THREE THINGS THAT BUG ME DURING THIS OFF WEEK (1) I keep wondering when the national media is going to acknowledge what a seriously good coaching job Dan Mullen has done this season. The Gators are 7-1, 4-1 in SEC play and ranked seventh nationally and they haven't had a single game at full strength all season. Despite missing key players and dealing with numerous guys going at less than 100%, the Gators have kept on winning and you haven't once heard Dan Mullen say the dreaded words “if only” when describing what's been happening. In Texas there is this old saying “dance with the one what brung you.” There's a really good chance the Gators will be dancing with the healthiest team they've been able to field when they face Georgia a week from Saturday. (2) Going all the way back to the spring, I thought there was a really good chance Georgia wouldn't live up to the hype. Even when the Poodles were 5-0 I hadn't seen anything to make me think they were the third best team in the country yet there were some national media types who were saying Georgia was going to win the SEC and go into the College Football Playoff as a favorite to win it all. Georgia is 6-1 now with that loss coming to four touchdown underdog South Carolina. The Poodles are looking like maybe the fourth best team in the SEC, not the country. For Georgia to be as good or better than Alabama, it needs a head coach who's got a clue when it comes to making good decisions when a game is tight. Another Texas saying: “All hat, no cattle.” That's Kirby Smart. He has the big reputation based on the fact he can recruit. I've yet to see anything that would make me believe he's one of the 10 best college football coaches in the country. From what I've seen of Kirby, he's Mark Richt, Part Deux. (3) Florida State fans are all lathered up thinking they're going to Free Willie. I got text messages from friends who couldn't get in school at UF telling me that Willie Taggart was as good as gone and that Urban Meyer was their guy. I texted them back, “I think your mama dropped you on your head too many times when you were an infant.” First and foremost, FSU can't afford the buyout which is $17,708,333 per USA Today. Second, even if they hold enough bake sales and car washes to come up with the buyout money, they don't have enough to hire Urban, who was making in excess of $8 million at Ohio State. At Ohio State, Urban had everything he wanted and if he didn't have it all he had to do was ask and someone would write a check. One of the chief reasons Jimbo is at Texas A&M is that FSU didn't have anyone who could write big checks for things he needed. Not only is Urban not coming to FSU, neither is any other big name coach. My word to FSU folks comes from the title of one of my favorite books by my late friend Lewis Grizzard: “Shoot Low Boys, They're Riding Shetland Ponies.” WHAT SEC FOOTBALL COACHES ARE PAID (SEC rank/national rank) 1/2 Nick Saban, Alabama $8,857,000; buyout $34,100,000 2/4 Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M $7,500,000; buyout $60,625,000 3/5 Kirby Smart, Georgia $6,871,600; buyout $24,239,584 4/6 Gus Malzahn, Auburn $6,827,489; buyout $27,050,000 5/10 DAN MULLEN, FLORIDA $6,070,000; buyout $12,000,000 6/19 Mark Stoops, Kentucky $4,763,600; buyout $22,703,125 7/23 Will Muschamp, South Carolina $4,400,000; buyout $19,437,500 8/28 Chad Morris, Arkansas 4,000,000; buyout $10,004,167 9/30 Ed Orgeron, LSU $4,000,000; buyout $7,750,000 10/32 Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee $3,846,000; buyout $9,500,000 11/40 Derek Mason, Vanderbilt $3,368,244 12/45 Matt Luke, Ole Miss $3,100,000 13/47 Barry Odom, Missouri $3,050,000; buyout $1,000,000 14/48 Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State $3,050,000 SEC FOOTBALL STUFF #1 Alabama (7-0, 3-0 SEC): With Tua Tagovailoa out for at least the Arkansas game with that high ankle sprain, Mac Jones takes over as the starting quarterback. He's 20-32 passing this season for 237 yards and a touchdown. Backup will be Taulia Tagovailoa, a true freshman and Tua's baby brother. Saturday: vs. Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC) Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC): “We're playing a lot of freshmen and we're second-most in the country behind Alabama,” Arkansas HBC Chad Morris said Tuesday. Of course, there is a real difference between the freshmen Arkansas plays and the ones Alabama plays. There may not be a single freshman on the Arkansas roster who could make the Alabama roster. Saturday: at #1 Alabama (7-0, 3-0 SEC) #10 Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC): One of the priorities for Auburn in its preparation for Saturday's roadie to Baton Rouge is preparing for the crowd noise. Crowd noise at The Swamp when Auburn played Florida factored in the Tigers only loss of the season. Saturday: at #2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC) #9 Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC): Injured wide receiver Lawrence Cager, second on the team with 19 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns, is listed day-to-day … After 49 games in his Georgia coaching career, HBC Kirby Smart has the identical record Mark Richt had through his first 49 games – 38-11 … It has been 14,174 days since Georgia's las national championship but who's counting? Saturday: Open Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC): It's entirely possible quarterback Sawyer Smith will return to the lineup Saturday against Missouri. Smith might have been able to go last week against Georgia but HBC Mark Stoops elected to hold him out since the horrendous weather conditions were conducive to Smith getting reinjured. Saturday: vs. Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC) #2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC): In SEC wins over #7 Florida and Mississippi State, Joe Burrow has completed 46-56 passes for 620 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception … Keeping Burrow's jersey clean against Auburn's fierce front four has to be among the main goals for the Tigers. They've only allowed 12 sacks all season but they gave up three last week to Mississippi State. Saturday: vs. #10 Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC): The Bulldogs rank near the bottom of the SEC defensive stats in three key categories – rushing yards allowed (10th), passing yards allowed (11th) and points allowed 12th. Saturday: at Texas A&M Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC): HBC Barry Odom didn't call out any specific position group when trying to explain away the Tigers' loss to Vanderbilt last weekend. Odom said, “I'm not pointing the finger at one group or one area. We've also come to the short conclusion that we've all got to be better in every way.” Translation: The Tigers stunk and there are really no explanations for it. Saturday: at Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC) Ole Miss (3-5, 2-3 SEC): First year defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre has made a difference. Last year the Rebels gave up 483.4 yards per game and ranked #121 out of 130 Division I teams. This year they're giving up 408.6 yards per game and rank #83 nationally. Saturday: Open South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC): South Carolina negotiated a one-year probation with the NCAA due to a recruiting violation by former defensive line coach Lance Thompson, now the recruiting coordinator and D-line coach at Florida Atlantic ... Wide receiver Bryan Edwards needs five catches Saturday against Tennessee to pass Kenny McKinley for first place on the school's all-time receiving list. Edwards has 203 career catches for 2,733 yards and 20 yards. Saturday: at Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC) Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC): J.T. Shrout, who has spent most of the season as the third team QB, took the first team snaps at practice Tuesday. Freshman Brian Maurer, who left the Alabama game under concussion protocol, participated in Tuesday's practice. No word on former start/backup Jarrett Guarantano … With five receptions Saturday against South Carolina, wide receiver Jauan Jennings can move into sixth place on Tennessee's all time list. Currently, Jennings has 122 catches for 1,662 yards and 15 touchdowns. Saturday: vs. South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC) Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC): The Aggies have opened as 10-point favorites over Mississippi State … One of the big reasons for the inconsistency of the Aggies this season is their inability to hold onto the ball. While they've forced a respectable 16 turnovers, they've handed it back to opponents 15 times (seven lost fumbles, eight interceptions). Saturday: vs. Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC) Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3 SEC): You only have to check the SEC standings and the total offense and defense stats to see why Vandy fans think it seems a lot like old times in Nashville. The Commodores are in a pitched battle with Tennessee and Kentucky for last in the SEC. Their offense ranks #109 nationally while the defense ranks #112, just ahead of FSU. Saturday: Open ALL TOO EARLY HEISMAN RANKINGS Everybody has their own Heisman list. Here is mine. 1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU: 173-218 passing (79.4%) for 2,484 yards (11.4 per attempt) and 29 touchdown passes (three interceptions); 94 rushing yards, two touchdowns 2. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma: 114-154 passing (74%) for 2,074 yards (13.5 per attempt), 20 touchdown passes (three interceptions); 84-705 rushing (8.39 per attempt), 10 touchdowns 3. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: 145-194 passing (74.7%) for 2,166 yards (11.2 per attempt), 27 touchdown passes (two interceptions); 30 rushing yards, two touchdowns 4. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: 116-164 passing (70.7%) for 1,492 yards (9.1 per attempt), 22 touchdown passes (one interception); 63-291 rushing (4.62 per attempt), eight touchdowns 5. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin: 157-957 rushing (6.1 per attempt), 15 touchdowns; 16-138 receiving (8.63 per catch), four touchdowns Longshot: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State, who has 9.5 sacks through seven games to go with one pass breakup, two QB hurries, three forced fumbles, a blocked punt and 10.5 tackles for loss. An Even Longer Shot: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State, 194-1,265 rushing (6.52 per carry), 15 touchdowns in seven games. GOOD QUOTES FOR WEDNESDAY From Will Sammon of The Athletic on one of the greatest areas of improvement for Florida football since Dan Mullen became head coach: “Last year, Florida averaged 7.3 penalties per game, which was an improvement from 2017, when it averaged eight. The Gators have not had a season this decade in which they averaged fewer than 6.5 penalties per game. From 2010-16, Mississippi State under Mullen never averaged more than 5.5 penalties per game in a single season.” From Wayne McGahee III of Tallahassee.com, Florida State University athletic director David Coburn on rumors flying that FSU is targeting Urban Meyer to replace embattled football coach Willie Taggart: "If Coach [Taggart] were hit by a bus tomorrow, we would not target Coach Meyer, period. I say that with all due respect to Coach Meyer, but we would not target Steve Spurrier either.” Paul Finebaum of The SEC Network on where he sees Georgia at this point of the season: “I've got to see more from Georgia before I'm lock solid behind them.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: The NBA season opened Tuesday night. I would have watched but I was engrossed in this seminar on the thousands of uses for the common bolt on PBS … Among the college basketball coaches who are on very thin ice prior to the 2019-20 season are Shaka Smart (Texas), Josh Pastner (Georgia Tech) and Danny Manning (Wake Forest). Of the three, Pastner's seat is the hottest due to NCAA issues. If he doesn't make the NCAA Tournament (highly doubtful) he'll be begging someone for an NBA assistant job in the spring … Former Gator catcher David Ross could be named manager of the Chicago Cubs in the next day or two … The Washington Nationals have taken a 1-0 lead in the World Series with their 5-4 win over the Houston Astros Tuesday night.

A GREAT TIME FOR AN OPEN DATE As if we needed proof that timing is everything we have the open date that annually precedes the Florida-Georgia game. The week off is exactly what the 7th-ranked Gators need as they prepare to take the second step of their de facto 4-game playoff for the Southeastern Conference East Division championship. Banged up and bruised, the Gators will use the week to get everybody healthy and could go into the Georgia game healthier than they've been all season. When the Gators take the field against Georgia there is a very good chance UF will be healthier than any time this season. With the exception of Feleipe Franks, who is done for the year with that ankle fractured and dislocated in the Kentucky game, the Gators should be able to field a two-deep on both sides of the ball that closely resembles the one Dan Mullen thought he would have way back in August. There are plenty of banged up and battered Gators who need this week off, not to mention plenty of players who just need some R&R. And then there are Kadarius Toney, Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga. Expect all three to be ready to go on November 2. Toney is recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in the game two win over Tennessee-Martin. With Toney in the lineup and so capable of going the distance on drag patterns and short stuff, safeties have to play closer to the line of scrimmage and that takes away their ability to defend vertically. So, even when Toney doesn't get the football he's creating plays for teammates. Greenard and Zuniga both have ankle injuries but they will go into the Georgia game with three weeks of rest. With them operating as bookends, the Gators have the potential to create widespread panic an offensive line that has to deal with their speed and athleticism and a quarterback who has to get rid of the ball perhaps a bit sooner than he'd like. A healthy Florida team is a very good thing. A healthy Florida team with Toney, Greenard and Zuniga available is one that could make it 2-0 in the unofficial 4-game playoff. GATOR BASKETBALL RANKED 6TH IN AP PRESEASON POLL The Associated Press has released its preseason basketball poll with Florida beginning the 2019-20 season ranked sixth. This is the highest preseason ranking since the 2006-07 season when they began the season #1 and finished #1 with their second straight NCAA championship. This is the 13th time in school history that the Gators began a season with a top ten ranking. The last time was 2017-18 when they began at #8. (1) Michigan State; (2) Kentucky; (3) Kansas; (4) Duke; (5) Louisville; (6) FLORIDA; (7) Maryland; (8) Gonzaga; (9) North Carolina; (10) Villanova; (11) Virginia; (12) Seton Hal; (13) Texas Tech; (14) Memphis; (15) Oregon; (16) Baylor; (17) Utah State; (18) Ohio State; (19) Xavier; (20) Saint Mary's; (21) Arizona; (22) LSU; (23) Purdue; (24) Auburn; (25) VCU SEC FOOTBALL STUFF #1 Alabama (7-0, 3-0 SEC): With Tua sidelined and Arkansas coming to Tuscaloosa, it's the perfect time for Nick Saban to tune up the running game. In their last two games, the Hogs have allowed 330 rushing yards to Kentucky and 298 to Auburn. Saturday: vs. Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC) Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC): How bad are things at Arkansas? After the weekend blowout loss to Auburn, 4-star linebacker Martavius French (6-2, 240, Memphis, TN Whitehaven) announced on Twitter he has decommitted from Arkansas. French, the second highest rated player in the Arkansas recruiting class, saw the 51-10 loss to Auburn while on an official visit to Fayetteville. Saturday: at #1 Alabama (7-0, 3-0 SEC) #10 Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC): Auburn BUCK Nick Coe, whose lack of productivity has been a mystery, didn't play against Arkansas. Post game Saturday, HBC Gus Malzahn said Coe was held out “because he did not meet our standard in practice this week.” Saturday: at #2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC) #9 Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC): Georgia fans booed the team throughout the first and second quarters of the win over Kentucky. It got really loud when the Poodles left the field for the locker room at halftime. Saturday: Open Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC): It was a bad weekend for Kentucky and its linebackers. First, freshman Shawn'Kel Knight-Goff left the team. Second, Xavier Peters, who transferred to UK from Florida State, didn't make the trip to Georgia due to disciplinary action. Peters, who signed with FSU in 2018, is a former Under Armour All-American. Saturday: vs. Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC) #2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC): Wide receiver Terrence Marshall could return for Saturday's game with Auburn. Prior to a stress fracture in his foot, Marshall had 20 catches for 304 yards and six touchdowns. He has missed the last three games. Saturday: vs. #10 Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC): Needing three more wins to become bowl eligible, the schedule over the final five games looks favorable for the Bulldogs who have winnable games with (at) Arkansas, Abilene Christian and Ole Miss. Saturday: at Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC) Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC): After losing to Vanderbilt Saturday, HBC Barry Odom said, “I think we got outcoached and I think we got out-executed for four quarters.” Add Odom's name to the Endangered Species List. Saturday: at Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC) Ole Miss (3-5, 2-3 SEC): QB John Rhyss Plumlee had a minor procedure on his knee and RB Jerrion Ealy is in concussion protocol. Fortunately for Ole Miss, the Rebels have an open date this week. Saturday: Open South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC): South Carolina is waiting results of an MRI to determine the extent of tailback Rico Dowdle's knee injury suffered against Florida. Dowdle is the team's second leading rusher with 457 yards and four touchdowns. Saturday: at Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC) Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC): Freshman QB Brian Maurer has already suffered two concussions. Does Tennessee shut him down the remainder of the season? And if Maurer is shut down, does Jeremy Pruitt start Jarrett Guarantano? Is Guarantano even interested in remaining with the team after the way Pruitt treated him on the sideline Saturday night? Saturday: vs. South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC) Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC): DB Larry Pryor, who did not make the trip to Ole Miss, is no longer with the team. Pryor played in the first six games and had 12 tackles. Saturday: vs. Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC) Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3 SEC): Official attendance for the win over Missouri was 23,900. Actual attendance looked to be about half that, which is precisely why Derek Mason is probably going to get pink-slipped. Saturday: Open A FEW COLLEGE FOOTBALL OBSERVATIONS Clemson is bored: There really isn't anything wrong with Clemson other than the fact that boredom has settled in. This is the problem of sustaining greatness in a weak conference like the ACC. There isn't a team in the league capable of challenging a focused, engaged Clemson team. Dabo has to find a way to channel his inner Lou Holtz to make each one of the homeless shelters and convents remaining on the schedule seem like the reincarnation of '95 Nebraska. If he can't do that, then the Tigers might find it hard to break the boredom and rise to the occasion of the playoff later on. Joe Moorhead may leave for Rutgers: Moorhead has already figured out that he is a rotten fit for this job. I don't think he had a clue what it takes to win in Starkville. He had the perfect model to follow in Dan Mullen but whereas Mullen embraced all things Mississippi, Moorhead has not. Mullen built the program from scratch, made Mississippi State fans believe they could compete, took them to bowl games every year and made folks forget he was a Yankee from New Hampshire. Moorhead only reminds folks every day that he's not from Mississippi and they tend to think he'd rather be somewhere else. So, the choice for Moorhead is (a) do you wish to compete for fifth place in the SEC West every year or (b) do you wish to compete for fifth place in the Big Ten East? My guess is he goes East. Clay Helton makes it uncomfortable for Southern Cal administration: It's no secret Southern Cal wants to move on from Clay Helton. They appreciate that he inherited a mess and has done an admirable job cleaning up the program but they don't think he can bring back the glory years of Pete Carroll when championships were expected and won. The Trojans are 4-3 right now but 3-1 in the Pac-12 South where they are tied with Utah for first. If the Trojans can get healthy and stay that way, there is a real possibility they could run the table and finish 9-3. To do that would include knocking off Oregon at the Coliseum on November 2. Since he owns the tiebreaker over Utah, Helton could win the Pac-12 South. There are some people in admin who are sweating this one. Personally, I wish Clay would take another job (he'll have opportunities), which would be like giving the USC folks the finger. Manny Diaz is in way over his head: Based on the returning talent on defense alone, Miami figured to be a 9-3 or 10-2 team in 2019 but the Hurricanes are 3-4, 1-3 in the very weak Coastal Division of the ACC. Probably the only game the Canes will be favored to win the rest of the way is their matchup with FIU. The spin out of The U is that this is a “rebuilding” year. Why are they rebuilding when you consider Mark Richt's last two recruiting classes (2017-18) were ranked 12th and 8th? You can conclude the following: (1) Miami is poorly coached; (2) Manny Diaz is in way over his head and should have learned how to be a head coach at a Group of Five school instead of on the job training at The U; and (3) if things continue to go south, Diaz will get an ultimatum to either overhaul his staff or find gainful employment elsewhere. GOOD QUOTES FOR MONDAY Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network on Jeremy Pruitt's sideline outburst in which he grabbed the facemask of quarterback Jarrett Guarantano: “I’m not saying it’s a fireable offense, because it’s not, it’s just one more thing that you look at in his overall resume, and you wonder how much upside does this guy have. Because I believe he’s a really good football coach, but the other things that are necessary to be successful, he doesn’t have. His PR skills are terrible, his sideline demeanor is not impressive and when you put a hand on another player, you are inviting a lot of trouble and a lot of criticism.” From Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports on Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt grabbing the face mask of QB Jarrett Guarantano as he screamed and yelled at him: “It’s a sign a coach is so limited that he doesn’t have a better means of getting his message across. No great communicator needs to go that route.” From Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with an un-vote of confidence to head coach Jason Garrett after the Cowboys blasted the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10: “Well, I think it's one game.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Former Georgia/Miami head coach Mark Richt suffered a heart attack Monday morning. A quick recovery is expected … Zion Williamson will miss as much as eight weeks of the NBA season after undergoing knee surgery … Buddy Hield of the Sacrificial Kings signed a four-year contract extension worth $86 million, which sounds like a lot of money except that the Boston Celtics signed Jaylen Brown to a four-year extension worth $115 million. Hield averaged 20.7 per game last year. Brown averaged 13. Something seems very wrong here … Coming off his fifth surgery on the same knee, Tiger Woods will play this week in the PGA ZoZo Championship in Japan.

It was not a good beginning of a noon start in Columbia, where it was expected Will Muschamp's chicken's were going to be scratching and pecking and annoying Florida. It's never good when your defensive lineman lines up offsides twice in a row, giving the home team precious red zone yardage that provides the difference. Or, as one of my friends texted: Ancrum 7, Gators 3. The Gators somehow had gotten unofficially anointed as SEC East Darlings after an impressive night in a losing effort vs. LSU, but right now they were in a struggle. Never mind about Atlanta -- for three quarters it was very much question whether the Florida Gators would make it out of Columbia alive. And when they fell behind in the third quarter, 20-17, they were looking through a glass darkly. Maybe we should all learn from one of those stadium bumper-sticker signs we saw the other day: "In Trask We Trust." Four weeks ago they were prenders. Suddenly the national commentators have them penciled in for Atlanta. There was some speculation that the rain and wet ball had hampered Trask's ability to grip the ball and had therefore caused some of his inccurated throws, but he said later that wasn't a big factor and "we practice with wet ball." Once again, the Kyle Trask Train has pulled away from the station, leaving behind the carnage -- four touchdown passes, three of them in the fourth quarter. However, it took patience in trying to grip a wet ball, mis-throws, bad route running and the absence of the smoothly coordinated passing game. Those things Gator fans have been accustomed to seeing out of their junior red-shirt quarterback. The body of work by Trask has been the difference in this stretch run, which finds Florida on the final leg of Murderer's Row. He uncanny ability to stay calm under pressurer and connrect with receivers in key situations has helped put the Gators in a division-contending position. Lne of six explosive plays of 15 or more yards by Florida came on the big 75-yard scoring run by Dameon Pierce which tied the game at 17 and began turning the day around for Dan Mullen's team. This was a critical win for Florida in order to keep in the hunt for an SEC East title. And it was yet another comeback win for Trask on the road in and SEC venue, who has come out of mothballs and into the spotlight impressively. He even showed a little panache. Has the low-key, understated Kyle Trask flipped a switch? Our photographer Blake Childress caught Trask with his finger to his lips, with a "Shsh" for Gamecock fans. Perhaps in honor of his quarterback-room pal, the injured Feleiple Franks, who did the same thing to his own fans in The Swamp last year, then led the Gators to a 21-point comeback win. It must be contagious.

THE COMEBACK KID Maybe Dan Mullen deserves that label. He's 17-4 as Florida's football coach (10-3 last year, 7-1 this year) and six of his wins have seen the Gators rally from a fourth quarter deficit to victory. The Gators did it three times in 2018 (trailed LSU 19-14 and won 27-19; trailed Vandy 21-20 and won, 37-20; trailed South Carolina 31-17 and won 38-35). This season the Gators have rallied from a 20-17 deficit to beat Miami 24-21, rallied from down 21-10 to beat Kentucky 29-21 and Saturday they trailed South Carolina 20-17 in the fourth quarter before putting it all together in the fourth quarter for a 38-27 win. Some coaches only coach well when they're ahead. Stake them to an early lead and they do a dandy job of channeling their inner Knute Rockne but let them fall behind and brilliance tends to leak like oil from a Yugo. Then there are coaches who just can't handle prosperity. They're at their worst when they go into the fourth quarter with a lead. Mullen tends to do well when going into the fourth quarter trailing largely because he (a) is supremely confident that he can push all the right buttons for his team; (b) he has a very keen understanding of when to take risks and when to play it safe such as go for it on fourth down or kick a field goal; and (c) he has convinced his team that if they'll trust the coaches and continue to play as hard as they can every single play that good things will eventually happen and they will win. Although luck sometimes factors into comeback wins, Mullen isn't one to depend on lucky breaks. When he was Florida's offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, I did a lengthy sit down interview with Mullen prior to the 2008 season when the subject of luck came up. Mullen told me, “You're always happy when you get a lucky break, but if you depend on lucky breaks coming your way you're going to be disappointed an awful lot. Make your own luck by playing harder and making fewer mistakes than the other guys. Believe in yourself. Believe in your teammates. Believe in your coaches.” That's exactly why the Gators are so good in the fourth quarter. GATORS #7 IN AP POLL; #8 IN COACHES Florida's 38-27 win over South Carolina combined with Wisconsin's stunning loss to Illinois allowed the Gators to move up in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. The Gators made their biggest move in the AP poll where they jumped two spots to #7. In the Coaches Poll the Gators are #8. Alabama remained #1 in both polls but there is discrepancy 2-4 in the two polls. In the AP, LSU is second with Ohio State jumping Clemson for #3. In the Coaches Poll, Clemson is #2 with LSU #3 and Ohio State #4. It's surprising that Wisconsin only dropped to #13 after the Badgers lost to a 31-point underdog. The Associated Press Top 25 Poll (1) Alabama 7-0; (2) LSU 7-0; (3) Ohio State 7-0; (4) Clemson 7-0; (5) Oklahoma 7-0; (6) Penn State 7-0; (7) FLORIDA 7-1; (8) Notre Dame 5-1; (9) Auburn 6-1; (10) Georgia 6-1; (11) Oregon 6-1; (12) Utah 6-1; (13) Wisconsin 6-1; (14) Baylor 7-0; (15) Texas 5-2; (16) SMU 7-0; (17) Minnesota 7-0; (18) Cincinnati 6-1; (19) Michigan 5-2; (20) Iowa 5-2; (21) Appalachian State 6-0; (22) Boise State 6-1; (23) Iowa State 5-2; (24) Arizona State 5-2; (25) Wake Forest 6-1 The Coaches Top 25 Poll (1) Alabama 7-0; (2) Clemson 7-0; (3) LSU 7-0; (4) Ohio State 7-0; (5) Oklahoma 7-0; (6) Penn State 7-0; (7) Notre Dame 5-1; (8) FLORIDA 7-1; (9) Georgia 6-1; (10) Auburn 6-1; (11) Oregon 6-1; (12) Utah 6-1; (13) Wisconsin 6-1; (14) Baylor 7-0; (15) Texas 5-2; (16) Minnesota 7-0; (17) SMU 7-0; (18) Cincinnati 6-1; (19) Iowa 5-2; (20) Michigan 5-2; (21) Boise State 6-1; (22) Appalachian State 6-0; (23) Wake Forest 6-1; (24) Arizona State 5-2; (25) Memphis 6-1 RANKING THE SEC TOP TO BOTTOM (1) Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC): It's a high ankle sprain for Tua Tagovailoa, who had a surgical procedure performed Sunday morning. He will miss the Arkansas game this week and then has an open date before the November 9 matchup with LSU. He's expected to play against LSU but how mobile will he be and how capable of stepping fully into throws? Next Saturday: vs. Arkansas (2) LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC): It has only taken Threauxin' Jeaux Burreaux seven games to break LSU's all-time single season touchdown pass record. Against Mississippi State he was 25-32 passing for 327 yards and four touchdowns, raising his record total to 29. Next Saturday: vs. #10 Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) (3) FLORIDA (7-1, 4-1 SEC): With three sacks against South Carolina, the Gators have 29 for the season (-185 yards), which ties UF with SMU and Ohio State for second nationally. Next Saturday: Open (4) Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC): Freshman QB Bo Nix didn't have any hangover from the loss to Florida two weeks ago, throwing for three touchdowns and running for one as Auburn racked up 491 yards and 51 points against Arkansas. Next Saturday: at #2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC) (5) Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC): De'Andre Swift (21 carries, 179 yards, two touchdowns) was the offense against Kentucky in a game played in horrible weather conditions. Georgia threw for only 35 yards and tried only one pass in the entire second half. Next Saturday: Open (6) Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC): The inconsistency of QB Kellen Mond has to be driving Jimbo Fisher nuts. A week after throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama, Mond was back to very ordinary against Ole Miss with 172 yards, one TD and two picks. If not for a scoop and score on a fumble by Buddy Johnson, the Aggies would have been trying to win in overtime. Next Saturday: vs. Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC) (7) South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC): Will Muschamp has talked with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and supervisor of officials Steve Shaw about the officiating in South Carolina's loss to Florida. Muschamp has a point about some blown calls, but that is unlikely to spare him a fine for his post game criticism of the zebras. Next Saturday: at Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC) (8) Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC): The Tigers shot themselves in the feet over and over again by committing 12 penalties for -120 yards in the loss to Vanderbilt. On Vandy's final possession when the Tigers were out of time outs and trying to get a stop for one last try to win the game, the Missouri nose tackle Jordan Elliott jumped offside twice to give Vandy a first down. Next Saturday: at Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC) (9) Ole Miss (3-5, 2-3 SEC): In their final five possessions of the Rebels' 24-17 loss to Texas A&M, the Ole Miss offense settled for a field goal (missed), threw an interception, punted twice and then settled for a field goal. Next Saturday: Open (10) Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC): The Wildcats are good enough to beat a team like Arkansas with converted wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. at quarterback, but they'll need more of a passing game (Bowden was 2-15 for 17 yards against Georgia) to win three of their five final regular season games to become bowl eligible. Next Saturday: vs. Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC) (11) Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC): It is becoming painfully obvious that Joe Moorhead is not exactly a good fit for this job. There are reports that he's Rutgers' top priority and that he's interested in making that move. Next Saturday: at Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC) (12) Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3 SEC): Prior to Saturday's 21-14 upset of then #22 Missouri, Vanderbilt's defense was giving up 36.8 points and 482.7 yards per game. Besides holding Mizzou to two touchdowns, the Commodores held the Tigers to 293 offensive yards. Kelly Bryant managed only 13-26 passing for 140 yards. Next Saturday: Open (13) Tennessee (2-5, 1-3 SEC): While the Vols held Alabama to a season-low 373 yards and four offensive touchdowns, they proved to be their own worst enemy, committing 13 penalties for -93 yards and turning the ball over twice (one fumble, one interception). Next Saturday: vs. South Carolina (3-4, 2-3 SEC) (14) Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC): The Razorbacks had plenty enough problems without contributing four turnovers (two interceptions, two lost fumbles) and a botched fake punt to the 51-10 loss to Auburn. Next Saturday: at #1 Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) DODGING BULLETS Lovie Smith, Illinois: Had the Illini gotten their doors blown off by Wisconsin there is a really good chance Lovie would have been pink slipped on Sunday. Now that he's beaten a decent team people will expect the Illini to play well the rest of the way. If they don't, Lovie will be gone but at least he's dodged an immediate bullet. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: The normally docile Vandy brie and chardonnay tailgate set has been rumbling that it's time for Mason to go. Beating Missouri might not have saved Mason's job but it will buy him a quiet couple of weeks (Vandy is open next Saturday). Kilani Sitaki, BYU: BYU fans are wondering how a team that can beat Tennessee on the road, Southern Cal and then #14 Boise State can lose on consecutive weeks to (Holy) Toledo and South Florida? The win over Boise will hush the fire Kilani folks but they'll be screaming for his scalp if he loses this week to Utah State. SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN AT LEAST ONE FOOT Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee: Coaches have a right to get mad when their quarterbacks take matters into their own hands and screw up, but Pruitt crossed a line when he grabbed Jarrett Guarantano by the face mask after his fumble that Alabama returned for a TD. Pruitt is already on very thin ice, but this incident might mushroom into a reason to fire him at season's end. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: Coming out of halftime Saturday evening at Happy Valley, Harbaugh told ESPN that the second half against Penn State would be Michigan's “finest hour.” Of course, it wasn't. Harbaugh isn't going to get fired, but it's starting to become more and more apparent that the folks in Ann Arbor wouldn't be upset if he would just go away. Willie Taggart, Florida State: In the final 2:13 of their 22-20 loss to Wake Forest Gump, the Seminoles missed a field goal and QB James Blackmon fumbled the ball twice to prevent a shot at a pass to set up a game-winning field goal. “Free Willie” has taken on new meaning for FSU alums. If only they had the $17 million it would take to buy out Taggart's contract. GREAT QUOTES FOR MONDAY In a conversation with Cowlin Cowherd on Fox Sports, Urban Meyer talked about the one job he would un-retire for, the Dallas Cowboys: “That’s the one. Great city. They got Dak Prescott, you got Zeke Elliott. You got a loaded team. And I can’t speak for him obviously, I hate to even speculate because I don’t know him, that’s really not fair, but to me, that’s the one job in professional football that you kinda say, ‘I got to go do that.'” From Wayne McGahee III of the Tallahassee Democrat after Florida State blew opportunities to win in a 22-20 loss to Wake Forest: “Every Saturday of this football season has become groundhog day for the Florida State football program. We continue to live the same day over and over again and nothing ever changes. The results stay the same, the post game comments stay the same, and the "we'll get it together" hopes stay the same. But nothing ever changes.” From Jesse Temple of The Athletic, Wisconsin linebacker Zack Braun on the Badgers' stunning 24-23 loss to 31-point underdog Illinois: “It was kind of a trap game playing here in Champaign against a team like Illinois. I feel like we didn’t have the fire we had in previous games going into it and had a lot of missed opportunities.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinal Ritter High School has forfeited the rest of the season and dismissed its entire coaching staff for playing an ineligible player by changing his number and claiming he was another player on the roster … The American Athletic Conference (AAC) has been granted a waiver to continue playing a conference championship football game after UConn departs next year, leaving the league with 11 football playing members ... Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made corner Andrew Booth Jr. ride in the manager's bus all 450 miles back home after he was ejected for throwing a punch in the third quarter of the Tigers' 45-10 win over Louisville. Booth punched a Louisville player who was down on the ground. Swinney sent Booth to the locker room even before the officials announced he was disqualified … Brett Maher of the Dallas Cowboys became the first kicker in NFL history with three field goals of more than 60 yards in his career when he nailed a 63-yarder at the end of the first half of Sunday night's game with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jacob Copeland sat forward, elbows on his knees and a slight smile on his face as he spun his head from one reporter to another. Talking to local media for this first time since arriving in Gainesville, there was a small crowd flanked around the redshirt freshman, each leaning in for what became an intimate conversation about not only the afternoon performance by the receiver, but the road he took to arrive in that moment. Because, this game was a long time coming for Jacob Copeland. The former four-star has come through injury, then another injury, then adjustments to college and a crowded receiver room to get to this game. There were glimpses against UT-Martin when he had three receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown. But on Saturday in Columbia, with the rain falling and quarterback Kyle Trask looking for options beyond his normal targets, Copeland put together his best career game as a Gator and exhibited the skills coaches and fans have spoken of in hushed tones, waiting to see them appear for the past year and a half. We could point to the first catch he had against the Gamecocks in route to the No. 7 Florida Gators 38-27 win. But really this maturation began two weeks ago. “The last two weeks he’s been much better in practice, a different player in practice than he was,” explained head coach Dan Mullen. “And not playmaking, I’ve watched him make plays. This a different player in the discipline in what he’s doing and knowing his assignment, knowing how to run routes, which I think for young guys that’s the hard thing. That, you know, ‘Coach, don’t you see me making these great plays, I’m a playmaker.’ “I say, I do, but then I see you go the wrong way sometimes, I mean, you got to be disciplined and exact and the last two weeks he’s really done a good job of that, of improving that way and you saw it. So I think he’s gotten a lot more trust from everybody and you saw he has the ability to make plays.” So when Mullen pulled Copeland aside earlier in the week and commended him for that marked improvement, the Pensacola native took it to heart. “He always says, ‘Be ready,’ and that’s what I was. I stayed in, my team kept me motivated, and I just stayed ready at all times. When my number was called, I made a play,” said Copeland. Related: Watch Jacob Copeland speak with media following South Carolina win It’s no easy task, staying ready for limited opportunities, especially when you’ve little to none with which to use as a template. Copeland credits the other receivers for keeping him motivated and Freddie Swain explained it takes always looking over the playbook on the plane, staying solid with everything. But it can be just as much a mental game as physical, a maturity typically gained only through actual experience. For Copeland—and the entire team—Mullen and staff ask that they navigate these murky waters in whatever way works best for them, so that when their time comes, they’re their best self. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” said Trask of Copeland. “He works really, really hard, and especially coming from high school to college just the game, the game speed and all the different plays, obviously a lot more plays and I think he’s really just grasping a lot more and it’s showing on the field.” “You’ve just got to stay focused at all times,” clarified Copeland. “I was having difficulty with a little bit of the playbook or whatever, but I just stayed focused, maintained and played my game. Coach Mullen always says, ‘Play your game.’ Everybody doesn’t learn the same. Some players may have to walk through the plays, some players may have to do this and that read. He just says, ‘Play your way. Do everything you do, what’s best for you, and it will play out alright.’” On Saturday, it did play out alright. His first play—during a day that featured three for 89 yards and a touchdown—was a seam that went for 32 yards, half of that (16 yards) comes from yards after the catch. Making the grab and splitting the receivers for the YAC was the moment Copeland felt he needed to kickstart his day. “Knowing that I made a catch in the difficult weather, that shows coaches a lot, like, ‘He’s one of the players that we can count on.’ Not that they can’t call on any other player, but they were confident in me. I caught that, and they were like, ‘Let’s keep giving him shots and see what he can do with it.’ At the end of the day, I trust Coach and he trusts me.” The trust was there ten-fold in the second quarter. Down 10-3 and having had little offensive production to that point, Trask lofted a rainbow, tracked for Copeland who was between two defenders. It was high—where Trask explained he wanted it placed for only Copeland to have a chance—and the 6’ receiver climbed the ladder to make the grab. "He's an athlete, he probably has one of the highest [verticals] on the team, he's fast, he's quick. He's a great player,” expounded Swain. Copeland came down with the catch, bounced off a defender and hoofed it the last 15-yards for the 37-yard touchdown. Receivers swarmed, teammates celebrated, Billy Gonzales excitedly knocked the fire out of Copeland’s helmet and his first touchdown against a SEC opponent—and a FBS opponent for that matter—was the moment that Jacob Copeland had been waiting for. “They were all excited for me, because knowing that last year was a setback for me having injuries back-to-back. When I’m down, my teammates kept me up. They stayed with me, keeping me motivated through it all. They said, ‘Stay focused and everything will play out right.’ And today, when my number was called, I just made the plays that count.”

THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT KYLE TRASK Late in the second quarter after a three-and-out that included a sack, a delay of game penalty and a rather awkward looking option play on third down and an overnight hike, Dan Mullen marched toward Kyle Trask as he came off the field. Never one to hide his emotions when it comes to his quarterbacks, Mullen was in one of Trask's ears and then the other. He stepped back, shrugged his shoulders and gestured, hands out, something to the likes of “What the hell were you thinking?” Something similar happened again in the third quarter. Trask didn't make the right decision and Mullen was on his case again, there for the whole world to see. The same Kyle Trask who was so frustratingly inconsistent in the first two-and-a-half quarters got it going and in the fourth quarter threw three of his career-high four touchdown passes to give the Gators (7-1, 4-1 SEC) a critical road win, the first of what is essentially a four-game playoff for a trip to Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference Championship game. Here is what we learned from the inconsistent Trask of the first two-and-a-half quarters that had Mullen shaking his head and wondering if aliens had kidnapped his quarterback and the Trask who made all the right throws to give the Gators a 38-27 win in Columbia. First off, Trask has a very thick skin and understands this is business, it isn't personal. Second, Trask is very coachable and learns from his mistakes even during the course of a game. Third, Trask is really, really good in the fourth quarter when the Gators need him most. Mullen doesn't hide the fact that he's tough on his quarterbacks. Always has been, always will be. When he yells, screams and questions their judgment he's not belittling or demeaning them but dealing out some tough love. He knows his quarterbacks have been coached better. He knows they can play better, otherwise they wouldn't be playing. The quarterback who can take it when Mullen yells and screams is the quarterback who will have success pounded into him. It's almost as if Mullen is sometimes telling his quarterback I'm going to make you succeed in spite of yourself; you have no choice in this matter! Trask does make mistakes, which is only natural when you consider Saturday's start against South Carolina was the fifth of his college football career and he's starting for the first time since he was a 14-year-old freshman in Manvel, Texas. From an experience standpoint, it's surprising that he doesn't make more mistakes all things considered. It is a very good sign that he rarely repeats the same mistake. After getting dressed down on the sideline Saturday against South Carolina, Trask got coached up by Brian Johnson. The way Trask played in the fourth quarter is evidence that he learns his lessons during the game and puts them into action. This marked the second fourth quarter rally Trask has led. The first was against Kentucky when he came off the bench cold to lead the Gators to 19 consecutive points to lead the Gators back from a 21-10 deficit to a 29-21 victory. Trask was 9-13 for 126 yards plus he ran for a touchdown, made a clutch pitch to Lamical Perine on an option play for another TD and then executed the fake on a jet sweep so perfectly that it was too late for Kentucky to catch Josh Hammond when he turned upfield on his way to a 76-yard touchdown. Against South Carolina, the Gators were trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter when Trask got it going. While leading the Gators to touchdowns on three consecutive drives, Trask was 5-6 passing for 64 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the game 21-33 for 200 yards and four touchdowns. The Gators have outscored opponents 85-21 in the fourth quarter of games dating back to the season opener with Miami. Starting with the Kentucky game when Trask took over, the Gators have outscored opponents 64-14. For the season, Trask is 114-169 passing (67.46%) for 1,391 yards (8.23 per attempt). He's thrown for 14 touchdown passes with only four interceptions. In his five SEC games, Trask is 92-144 (63.8%) for 1,163 yards (8.07 per attempt) with 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions. To put it in proper perspective, Trask has the highest completion percentage and average per attempt of any UF quarterback since Tebow graduated and is second only to Feleipe Franks' 24 touchdown passes in 13 games in 2018. * * * When Dameon Pierce broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, it marked the third time this season the Gators have had a touchdown run of 75 or more yards, which is a school record. The Gators have four touchdown runs of 30 or more yards this season. To put that in perspective, during the Old Yeller Error (oops era), the Gators had two touchdown runs of 30 or more yards. The Gators had five touchdown runs in excess of 30 yards in 2014. The big plays in the running game tend to overshadow the fact Florida is averaging just 142.38 yards per game on the ground and only 4.3 yards per carry. There are those who look at the numbers and lament the “lack” of a running game, but if you go simply by the numbers then you're missing the bigger picture. For that, take a look at Florida's passing numbers. The Gators are averaging 277.3 passing yards per game, which is the most since 2001 when Rex Grossman and the Gators averaged 405.2 per game. The Gators had a truly balanced attack last year when they averaged 213.15 yards per game rushing and 213.5 yards passing. We could point out the fact the 2018 team had an offensive line that had had four veteran starters and the 2019 O-line only has one returning starter (center Nick Buchanan). That might explain some of the inconsistency in the running game this year but even with more veterans on the line, I'm pretty sure the Gators would still be throwing the ball downfield much more than they did last year. Last season, the Gators really didn't have the personnel to take as many shots downfield as this season. I attribute the better passing numbers to two things: (1) Mullen recognizes that the strength of the team is the receivers and (2) Trask is better and more accurate downfield passer than Franks. The Gators have so many exceptional receivers that it's impossible for opponents to target one and shut down the passing game. Shut down one and someone else simply emerges. Saturday, redshirt freshman Jacob Copeland had the big day with three catches for 89 yards including a 37-yard TDP from Trask in the second quarter. Another reason the passing game is so good is the emergence of tight end Kyle Pitts, who has 35 catches for 391 yards and four touchdowns through eight games. Van Jefferson, who has 27 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns, was last season's leading receiver with 35 catches for 503 yards and six touchdowns. So far, 10 Gators have at least one touchdown catch and only one is a running back. Trask may not have the cannon of an arm that Franks has, but it's strong enough. He's more accurate than Franks ever was plus he sees the field a lot better. Whereas Franks tends to lock on to one receiver then trust his arm to fit a throw into a very tight window, Trask is more likely to avoid the kind of passes that might be intercepted if they're just a hair off target. That's not to say he's not an accurate downfield thrower because he is. He's got more touch on the ball than Franks, doesn't make nearly as many risky throws and is far more likely to find a secondary receiver if the primary guy is covered up. Now some kudos for the offensive line. They've given up 16 sacks this season and while they gave up only 18 in 13 games last year, there wasn't nearly the emphasis on the downfield passing game in 2018 as there is now. More emphasis on throwing means the O-line has to spend far more time in practice working on pass blocking at the expense of run blocking. It is a tradeoff and it goes back to the fact that Mullen is playing to the team strength. If the team strength were run blocking and dazzling running backs, you can bet the Gators would spend more of their time working on the running game in practice. There is one more thing to point out about the 16 sacks. Franks was such a running threat last year that he often took off running to avoid getting nailed. Trask moves in the pocket well, and he is quite capable of getting a 4-8 yard gain on occasions but he's never going to scare people with his speed or elusiveness. Trask hangs in the pocket sometimes a little bit longer than Mullen would like, but that alarm clock in his head that says unload the ball is getting more precise and Trask is showing the ability to dump the ball off. * * * Florida is 7-1, 4-1 in SEC play. Three more wins and the Gators will win the SEC East and make it to Atlanta so each of the next three games – Georgia (November 2 in Jacksonville), Vanderbilt (November 9 at The Swamp) and Missouri (November 16) – are the equivalent of elimination games. Here is why you should be optimistic about Florida's chances to go 3-0 to win the East. There is every good chance that Florida will be closer to full strength than at any time this season. Yes, the Gators are banged up now, but they have a week off before they begin preparation for the Georgia game. Imagine Florida taking the field against Georgia with a healthy Kadarius Toney on the offensive side of the ball and Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga fairly close to 100% and able to collapse the Georgia pocket off the edge. If these three guys are ready to go, I love Florida's chances.

COLUMBIA, S.C.—The No. 7 Florida Gators had to near float out of Columbia, South Carolina thanks to tropical storm Nestor but they did so with a 38-27 win and sitting firmly in the drivers seat of the SEC East (thanks to a Vanderbilt win over Missouri) with a Top 10 Cocktail Party looming. After seven straight games, Florida will get a bye week to heal and catch their breath before that matchup against Georgia. That also means we have more time to recap the win over South Carolina and what we learned. So as you prepare to head back to work on Monday morning, here are your watercooler topics. Stop the CJ Henderson slander The junior corner left Columbia with nine tackles, second best from both teams. He also had a sack and a pass break up. He also dropped an interception in the endzone that would’ve taken the ball away from the Gamecocks. Instead South Carolina was able to connect for a touchdown on the next play. It’s the latter that will get discussed and dissected all week as fan commentary wonders aloud if Henderson has dropped off. Here’s the thing though; Henderson is still one of best cover corner’s in the country. Quarterbacks can’t throw on him. He had one catch on him versus South Carolina off a flea flicker that was just perfectly executed and an athletic catch. Other than that, he stayed all over his receivers, knocking away balls and stepping up in the run game with the linebacker corps struggling. He’s still the most willing physical guy on the defense, as evidenced by his nine tackles, and willing to chase someone down across the field to make a stop. Marco Wilson did that as well on Saturday, with a touchdown saving tackle on a long run. But right now, this is about Henderson. He spoiled us in the beginning of his career, showcasing near perfect skills, that it became what was expected each and every time, while also expecting growth. Now anytime he misses one tackle (and let’s be clear, the tackle missed on the LSU touchdown last week was because he was taken out of the play off the rub route. There’s nothing he could have done differently. That’s what makes LSU offense so good) or he drops an interception, people want to take away his All-American status. Stop it. Stop the slander. Kyle Trask is noticeably growing week to week The redshirt junior quarterback has continued to impress each week. Perhaps the most impressive part has been the areas of the game he’s noticeably worked on between each games. Against Tennessee and Auburn he held on to the ball for too long. That was fixed by LSU. Against Auburn, struggled with pocket awareness. That was also fixed by LSU and seemed even better against South Carolina. Mullen praised Trask’s maturation even during the South Carolina game, taking a breath and slowing things down and not trying to force throws. Says Trask: “I would say just with reps and experience, you just gel more, you know get better timing with the guys.” This was Trask’s lowest passing performance against a FBS opponent since taking over the starting job (200 yards) but it also included four touchdowns, making him the first Gator since Tim Tebow to throw four touchdown passes in a road game (Tebow threw four at No. 8 Kentucky on Oct. 20, 2007. The only other Gators to accomplish the feat since 1996 are: Danny Wuerffel (three times); Rex Grossman (twice), Doug Johnson (twice), and Chris Leak (once). The officiating was horrible, both ways South Carolina fans have a lot to complain about as far as the officiating was concerned. So much so that head coach Will Muschamp received an unsportsmanlike penalty for yelling at the refs and it was understandable. He felt there had been several missed calls all ignored and piled up. To be fair, two of them were good calls/no calls. A Kyle Trask interception was overturned when a flag was thrown for defensive pass interference. The replay showed a defender clearly had a hand in Van Jefferson’s face mask. And a Kyle Pitts touchdown was made possible thanks to a Josh Hammond pick but replay showed the pass was timed correctly, negating any penalty. But there were also Gator offensive lineman holds that were missed, false starts that were ignored that led to scores. On the flip side, Dan Mullen has reason to be irate considering Zach Carter was held up more often than not. There was a blatant defensive pass interference on Kyle Pitts with a ref staring right at it that was not called. At some point you just have to let them play. But coaches from this game and others around the league on Saturday have a laundry list of complaints for Steve Shaw and the film to back them up. Florida is firmly in control of the SEC East Ugh Georgia, what is you doin’? And Missouri?!?! What happened?!?! Both teams had less than stellar showings on Saturday that should do nothing but excite Florida fans. Georgia went into halftime with Kentucky, tied at 0…and the Wildcats had not even completed a pass! By the end of the game, Kentucky only had 17 yards passing in relation to 160 yards rushing and it was still a goose egg game well into the 3rd quarter. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 35 yards, all game. All game! Georgia did run for 235 yards which could be a problem as we’ll discuss more below. But the Bulldogs inability to get much going in the rain as opposed to the Gators 354 offensive yards in the same tropical storm—and Georgia’s collapse to South Carolina last week—makes one think even more so Florida can take this Georgia team. In Nashville, Missouri—who had been leading the SEC East thanks to the mathematical algorithm and having not lost to a league opponent through their two SEC games—fell to a 1-5 Vanderbilt team. It dropped them in the standings and set up the Cocktail Party to decide the East just like we all knew it would. Offensive line and run game is improving Don’t look now but the Gators offensive line, and subsequently the run game, is improving. Last week Florida put up 143 rushing yards against LSU which was their best number against a FBS opponent, until they garnered 154 versus South Carolina. Neither are eye popping numbers but are vast improvements from the beginning of the season when they often couldn’t crack 100. Some of this has to do with noticeably better blocking in the run game. The return of Dameon Pierce on Saturday was also crucial. After suffering what appeared to be a concussion versus Auburn, he sat out against LSU. Senior Lamical Perine handled the bulk of the load by himself, breaking off the impressive 88-yard touchdown against Auburn and fighting for chunks of yardage against LSU. But having Pierce and his bulldozer style back gives Dan Mullen a different look in the run game and gives Perine a breather. Just in time too with the biggest game of the season on the horizon. Gators need Greenard and Zuniga You don’t want your defense to rely solely on two people but man do the Gators need Jon Greenard and Jabari Zuniga back. Zach Carter and Jeremiah Moon have done well in their place and given confidence that they can handle those starting roles next season. Especially if Mohamoud Diabate drops to money linebacker and Amari Burney takes over STAR (did you SEE that game changing pass breakup in coverage from him yesterday). But none of that matters this season. This season, the Gators came to rely on Greenard and Zuniga and they’re hurting without them. The depth behind Carter and Moon is made up primarily of freshman. The freshmen aren’t doing bad and Khris Bogle has impressed. But they’re just doing like what you’d expect from freshmen which isn’t what you need going into a crucial stretch. The defense is unable to get little consistent pass rush without the duo and Dan Mullen explained on Saturday that’s its effecting the run defense as well. The Gators gave up a 217 rushing yards to South Carolina. “I thought [South Carolina] did a really good job creating schemes of attacking, you know, when our two best players are out, of attacking those parts of the field, you know what I mean, which is, that’s what you do. You look for your advantage and mismatches, they’re looking and saying ‘hey OK, if Zuniga and Greenard aren’t playing, let’s attack those positions’ and they did a good job doing that,” said Mullen of the Gamecocks rushing attack. Georgia is averaging 237 rushing yards per game and rushed for 235 against Kentucky (the only bright spot of their game). Mullen said he feels confident both Greenard and Zuniga will be back at practice as a full-go the week of the Georgia game, if not by that Monday, then by Tuesday at the latest. The Gators get a much deserved bye week to heal up and mentally rest before taking on No. 10 Georgia on November 3.

The No. 9 Florida Gators defeated South Carolina 38-27 on Saturday to return home at 7-1 and staring down a Top 10 Cocktail Party with the Georgia Bulldogs. Hear what head coach Dan Mullen and players had to say about the win after the game. You can see the video by clicking here or clicking through to the video below.

COLUMBIA, SC—As the clock ticked down below 20 seconds, Todd Grantham made his way to each player, a huge smile on his face as he congratulated his defensive players around him. The No. 9 Florida Gators had knocked off the South Carolina Gamecocks 38-27 on a sloppy, rainy, chilly day in Columbia, South Carolina. Grantham’s message to each guy he hugged was simple. That’s how we fight. The Top 10 Gators, after a 21-7 fourth quarter, made their way over to the several thousand Gator fans still hanging in the stands, the only ones left of the announced 78,883 in attendance, and in a crowd that had been largely devoid of Gamecocks garnet and black for several minutes. The rain from tropical storm Nestor continued to fall in a steady sheets, as it had done most of the afternoon, but an impressive road showing by Gator nation stuck through it all—in all kinds of weather. That’s really the story of the Gators win on the field as well. It was 58 degrees at kickoff, wet and as head coach Dan Mullen explained, as sloppy as the weather. “You know, started really sloppy. Sloppy first half for us with execution. I mean, and not just, 'Oh, OK, well we didn't block' or this, I mean guys just going the wrong direction, getting the wrong signal, running the wrong plays. So that was kind of disappointing.” The Gators were without star defensive ends Jabari Zuniga and Jon Greenard as both recover from ankle injuries. Zuniga was initially injured September 14 against Kentucky. Greenard was injured versus Auburn and finished that game. Both tried to play versus LSU last week. Greenard was only able to play two of the first three defensive series before sitting and Zuniga reinjured his ankle during the third quarter. Both will have a week to rest as the Gators get a bye before facing No. 10 Georgia. Mullen said he expects both of them back at practice by Monday of that game week, Tuesday at the latest. Things couldn’t have started worse for Florida. After winning the coin toss and deferring, the Gators defense took the field with the Gamecocks at their own 25-yard line. On the second play, Gamecocks freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski (17-35, 170 yards, 1 touchdown) took a flea flicker and sent one 41 yards to Bryan Edwards (7-78 yards), putting them down deep in Gators territory at the 26. Twice penalties by Florida gave the Gamecocks new life, none more devastating than the (second) offsides by Luke Ancrum. With South Carolina at the 1-yard line, a bobbled pitch resulted in a fumble, recovered by the Gamecocks but looking to force a field goal. Yet the UF offsides penalty moved USC half the distance to the goal and allowed a replay on 3rd down. Mon Denson found an easy lane to pay dirt and South Carolina quickly went up 7-0. The offense followed that up with a drive that went: drop, overthrow, route miscommunication, punt. After an Evan McPherson 48-yard field goal, a few drives to settle down and not one remarkable moment, the two teams headed to the second quarter with the No. 9 Gators still trailing 7-3. The Gamecocks Parker White tied his career long of a 49-yard field goal (tied from last weeks game winner against Georgia) to make it 10-3. Then the Gators answered. A Tyrie Cleveland (1-14 yards) target picked up several yards after the catch for a 14-yard gain. Running back Dameon Pierce got his first touches since being knocked out against Auburn and picked up nine yards over two consecutive carries. But it was three different keepers by newly minted “willing runner” Kyle Trask (21-33, 200 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT) that kept the chains moving. Once on the Gamecock side of the field, Trask went between two defenders on a high pass for Jacob Copeland (3-89 yards, 1 TD). The redshirt freshman climbed the ladder to wrestle down the ball, bounced off a defender and hoofed it the last 15 yards of green grass for a 37-yard touchdown that tied the score at 10. “It was good,” smiled Copeland while recapping the play. “[Mullen] always says, ‘Be ready,’ and that’s what I was. I stayed in, my team kept me motivated, and I just stayed ready at all times. When my number was called, I made a play.” As the first half ticked down, the Gamecocks looked to go deep to Edwards for a lead, by great coverage by Marco Wilson held up the receiver and the two teams headed to the locker room tied at 10. The Gators started the second half with the ball…and promptly gave it away. Kyle Trask floated a pass between Freddie Swain and Tre Grimes, right into the waiting arms of Jammie Robinson. The safety returned it to his own 20-yard line. Three plays later, Tavien Feaster cut up the middle, breaking away from Ventrell Miller and Shawn Davis for a 21-yard touchdown run and the Gamecocks extended their lead by seven. But yet again, Florida responded. Pierce (7-87 yards, 1 TD) took a handoff, hopped to the outside and put in a house call, 75-yards tight roping the sideline for a touchdown to tie it at 17. “It sparks the offense,” said receiver Freddie Swain (5-20 yds, 1 TD) of the play. “It shows we don't have to go eight plays for a touchdown. We could go one and done and take big shots and run big runs and we just electric offense." Added quarterback Kyle Trask, “I think it just boosted our confidence going out there for the rest of the game knowing that we can move the ball on these guys if we need to and it just gave us confidence from there on out.” Receiver Tyrie Cleveland was step for step with Pierce most of the way, blocking Israel Mukuamu from stopping the speedy sophomore. The fans in attendance wanted a holding flag thrown on Cleveland and expressed their sentiments as such loudly, for an extended period of time. But given that Mukauma didn’t attempt to move his body towards Pierce and instead just ran next to him, there was no penalty. instead, just a block that linebacker David Reese saw from the sideline as the key to the play. “The thing I thought was most impressive was Tyrie Cleveland's block, all the way down the sideline. That just lets you know that, you know, it's a team sport and you know he had his back the whole way, and Tyrie got unbelievable speed and the [defensive back] couldn't come near Pierce the whole way, so that was kind of impressive.” The Gators are tied with Memphis for a FBS leading, three touchdowns of 75+ yards this season. The Gamecocks looked to be moving down field at a stead pace yet again but a well timed and perfectly executed corner blitz by CJ Henderson dropped South Carolina back and they had to settle for a field goal for one last lead at 20-17. But as the 4th quarter creeped over Williams Brice Stadium, the Gators took the game firmly in hand. It began with a Tommy Townsend punt that Van Jefferson was able to down at the 2-yard line. After Amari Burney dropped into coverage and knocked a ball away, the Gamecocks were forced to punt deep from their own territory. It gave the Gators their best field position of the day to that point, at their own 48-yard line. Running back Lamical Perine broke off a nine yard run to get things started, one of his 14 carries on the day for 68 yards. Florida racked up 154 rushing yards in all, their best rushing performance against a FBS opponent so far this season. “We're getting there, you know what I mean,” posed Mullen. “Obviously you want a little more consistency out of it, but we are hitting like explosive plays. I think just how people are playing us for those things it gives opportunities for explosive plays, in how they're defending the run and trying to bracket different receivers and take receivers away from you, that you end up getting explosive plays." After Perine’s nine yard carry, the rain began again, a deluge that created a misty haze for anyone in the stadium trying to see the field. Luckily for the Gators, Kyle Trask did see it and on 3rd and 7, with five wide and pressure coming, Trask stepped up away from the rush and scampered down field for five yards. At 4th and 3, with the weather taking a bad turn and still down by three, Mullen elected to go for the conversion after getting the confident call from quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson. Trask was flushed, danced and patiently waited for tight end Kyle Pitts to break from a defender and make the 9-yard catch. It was evidence of a maturation that Trask has made week to week since taking over for injured quarterback Feleipe Franks. “Just with reps and experience, you just gel more, you know get better timing with the guys. We started clicking here in the second half and I think some of that showed,” explained Trask. From the 25-yard line, Trask went right, waited on Freddie Swain to come back and hit him in the corner for a touchdown that gave the Gators their first lead of the day. Recapped Swain, ”I just had a corner route and a shallow, and I just beat him and he played kind of inside, so I just kind of beat him on the corner and he just grabbed me and Kyle just like floated it behind me so I was able to pivot out and make a play on the ball.” Florida would score on their next two drives as well to take a commanding lead. But it was thanks in large part to a defensive standing that was night and day different from the first half. The Gators defense gave up 387 yards to the Gamecocks in total (170 passing, 217 rushing), a performance that was due largely to pockets of explosive plays. But backed up in their own territory, Hilinski dropped back on a RPO and was met with Zach Carter who sacked the freshman quarterback and knocked the ball loose. Kyree Campbell recovered the fumble and Florida took back over at the USC 29-yard line. “That’s what we build this defense on: fighting and never giving up and relentless effort,” bragged Carter. The ensuing drive got clicking when Trask ran right on a naked bootleg, directing Jacob Copeland back for a completion that went 20-yards. Trask was then intercepted in the endzone, but a flag was thrown on Gamecocks Jaycee Horn for defensive pass interference. The play happened in the endzone shadowed by the student section, which let out a cacophony of boos and jeers. Replay showed that Horn clearly had a hand in Van Jefferson’s face mask, but that didn’t stop the students from beginning to throw towels (a fan tradition a la the Pittsburgh Steelers here in Columbia) down on the field with many even landing in the endzone. It was the wrong move. “Oh I loved it,” cackled Trask. “This is what you play for, just come into a hostile environment and take and earn everything that is on the field. I mean we love playing games like this and I’m really proud of how our guys came together there at the end and executed at a high level.” Trask answered the boos with a swing to Pitts on the sideline. He stepped in for the touchdown and Trask—as an homage to Feleipe Franks in last years South Carolina game—shushed the student section. “I had to do one for Franks right there,” laughed Trask. Trey Dean (3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hurry), CJ Henderson and Mohamoud Diabate (1 tackle, 1 QB hurry) all made their presence felt on the following defensive drive and the Gators offense put up one more touchdown on the board for good measure, a 5-yard tunnel screen from Trask to Tre Grimes. The Gamecocks scored a garbage time touchdown to make the board look more respectable. But as the rain continued with relentless effort, it was the Gators who walked off the field in Columbia last, sitting at 7-1, their only loss to a Top 3 team and with a much needed bye week in place before a Top 10 showdown with Georgia that will, by all indications, decide the SEC East. Said Carter, “We always thinking about Georgia. It’s in the back of our mind. But we have a bye week, and then it’s finally here. “That game means everything. We control our own destiny. So that game is another step towards the goal we want to accomplish.”

The No. 9 Florida Gators are set to take on South Carolina at noon. Gator Bait TV's Kassidy Hill brings you a pre game report.

“We know we are on the right path. Our journey is not finished, but we have come a long way.” – Muhammadu Buhari By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBait Editor This will be a defining week for Dan Mullen’s 2019 Florida Gators, whose season can go either way. Never mind looking for a path to Atlanta. They just need to find the road to Columbia where they can discover what’s on the other side of the next door. Seven games into the season, things are pretty much on schedule, but hardly resolved. Murderer’s Row is two-thirds over and a split with adversaries Auburn and LSU is progress. Florida is still a contender for the SEC East, with Georgia looking more vulnerable than first thought. And all this has been accomplished with what was an unproven quarterback and without many of their best players on defense. “Where did this guy come from?” asked my friend Terry Bradshaw, who was very impressed with Kyle Trask’s performance at LSU. “And why hasn’t he been playing?” Since Terry follows Florida and watches Gator games on Saturdays with his Fox NFL Sunday pal Jimmy Johnson at the LA Beverly Hilton, I was obliged to tell him the full story of how Trask had never started a game in high school or college until four weeks ago. “Well he’s certainly the best quarterback y’all got!” Bradshaw said. And quite frankly – no disrespect – it’s tough to argue with him. Where can Trask take them in these final games with South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and FSU? And where do they go from here? Remember, though, peeking around the corner can be fatal. Ask the Georgia Bulldogs. So if we were handing out report cards – criminy I used to hate those things, and still do – it looks like an A-minus to date. I might even raise that a solid A when you factor in this team’s mental and physical toughness displayed against LSU. As for the future, it depends on how bad the injuries are going to be. And of course we never know until kickoff (wink, wink). I’ve never seen quick recovery for high ankle sprains, so I don’t expect to see Jonathan Greenard or Jabari Zuniga in uniform Saturday. The Gators can take pride in how they played in Baton Rouge. Losing to LSU was painful, but did it hurt all that much? Not according to Dan Mullen -- who by the way has to be a strong SEC Coach of the Year candidate -- because the loss isn’t to an SEC East team. As for the importance of the South Carolina game. “It’s a huge challenge,” Monday said, clearly anxious to turn the page.Missouri has the SEC East lead on paper and can be the spoiler in what WR Josh Hammond described as a “four-team tournament.” Remember, because of probation, Mizzou isn’t eligible for Atlanta. I am not so quick to forget the LSU game, which was classic in every way, from elevated performances, to the splendid setting offering the pure joy of SEC football. And oddly enough, the positive manner in which the UF fan base responded to the effort and competitiveness. I realize moral victories are like fairy tales – about all they do is make you feel better. A little bit. And I am in no way saying the takeaway from Baton Rouge was some pretend-like story of an almost-successful outcome for the Gators. What we do know that Mullen’s team proved is – as I tweeted out at halftime Saturday night – the Gators can play anybody, anywhere, anytime with at least a puncher’s chance. Funny thing is that most fans of the 14-point underdog Gators came away from Baton Rouge feeling good about their team – probably better than before they first engaged the Tigers at the kickoff. Yes, I know the old adage about “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” but I must make these points: While maybe there wasn’t a “W” there, I saw progress and mental toughness. To wit: 1. To go into the loudest arena in college football and play toe-to-toe against the No. 5 team with maybe the hottest quarterback in the land -- and be within 15 yards of tying them at 35-all -- was really impressive. 2. Without the team’s two best pass-rushers and maybe two best defenders sidelined with ankle injuries – neither of them able to put any pressure on Joe Burrow – the Gator D was almost defenseless. 3. When you can put a well-focused, well-coached team on road with most of the 105,000 spectators hostile and take them deep into the fourth quarter with an explosive offense you have earned respect. So much so that Florida only dropped two notches in both polls after the 41-28 loss. "I think our team showed a lot of toughness in that environment." Trask said about his team’s offensive performance. It was a graduation of sorts for Trask, and having been duly baptized by the firewater of Baton Rouge, he passed with flying colors. The takeaway from Kyle’s night is what we expected: No moment is ever going to be too big for him. His teammates saw him step into the role and contribute exactly the way they expected. “He definitely gets fired up for live situations,” said Hammond, a senior leader. “It can be at practice, in scrimmage or it can be game day -- he gets fired up for those things. He prepares very well, and I knew he would be prepared for the environment and any situation he is placed in.” He can be calm, can be fiery with the flip of the switch. Usually the former. “Probably the first time he did that it did surprise me just because I did not expect it to come out of him,” said Hammond. “You know it’s football, guys get excited for football, so like when it happened, it was like ‘Oh it’s Kyle,’ but like after that I expected it out of him. He brings that switch when it’s time to go. “If we are tied at 21 and we got to get a drive, I think Kyle will calmer and more poised within that moment to makes sure everybody is doing the right things and make sure our offense is going in the right direction. He handles adversity really well -- whether we are high or low, he tries to stay medium and just keep everybody’s head above float and keep everybody on the same page. Now if we go down and score and go up 28-21 then that Kyle, the excited Kyle, comes out and is ready to go. But by the time we get back on the field, he will be back calm and poised again.” Grace under pressure is a quality Trask and his teammates displayed vs. LSU. While courage is a wonderful attribute for team-building, it can take you only so far. Talent and coaching have to drive you home. The coaching department seems to be intact. In what appeared to be one of the Mullen-Johnson-Hevesy-Gonzalez play-calling consortium’s best nights, as they rolled up a remarkable 511 yards of offense, there were only a couple of hiccups. The substitution pattern for quarterbacks clicked nicely as Emory Jones took most of the red zone duty and made one brilliant desperation fourth-down fling for a score to Lamical Perine that tied the game 14-14. The Gators went up 28-21 lead on the opening drive of the second half, but without Zuniga and Greenard, Burrow and his running backs were free to roam. Later, down 35-28 to LSU late in third quarter, for some reason Mullen chose to give Jones the full series after falling behind 35-28 and it cost him a killer three-and-out series, the likes of which could not be overcome. These were probably minor setbacks compared to the overall excellent strategy and execution of the game plan devised by Mullen. Clearly outmanned, Mullen was also outgunned, particularly when he lost Zuniga and Greenard. In shoot-outs like that, when injuries start to mount and you need to go deep into your bullpen for help, depth becomes an issue. And Florida’s bullpen will have to pass the stress test these last five (six now that they are bowl eligible) games. A slow start to recruiting upon Mullen’s arrival has gotten the program a bit behind, but based on what the experts have said the quality of commits and prospects, there has been an upgrade to both.As many have pointed out, Mullen’s proactive approach to the grad-transfer and more liberal transfer rules landed major contributors who played right away – notably Greenard, Van Jefferson, Trevon Grimes and Adam Shuler. Mysteriously, the case of sophomore LB Brenton Cox from Georgia remains in limbo with nobody able to explain why the SEC and NCAA have dragged their feet. The resolution to the Cox case could have an impact on Florida’s banged up defense in these final games. And it would also add some spice to the Nov. 2 WLOCP meeting. So as this team evolves, hoping TO make a New Year’s Day Bowl, or perhaps something better, so much is yet to be learned, and so much is expected. As for the future, Mullen is also wondering. “Everyone after a win thinks it’s the greatest thing in the world and after a loss that it’s the most terrible thing in the world. It’s really not,” said Mullen. “…We’re going to correct things just like we would every single week. The same thing applies: if we don’t practice better, if we don’t prepare better, and if we don’t perform better, we can’t expect to win this week. But that’s the same thing that goes every single week throughout the year. Hopefully that goes all the way through January or whenever we play the game.” Teams change over a season. Meanwhile players like Kyle Pitts can emerge. For instance Marco Wilson points out when somebody is injured, like Greenard, it’s next man up for everybody. “We need to learn to play without Jon.” Just as it was forced to learn how to play without Feleipe Franks. Remember him? Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?

HANDLING THE HANGOVER The question heading into Saturday's Florida-South Carolina game in Columbia is which team can better handle the hangover. For 9th-ranked Florida (6-1, 3-1 SEC) it's the hangover of the Gators' first loss of the season to 2nd-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge last week. For South Carolina (3-3, 2-2 SEC), it's the hangover of a much unexpected upset of then #3 Georgia last week in Athens. Florida's disappointment hangover is complicated by a battered and bruised defensive unit. Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga haven't practiced this week and both are considered game-time decisions. If they play it might be in very limited roles. Also banged up is linebacker Jeremiah Moon. The defense isn't the only Florida unit that is facing some depth issues. Over on the offensive side of the ball, right tackle Jean Delance hasn't been practicing this week and is considered doubtful. With Delance out, Richard Gouraige has taken the left tackle snaps this week with Stone Forsythe shifting over to the right side. South Carolina has an injury situation of its own with quarterback Ryan Hilinski, who has been announced as the Saturday starter even though he suffered a knee injury against Georgia. With Hilinski expected to play and Florida with so many question marks due to injury, the Vegas oddsmakers have slid the line back to five points from the seven it opened at back on Sunday. What that tells us is Florida is very definitely on upset alert. Here is how the Gators can (and should) win the game even with the injuries: (1) Kyle Trask gets the protection he needs and Florida's exceptional wide receivers do to the South Carolina secondary what the Alabama wide receivers did a few weeks ago when Tua Tagovailoa threw for 444 yards and five touchdowns. Alabama had problems running the ball but didn't need to because the wide receivers kept beating the South Carolina secondary so badly. (2) Florida puts the corners on an island and sells out to stop the South Carolina run. If the Gamecocks can't run, the play action with Hilinski won't work. Florida gets third down stops. (3) The Gamecocks are a woeful 32.8% converting third downs. If the Gators can win the third down battle, they'll get the defense off the field and give Trask and the receivers more opportunities to put points on the board. The Sayer Says Sooth: This is going to be Kyle Trask's game to dominate. The Gators will protect him and he'll light up the South Carolina secondary. With the defensive injuries, the Gators may have to win a shootout, but they're better equipped to win that kind of game than South Carolina. FLORIDA 35, South Carolina 25. THE SEC SOOTHSAYER #1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) 56, Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC) 14: The Tua for Heisman Show should be good for about five touchdown passes against the Vols. The euphoria of Tennessee's win over Mississippi State last week is about to get bitch slapped back into reality. There might be 10 players on the UT roster that could make the Alabama roster. #2 LSU (6-0, 2-0 SEC) 49, Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC) 7: Joe Moorhead could very well lose the MSU fan base Saturday because the Bulldogs are going to get poleaxed by LSU. The Bulldogs are wising up to the fact that defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was so good last year because Dan Mullen left behind what amounts to an NFL defense. Shoop's troops have absolutely no chance to stop Threauxin' Jeaux Burreaux. As for that MSU offense? Well, when you can't move the ball on Tennessee you've sunk to the bottom of the septic tank. #10 Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC) 28, Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC): Lightning won't strike twice in the same place one week apart, will it? Georgia was a 3-touchdown favorite last week and lost to South Carolina in Athens. Georgia is a 3-touchdown favorite this week with Kentucky coming to town. If Kentucky somehow springs this upset it will be because Lynn Bowden Jr. ran Georgia silly and Jake Fromm had another bad day at the office. If Georgia loses this one there will be Poodle fans ready to burn Kirby Smart at the stake. #11 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) 40, Arkansas (2-4, 1-3 SEC) 10: The native son (Gus Malzahn) returns home and it won't be pleasant for the home boys. What the Arkansas fans fantasize is that Chad Morris would go away and that Gus would give those fickle Auburn fans the finger and come back to his home state. Morris is a goner, whether this year or next. As for Gus, there are two chances he leaves Auburn to take the Arky job: no way and no how. #22 Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC) 38, Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC) 14: Derek Mason needs a win over a decent team in the worst way to remain gainfully employed much longer. Could it happen? Well, this is the same Mizzou team that lost to Wyoming on the road but maybe the Tigers have grown up a bit since then. They better hope so. Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC) 38, Ole Miss (3-4, 2-2 SEC) 27: For Ole Miss to win this one, freshman QB John Rhys Plumlee has to have such a good game running the ball that the Rebels won't have to pass very much. Ole Miss could spring the upset if the Aggies are still hung over from the Alabama loss last week. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: EDITION EIGHT Extinct Species List Chris Ash, Rutgers: Among the names suddenly on the Rutgers hot list is former Tennessee coach Butch Jones. He's still being paid by Tennessee and Alabama pays him something like $50,000 a year as an analyst. Maybe Nick Saban can knock some sense in him and let him know that he should keep taking the buyout money from Tennessee until something better than Rutgers comes along. Butch won't salvage his coaching career at Rutgers, which is a graveyard. On Life Support Lovie Smith, Illinois: Will they wait to can Lovie after the seventh loss (the Illini are three away) or go ahead and pink slip Lovie after Jonathan Taylor tapdances his way through the Illinois defense for 200 or so yards and maybe four touchdowns Saturday afternoon? This is the big question. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: It's one thing to get your doors blown off by an SEC opponent, but UNLV is enough that the chadonnay and brie tailgate set has all but decided that unless Mason can pull a miracle out of his wazzoo, he's got to go. It probably won't happen until after game 11. Tony Sanchez, UNLV: Sanchez got a win over a Power Five program last week. Okay, it was Vanderbilt so it's not really like the Rebels actually beat a decent team. Mike Bobo, Colorado State: The Lambs beat New Mexico last week. That's probably the last winnable game on the schedule. They're ready for a new coach in Fort Collins. Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: If Montgomery isn't fired during or after the season it will be because the school is in a serious financial crisis. The cost of buying out Montgomery and assistants, then hiring a new HBC and assistants is something the school can't afford and Tulsa certainly can't afford any upgrade to facilities, which it needs to get decent players. But, if you're a betting man, bet on Monty looking for a new job relatively soon. Bob Davie, New Mexico: You know you're time is all but up when you lose to Colorado State, which the Lobos did last week. Because he cleaned up the mess left behind by Mike Locksley, they'll make this as painless as possible by kicking Davie upstairs into an administrative role, but whether it's painful or painless, he's a goner. Kilani Sitaki, BYU: The coaching search began quietly after the Cougars blew a 23-14 lead in the fourth quarter and lost to South Florida last week. Endangered Species List Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee: Folks will be giddy about last week's win over Mississippi State until Alabama's second or third possession Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Pruitt probably goes back On Life Support after the Tua for Heisman Show goes off for about five touchdown passes. Clay Helton, Southern Cal: Considering all the injuries, the Trojans really aren't that bad, but the faithful long for the good old days when Pete Carroll was good for 11 wins a year. They think Urban Meyer will be happy to leave a home that's across the fairway from Jack Nicklaus to come to the land of the homeless and 13% state income taxes. Helton is a goner. No doubt about that. Urban? Shelley says he's not going anywhere. Steve Addazio, Boston College: The Eagles have the best offense they've had in the Addazio Era at Chestnut Hill. They also have the worst defense they've had, which is why the Eagles need to come up with at least three more wins to get bowl eligible. Do that and Addazio will be back another year, although he'll start 2020 On Life Support. A losing record and he is probably a goner. Randy Edsall, UConn: Economically, firing Edsall would be the dumbest thing in the world, but nobody has ever accused the people modeled their economic finances after the Venezuela model of having functioning brains. Beads of Sweat Forming Mark Dantonio, Michigan State: He's the winningest coach in school history but the combination of a scandal, five players entering the NCAA transfer portal in the last month and one of the worst offenses (again) in all of college football has the natives feeling rather restless these days. Maybe he doesn't get fired this year, but if he's still around next year, he'll start the season on the Endangered Species List. Charlie Strong, South Florida: The Bulls have a two-game winning streak after their come from behind win over BYU last week. Charlie really needs the three wins it will take to be bowl eligible to know for sure he'll have a job next year. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech: The Hokies are 4-2 but they're a bad 4-2. Fuente needs three wins to be comfortable. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State: He lost to Tennessee but there are three winnable games remaining on the schedule so a 6-6 finish isn't out of the question. A losing season probably wouldn't get him fired although he might be encouraged to take another job somewhere else. Saved by the Buyout Willie Taggart, Florida State: Following the Clemson blowout loss, FSU boosters became resigned to the fact they are stuck with a coach who is going to set the program back a decade thanks to a buyout of nearly $18 million. Chad Morris, Arkansas: The Hogs are going down in flames this year but Morris is safe unless someone decides to write a $12 million check. Chip Kelly, UCLA: The Chipster got his second win of the season Thursday night. He only has to go 4-1 down the stretch to break even. That won't happen but UCLA won't fire him, either. Saved by the $9 million buyout. GOOD QUOTES FOR FRIDAY Former Jacksonville Jaguars corner Jalen Ramsey on getting traded to the Los Angeles Rams: “I feel free. I feel like I can be myself. A fresh start with a team who values who I am, obviously, with what they gave up to get me. And I truly respect that. I’m ready to do what I can to help this team win.” Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated on the worst of the Power Five conferences: “There is one – one – ACC team in the latest top 25: Clemson. Twelve of the 14 teams in the league have already picked up their second loss, and the conference has losses to Boise State, Kansas, Appalachian State and The Citadel. The Tigers should have a cakewalk to a fifth straight ACC title. The conference has become a one-team league.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Former Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon is the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels … Don't be shocked if the New York Mets name Joe Girardi their new manager before the weekend is over … University of Alabama freshman Connor Bruce Croll has been arrested for calling in a threat to the Baton Rouge police claiming there was a bomb in Tiger Stadium last week during the Florida-LSU football game. Croll could face 20 years in the big house for the prank … Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes suffered a knee injury Thursday night in the Kansas City Chiefs 30-6 win over the Denver Broncos. It is being reported that the extent of the injury won't be known until there is an MRI … The Houston Astros moved within a game of the World Series Thursday night when they beat the New York Yankees, 8-3, to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.