Former Florida football coach picks Vols over Gators
Count former Florida football coach Dan Mullen as someone who thinks Tennessee will snap its nine-game losing streak at The Swamp.
On this week's Saturday Down South podcast with Matt Barrie, Mullen, now an ESPN college football analyst, predicted the Vols to beat the Florida Gators when the two teams meet Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN).
Mullen said he trusts Tennessee coach Josh Heupel's play calling and quarterback Joe Milton to make the throws needed for the Vols to pull off the win. Tennessee opened the week as a 7.5-point favorite, despite coming off an uneven performance in a 30-13 win over Austin Peay that prompted a team meeting this week.
Farewell, SEC East: Last division race: Florida football enters final SEC East season a heavy underdog.
Center of attention: Florida football has a key player expected back for Tennessee game
"I'm still on the Tennessee bandwagon until they get me off of it," Mullen said on the podcast. "Josh Heupel, the offense has looked good. Joe Milton can make all the plays and I trust Josh Heupel honestly to put him in positions to succeed.
"We've seen the little things you pause on (Milton), certainly not his talent, but I think Josh Heupel does a good job of kind of, keeping him where the offense is going and keeping it in his wheelhouse and easy for him."
Mullen also thinks that Tennessee has improved defensively. Last season, former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson threw for a career-high 453 yards against the Vols, but it wasn't enough as the Vols held on for a 38-33 win against the Gators at Neyland Stadium.
"They're improved defensively to shut Florida down," Mullen said. "I think Utah showed it. If you can stop the run game at Florida, make them one dimensional, really shut the run game down, they are not going to be very good on offense."
Mullen didn't discount the atmosphere of The Swamp being a potential factor and that it would be a huge win for second year UF coach Billy Napier if the Gators could pull the upset. A loss would drop Florida to 0-4 against traditional rivals Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State.
"In all my years at Florida, as an assistant and a head coach, the Tennessee game was always such a huge game and it kind of kicks the conference season off," Mullen said. "So, this would be a really big win for Billy Napier and the direction of where the program is headed. A loss, he could be looking at 0-6 in two years against his rivals and that's not how Florida fans want to see things."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Former Florida Gators football coach Dan Mullen picks Vols to beat UF
