perine] thought I was giving it. I was trying to pull it. Things we do every day. Just clean up. The percentage of that happening again in the season is very low.” His first interception was a pass intended for Freddie Swain. Instead it was tipped by Swain and landed in the waiting hands of a Miami defender. Franks explained that the route should have been a bit “flatter” but the space between Swain and Tyrie Cleveland didn’t allow it to be ran as intended. He wasn’t throwing Swain under the bus with the explanation, and even admitted that whether Swain or Cleveland was the intended target, it was a bad ball on his part either way. But he feels making sure that route is crisper by everyone involved next time will result in a better outcome. The second interception came in a crucial time, with less than five minutes to go in the game and with only a four point lead. The quarterback explained—and tape seems to back him up—that a Canes player was on his back, beginning to push into him and effecting his throwing arm as he tried to throw the ball away instead of taking the sack. “I tried to get it out, but at the end of the day there wasn’t even a route right there. So I didn’t throw it to him or didn’t throw it short. I just couldn’t get enough on it to get it out of bounds. I tried to make a smarter decision right there, but couldn’t get enough on it.” His head coach, Dan Mullen, took blame for the play as well. “I don’t know if a great call or not in that situation. So much gets made about it – that he’s getting pressure, looking to throw the ball away. Obviously, a great call by [Miami head coach] Manny [Diaz], if you talk about maybe knowing personalities. (Diaz worked for Mullen twice at Mississippi State). “We get the ball. We felt we set them up for this play. We felt that they were going to be ready to stop the run because we’re going to try to run out the clock. We’re going to hit them with this play-action pass, guy’s going to be wide open and we hit an explosive play. If that happens – what’s really funny, if you flip Feleipe’s stats: 18 of 26 for 320 yards passing, three touchdowns and a pick and he has all the answers. ‘What an unbelievable game. Look at his development through the offseason. Unbelievable.’ “Probably should have taken a sack there. Boy, that’s real hard to teach. That’s really hard to teach, guys to take sacks. He was trying to throw it away and he doesn’t get enough on it and it gets picked. Maybe not a great call by me. All the combinations in that one call.” His actual stat line looked pretty good for facing one of the nation’s top defenses; 17-27 for 254 yards (63 QBR), two touchdowns with eight more yards and another touchdown on the ground. It’s what’s to be expected of the UF quarterback with the best statistics since Tim Tebow’s 2009 season. The fumble and the interceptions bog down it down and are never excusable, but as Franks and Mullen explained, are all things that can be adjusted. It’s the celebrations that really got people talking though, and where things began to get a little ridiculous from a criticism point of view. After the go-ahead touchdown run, Franks ran to the edge of the end zone and mean mugged the camera, crossing his arms and adopting a hero’s pose. His teammates quickly followed and flanked him, although the television cameras cut away before that became apparent to those at home. After the touchdown, an ESPN behind the scenes camera followed the signal caller down the sidelines into the Gators bench area. Franks looked into the camera and declared “this is what I do. Don’t play with me.” Another time while celebrating with some Florida fans, he appeared to jaw back at some Miami fans. And at games end, the former punter put his skills to use and sent the ball sailing into the stands. None of these moments are frankly surprising (pun intended) when it comes to Feleipe Franks and his personality, and furthermore, none of them are particularly concerning. The first celebration has been something Franks and other teammates have done several times after touchdowns. It’s a moment to say “we know we’re good.” Yelling into the camera, jawing at Miami fans, even punting the ball into the stands, they came during an intense game; one where Franks had to reach down for the fire that we saw him use to light up teams at the end of last season. Rivalry games—for that matter college football—aren’t supposed to be nice. They aren’t supposed to be handing the ball to the official and thanking him for the opportunity. They aren’t supposed to be about ignoring the opposing fans. Rivalry games are fueled by years of hatred and are a small period of time where actions can be taken on years of animosity. Amy Vanderbilt’s Rules of Etiquette go out the window on that field. That isn’t to say sportsmanship goes out the window but that’s not a line Franks crossed. You can choose not to like the celebrations or the antics. That’s perfectly fine and a valid opinion. But the pearl clutching, like it’s never happened before or was an out of line moment is a bit sanctimonious. Let us remember, the time LSU students got Tim Tebow’s phone number and called him all week leading up to the 2007 game. After the first touchdown, Tebow went to the student section and mined calling them on an imaginary phone. The Gators lost the game 28-24 but Tebow said of the moment, ”They were having fun with me, so I was having fun with them, too. It’s what college football is all about. It’s just fun, and I had fun with it. I know it probably got under their skin a little bit." Or the time Baker Mayfield yelled at opposing fans from his team bench that he was going to make their day miserable, or the time he taunted opposing teams in pregame or any other number of times he did any number of Baker Mayfield things. Or the time he planted an Oklahoma flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field. “Things like [that], in the moment, emotionally, I'm just being me,” Mayfield recently told GQ. “I worked so hard to beat them after they beat us at home the year before that I was so excited and overcome with emotion that one thing led to another. But a lot of Ohio people didn't like me after that one.” It sounds familiar to what Franks said when trying to explain his celebrations in the middle of an emotionally charged rivalry game. “I’m myself, I’m my own person. At the end of the day, that’s what makes me who I am. People inside this building know who I am, know what kind of person I am. Humble. Try to be the best teammate I can be, always put the team first. I’m a passionate player. I love to win. Winning is my No. 1 goal and we won, we got the job done. We won.” He’s right. They won, and they did it on Saturday with a hell of a defensive line performance and three touchdowns that Feleipe Franks was partly if not wholly responsible for (the box score gives him the pass on Kadarius Toney’s touchdown, but even Feleipe can admit that one was pretty much all K.T.). And they did it behind their quarterback and their leader. I can hear you saying through the computer, “they were Heisman winners. Feleipe Franks is not” and you’re right but just to play devil’s advocate, neither one had won the trophy at the time of the aforementioned actions. “I love the celebrations, it makes him who he is,” admits wide receiver Tre Grimes. "If everybody seen him on the field, off the field, in the house, like, I see him, you'll know. He means no harm. It's just who he is and what he loves to do. He's passionate about the game, so I love his celebrations. One of my favorite ones personally is his famous shush the crowd one. I love that because people don’t understand, he goes through so much stuff. He goes through so much criticism and he still has to go out there and play in front of 80,000 fans. So, it’s a lot of pressure and when he shows that he can do what everyone things he can’t, it’s a pride filling presence. It’s just like ‘That’s my quarterback’ and I get to, I get to brag about that. So, I like his celebrations, and I look forward to them every game.” Practices may not be open to media much and we get a limited amount of time in interviews. But the glimpses are enough. The amount of respect Franks has earned from his teammates is palpable. There was a time Dominique Easley admitted to reporters that he couldn’t remember his quarterbacks name (granted they were going through several at the time) and now Franks has formed a relationship with every player on his roster. They’d crawl into a foxhole with him because they knows he’d do the same for them. For what it’s worth, for every fan or pundit that has criticized Franks, there have been two more who have shown support. It’s the teeter-totter of a fan base, especially one as large as the Gators boast. It also shows that the Gators, and subsequently Feleipe Franks, were a victim of their own spotlight. Being the only game on (ok Arizona played Hawaii later that night) during a Week 0 means there’s little else to discuss college football wise this week. There’s hours of content to fill and a limited amount of subjects. Had this happened say Week 4, it would have most likely been a story on Twitter for up to one hour after the game and then disappeared. “What makes college football great, I mean, it’s good for all of us,” says Mullen. “Listen, if there weren’t that many opinions out there, people wouldn’t care and college football wouldn’t be that important. But everybody wants to talk about it.” He’s right, there are opinions galore and it’s all we’ve wanted to talk about. But the rest of the college football world joins the fray soon. So let’s close the book on this discussion. It’s time to move on and talk about the next game. Feleipe Franks gets a week off and then a chance to show again why he’s the guy Dan Mullen believes can lead this program back to prominence.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY 8-29-19 By Franz Beard GatorBait Sr. Columnist Dan Mullen admits there is a not-so-fine line between expectations and reality. “I want 11 guys being perfect every snap,” Mullen said while addressing the media Wednesday. Those are his expectations but he's been in the coaching business long enough to know that he's not going to see perfect on every snap all that often. What he really wants is a reality in which he's got 11 players on the same page with consistency. He wants his players to understand that one missed assignment or even one assignment carried out with less than maximum effort can be the difference between success and failure on a play or even a football game. When Mullen's 8th-ranked Florida Gators (1-0) beat Miami, 24-20, last Saturday night at Camping World Stadium in Orlando Mullen saw a lot of good things, but now that he's had a chance to study the film and grade every assignment on every play he knows there were far too many opportunities missed because 11 guys didn't execute. “One guy here or there” is how he stated it and that is quite often the difference between being a good team and one that competes for championships. “We talk to our guys all the time,” Mullen said. “Is it easy to do the right thing all the time? Yeah, it doesn't sound hard. Go to class. Make sure all you guys go to class. Turn in your work on time. Give great effort on practice. Doesn't sound real complicated, right? Is it easy to make sure 85 guys are doing that all times all the time? That's where championship teams are developed. “I get the class attendance sheet. One guy missed class. That's a problem. That's the same thing as one guy jumped offsides; one guy didn't catch a pitch; one guy missed a block; one guy made a wrong read on a pass; one guy didn't run the route the right way. How many times are 11 guys doing it exactly right all the time? That's what you need to do to be a great team. And a lot of the things we showed were, hey, look at this. If we finish that block. If we made this throw. If we ran the route this way. If I caught the pitch. If I didn't jump offsides. A little bit different on the offensive side of the ball.” The Gators turned the ball over four times against the Hurricanes – two first half fumbles and two second half interceptions. Without the fumbles there might not have been the two interceptions because there is every possibility the Gators would have built a commanding lead in the first half and would have been cruising home for an easy win in the second. The first fumble came on a run-pass option from the Miami seven with the Gators ahead, 7-3. Quarterback Feleipe Franks wanted to pull the ball from running back Lamical Perine then hit Trevon Grimes who left his defender at the line of scrimmage on a slant route. Only Perine didn't let go and the result was a fumble. Seven points and a 14-3 lead gone with that one silly mistake. The Gators were leading 7-6 when the second fumble occurred. With second and seven at the Miami 37, the Gators ran an option play down the line but Franks pitch to Malik Davis was a tad high. Davis didn't make the catch and by the time the scramble for the football had ended, it was Miami ball going the other way. “Malik Davis dropped the pitch,” Mullen said. “If you look at that on the film, it might have been a touchdown if he catches the pitch.” One fumbled exchange. One dropped pitch. Instead of a 21-3 lead with most of the second quarter remaining and Miami teetering on the verge of getting its doors blown off, the Gators let the Hurricanes back in the game and would up with the fight of their lives. With a 21-3 lead the Gators probably aren't throwing the football late in the game when the two interceptions occurred. There were plenty of other mistakes on both sides of the ball but none of them are the type that can't be corrected, which is good news. It is still one game into a 12-game season. If this is the middle of November and the Gators are still making the same mistakes and Mullen is still lamenting that he can't get all 11 guys consistently on the same page, then there is a massive problem. As it stands, it's early. The mistakes can be corrected. Mullen's history says they will be. ISAIAH STOKES TRANFERS TO MEMPHIS Isaiah Stokes, who played in 26 games in two seasons at Florida, has transferred to Memphis where he will play for Penny Hardaway. Prior to becoming the head coach at Memphis, Hardaway was Stokes AAU coach. Stokes is one of three from the 2018-19 roster who transferred. Michael Okauru transferred to UNC-Wilmington while DeAundre Ballard transferred to South Alabama. Florida basketball roster as of August 29, 2019 Graduates/Seniors (1):Kerry Blackshear Jr. (6-10, 250) Redshirt Juniors (2):Gorjok Gak (6-11, 254); Dontay Bassett (6-9, 237) Juniors (2):Tyree Applebee (6-1, 165); Anthony Duruji (6-7, 211) Sophomores (3): Andrew Nembhard (6-5, 191); Noah Locke (6-3, 205); Keyontae Johnson (6-5, 225) Freshmen (6):Tre Mann (6-4, 180); Scottie Lewis (6-5, 180); Omar Payne (6-10, 222); Ques Glover (5-11, 175); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 300); * Alex Klatsky (6-3, 193) * Preferred walk-on GOOD QUOTES FOR A THURSDAY From Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on what will be the aftermath of Jalen Hurts' debut at Oklahoma against Houston: “... come Sunday night, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts will either be the second coming of Baker Mayfield/Kyler Murray or the guy who reminds everyone why he lost his job at Alabama. Remember, we’re only a year removed from an offseason-long debate over whether Nick Saban should start Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa, which included a lot of criticism of Hurts’ passing ability. Sunday against Houston, he’ll either prove the doubters wrong or right. (In reality, he will have played one game, but, that’s what’s going to happen.)” Mandel on Willie Taggart and Florida State which opens with Boise State in Jacksonville on Saturday: “... get ready for the Florida State-Boise State Willie Taggart referendum. After a disastrous Year 1 that started in humiliating fashion against Virginia Tech, either FSU will beat a widely respected foe and everyone jumps back on the bandwagon, or the ’Noles lose and it’s time to put the guy on the hot seat. (Never mind that FSU’s athletic director, David Coburn, has been adamant that Taggart has nothing to worry about.)” From Stephen Holder of The Athletic on former Gator Jacoby Brissett, who is now the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts due to Andrew Luck's sudden and unexpected retirement: “Brissett is among the team’s most revered members. He is universally loved. By his fellow quarterbacks. By his offensive linemen. By linebackers, defensive backs, specialists. Brissett is the rare player on a football team – a group that can often be highly segregated between offense, defense and so on – who crosses those imaginary boundaries and forms bonds with everyone.” From Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports, UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton talks about his desire to play football once again even though he's a long way from recovering from last year's devastating knee injury: “None of this has made me think, ‘Why am I doing this? Why do I want to do this?’ I’ve never gotten to that point. If I’m physically not able to go at a level I want to, I won’t. I feel like that would be a disservice to myself. But I think I can get back to my old self, maybe a little better.” SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL STUFF Alabama: Linebacker Dylan Moses has been lost for the season due to an ACL tear. He's the third player lost for the year during the preseason. Trey Sanders (foot) and Josh McMillon (knee) are the other two. Saturday: vs. Duke in Atlanta Arkansas:Offensive lineman Colton Jackson, tight end CJ O'Grady and wide receiver Trey Knox are all expected to play Saturday. All three have missed practice time due to injuries. Saturday: vs. Portland State Auburn: It will be a game time decision whether wide receiver Anthony Schwarz (broken finger) plays Saturday against Oregon … Former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who transferred to Liberty, had his waiver petition denied by the NCAA. Meanwhile, former Auburn defensive back Cam'Ron Kelly who transferred to North Carolina, was granted his waiver by the NCAA. Saturday: vs. Oregon in Arlington, Texas Georgia: HBC Kirby Smart says if it takes running back D'Andre Swift carrying the ball 25 times to win, that's what he'll do. “You do what you have to do to win,” Smart said. Saturday: at Vanderbilt Kentucky: Mark Stoops says the secondary is his biggest concern this season. Stoops said, “We lost some good players and not only good players but they played a lot of football for us … We have to do a good job of preparing those guys … that’s probably the biggest area of concern.” Saturday: vs. Toledo LSU: Coach O says you can scratch freshman O-lineman Kardell Thomas for the season after Thomas underwent ankle surgery … The Tigers will start junior Clyde Edwards-Helaire at running back over super freshmen John Emery and Tyrion Davis-Price. Saturday: vs. Georgia Southern Mississippi State: HBC Joe Moorhead says that QB Keytaon Thompson has yet to make a decision about staying or leaving the program. Thompson did put his name in the NCAA transfer portal after losing the starting job to Penn State grad tranfer Tommy Stevens but apparently he hasn't found a landing spot. Saturday: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans Missouri: A major challenge for Missouri will be handling the altitude this weekend in Cheyenne, Wyoming where it is 7,215 feet above sea level. On the SEC teleconference, HBC Barry Odom said, “We have researched the teams that went out there and reached out to them and implemented those things.” Saturday: at Wyoming Ole Miss: The Rebels are a 5-1/2 point underdog on the road this weekend against American Athletic Conference foe Memphis. Saturday: at Memphis South Carolina: The Gamecocks are listed as 10 point favorites for Saturday afternoon's neutral site game with North Carolina. Saturday: vs. North Carolina in Charlotte Tennessee: Starting linebacker Daniel Bituli, who had 79 tackles last season, will sit game one while still recovering from a knee procedure that has caused him to miss practice time ... Offensive lineman Trey Smith has been cleared to play Saturday. He missed the second half of the 2018 season with blood clots in his lungs. Saturday: vs. Georgia State Texas A&M: Former Aggie assistant Jake Spavital will return to Kyle Field Thursday night as the HBC at Texas State of the Sun Belt Conference. Thursday: vs. Texas State Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 22 point underdogs for Saturday night's season opener against Georgia. Saturday: vs. Georgia ESPN'S BOTTOM TEN Ryan McGee of ESPN has put out his first Bottom Ten of the season. At #5 are Florida and Miami, which McGee says has to do with the ugliness of their season opener, won by the Gators, 24-20. (1) UTEP; (2) Rice; (3) UConn; (4) San Jose State; (5) Florida and Miami; (6) New Mexico State; (7) UMass; (8) Central Michigan; (9) Coastal Carolina; (10) Rutgers RANDOM THOUGHTS: Tiger Woods has had arthroscopic surgery on his knee. With all the health issues he's had the last few years it makes his Masters win back in April more impressive but also makes you realize Tiger might not win another major or even come close … Yahoo Sports is reporting that the American Athletic Conference will move to dump its divisions but still keep a conference championship game after UConn leaves the league … Kareem Hunt, who is suspended for the first eight games of the NFL season, will not be permitted inside the Cleveland Browns' facilities until the suspension has been served … With Hurricane Dorian aiming at the state of Florida, a decision is expected Thursday regarding Florida State's season opener with Boise State in Jacksonville. The game could be played earlier in the day Saturday or cancelled depending on the track of the storm.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY By Franz Beard GatorBait Sr Columnist During their 2017 run toward Nick Saban's fifth national championship at Alabama, the Crimson Tide opened its season with a rather lackluster, 24-7, win over a very average Florida State team. Five weeks later, the Crimson Tide nearly bought the ranch on the road at Texas A&M, winning that one, 27-19. That was a Texas A&M team that finished 8-5 and fired Kevin Sumlin at the end of the year. Alabama had to score two fourth quarter touchdowns to beat Mississippi State, 31-24. Last year, while going 15-0 and winning the national championship, it took an interception in the end zone on a two-point conversion for Clemson to beat Texas A&M, 28-26. Three weeks later, Kelly Bryant quit the team and with Trevor Lawrence sidelined with a concussion for the last half, the Tigers had to rally for two touchdowns late to beat Syracuse in Death Valley. What do those examples have to do with the Florida Gators and their 24-20 win over Miami last Saturday night? Nothing and yet everything. Every team is different but it's really rare that exceptional football teams make it through an entire season without a few near hiccups along the way. Good teams tend to use those close calls as motivation to improve. Florida's mistake-filled first game of the year could be an omen of things to come that will dampen the spirits of Gator fans everywhere. Or it could be just one of those hiccups that every really good team goes through. It's early in the season so I haven't lost my optimism for the Gators about 2019. I think they're going to be really, really good. I also don't think they're going to go against too many defenses as good as the one they faced against Miami. We tend to overlook the fact that Miami gave up only 278.9 yards and 19.5 points per game in 2018 and the front seven that was the heart and soul of that defense returned practically intact. At halftime in the press box of Saturday night's game, one national writer who's a long time friend told me the Gators would not see a faster defense all year than the one they were seeing against Miami. Having watched the Hurricanes for the full 60 minutes I can't say that I disagree. And yet, if not for a couple of ill-timed turnovers in the first half the Gators could have worn the Hurricanes out and sent them home to South Florida nursing the wounds of a blowout loss. If you've watched the video replay then you know that Feleipe Franks would have had one of the easiest touchdown passes of his career if Lamical Perine had let go of the football on that exchange at the UM seven. I'm convinced the Gators would have scored again if not for the second fumble in the second quarter. Those two turnovers turned a potential blowout into white knuckles, but things like that happen in the first game of the season I am also convinced after the first game that Florida's offensive line is going to be decent early on and really good as the season progresses. Miami had 40 sacks last year but those same guys who were such fierce pass rushers last year only got to Franks for one sack. They got some pressure, for sure, but most of the second half they gave Franks adequate time to throw the football. The Gators didn't run the ball very well, but just like the pass protection got better in the second half, the run blocking will get better in the next few weeks. Now, if the Gators keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again, then it could be a somewhat disappointing season, but I don't think that is going to happen. Mullen teams tend to get progressively better and like most good teams, a close call or two can actually be a help and not a hindrance. GOOD QUOTES FOR WEDNESDAY From Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it's win a national championship or the season is a bust for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs: “Smart has gotten everything he wants from Georgia. That includes a contract with a salary that ranks third-highest among coaches who have never won a national championship. Smart probably has the Bulldogs closer to doing that than Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and he’s clearly closer than Gus Malzahn at Auburn. Now Smart must do it … It’s national championship or bust for the Bulldogs. They were bummed about being in last season’s Sugar Bowl, and that was just their second major bowl in 11 years. It was a letdown after Smart’s fake-punt fiasco against Alabama. The 2018 Rose Bowl victory over Oklahoma was thrilling, but the subsequent big-game losses to Alabama were deflating … It will be difficult for Georgia to overtake Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s decline has been greatly exaggerated by the shock of seeing Clemson bully them in last season’s national championship game. If the Bulldogs finally get past Bama, they still would have to deal with Clemson.” From Ted Nguyen of The Athletic on Jacoby Brissett's chances to be a successful quarterback in the NFL now that he's thrust into the starting job of the Indianapolis Colts following the retirement of Andrew Luck: “Though he wasn’t very productive in his first year as a starter, Brissett played well enough in a disastrous situation in 2017 to warrant the belief by some that he could be a starting-caliber quarterback. He has all the traits necessary to be productive. He can make every throw with excellent ball placement, he processes quickly and has strong pocket presence. Additionally, this will be his second year in the system and he’ll have one of the league’s best offensive lines and some dangerous weapons to throw to like T.Y. Hilton and (Eric) Ebron.” From John Wertheim of Sports Illustrated on the talent evaluating genius of the late Al Davis, who went from the 33-year-old head coach of the Oakland Raiders to the owner and one of the most influential owners the National Football League has ever seen: “Davis approached his roster construction as broadly and as creatively as possible. Again and again he found discarded players and transformed them into stars. Long before Kurt Warner was discovered stocking grocery shelves, Davis was combing the equivalent of clearance aisles. His Raiders teams, as Ribowsky put it, were made up of "oddities and irregulars, factory seconds and chaingang escapees." Jim Plunkett, for one, had been cut by the 49ers before Davis transformed him into a Super Bowl QB. One of Plunkett's favorite targets, Todd Christensen, had been cut by four different teams before Davis thought otherwise. Defensive end John Matuszak, the top pick by the Houston Oilers in 1973, was a wild and woolly washout ... until Davis revived his career.” SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL STUFF #2 Alabama: Veteran running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson have been suspended for the first half of Saturday's season opener for missing a team function. Freshman Kielan Robinson will get the start. Saturday: vs. Duke in Atlanta Arkansas: Experience is why HBC Chad Morris selected SMU grad transfer Ben Hicks as his starting quarterback. Morris said, “We are going to play a lot of young guys, and that alone was the main deciding factor, is his ability to know where everybody’s supposed to be, to get our offensive line in the right protection and do it at a pace to where the game, because of his experience, is a little bit slower”… Arkansas will open its 2022 season at home against Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference. Saturday: vs. Portland State #16 Auburn: Coordinator Kevin Steele will move from the press box to the sideline this season, a move HBC Gus Malzahn believes will benefit the Tigers' highly regarded defense due to his ability to get audibles in from the sideline faster. Saturday: vs. #11 Oregon #3 Georgia: Offensive coordinator James Coley will call the plays from the sideline instead of the press box. This is Coley's first year as the play caller. He spent the last two seasons in the press box on game day. Saturday: at Vanderbilt Kentucky: Corner Kelvin Joseph, who transferred from LSU to Kentucky, has the same problem as Georgia transfer Brenton Cox Jr. has at Florida. Joseph has already applied for an NCAA transfer waiver that will allow him to play immediately, but even if the NCAA grants the waiver Joseph still has to get approval from SEC commissioner Greg Stankey. SEC rules stipulate a transfer within the conference has to sit a year unless (a) he's already earned an undergraduate degree and (b) the school he's transferring from is on NCAA probation that includes a bowl ban. Saturday: vs. Toledo #6 LSU: When LSU practiced on Monday, nine players missed the entire day with various ailments and two were wearing yellow non-contact jerseys. The most notable absentees were freshman guard Kardel Thomas and freshman safety Marcel Brooks, both of who are expected to play vital roles on the depth chart. Saturday: vs. Georgia Southern Mississippi State: Center Darryl Williams, linebacker Erroll Thompson, quarterback Tommy Stevens, punter Kody Shexnayder and STAR Brian Cole II were named as Mississippi State's captains for the season opener. Saturday: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans Missouri: Quarterback Lindsey Scott, who began his career at LSU before leading East Mississippi Community College to the national juco championship in 2017, has decided to transfer in search of playing opportunities. Receiver Alex Odofile, whose father is the tight ends coach at Missouri, has elected to retire from football. Odofile already has his masters degree in communications. Saturday: at Wyoming Ole Miss: Right tackle Alex Givens was seen practicing Tuesday in a green non-contact jersey. Givens is expected to play Saturday at Memphis. He had a surgical procedure on his back in July. Saturday: at Memphis South Carolina: Tight end Evan Hinson will transfer out of the program to a school where he plans to play basketball. Defensive tackle Kier Thomas has an infection in his ankle that will keep him out for two weeks. Saturday: vs. North Carolina in Charlotte Tennessee: Defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, a transfer from Michigan, received his waiver from the NCAA Tuesday so he will be eligible this season … Suspended corner Bryce Thompson, who was arrested for misdemeanor assault charges against a woman and for threatening to “shoot up the school,” has a history of violence against women. In 2018 a South Carolina woman had to file for a restraining order against Thompson. The woman who filed the complaint claimed Thompson slapped her, choked her, threw her around and threatened gun violence against her if she dated another man. Saturday: vs. Georgia State #12 Texas A&M: The Aggies are 34-1/2 point favorites for their season opener with Texas State of the Sun Belt Conference. Thursday: vs. Texas State Vanderbilt: HBC Derek Mason explained how his defense has changed to meet the demands of playing mostly against spread offenses in the SEC: “We’ve morphed that way as our conference has morphed more to playing 11 personnel. When you start seeing spread personnel, it morphs you out of a 3-4 structure. … I’m not sure we’ve totally gone to 4-3, I’m just saying that’s what our structure looks like most of the time.” Saturday: vs. #3 Georgia RANDOM THOUGHTS: The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, denied an appeal for a waiver for immediate eligibility for offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, a transfer from Coastal Carolina. Hoffman was seeing to move closer to his mother, who had surgery to remove a brain tumor ...In an experimental move, Mountain West Conference basketball coaches will have access to real time analytics during MWC games this season. NCAA rules currently prohibit electronic transmissions of any kind to the bench during games so this is a trial run that could shape the future of the college game … With his 42ndhome run of the season Tuesday night, a 407-foot blast to right field, former Gator Pete Alonso broke the New York Mets single season record. With a month to go in the season, Alonso needs 10 homers to tie the New York Yankees Aaron Judge for the Major League Baseball all-time rookie record of 52.

BY FRANZ BEARD GATORBAIT SR COLUMNIST My old friend from south Florida, the one who actually shows up to Miami home games and goes on the road with the Hurricanes as often as possible, called Monday mornings ng offering up his for want of a nail the kingdom was lost assessment of the Hurricanes, 24-20, loss to the Florida Gators at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. He wondered if the Miami O-linemen had been drinking Valium-spiked Gatorade, cursed the Big 12 zebras, praised freshman quarterback Jarren Williams who took a licking and kept on ticking, spent another five minutes railing on the offensive line then an equal amount of time telling me there is no justice in the world if Shaq Quarterman doesn't win the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, cursed the zebra crew some more and then told me Manny Diaz is going to be a brilliant head coach. Then he told me I was the first Gator he had talked to that worn him out with complaints about how badly the Gators played. I told him I wasn't happy about certain aspects of Florida's play, that's for sure, but there were far more positives than negatives. “Well, even if you were pissed,” he told me, “consider the alternative. You could be 0-1.” It's been a long time since I heard a Miami fan with such an accurate assessment. Yes, consider the alternative. Florida could indeed be 0-1. No matter how many mistakes the Gators made they still won the game and that's all that really matters. Oh, sure, the polls rely heavily on style points and there weren't a lot of those to go around so you can almost bet the farm the Gators will drop a couple of spots when the next AP and Coaches polls come out next week. Over the course of an entire season, ugly wins will count just as much as the stylish ones and if you've got eight ugly wins come November, you're very much in the playoff hunt while the team that's been racking up style points but is 6-2 will be hoping it can go to the Gator or Outback Bowl. We all wanted a stylish win over Miami, if nothing more than to shut up that team from north of the Florida border whose fans could go toe-to-toe and maybe win a steel cage obnoxious battle with fans from down south. A blowout would have indeed been nice. A game with fewer penalties, fewer missed tackles, fewer turnovers and more points would have been much more palatable but which would you prefer right now: a stylish 0-1 or an ugly 1-0? I'll take the 1-0 every day of the week. Consider the alternative. GOOD QUOTES FOR A TUESDAY From Andy Staples of The Athletic on Florida's very entertaining but highly flawed 24-20 win over Miami: “Mullen knows the game Florida played Saturday won’t beat the best teams in the SEC. He knows it might not beat Kentucky or Tennessee. But he also knows he has two weeks before Florida takes the field again. During that time, he and his assistants can work to stop the Gators from extending drives with pass interference or late hit penalties. Mullen knows the Hurricanes scared his Gators, and he knows his team will listen when the coaching staff demands more consistency. And they can do all that with a 1-0 record. Had the Gators lost to Miami, the sky would be falling in Gainesville. Now? Florida has the opportunity to kick the correctable can down the road until a visit to Kentucky on Sept. 14.” From Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated on the wackiness of the final 10 minutes of Florida-Miami: “What we saw Saturday was the Week 0 blues between two teams with remade offensive lines. Of the 10 O-linemen who took the first snap Saturday, as many as eight of them could be considered new starters. But that contributed to only some of the ugliness—pre-snap penalties, obvious holding fouls, the QBs running for their lives, the QBs making poor decisions, defenders missing dozens of tackles and, for crying out loud, a trainwreck of an ending. Clinging to a four-point lead, the Gators stopped a Miami fourth-down attempt only to hand possession back on the very next play with a Feleipe Franks interception. The real fun (or wreckage?) started then. Miami’s last-ditch drive spanned nearly the remaining four minutes of the game, included 10 plays and stretched 14 yards. If a four-minute, 10-play, 14-yard drive seems nearly impossible, it’s because it is. Miami tested the limits of ineptitude (and, honestly, so did the Gators). The drive included one play – one – of positive offensive yards, three sacks, four incompletions, three fumbles and four penalties. Two of the flags were Florida pass interference calls, one of them bailing Miami out on a fourth-and-34. There was a third flag thrown for pass interference in the end zone with less than 30 seconds left, but officials, after discussing the play, ruled it clean. As someone in the press box aptly put it, the refs were damn ready to go home and end this disaster.” From Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on the Pac-12 and its need for some quality wins after Arizona suffered the indignity of a loss to Hawaii Sunday evening in the first game of the year for a team from the Power 5's weakest league from top to bottom: “America’s most-maligned Power 5 conference already suffered its first indignity with Arizona’s dramatic but heartbreaking 45-38 loss at Hawaii. And, as always, no league opens with a more ambitious Week 1 slate than the Conference of (Olympic Sport) Champions. Most notably, No. 11 Oregon meets No. 16 Auburn, but also, No. 25 Stanford hosts reigning Big Ten West champ Northwestern, USC meets defending Mountain West champ Fresno State, UCLA visits Cincinnati, an 11-win team last season, and Utah visits rival BYU. If the Pac-12 wants to be taken seriously in the Playoff conversation for the first time in three years, it needs to win the majority of these games. Most importantly, Oregon – the conference’s highest-ranked team entering the season – needs to beat Auburn. A two-loss team has yet to make the College Football Playoff, and no Pac-12 champion has gone undefeated in conference play since 2010. So you definitely don’t want to start 0-1.” SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL STUFF #1 Alabama: A pair of freshmen, nose tackle D.J. Dale and weakside linebacker Christian Harris are listed as first teamers on Alabama's first depth chart of the season. True freshman Evan Neal is listed as one of the first team options at left guard. Saturday: vs. Duke in Atlanta Arkansas:Despite weekend reports that speculated Texas A&M grad transfer Nick Starkel was the apparent winner of the quarterback competition, HBC Chad Morris named SMU grad transfer Ben Hicks his starting quarterback on Monday … Senior running back TJ Hammonds has been suspended the first four games of the season for unspecified reasons. Saturday: vs. Portland State #16 Auburn: Bo Nix will be the first true Southeastern Conference freshman quarterback to start his team's season opener since Brent Schaeffer started for Tennessee against UNLV in 2004. Saturday: vs. #11 Oregon in Arlington, Texas #3 Georgia: Linebacker Nakobe Dean and offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer have missed a good bit of practice time so their status for the season opener with Vanderbilt is questionable. Running back Zamir White, who is recovering from two knee injuries, is expected to see time on special teams. Saturday: at Vanderbilt Kentucky:Defensive tackle Phil Hoskins will miss the first two games of the season due to some academic issues. Hoskins played in all 13 games last year and registered 21 tackles and three sacks. Saturday: vs. Toledo #6 LSU: Defensive back Mannie Netherly, who was in on three tackles in two years, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Saturday: vs. Georgia Southern Mississippi State: HBC Joe Moorhead has not announced the 10 players who will be on academic suspension for eight games ... With Keytaon Thompson in the transfer portal, true freshman Garrett Shrader is now listed as the second string quarterback behind Penn State grad transfer Tommy Stevens. Saturday: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans Missouri:Missouri's offensive line for the season opener should have Trystan Colon-Castillio at center, Larry Borom at left guard, Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms at right guard, Yasir Durant at left tackle and Hyrin White at right tackle. Saturday: at Wyoming Ole Miss: Right tackle Alex Givens is listed day-to-day for the season opener with Memphis. Givens is trying to recover from a back injury. Saturday: at Memphis South Carolina: In a little bit of a surprise, senior running back Rico Dowdle is listed as the starter for Saturday's first game ahead of Clemson grad transfer Tavien Feaster. Feaster missed some practice time the last few days with an infected tooth. Saturday: vs. North Carolina in Charlotte Tennessee:Left guard Trey Smith and defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon are both listed on the Tennessee depth chart but their status is up in the air. Smith is trying to recover from an injury while Solomon, a Michigan transfer, still hasn't heard from the NCAA regarding his petition for a waiver that would allow him to play immediately. Saturday: vs. Georgia State Texas A&M: The retooled Aggie offensive line will have former right guard Ryan McCollum taking over at center for Erik McCoy, who left early for the NFL after 39 consecutive starts, and experienced Colton Prather, who has 10 starts in his career, taking over at right guard. Thursday: vs. Texas State Vanderbilt:The Commodores are expected to have their best offense in years, but with three starters gone from last year's secondary and two new linebackers Vandy is expected to have its worst defense in years. Saturday: vs. Georgia THESE GUYS WILL BE HEAD COACHES SOONER AND NOT LATER Graham Harrell, offensive coordinator, Southern Cal: This is the branch of the Mike Leach coaching tree that is going to be lights out as a head coach. First things first, he will save Clay Helton's HBC job … but if Helton gets pink slipped, there's a real good chance Harrell will be the next HBC at USC. He'll be someone's HBC next year. Sean Gleeson, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State: Maybe you've never heard of this guy but you will this year. Mike Gundy, who knows a thing or two about offense, hired him out of Princeton. So he's smart, too! What a concept. Alex Grinch, defensive coordinator, Oklahoma:We know that any Lincoln Riley offense is going to score plenty of points. Now things get scary because Grinch's defense will get stops. He will be somebody's head coach next year. Phil Longo, offensive coordinator, North Carolina:All you have to do is look at what he did with the Ole Miss offense to know this guy can put points on the board. Now we'll get to see him work with a super talent in freshman QB Sam Howell, the guy who jilted FSU for the Tar Heels. Jimmy Lake, co-defensive coordinator, Washington: The NFL knows all about his defensive backs who have a habit of locking folks down. There will be quite a few HBC openings on the Left Coast after this season. Expect Lake to fill one of them. RANDOM THOUGHTS: Former Penn State football team doctor Scott Lynch has filed a lawsuit against athletic director Sandy Barbour and HBC James Franklin, alleging he was fired after he complained that he was being pressured to clear players returning from injury … Vince Naimoli, the original owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, died Monday at the age of 81 … New England Patriots starting center David Andrews is hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs. He will miss a significant part of the season if not all of it … Serena Williams won her first match at the US Open in straight sets over Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-1 … In the aftermath of Andrew Luck's retirement, Indianapolis Colts HBC Frank Reich says his team is “in good hands” with former Gators Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. I still shake my head and wonder how it is that both Brissett and Jeff Driskel found enough success somewhere other than Florida to have a chance to play in the NFL while the Gators were playing with Tyler Murphy and Treon Harris as the starting QBs.

Dan Mullen said having the national stage alone Saturday night would give viewers an opportunity to evaluate his team and judge how they should be graded after the game. I’ve got a feeling the Florida Gators’ report card was somewhere around a C-minus. Mullen is known for making lists. Detailed guy. Often over prepares. Once at Mississippi State in preparation for a game he wrote down every last thing he could think of and the list was as long as his leg. Don’t know if it helped, but it made him feel better prepared. His list after Saturday night’s ugly victory over Miami would probably wear out a ball point pen or two, because there is plentyto correct. Frankly, if I were Mullen, I wouldn’t know where to start. First, he wanted to find something positive. “We’ve got a lot of things to work on, but we’ll get ‘em cleaned up,” Mullen said in his post-game comments. “We’ve got an open date and our guys can get some rest and we’ll fix ‘em.” Roger that. The win is paramount and everything else is second, or third. Let’s not sugar-coat it, however, because this was not performance befitting of the No. 8 ranked team in the country on a night when a large chunk of America’s football fans were probably watching. Most people expected better of Dan Mullen’s offense – and defense. I certainly did. As someone who has defended Franks pretty much all last year, watching him against Miami I began to ask myself, “Has hr regressed?” Fully expecting him to find a way to scratch out the “W,” however. And at several critical points, that didn’t appear imminent. This is a quarterback-driven team and offense. And for just a flicker of a first quarter, it appeared Feleipe was on his way to a big night, picking up where they left off last fall. First off Mullen wasn’t despondent – anything but. “There are some teachable moments in there and some things he can continue to learn. But I think he knows we have the confidence in him to make plays,” said the Florida coach. “You know, one of the things I kept seeing from him is, even if things didn't go right, if we made a mistake, he came right back firing. There wasn't a hesitation. There wasn't concern or lack of confidence in him in what he was going to do. And I was really pleased in that. You had to love how Mullen threw caution in the wind, gambling three times on fourth down in the first 16 minutes making it all three. (He wound up 4x4 on 4th down). Even had a fake punt by punter Tommy Townsend for one of them. Up 7-3 and about to go up 14-3, Franks looked poised and confident. And then the switch was flipped – he reverted by to the old Feleipe. Another fumble killed a drive. In a penalty infested game (14 Miami, 9 for Florida) full of dumb mistakes and misjudgments on both sides, the Gators somehow survived. After Miami kicker Bubba Baxa’s blown chip shot, which failed to increase the Hurricanes’ 20-17 lead, I wrote in my notebook: “Feleipe needs to make a statement.” The offense had been struggling, the defense kept making dumb penalties and some of the official’s questionable calls just enhanced them. Despite it all – turnovers, penalties, missed tackles, etc. – the Gators still gave themselves a chance to win. And Feleipe did step up with his statement. It was Franks’ 65-yard strike to Josh Hammond and subsequent 3-yard scoring run that gave Florida the upper hand as the Gators took the lead for the final time at 24-20, the eventual final score. The problem was the final eight minutes when Florida kept giving the ball to the Hurricanes on turnovers and penalties. The Gators ran two offensive plays to Miami’s 24 in the final 8 minutes, somehow staving them off. There was a near disaster from a risky call by Mullen. With only 3:48 to play, Franks was hit as he threw and Romeo Finley’s interception gave Miami new life. Again Not exactly a sterling debut for Franks, with four turnovers -- two picks, two lost fumbles. But his coach declined to throw him under the bus. “The last interception, he gets hit and, you know, I'm trying to think that shows what were trying to do. I'm putting the game in his hands. I thought we had something there. We didn't. He gets hit. He was trying to throw it away. He gets hit. The ball kind of floats and gets picked. That's on me.” As for the earlier interception, Mullen said: “And the other one, taking a shot down the middle, then throws one high, gets picked down the middle, comes right back, though his next pass is a strike for a huge play. And I think that shows his maturity and how he’s continued to come back and grown in this off season. Just play the next play and let's go.” In the game that seemingly would never die, finally Todd Grantham’s pressure package finally began to connect and his defense began landing sacks on quarterback Jarren Williams (10 in all, two by linebacker Ventrell Miller). The final closeout was a fourth and 12 on Florida’s 26 and a hurry by Jeremiah Moon. In the end, Mullen spun it as a win-win. “Great night for college football.” And he praised Franks for “hanging in there.” As a coach, he is gearing up for the marathon ahead, as he should. Yes, admittedly, there is a long list “and a lot of things to work on.” An ugly win? They say there is no such thing as an ugly baby. Or, as Mullen will tell you, probably not any ugly win, either.

We missed college football so much that we begged for it to return a week earlier this season. The football gods (aka, ESPN) saw fit to grant the request and the Florida-Miami kickoff game drew an overnight 4.1 rating—the best for a college football game since 2016. The game was a myriad of adjectives that will never fully do justice to the madness that happened in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium before 66,543 fans on Saturday night. And as you return to work this week, still waiting on the rest of college football to take the field, here are some things to keep in mind for those discussions/arguments (depending on what part of the state you live in) around the watercolor. Todd Grantham’s Aggressiveness and Game Adjustments Yes, Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is still aggressive and blitz happy. It can hurt at times like it did in the first half when Miami offensive coordinator Dan Enos was dialing up screens left and right. Nearly each one worked, with the Canes going 4-4 with the call on their first drive alone, ending in a field goal. On the second Canes drive, Enos went for the screen again but corner Marco Wilson was waiting and laid the hammer. From there, Grantham’s blitz calls didn’t ease up but he was able to get a bead on what Enos was hoping to do with his redshirt freshman quarterback. After giving up 200 total yards of offense in the first half, the Gators defense only gave up nearly half (108) in the 2nd half and a mere eight yards alone in the 3rd quarter. There were missed tackles, some that occurred because so many players—including safeties—were sent to blitz and/or help disguise the package, that few were left to help downfield. It’s a gamble with Grantham’s defense and one that doesn’t always work during the game but has proven more often than not to work in the crucial, game winning moments. That was the case again Saturday night as the Gators defense had to fight through a 10 play Canes drive in order to maintain their win. They sacked Williams twice during that drive and had a Jeremiah Moon QB hurry that could feasibly be counted as a third. Ventrell Miller and Jon Greenard Let’s talk about Ventrell Miller and Jon Greenard. After a lot of assumption that Amari Burney would be the big name linebacker after one game, it was Miller who stepped in and produced on snap after snap. He was tied for a team leading six tackles, thanks to his play in the box and ability to run sideline to sideline. Another one tied for six tackles was Jon Greenard. The Louisville transfer came in this spring as a grad transfer and former experience in Grantham’s defense. He split time with Moon at BUCK and was a force on the edge. Greenard, along with Jabari Zuniga, Adam Shuler and Moon formed a pass rush that picked on a young Miami offensive line and quarterback all night. They amassed 10 sacks along with five quarterback hurries, including one by Moon to end the game that appeared to be a sack in game time. Props to Strength and Conditioning Often we don’t realize how important the strength and conditioning program is until it’s a problem. So we want to take this moment to give Nick Savage and his staff props. Saturday night was a fight that required the Gators to give every drop of energy they had and then some. It harkened back to the “don’t let go of the rope” tasks Savage put the team through in the offseason, making sure they never gave up on a single play. Then there’s also the more practical applications. Just before kickoff, ESPN reported that the heat index on the field was 122 degrees. This reporter can attest to the oppressive heat and humidity that blanketed the game. And amidst those crippling temperatures, the game wasn’t slowed down by cramps and game caused injuries. The Gators (and for that matter the Canes as well) showed that not only are the adjusted to the Florida heat but more importantly, they’re capable of coming back week one and not being hampered by weather that has knocked out others. Penalties By the time the clock hit 0:00 the Gators had nine penalties (two offensive, seven defensive). Now we have little doubt that if you are in fact discussing this around the watercooler with co-workers, that you’ll focus on the officials and some of the flags dropped, particularly at the end of the 4th quarter. There were some questionable calls and no-calls throughout the night from the Big 12 crew. Mullen said he would send in a couple like the decision on the fumble, to the league office and ask for an explanation. But there also has to be some better discipline from the Gators so as not to find themselves in those situations again. For example, it wasn’t a nightmare; with the Canes down by four, facing a 4th and 34 with 1:30 to play from their own 36-yard line, there was in fact a pass interference call on Marco Wilson that moved Miami up 15 yards and provided them with a fresh set of downs. It was the first of two (the second being against Trey Dean) that allowed the Canes to hang around. Two unsportsmanlike calls and a personal foul were all areas that could be avoided and will undoubtedly be addressed this off week. Franks—Take Good with the Bad We will dive more into this as the week progresses, but there was a barrage of criticism on message boards and social media that moaned about the play of Feleipe Franks on Saturday night. Some of it justified, such as the decisions a redshirt junior quarterback made that caused a fumbled handoff, missing an open receiver or leaving the pocket too early. But after rewatching the game, we also see a lot more about what went into his decisions on the night—primarily the offensive line—and see the growth that Mullen spoke of all offseason. Franks does look more comfortable in this offense, he does look like he has more control, he is making better decisions and while he may make head scratching ones at times, he’s also fully capable of making the game winning play on the next drive. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions but we’d be hard pressed to find a Gators quarterback from the last nine years that would have been capable of beating Miami. And with three touchdowns, Franks did just that. There was also a vocal argument on social media that Franks ignored his teammates to celebrate himself after good plays. No matter what the camera picked up in certain moments, you’d be even more hard pressed to find a guy on Florida’s roster that won’t crawl into a foxhole with Feleipe Franks. Jarren Williams is a Stud Miami has a real one in their redshirt freshman passer. Despite throwing only three passes all of last season—and those against Savannah State no less—Williams was poised, accurate and confident all night. His young line didn’t do much too help, giving up the aforementioned 10 sacks, but he bounced back after each and never flinched. Unless a matchup is made in the postseason, the Gators are lucky to have gotten their matchup with Williams out the way early in his career. Offensive Line Work Ahead For their first game against a formidable defensive front, the Gators offensive line didn’t do terribly. But they’ve got plenty of tape to work from. We do want to take a second to commend them for keeping the penalties to a minimum. There was a false start and one holding call, and for a line that had to replace four starters, that’s not bad. As the night went on, the pass protection got relatively better. There’s still a lot to be desired but Franks was given more time, except on his second interception when he was being hit and fallen on, messing up the throw. The biggest area of concern for the line will be the rushing lanes. The Gators only gained 52 yards on the ground all night, with 42 coming from Perine who had to work his way through defenders on the edge. If Florida can’t do more with their stout running back unit, then it could be a long season. That starts with the offensive line. GIVE KADARIUS TONEY THE BALL Enough said. Special Teams Are Special Van Jefferson downed a deep Tommy Townsend punt early in the 3rd quarter that pinned the Canes at their own 5-yard line. Then he recovered a Jeff Thomas fumble on another deep Townsend punt that gave the Gators a short field that led to a touchdown. That’s a senior team leading wide receiver who could be working towards a NFL roster right now if he hadn’t decided to return to school. Yet he’s flying down the field as a gunner on special teams. Another senior, Townsend, averaged 44.7 yards on three punts, two of those coming on short field in which he expertly placed the ball inside the 15 and avoiding a touchback. He also picked up a first down that led to a touchdown on a fake punt. Dan Mullen and coordinator Greg Knox have stressed the important of special teams and it was certainly special to kick off the season. Florida won At the end of the day, that’s what matters. The Gators are 1-0 with a win over a bitter in-state rival and two weeks to prepare for UT Martin. Welcome back college football. We’ve missed you.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBait Senior Columnist Repeat after me: do not panic! And why would anyone panic? Did the Florida Gators play lights out in game one? Of course not. Are there a lot of teachable and correctable moments? Of course there are. Were there more positives than negatives? Absolutely, and if you don't think so then we weren't watching the same football game. The Gators beat Miami, 24-20. This is a Miami team that is going to go at least 9-3 and has a legitimate shot at going 11-1 in the regular season. This is a Miami team that is probably going to play Clemson for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. This is also a Miami team with one of the best front sevens the Gators are going to see all year. So it was a good albeit sloppy win. Certainly Dan Mullen would have preferred fewer mistakes and not going white knuckles until the final 12 seconds but when he looks at the record is he going to see 1-0 with an asterisk for playing rotten football or simply 1-0? You know the answer to that. Now this isn't sunshine pumping but it is a good hard look at what we saw. Good stuff: A tight game in game one wasn't what Gator fans wanted and you know Mullen and the coaching staff wanted far better execution, but in so many ways this game was good for the Gators. They have the confidence that they can play less than their best but still dig down deep to summon the will to win and prevail. Every single season has one or two games when a team has to suck it up and prove they have the will to win. We already know that about this team after the Miami game. The offensive line wasn't nearly as bad as some people want to claim. Yes, they got some pressure on Franks but only one sack. This is a team, remember, that registered 40 sacks last year and most of the sack production from 2018 was on the field. Florida averaged 5.67 yards per offensive play. No, it's not the 6.23 of last season but 5.67 against that defense in the first game of the season is better than decent. Take into account the Gators only squeezed off 54 plays and one of those was a kneel-down at the end of the game. One good reason why there were so few plays is because Miami had the ball for all but 22 seconds of the last 8:18 of the game. It wasn't like the Hurricanes were moving the ball all over the place on the Gators during that time, either. They had possession of the football for 7:56 yet managed only 17 plays and 31 yards. Penalties – some of them dubious such as the personal foul on the out of bounds and a pass interference in the end zone that should have been waved off – kept the Canes on the field. Even though the Gators were on the field a lot, they were easily the better conditioned team. If they weren't they would have wilted on Miami's last two possessions. The pass rush was ferocious. The Gators got 10 sacks and it should have been 11. That incomplete call on Miami's last play was ridiculously bad. The receiver was nowhere near the vicinity. It was intentional grounding and should have gone down as a sack. I can count at least seven other sacks the Gators might have gotten if the zebra had flagged Miami's left side of the line for holding. There are people doing hard time in Raiford for less than what happened for much of the night and still the Gators sacked Jarren Williams 10 times and pressured him a dozen others. Special teams are indeed special. Evan McPherson didn't get a chance to really show what he can do since he only had one field goal chance, but he got touchbacks on four of his five kickoffs. Tommy Townsend averaged 44.7 per punt but his high floater was in the lights and enough of a problem for sure-handed Jeff Thomas that he muffed it. And who was there to recover? Van Jefferson, a senior wide receiver who wants to be on special teams. Kadarius Toney is going to be a nightmare for defensive coordinators as he showed on the 66-yard TD in the first quarter. Oh, and did you see the block Jefferson threw to spring him? Kyle Pitts is probably going to play outside more than with his hand on the ground. He'll be that tight end who is on the move and who spreads outside to force some poor 5-10 kid to try to cover him. Did you see the moves he made on that short catch that set up the TD that actually provided the difference in the game? Feleipe Franks made some great throws in the second half when the offensive line started giving him decent protection. I attribute the lack of time he had in the first half as two-fold: (1) inexperienced linemen seeing their first action against a fierce rush and (2) the entire team went into a funk in the second quarter after the two fumbles. After the first pick, Franks came back on the next series and threw an absolute laser to Josh Hammond for a 65-yard gain. The throw he made in the third quarter while moving to his left on fourth down when he hit Trevon Grimes for a 10-yard gain was big time. Not so good stuff: Feleipe Franks didn't have his best game, but let's examine the two interceptions. The first one was intended for Tyrie Cleveland, who was wide open, but Freddie Swain was in the area. Two receivers in the same area is an absolute no-no. Swain thought the ball was for him so he leaped and it ricocheted off his hands into the hands of a Hurricane for a pick. The second interception was really a bad play call. I understand Mullen's intention, which was to get a quick first down, force Miami to use up its time outs, and then if punting was necessary, pin the Hurricanes deep in their own territory. Franks got hit as he threw because the back side protection wasn't there. Mullen admitted post game that Franks was trying to throw the ball away since the receiver was covered, but when he was hit the ball went straight to the Miami DB. More on Franks. He was a reluctant runner. I understand he wanted to make big plays throwing the ball, but on at least five occasions when he was flushed out of the pocket if he had run instead of throwing (either for an incompletion or short gain) he could have gained 8-10 yards or more. He needs to take on the same mentality he had against Michigan. Penalties. There were nine of them for 100 yards. About half were questionable but even so, five penalties is five too many. After the two fumbles the Gators went into an absolute funk in the second quarter. Up until that point, UF was in control of the game but when they lost focus after blowing two surefire scoring opportunities with turnovers, they let Miami back into the game. The Hurricanes were ready to fold and would have if Florida had stuck a couple of touchdowns on them for a 21-3 lead, which is what it should have been. Missed tackles. I lost count at 20. I'm not so sure what the final total was but the over/under is 35. The good news about missed tackles is they are correctable. If the Gators simply make tackles, Miami doesn't get a touchdown. Ball on the ground. Miami had two fumbles in addition to the muff of the punt by Thomas. On both occasions the Hurricanes got to the football and recovered even though the Gators had plenty of people surrounding the ball. And on both the Franks-Lamical Perine exchange and the pitch to Malik Davis, the Gators were on the ball first and yet Miami got the football. I will admit that on the first fumble, I think if Mullen had asked for a review he would have gotten the ball back, but he said afterward he didn't think the odds were good that the review crew would have ruled indisputable evidence. The photos say otherwise. Looking ahead: Instead of a paycheck first game, the Gators got an opponent with a top 10 defense and that created a lot of coachable moments over the next two weeks. The Gators get a week off in which they'll coach the team up, then next week, with UT Martin coming to town, they'll probably work hard on game three Kentucky. Having THREE open dates is going to prove to be a plus over the long haul. I doubt the Gators will face a better conditioned team all year and with an added open date they will be the best rested as well. Typically, teams make tremendous progress between game one and game two. This time the Gators get that bye week so expect great progress. You can bet the ranch that Mullen is going to get Jefferson, Grimes and Toney more involved next game.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBait Senior Columnist On a night when Florida made enough mistakes to lose a football game that it eventually won, the Miami Hurricanes made even more mistakes and still had a chance to win up until the final 12 seconds. In the middle of all this turmoil, the kind where you knew that one mistake was going to prove more critical than all the others, Florida coach Dan Mullen went gutsy and channeled his inner Les Miles (Remember Baton Rouge in 2007?). Four times in Florida's 24-20 win over the Hurricanes at Camping World Stadium Saturday night, Mullen elected to gamble on fourth down (Les was 5-5 against the Gators in 2007). On each occasion, the Gators converted the first down. Two of the fourth down gambles resulted in 10 critical points. “There are situations within the game that we felt we had a good play call and we had veteran players so I didn't mind putting the ball in their hands to go make those plays,” Mullen said during his post game press conference. The four players Mullen entrusted to get the job done were senior punter Tommy Townsend, junior wide receiver Kadarius Toney, junior quarterback Feleipe Franks and junior wide receiver Trevon Grimes. In sequence, here are the four fourth down gambles: Following the first gamble – a 6-yard fake punt by senior Tommy Townsend on the Gators' first possession – Feleipe Franks threw a bubble screen to Kadarius Toney, who was sprung by a great block by senior wide receiver Van Jefferson, for a 66-yard touchdown that gave Florida a 7-3 lead. Toney converted Mullen's second fourth down gamble on a 3-yard jet sweep at the UF 49 that jump started a drive that seemed destined for a touchdown until Franks and Lamical Perine fumbled an exchange at the Miami seven. Although the third gamble – it happened on the same drive as Toney's 3-yard jet sweep – got the first down when Franks powered his way for two yards to the Miami 22, Mullen might wish he had that one back. He could have easily sent in Evan McPherson, who was 17-19 on field goals last year and 1-1 Saturday night, but he was looking for the TD that would give UF a commanding 14-3 lead. Instead of the three that would have extended Florida's lead to 10-3, the Gators fumbled the ball away at the Miami seven four plays later when Franks and Lamical Perine blew an exchange on an RPO. That was the first of three Florida turnovers on the night. Given the fact the Hurricanes had the ball with a chance to win with seconds left in the game, the Gators were extremely fortunate the decision to pass up the field goal didn't come back to haunt them. The fourth – and final – gamble paid off because this time Mullen sent in McPherson to kick the field goal. This was in the third quarter with the Gators trailing Miami 13-7 and it came on a fourth and five at the Miami 37. On the play, Franks rolled left and made an under pressure throw to Trevon Grimes on the east sideline for a 10-yard gain and the first down at the Miami 27. On the next play, Franks and tight end Kyle Pitts connected on an 18-yard pass to the Miami nine but that's where the drive stalled out. This time, when fourth down came along Mullen didn't hesitate. McPherson went in, drilled the 27-yarder to cut the Miami lead to 13-10 with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter. Of the four fourth down gambles, two led to 10 points. The other two should have gotten the Gators at least a field goal. Even though Mullen gave up one probable sure three on the third of his gambles, in a worst case scenario the Gators would have still given McPherson a chip shot even if they had simply hung onto the ball. Mullen obviously isn't afraid to take chances and judging by the certainty in which he made his decisions the play calls are well-rehearsed. “It may have seemed high risk but we felt pretty good with those calls and there wasn't any question or doubt,” he said. Interestingly, Mullen had a chance to go for a fifth fourth down conversion late in the third quarter but this time he elected to punt. Facing fourth and one from the Florida 42, Mullen surprised the crowd of 66,543 when he had Townsend punt the football. Burned once, Miami set up a picket fence defense to ensure Townsend would have nowhere to go if he took off running but in doing so, the Hurricanes didn't even get token pressure. Townsend leisurely kicked a high floater that Miami's Jeff Thomas fumbled at the UM 11. This time, yet another veteran that Mullen trusts came through. Senior wide receiver Van Jefferson was on the football almost before Thomas could react to give the Gators the possession. Three plays later, Franks and Perine connected for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter that gave the Gators a 17-13 lead. "Our starting receiver made one of the biggest plays of the game,” Mullen said. “It was our leading returning receiver and this is his first time playing on punt because this is a veteran group that really understands what it takes to win football games and they've bought into that and that's not only going to help us here now but I'm sure it's going to help those guys play football for a very long time.” So maybe it wasn't a pretty win but it was definitely gutsy. Mullen acted like it was business as usual. Fortunately for the Gators, business as usual got the results Florida needed to avoid starting the season 0-1.