Dan Mullen is 21-5 as Florida's head coach, leading the Gators to back-to-back top-10 finishes and New Year's Six Bowl wins.

One of several assistants he brought with him from Mississippi State was defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, whose 2019 unit ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense and scoring defense.

Here are the top 10 defensive plays from the Mullen era.

Florida didn’t play up to the Gator Standard in the 2018 loss to Georgia, but the defense exemplified that mantra on its goal-line stand. Following Feleipe Franks’ fumble at the 1-yard line, the Bulldogs couldn’t punch it in the end zone despite six opportunities (seven counting Florida’s offsides penalty on Elijah Holyfield’s first-down run). UGA got a new set of downs after C.J. McWilliams was flagged for pass interference on third-and-goal, which drew an unsportsmanlike penalty on Mullen. The Gators then stuffed two Jake Fromm sneaks before Jabari Zuniga and Luke Ancrum stopped Holyfield on third-and-goal, forcing Georgia to settle for an 18-yard field goal. “The goal-line stand where they had six opportunities to score inside the one-yard line and they don’t; That’s what we expect to be,” Mullen said after the game.

With the Gators up 20-7 on Florida State in the third quarter, Jachai Polite erased any chance the Seminoles had of rallying. On third-and-6 from the FSU 24, Polite blew by the left tackle and swiped at the ball with his right hand as quarterback Deondre Francois was attempting to pass, jarring it loose. CeCe Jefferson recovered the fumble and Franks threw a 22-yard touchdown to Trevon Grimes on the ensuing play, putting the game out of reach. Polite’s performance against FSU — six tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks — garnered Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors. His forced fumble on Francois was one of six he had in 2018, which led the FBS and tied Clifford Charlton’s 1986 single-season school record.

C.J. Henderson had a team-high 11 pass breakups in 2019, and his first one of the season helped the Gators pull out a 24-20 win over Miami. The Hurricanes, up 20-17 with under 10 minutes to play, faced third-and-9 from Florida’s 10-yard line. UM quarterback Jarren Williams threw an out route to Jeff Thomas, who pushed off Henderson and tried to make a diving catch in the end zone. Thomas had a chance to come down with it, but Henderson dislodged the ball as they fell to the ground. Miami subsequently missed a 27-yard field goal, failing to score in the red zone and extend the lead. On the ensuing play, Franks threw a 65-yard strike to Josh Hammond to set up Florida’s go-ahead score.

This is the most insignificant play on the list, but it’s an incredible interception. With Tennessee trailing the Gators 33-6, Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano launched a bomb to Brandon Johnson. He had Chauncey Gardner-Johnson beat on the play, but Brad Stewart tracked down the deep pass inside the 10-yard line. The Florida safety reached out for the ball and caught it over Johnson’s helmet, hanging onto the interception with his knuckles. “No way. No way,” ESPN analyst Rod Gilmore said on the call. In addition to his first pick of the season, Stewart also had a career-high five solo tackles and a forced fumble in the 47-21 win over Tennessee.

Shawn Davis was one of four Gators defensive backs with at least three interceptions last season, making two in the comeback win at Kentucky. His third pick of the year came in Florida’s biggest victory of 2019. Early in the second quarter, No. 7 Auburn drove past midfield trailing 7-6. Tigers quarterback Bo Nix double pumped and tried to hit Sal Cannella streaking down the left sideline, but Davis jumped the route and made a one-handed interception. He returned it 46 yards and set up Hammond’s 13-yard touchdown catch from Kyle Trask. Davis also made a team-high six tackles against Auburn and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week.

Chauncey-Garnder Johnson went out with a bang in his final collegiate game. He was named Defensive MVP of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl after making two interceptions in Florida’s 41-15 win over Michigan. And while his pick-six is the most memorable play from that performance, his first interception was more impressive. With 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Wolverines were behind 13-10 and reached UF territory. Gardner-Johnson baited quarterback Shea Patterson into thinking he had Nico Collins isolated against Trey Dean III. Gardner-Johnson waited until Patterson started his throwing motion before spinning around and snagging the interception, returning it 53 yards. “He totally bluffs Shea Patterson. I can’t tell you how good that is,” former ESPN analyst Brock Huard said on the call. The Gators went up 20-10 on the ensuing drive, which included Kadarius Toney's 30-yard jet sweep on fourth-and-1.

Jonathan Greenard starred in his one season with the Gators, finishing 2019 as a first-team All-SEC selection. He earned SEC defensive lineman honors four times, including the Vanderbilt game. Greenard led the league in sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (15.5), but his scoop and score against the Commodores was a highlight to remember. On third and goal, Mohamoud Diabate blitzed from the edge and brought down Vandy QB Deuce Wallace from his blindside with a strip sack. Greenard, blitzing from the Buck spot, corralled the fumble off the bounce and returned it 80 yards to the house. The turnover allowed the Gators to preserve the shutout in their 56-0 win over the Commodores. Diabate’s hit on Wallace was one of his three sacks in the game, which earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

Henderson made a pair of touchdown-saving tackles during his sophomore season. The first came when he tracked down Tennessee tight end Austin Pope, which could easily earn a spot on this list. But catching South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel is a different deal. Florida faced a 24-14 deficit with six minutes to play in the third when Henderson, 4.39 speed on full display, chased down Samuel from behind on his 89-yard catch and run. He then picked off quarterback Jake Bentley on USC’s potential game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, sealing the 35-31 comeback win for the Gators.

“The snap to Fitzgerald, he’s under pressure and down he goes! Oh My!” That was the call from Mick Hubert when Donovan Stiner sealed the game for the Gators at Mississippi State, 13-6. On fourth and 10 with 1:06 left, Grantham sent an eight-man blitz at Nick Fitzgerald and Stiner came through A gap untouched. He leveled the Bulldogs quarterback and brought him down for the sack. The play call showcased Grantham’s aggressiveness as a coordinator, and Mullen credited him for knowing when to dial up pressure. “He’s got to get the feel of when to go after them,” Mullen said of Grantham after the game. “I’ve learned one thing through the years — to shut my mouth in that situation.”

You couldn't have scripted it any better. The 2008 team was back for the 10-year anniversary of their national championship, with the current Gators looking to deliver Mullen his first signature win against No. 5 LSU. With under two minutes to play and Florida up 20-19, Joe Burrow dropped back on third-and-4 and tried to throw an out route to Stephen Sullivan. Stewart read Burrow’s eyes and stepped in front of the pass, handing Burrow his first-career interception and racing 25 yards down the sideline for a pick-six. The shot of the ’08 team celebrating near the end zone with the players is priceless (see bottom), and the Swamp hadn't been that loud since ‘The Block’ by Jarvis Moss. It was also a special moment for Stewart, a New Orleans native who was overlooked by in-state LSU in recruiting. “It was one of the best moments I can say I’ve had in my life,” Stewart said in the video below.