Kirby Smart, Dan Mullen open to changing Cocktail Party tradition
Dan Mullen is about to experience his first World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party game in Jacksonville as a head coach. On his weekly radio show, he revealed that he wouldn’t mind coaching against UGA in The Swamp and between the hedges.
That of course has happened before, when the stadium known as the “Gator Bowl” was renovated to become the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Mullen also shared that it’s still the “Gator Bowl” to him.
On his @ESPNGainesville radio show, Dan Mullen, when asked about the Florida-Georgia series, said he could see the two teams playing home and home, then two years in Jacksonville.
— Kevin Brockway (@gatorhoops) October 25, 2018
More Mullen on @ESPNGainesville, talking about Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville, “It’s in the Gator Bowl. I don’t know what they call it now but it’s still the Gator Bowl to me. It’s in our home state so it’s like a home game for us.’
— Kevin Brockway (@gatorhoops) October 25, 2018
Not surprisingly, Mullen’s counterpart also expressed support for making the game a home-and-home. While Mullen’s comment suggests he’s open to occasional “home-and-home,” Smart’s comments were less clear as to whether he would want to play any more games in Jacksonville or switch to exclusively home-and-home.
On his radio show, Kirby Smart said he has “mixed feelings at times” on this game in Jacksonville. Issue for him is giving up a home game that would attract top recruits. “It’s something we’ll always look at in the offseason.” https://t.co/9DP4hfLFaz
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) October 26, 2018
While the game being played at a neutral location is a long tradition, and one of the best spectacles in the SEC, it does take away an opportunity for both schools to get recruits on campus, as Smart observed.
The Bulldogs and Gators kick off at 3:30pm ET Saturday on CBS.
