Florida’s Mullen latest to feel hot seat
Poor defense among issues for Gators’ coach
In the Southeastern Conference, the coach on the hot seat can change from week to week.
Welcome, Dan Mullen. Florida’s man in charge had a lot of explaining to do Saturday after the 20thranked Gators lost to Louisiana State and last week’s coach in trouble, Ed Orgeron.
The Florida-lsu rivalry often bends toward the bizarre. In fact, it was last season’s game decided by a thrown shoe that seemed to start the precipitous drop in confidence among Gators fans with their fourth-year coach.
Coming off a two-game losing streak, LSU (4-3) pummeled the Gators on the ground. The Tigers ran for almost as many yards (321, including 287 by Tyrion Davis-price) as they had in their three previous games combined (327).
Florida fans have been exasperated with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham for a while, but Mullen has stood by one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the country ($1.8 million per year).
“I don’t like to jump to conclusions,” Mullen told reporters when asked about the possibility of an in-season change. “I like to have facts.”
As poorly as the Gators’ defense played Saturday, there was a lot of talk about the unit that is Mullen’s specialty. Like why has it taken so long for Mullen to turn the offense over to Anthony Richardson?
The freshman rallied the Gators in the second half, but the damage done by the defense was too much to overcome. Richardson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score but did throw two interceptions.
Richardson has looked like the Gators’ most talented quarterback since early in the season, but a hamstring injury kept him out of a close loss to Alabama last month. He was healthy enough to play in a loss to Kentucky, but he threw only one pass and ran five times while spelling Emory Jones as the Gators managed 13 points.
“I love everybody labeling people. He’s a young quarterback that’s learning and developing,” Mullen said of Richardson. “That’s a good label for him.”
Starting with last season’s loss to a similarly damaged LSU team, Florida has gone 2-6 against Power Five teams. The victories are against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, but that record includes two competitive games against Alabama, one in the SEC championship.
Georgia’s ascent to juggernaut status also is not making life easier on Mullen.
Still, he is 33-12 at Florida with three appearances in New Year’s Six Bowls.
The situation is way more muddled for two other coaches at programs with national championship pedigrees.
Just when it looked like Scott Frost had Nebraska moving in the right direction, the Cornhuskers (3-5) lost at Minnesota in yet another game that was there for the taking.
Frost is 5-17 in games decided by one possession in over four seasons. To get to bowl eligibility, Nebraska needs to go 3-1 against Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Nebraska has been torturing fans with excruciating losses, but what Miami has done is even worse.
The Hurricanes (2-4) let another one slip away in improbable fashion at North Carolina, leaving Manny Diaz at 16-14 in 2½ seasons.
“There’s a really good team in that locker room,” Diaz said. “We just don’t have a good record. … But there’s a good team in there. If we stay the course, it’s going to show.”
Lane train
Combine Lane Kiffin and Tennessee, and you are bound to get mayhem.
Kiffin’s return to Knoxville as Ole Miss coach was a marathon game won by the 13th-ranked Rebels. The wild affair was marked by an epidemic of injuries that might or might not have been ploys to slow two fastpaced offenses and Tennessee fans showering the field with trash after a close spot went against the Vols late in the fourth quarter.
Kiffin is the most entertaining man in college football.
“I don’t know if I’m more excited that we found a way to win or that I didn’t get hit with the golf balls that they were throwing at me,” he told ESPN, holding up the yellow golf ball.
Around the country
■ After the death of a teammate — the second such tragedy to befall Utah in the past year — the Utes have emerged as the favorites to win the Pac-12 South. Cam Rising and the Utes dominated the second half against No. 19 Arizona State. On Sept. 26, Utah cornerback Aaron Lowe was shot and killed at a party. In December 2020, running back Ty Jordan died in an accidental shooting.
■ Washington State won its third straight, coming from behind to beat Stanford. Now the focus becomes coach Nick Rolovich, who could lose his job if he does not comply with a vaccine mandate that covers state university employees. Rolovich has applied for an exemption.
■ On Friday, Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, the potential No. 1 NFL draft pick in 2022, played a dominant second half to help the No. 9 Ducks hang on to beat Cal.