Mullen returns to the Swamp to begin a new era
GAINESVILLE — It has been nearly 10 years for UF coach Dan Mullen. For right tackle Jawaan Taylor, the wait has been a little less than 10 months.
In each case, the span of time since their last game in the Swamp seems like an eternity.
On Saturday night, expect Mullen, Taylor and the Gators to surge out of the south end zone tunnel filled with energy and excitement, and on a mission.
“I get goosebumps every time I run out into the Swamp,” Taylor said. “It’s a electrifying.”
This time, Mullen, his staff and players will run onto the field with a heightened sense of purpose, too.
The Gators will open the 2018 season against Charleston Southern seeking to wash away the stink of last year’s 4-7 finish and commence a new era in Florida football.
“I know I’m fired up and ready to get out there and get the season kicked off,” Mullen said.
Mullen’s last game in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was a 70-19 rout of The Citadel in November 2009. With Mullen calling plays, UF piled up 705 yards against an overmatched opponent to gain further momentum during an unstoppable run to a second national title in three seasons.
Against underdog Charleston Southern, Mullen simply hopes to see some positive steps from embattled quarterback Feleipe Franks and a beleaguered attack executing its coach’s playbook for the first time.
“As a play-caller, you like to know what’s going to happen, how everyone is going to respond to plays,” Mullen said. “It will be adventurous, maybe.”
Whatever happens on offense will be better than Taylor’s last game in the Swamp, a 38-23 loss Nov. 25 to an unranked Florida State squad with its own set of problems.
Despite gaining just 216 yards, the Seminoles outclassed the Gators and overran Taylor and the offensive line to produce 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and three interceptions.
Taylor, a junior who has started 23 games, is eager to show fans how the Gators have grown under Mullen.
Mullen is keenly aware of the inescapable expectations associated with Taylor’s final two words.
This, after all, will be Mullen’s first game at Steve Spurrier Field, named two summers ago in honor of the Heisman-winning quarterback and former coach who turned the Gators into a national power and offensive juggernaut.
During his introductory press conference Nov. 27, Mullen acknowledged Spurrier in the audience and noted, “I love scoring points.”
Since then, “Gator Standard” has become the 46-year-old’s mantra and dons the cover of the team’s 2018 media guide.
Spurrier’s 1990 debut as head coach ended in a 50-7 win against Oklahoma State. The four subsequent head coaching debuts were by an average score of 46-8.
Mullen’s final two seasons (2007-08) in Gainesville saw the Gators score at least 45 points 15 times in 27 games. Florida’s current roster, though, does not feature Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Joe Haden and a seemingly endless supply of NFL talent on both sides of the ball.
In December, Mullen inherited a team filled with question marks and confidence issues. But the Gators now believe Saturday night will be the first step toward redemption.