The end of the 2020 season was a comedic horror movie, if that's even a genre, for Gator fans. The coaching staff's offseason recruiting efforts did nothing to alter the perception of the fan base but then the games started and that's where Dan Mullen usually thrives.
Florida looked good in its first two wins against delectable cupcakes. The offensive line was stout, paving the way for the nation's No. 1 rushing attack. Then No. 1 Alabama came to town and, even in a loss, the plan of attack was solid. Even in a loss, Florida fans saw how the Gators were able to dominate both lines of scrimmage and pushed the defending National Champions to the brink.
Two weeks later, all of those good feelings are gone.
Florida's loss to Kentucky in itself isn't unacceptable. The way they lost — 15 Peñalties for 115 yards, including eight false starts — is.
"First of all losing is unacceptable," receiver Jacob Copeland said. "From that loss, I think everybody took it as a big toll on us."
Life comes at you fast. Florida's path to the SEC Championship Game isn't dead but realistically it's a longshot. So what do you do now? How do you get excited to play a noon game against a Vanderbilt team that is awful even by Vanderbilt's standards?
“The only good thing about it is we got another chance to play again the next Saturday. Just keep focusing and just keep playing each game," tight end Kemore Gamble said. "That game is in the past. Don’t let that game bring you down, keep playing hard. Keep playing for your family, your friends, the fans, and most importantly your teammates.”
That's where the Gators are now. The goals set in the preseason are likely unattainable so the focus needs to shift. To a man, they need to look inside themselves and ask what are going to do? How will you respond to adversity and to a situation — self-inflicted? Do you pack it in and go through the motions or continue to stress and strain in practice, meetings, watching film, and on the field Saturday? If the answer is the former things could get ugly but that doesn't seem to be the direction the team is heading.
"It's not the end of the world for us; we have a lot to play for. We can do a lot of big things still," quarterback Emory Jones said. "That's all we're trying to do, honestly, just, I mean just improve from all of the things that we've done bad, and then just move on from it and continue to get better week-to-week."
