Listen, it’s been a long year. Coming into this season, before COVID wreaked havoc on the 2020 season at large, you looked at what the Gators had coming back, what their schedule looked like, and thought, “this is the year.” After back-to-back New Year’s Six Bowl games the Gators had everything, including a favorable schedule, going for them.

Then COVID flipped the world upside down. Spring football was canceled. The team didn’t see each other from March until July. The schedule changed to an All-SEC gauntlet and, still, Florida made it to December with an 8-1 record and SEC East Champions. Then a hiccup against LSU cost Florida a chance to play in the College Football Playoff. A loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game made it two in a row and with that came business decisions.

I cannot and will not disparage any of the players that decided to skip the bowl game. That’s a very personal decision and if, as a man, a player looks at his teammates, tells them his decision and the team accepts it, it’s over there. Florida came into this game with 60 scholarship players, 25 under the limit. There were injuries, opt-outs, and positive COVID tests.

Saying that the Gators didn’t want to be here doesn’t mean they didn’t want to play the game. They didn’t want to be in a New Year’s Six Bowl game because they envisioned, and came within two weeks, of being in the College Football Playoff.

The fact that Florida, as a team, decided to show up in Dallas to play this game with a makeshift group shows they wanted to play a game, this just isn’t the one that they wanted to be in and they played an Oklahoma team that was good, hungry to beat an SEC opponent, and wanted to be there. That’s how you get an ugly lopsided score.

For the first time in 2020, I’ll join the angry mob and relent. There need to be massive changes on the defensive side of the ball.

A few stats:

Florida surrendered 600 yards in a game 3 times this season. Prior to this season, the Gators had only allowed 600 yards in a game TWICE in its history (2014 vs Alabama, 1996 Fiesta Bowl vs Nebraska).

Oklahoma set the record for yards in the Cotton Bowl (684). Oklahoma set a school record for points in a bowl game (55).

The Gators' defense was missing a lot of talent, most notably Kyree Campbell and Ventrell Miller but there is no excuse for that game. All four players that spoke with the media made impassioned pleas in support of Todd Grantham but the fact of the matter is the performance of the defense tonight and for much of the 2020 season is unacceptable. It’s not for the players to make the decision, of course, they are backing their defensive coordinator. Two of the four players, Mohamoud Diabate and Khris Bogle, are in the position group that Grantham coaches. He recruited them and they respect the work he puts in.

It’s not for the players to make the decision. It’s for the head coach. The guy that makes $6,000,000 dollars a year to run a program to take a step back, look at the season, and evaluate.

In the final three games of the season, the Gators surrendered 1,707 yards (569 per game), 144 points (48 per game), and 7.29 yards per play.

It shouldn’t be a long or hard look.

The Cotton Bowl provided a look at the future. Florida played guys that had been on the scout team all season, they played freshmen that hadn’t played prior, and several younger players that will need to dill major roles in 2021.

Jaydon Hill had three pass breakups. Ty’Ron Hopper had three tackles. Kamar Wilcoxson, who enrolled a full year early and should be in high school still, played and contributed. Ethan White played meaningful minutes and we saw a slew of young receivers who will be tasked with replacing Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney. There is a lot of talent but will there be depth or will the Gators have a rough year in 2021 with everything they’re losing? The Jim McElwain recruits are gone, now we’re going to see what Dan Mullen’s early recruiting classes can do.

Emory Jones has been patiently waiting for his turn for three years. The redshirt sophomore completed 8-of-16 passes for 86 yards. He carried the ball 10 times for 60 yards and a touchdown as well. Jones has long been thought to be the future, the heir apparent to the quarterback position but, let me cue my inner Lee Corso…

Not so fast, my friend.

The Cotton Bowl gave a glimpse of Anthony Richardson, the pride of Eastside High School and Gainesville. The 6-4, 240-pound quarterback that looks like a young Cam Newton on the field got his first opportunity to run the full offense and he looked as good as players and coaches say. Richardson ran the ball three times for 42-yards and completed his lone pass for a 27-yard touchdown. Jones may have been waiting but nothing will be handed to him.

People around the program have raved about Richardson, his ability, and potential. The starting quarterback job is certainly not settled for 2021.

Coming off of three losses, with the final being embarrassingly lopsided, it’s not easy to find perspective.

Take a step back and think just how long this season has been. Do you even remember the Ole Miss game? That seems like it was two years ago, doesn’t it?

This Florida Gators team has had to overcome tremendous obstacles this season. From uncertainty that they would have a season, to workouts with Nick Savage before a schedule was announced. Then fall camp, a six-week fall camp that was accompanied by thrice-weekly COVID testing. They had to run a gauntlet of a schedule. It’s a miracle that the Gators played 12 games this season.

The end is disappointing, without a doubt.

Don’t look at the bowl game as an inditement of the season. This was a successful year for the Gators, filled with broken records, great wins, and incredible stories.

So, from me, thank you to everyone involved in making the 2020 season happen. I've been to all 12 games this season, crossed two more SEC stadiums (Texas A&M and Ole Miss) off the list and I was able to continue having a job that affords me the opportunity to watch college football for a living. The end might have been sour, but it was an awesome ride in unprecedented times.