After getting drilled by top-ranked Georgia on Saturday, 34-7, Florida has now dropped 3 of its last 4 games to fall to 4-4 on the season.

It has been a steady nosedive for a team that was ranked as high as 10th in the AP poll earlier this season, and Gators coach Dan Mullen admitted Saturday that he’s well aware that Florida fans are disgruntled.

“There’s a lot of negativity. A lot, a lot of negativity,” Mullen said during his press conference following the Georgia game. “And I think that feeds in sometimes when I don’t know that that should, but it does, unfortunately for these young guys. They’re young kids, so it does feed in. And we’ve got to make sure we’re blocking all of that out.”

While Mullen has higher expectations for his program, he is trying to keep morale high in the locker room.

He also understands that there’s plenty of football to be played and believes Florida has a chance to turn things around.

“I know, two-thirds of the way through the season right now, I’m certainly not pleased with where we are,” Mullen said. “I know our players are certainly not pleased with where we are. I know the Gator Nation, I know it’s not pleased with where we are, with the standards and the expectations within this program.

“But in this final third of the season; that’s on me to get this fixed and the approach that I take and the mindset that we play with, that’s on me to get it fixed. And you know, I certainly plan on doing that, of changing this, where we’re at right now with us, and creating some positive energy for us and some confidence for us, and the expectations to feed off of each other. And I’m gonna work and I’m gonna make sure I get that right.”

There is reason for optimism, as the Gators will likely be favored in each of their 4 remaining games, a stretch that begins with a road game at South Carolina on Saturday.

You can see all of Mullen’s comments following the loss to the Bulldogs in the video below: