Florida suffered what may have been the worst loss of the Dan Mullen era on Saturday night, as a timid game plan, a litany of penalties and a game-changing special teams play cost the Gators just their second loss against Kentucky since 1986.
Both have come under Mullen.
The loss essentially ends Florida’s season as far as postseason hopes go. Winning the SEC East is extremely unlikely at this point and would require a win over Georgia and an additional loss from the Bulldogs. It also sent the Gators tumbling in this week’s ESPN power rankings.
Florida fell all the way to No. 21 after the game. Here’s what Andrea Adelson said about it.
After the Gators nearly upset Alabama, it appeared they were poised for a breakthrough. Instead, they put together a dismal performance in a 20-13 road loss to Kentucky in which they were completely outplayed and outcoached. Most surprising, Florida had 15 penalties for 115 yards — including eight false starts — and that tells the story of the game in a nutshell. With two SEC losses, Florida faces a steep climb back to the conference championship game — especially with Georgia looming later in the month.
Indeed, all the progress UF showed against Alabama seemed to dissipate in this game. Florida couldn’t successfully move the ball on offense, and while the defense played well, it couldn’t overcome the blocked kick returned for a touchdown.
The Gators are now likely only playing for a fifth-straight New Year’s Six appearance. But while that was a worthy goal in Year 1 for Mullen, it’s now become the expectation. And at some point, Mullen will need to have this team competing for titles.
But that won’t happen this year.
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