The No. 10 Florida Gators (6-0, 3-0) picked up a huge statement win Saturday as they upset the No. 7 Auburn Tigers (5-1, 2-1) 24-13 at home in the Swamp. With all eyes on them, the Gators came to play and pulled out a win that many didn’t think was possible.
At his post-game press conference, head coach Dan Mullen talked about the defenses dominance, Kyle Trask coming back from injury and more.
Here are the highlights.
- Mullen said that his team played a good game. Says it turned out to be very interesting with all the turnovers. Added that you don’t usually win when you turn the ball over four times, but they were able to do so.
- The Gators head coach was very complimentary of the defensive unit. Mullen said that’s the type of defense they expect to play around here.
- Speaking of the defense, Mullen said their energy and ability to strain down the stretch was key. He also added their ability to get to the ball quickly was a big factor. Said the tackling has improved dramatically.
- Mullen took blame for the only Auburn touchdown of the game, which came after fake punt. He said that they have many fakes that they run. Says they thought they were going to see a different look from Auburn, but instead got one they hadn’t seen.
- The Swamp was rocking today and Mullen gave the Gator Nation plenty of praise. He said the crowd made a huge difference throughout the game. Mullen said that’s the energy they need every week, and it will be hard for teams to come into The Swamp and win when facing that kind of energy.
- Mullen said this is a big win for the program, but it won’t mean a lot tomorrow. Then it’s onto LSU.
- He added that he has higher expectations than anyone in the Gator Nation. Says they want to play in these big games and win them.
- Mullen said the team has to adapt the mindset that just because you win big games, doesn’t mean you can’t work as hard the next week.
- On Kyle Trask’s injury, he said he didn’t see it initially, but trusted the trainers to do the right thing. He was critical of the play that injured his quarterback, and said the league needs to do a better job of keeping the players safe.
- When Trask returned to the sideline, he told him to run around a little to see how he feels before re-entering
- Mullen said Emory Jones did a great job in relief of Trask. Says he has a lot of trust in him.
- Mullen said their ability to stick with the run game opened up Lamical Perine’s 88-yard score. Says all it took was a broken a tackle and a crease to let Perine make the play.
- On Perine, Mullen said he is taking care of business, despite his numbers not being quite where they expected to be. Says he is a leader on this team and never lost faith even with the run game struggling.
- Mullen was very complimentary of the receivers group. Says they all just want to make plays, whether on offense or special teams. Says the group is just a real unselfish one, which allows them to have a number of guys produce.
- On Dameon Pierce’s injury, Mullen said “We’ll see.” Said Pierce is quite the character anyway and a bit of a goofball, and was acting himself in the locker room.
- Lastly, Mullen said the guys prepare the right way going into games like these, which make for special team wins.