Florida defensive end Zachary Carter returned to win championships and usher in the next wave of defensive talent.
Instead, the Gators’ SEC title hopes are history and the defense is in shambles after its Oct. 16 no-show at LSU.
“I feel like I kind of fell short as a leader,” Carter said Monday. “But I won’t put it all on me because it’s a team game.”
Hope still remains to salvage a lost season and put a positive spin on the future: Upset top-ranked, archrival Georgia (7-0, 5-0 SEC) Saturday at Jacksonville’s TIAA Stadium.
The odds are stacked against the Gators (4-3, 2-3), but ever since a 49-42 loss at struggling LSU Carter has been consumed with the idea of shocking Georgia.
“It would mean everything,” Carter, a redshirt senior, said. “It’s just one of those games as a Gator you want to win every year. I just want to get that win real bad. I ain’t going to lie; I’ve been talking about this game for about two weeks now through the bye week.
“So, I’m really pumped up for this game.”
Raw emotion and intensity fuel one of college football’s most heated rivalries and can lead to wild momentum swings and surprising outcomes. Yet, Georgia arrives in steady pursuit of the Bulldogs’ first national title since 1980 while sweeping away everyone in their path.
Coach Kirby Smart’s squad boasts an average winning margin of 31.9 points and is a 14-point favorite against Florida.
“They’re not the No. 1 team in the country for no reason, so we’ve got to bring our A-game,” said Gators’ safety Trey Dean, a senior from the Atlanta area.
Whether the “A” stands for Anthony Richardson remains unclear.
The Gators big-play backup quarterback made a strong case for replacing Emory Jones as starter after coming off the bench to account for touchdowns on four consecutive possessions during the LSU loss.
Mullen did not signal a QB switch is planned.
“We’re going to keep playing them the same way,” he said. “We plan on playing both of the guys like we have.”
While the Gators coach was coy with his QB plan, he praised Richardson’s efforts off the bench in Baton Rouge. Florida trailed 28-13 when Richardson ignited a rally to tie the game at 42-all.
“It was great, especially being on the road in that environment to be able to get into it and be able to handle everything with the crowd noise, with the pressure, with all the things that came with it,” Mullen said. “He handled the situation pretty well.”
Richardson, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound redshirt freshman, showcased his playmaking skills earlier in the season while Jones struggled during his first season as Florida’s starter. But a hamstring injury sustained on an 80-yard touchdown run during a Week 2 win at USF sidelined Richardson for two games, slowed his progress and quelled calls for him to replace Jones.
Whoever handles the snap against Georgia will face his toughest challenge of the season.
The Bulldog have allowed just five touchdowns and an average of 6.6 points, numbers putting the defensive-minded Smart’s baby on track to become a generational group.
Jordan Davis, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound nose tackles, returned with fellow seniors Devonte Wyatt, a tackle, and Adam Anderson, a linebacker, to form a front seven expected to produce several first-round draft picks.
“They have depth, they have talent, guys that could have probably gone pretty high in the draft came back for another year,” Mullen said. “That’s a big advantage for them to have that experience. They put them in good positions to make plays, well coached, and they mix you up with a lot of different blitzes.”
A master game planner and play caller, Mullen faces one of his biggest challenges at Florida. But it has been that kind of season for the Gators, who hosted top-ranked Alabama Sept. 18 a 14-point underdog.
“It’s the second time we’re going to play the No. 1 team in the same season — not many people usually get to do that,” Mullen said.
The Gators rose to the occasion against Alabama before falling 31-29 in the Swamp. Execution will be the key Saturday.
Jones and Richardson each threw two interceptions at LSU, giving Jones nine this season.
“When you’re playing against great defense ... you make little mistakes they turn into big mistakes and mistakes are hard to recover from,” Mullen said. “You got to be efficient and execute at a high level every snap of the game.”
