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UF keeping focus on Vols despite chance to clinch SEC East

Florida coach Dan Mullen (right) with QB Kyle Trask.
Florida coach Dan Mullen (right) with QB Kyle Trask. (Brad McClenny-USA TODAY NETWORK)

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For the first time since 2016, Florida can punch its ticket to Atlanta on Saturday.

The No. 6 Gators (7-1) will clinch the SEC East division with a win over Tennessee (2-5), which has dropped five games in a row. UF coach Dan Mullen is trying to keep his players focused on themselves and their opponent despite a trip to the conference title game on the line.

“We’ve got to qualify to get there first,” Mullen said. “That’ll be much more important than even thinking about that. For us, we’ve got to focus on beating Tennessee this week. They’re going to be a really, really talented team, really talented offensive line, great running backs, threats at receivers and the quarterbacks who, if they need to, throw really good deep balls. Very, very veteran units on defense.

“We’ll see. If that becomes a reality, we’ll think about that then. The only reality I know we’re faced with is having to go to Knoxville, Tennessee. … The biggest emphasis for us is finding ways that we’ve got to improve as a team. That’s the biggest emphasis.”

That was Mullen’s message at the team meeting Monday morning, he said. Florida made back-to-back trips to Atlanta in 2016 and 2015, but lost to Alabama both times.

Quarterback Kyle Trask was a true freshman on that ’16 team.

“It would mean everything,” Trask said of making it back to Atlanta. “At the beginning of the season we have all these huge goals, but the first real goal we have to accomplish is to win the East. We have a chance to do that on Saturday.

“We’ll definitely be playing at our top level to get that done. It will mean everything to get back to Atlanta. I remember it just like it was yesterday, my freshman year. It goes by so fast. It would be cool to be back there and hopefully get a win.”

The Gators also played the Tide in 2009 and 2008, which was their last SEC championship. That was Mullen’s final season as Florida’s offensive coordinator, and this year would be his first division title as a head coach.

“That’d be great if it happens,” he said. “That’s always the goal, to worry about what you can control. We’ve put ourselves in a position to play Saturday and we control our own destiny.

“We put ourselves in that position at this point. We’ll work our tail off to go try to control the game as best we can Saturday. If we come out on top, I’ll let you know afterwards how it feels.”

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