Mullen Speaks Ahead of Matchup with Georgia

Ahead of the Gators matchup with the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, Coach Dan Mullen spoke to the media about the historic rivalry.

Battle with the Bulldogs

The Gators go into Saturday’s matchup with a 44-52-2 record against the Bulldogs. Last year, No. 8 Florida upset No. 5 Georgia 44-28.

Florida is currently unranked while Georgia is the top team in the nation.

This will be the second time UF plays a No. 1 ranked team this season. The Gators played No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 18.

Mullen had high praise for this Georgia team.

He said the Bulldogs have a lot of talent on their defensive line with a lot of experience returning for this season.

Mullen wouldn’t give any hints as to which quarterback would start for the Gators. He said the plan is to get both Anthony Richardson and Emory Jones ready to play.

“You’re a snap away from those guys getting on the field,” he said.

Mullen said it is less about who starts the game and more about who finishes it.

He also pointed out that Georgia hasn’t named their starting quarterback.

He said it is a much bigger deal that the No. 1 team hasn’t named its starter.

Georgia quarterback JT Daniels is on track to return from injury this week, while Stetson Bennett has filled in and led the Bulldogs to an undefeated record.

Coming off a Bye

After a 49-42 loss to the LSU Tigers on Oct. 16, the Gators had a week off to prepare for Georgia.

Mullen said his players have come into this week with a great attitude and said they needed the break.

Mullen said the bye week can have its pitfalls.

He said it can help teams reset but can also break up a flow.

“If we win the bye week goes great,” Mullen said, “If we don’t it probably wasn’t.”

Money Talks

One of the topics discussed on Monday was the recruiting that occurred during the time off.

A report was released prior to the press conference stating that the Gators ranked 14th in the country when it came to money spent on recruiting.

Mullen said the solution isn’t always to throw money at the issue.

“We’re not very wasteful here,” he said. “I’ve never believed that the solution to every problem is just throw as much money at it as possible.”

He said UF is still catching up on the quality of its facilities and said they will assess the issue at a later date.

Mullen would not provide any details as to how they recruited during the week off.

The Gators and the Bulldogs will make the trip to Jacksonville for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The Bulldogs open up the week as 14-point favorites.