The Florida Gators wrapped up fall camp on Thursday afternoon with their final practice. In typical Gainesville fashion that final practice was met with rain, seemingly washing away the offseason and welcoming the new season, a fresh start.
Friday Dan Mullen will lead his team through a mock game. This isn’t a scrimmage but a chance for Mullen to take his team through what a game day will look like. Mullen and the team will walk into the stadium just like they will on September 1. On Saturday everything is run by a TV schedule, so Mullen wants the players to go through that.
“How we walk out, how we come out of the tunnel for stretch. Yeah. Guys got to know how to stretch and how to get lined up and where and where they stand on the sidelines and how they run on and off the field, what happens between series, how we substitute,” Mullen said describing the mock game Friday. “We’ll run through any situation that can happen during the course of the game so they’ve seen the procedure and how it’s done from the sidelines.”
The mock game will give the Gators a taste of the season but it’s just the beginning. Weighing on Mullen’s mind is how the team will adjust to a completely different schedule in terms of practice. This past week Mullen began sending players over to work and start learning how to be a member of the scout team, the players that simulate Florida’s opponent in practice. Including spring the Gators have had 34 practices going up against themselves. Monday they’ll be going up against Charleston Southern in practice.
“It’s completely, completely different practice schedule. We have a different routine how we run our game week,” Mullen said. “I have a way that we run it. You’re not going against each other. Right now you gotta come in and say the blitzes that we’re going to have to see in pass protection are going to be different than they’ve been in camp.”
There’s still a lot to be determined on the team this coming week. Mullen doesn’t see position battles as battles for starting positions but a competition for reps. Mullen has said multiple times he doesn’t concern himself as much with who starts games, he’s more interested in who will finish games. Who will have the trust of the coaches to be on the field when the game is tied or close as time ticks off to the end of the game.
Those battles for reps will be decided each week during practice and again on Saturday, remaining fluid throughout the season.
“I’ve told guys right now you might be at 20 reps going into game one, how you perform in game one it could be 25 or 15 in game two,” Mullen said. “How you go perform and the effort you play with, if you’re only playing 20 plays you need to play those 20 plays at a certain level. If you do really well you might get 22 next week. If you don’t do as well you might get a couple less until you earn it back on the field by your performance in practice the right to get those chance at those reps and how you perform with those reps.”
Mullen has been in Gainesville for nine months. He’s been judged on his recruiting, his program and his coaching. In just eight short days he’ll face the ultimate judgment. It comes in terms of points, wins and losses.
It’s football season.