Coach Dan Mullen has been saying that he wants bring back a key component that Florida football has been lacking in recent years.
The passion. The energy. And, more importantly, the fun.
“I want to have fun. I mean, life’s too short,” Florida’s head coach said after the Orange and Blue scrimmage on April 14. “We’re going to have fun. Now I’m competitive and I want to win but we’re going to have fun doing this.”
That emphasis on fun wasn’t just for the players, it was for the fans as well.
On Saturday, Mullen showed that UF football was bringing back the entertainment aspect in a dominant 53-6 win over Charleston Southern at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
For starters, Florida marched 75 yards down the field to start the game off with a 34-yard touchdown from quarterback Feleipe Franks, the first of five from the redshirt sophomore. Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson recorded the Gators’ first sack of the year on the first play of Charleston Southern’s first drive.
And yeah. The fans noticed. They rose to their feet and leapt in a chorus of praise.
The rest of the game was full of moments like these.
Like when Franks broke out the Tim Tebow jump pass to Tyrie Cleveland in the end zone to set the score at 31-0 in the second quarter. Or when running back Lamical Perine ran for 23 yards in the second quarter, Florida’s first big run of the season.
There was also Dameon Pierce’s huge hit on CSU kick returner Taz Lindsey, two blocked kicks - one on a field goal and another on an extra point - and the return of the shovel pass into UF’s playbook.
“I had fun… and I hope everybody in the Gator nation had fun out there,” Mullen said. “I think our players had a good time on the sidelines and within the course of the game too, so that’s pretty cool.”
Those players were the same ones dancing along to every song the Pride of the Sunshine played or ones that blasted through the stadium’s speakers. They were also getting in on the fun during kickoffs, where they swayed from side-to-side waiting for freshman Evan McPherson’s kickoffs.
The fun was also evident through Twitter, where fans were voicing their excitement over plays like the shovel and jump passes. It showed that people were excited about the program, not just those at the game.
Mullen said the crowd’s energy contributed to the festivities and helped set the positive atmosphere of the game.
“The crowd created an unbelievable energy and environment,” Mullen said. “It made the game fun.”
Now the Gators turn their focus to Kentucky next weekend to open up their SEC schedule. After a confidence-boosting win against Charleston Southern, Florida is determined to keep the fun going now that it has been inserted back into the program.
“Guys are getting excited when we score,” Franks said. “It was big time for me, big time for our players and our coaches as well.”
Follow Jake Dreilinger on Twitter @DreilingerJake and contact him at jdreilinger@alligator.org.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks said the Gators' win over Charleston Southern was one of the more fun games he has been a part of. “Guys are getting excited when we score,” he said.
