Just a week ago, this was Dan Mullen’s breakout season as the coach of the Florida Gators.
But now his team needs to make sure it doesn’t turn into a breakdown season.
The Gators, as expected, were beaten 52-46 by Saban’s Cyborgs — aka the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide — in a closer-than-expected SEC Championship Game shootout on Saturday night in Atlanta. It was a game that sent conflicting messages to Gator Nation: It showed just how far Mullen’s program has come and it also showed how far it has to go.