Florida coach Dan Mullen said his team could have opted not to play the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Wednesday night based on player availability, but chose to do so anyway because the players wanted to compete.
After a 55-20 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma, Mullen said his exhausted roster would have allowed the No. 7 Gators to skip the game.
“With the number of people who were out of the party, we were actually low,” Mullen said. “We had the numbers not to play the game.
Mullen added, “I give credit to our boys … Our young boys wanted to play this game and they wanted to have that experience and they wanted to be on that stage.”
On Tuesday, Mullen estimated he would have 60 fellows available. This season, the SEC set a minimum threshold of 53 players awarded scholarships for participation in the game, but teams could choose to play even if they did not meet that number. There were also lows in three key positions: quarterbacks (one), defensive liners (four) and offensive liners (seven).
Mullen did not specify whether the Gators were below the minimum in a specific position.
“I saw a little bit (I don’t know, maybe that’s not right) that it wasn’t the 2020 football team you saw,” Mullen said of the Gators, who finished 8-4 after leaving their last three matches. “There were 25 guys missing the 2020 football team out there tonight. That was kind of a start for us for the future, an opportunity for the young boys to play.”
Mullen added: “The last game the 2020 team played was 11 days ago [in the SEC championship]. “
Among the missing Gators were several headlines. His three big receivers – Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland – were all out, as was Kyle Pitts. Grimes, Pitts and Toney withdrew from the game as they prepared for the NFL draft, and Copeland was out because he tested positive for COVID-19. The Gators also didn’t have four defensive starters.
The missing losers had a significant impact on quarterback Kyle Trask, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. The senior threw three maximum interceptions of the season and did not throw any touchdowns after entering the game with 43 in his favor. The completion percentage (57.1%) was also minimal in the season. Second-year quarterback Emory Jones also saw significant playing time in the game, attempting 16 passes and running 10 times for 60 yards and a score.
Oklahoma (9-2) dominated Florida, finishing with 684 yards, including 435 runs. Head coach Lincoln Riley said they decided “we were going to be a team on a mission” and “we wanted to make a statement with the way we play.”
Creed Humphrey, downtown Oklahoma, said: “We saw the [Gators’] deactivation. We really didn’t care who opted in and who stayed for this game. We were ready to roll in and out to play them anyway, whoever it was. We’re glad they showed up and gave us a chance to play. “
The Sooners also said they were aware of comments Florida defender James Houston made last week, referring to Oklahoma as “a good showdown” but “not at our level.” Oklahoma freshman quarterback Marvin Mims said, “It definitely fueled the fire a little bit,” and Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler tweeted after the game: “It was a good showdown.”
“I would be lying if I said we don’t see what our opponent was saying,” Rattler later said. “We came out here and we just did our job, we ran, we focused on what we had to do as a group and we came out on top.”