Florida figures prominently in USA Today’s latest ‘Misery Index’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators are trying to regroup following the loss to LSU on Saturday.
Mullen after the game admitted that the minus-4 figure in the turnover margin was a glaring problem, and the fact that the Gators gave up 454 total yards, including 321 rushing.
Dan Wolken of USA Today wrote that expectations and resources are a reality at Florida, and Mullen has put the Gators in position. Yet games like Saturday at LSU are why the Gators are in the latest edition of the “Misery Index.”
In many ways, Mullen has been right on track with three New Year’s Six bowl appearances in three years, finally knocking off Georgia to win the division last season with a near-miss against Alabama in the SEC championship game. Given the high standards of a job like Florida, you wouldn’t say Mullen has wildly exceeded expectations. But he’s been right in the ballpark.
It’s the midway point of Mullen’s fourth season, and Wolken wrote that, “odds are you won’t find many Florida fans who believe that his tenure is anything special.”
He also labeled it a bust of a season, and noted that it’s the second year in a row the Gators have lost to a “going-nowhere LSU team.” The issues swirling around Mullen are significant, he wrote. Among them are Mullen’s decision to keep Todd Grantham as defensive coordinator, how to keep up with or pass Georgia, and who to play at quarterback.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
