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Notebook: Mullen, Gators get ready for Georgia

No extra motivation needed this week 

For the first time in school history, the Florida Gators will play the Associated Press No. 1 team in the country in a single season. The Gators lost to No. 1 Alabama 31-29 in September and will now face the No. 1 team in undefeated Georgia this week.

It's easy to get up for a game where you're the perceived underdog and certainly not hard to get excited about playing the No. 1 team in the country but this week the Gators don't need any more motivation than playing a rival.

"I don’t know the rankings make it an even bigger or smaller motivation if you will. If they were ranked No. 2 I don’t think we’d be any less motivated," Dan Mullen said on Monday. "To me, I think just playing in the big rivalry game makes it what it is. That’s why our guys, they’ll get juiced for this. I don’t need to motivate our guys a ton this week."

Georgia has been the most impressive team in the country this season. The Dawgs entered the season with sky-high expectations and have remained laser-focused throughout the season dismantling every team that has stood in front of them. Florida will look to play spoiler, as much as they can, on Saturday but they don't need to draw any additional motivation other than it being another opportunity to beat Georgia.

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No change at quarterback 

Following Florida's loss to LSU, where Mullen turned to redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson — who led four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half — Mullen was asked if he would make a change at quarterback. He declined to name a starting quarterback but did say that Florida planned on not going to far from the way they've operated all season.

"Not really," Mullen said when asked if there would be a change at quarterback this week. "We're going to keep playing them the same way. We plan on playing both of the guys like we have."

The question now is, do you believe Dan Mullen when he says the Gators will be status quo this week against Georgia or will Mullen turn the offense over to Anthony Richardson, allowing the redshirt freshman — who should be the starting quarterback in 2022 — the valuable reps he stands to gain against a rival who also happens to be the No. 1 team in the country?

Mullen still under show cause 

With the Florida Gators on a bye last week the coaching staff was able to hit the road and get back on the recruiting trail, all of the coaches except head coach Dan Mullen.

Mullen is still under a show cause for a Level II recruiting violation stemming from a couple of years back. The Gators' are on track to complete the remaining penalties by the end of December 2021 but Mullen wasn't able to recruit on the road this week. Florida's initial penalties were to take affect in 2020 but with COVID-19 restrictions limiting recruiting for all coaches in 2020 the penalties for Mullen were pushed back a year.

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