KYREE CAMPBELL

Florida coach Dan Mullen, center, watches play against Oklahoma during the first half of the Cotton Bowl NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A person familiar with the situation says Florida coach Dan Mullen has fired two defensive assistants in the wake of the unit’s worst season in more than a hundred years. The Sooners racked up a whopping 684 yards — the most any team has ever gained against Florida — in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night. The Gators played without three defensive starters in the Cotton Bowl. Even with those give guys, Florida’s defense was mostly a debacle.

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida quarterback Kyle Trask made his future plans official Thursday, formally announcing he’s declining an opportunity to return to school and entering the NFL draft. No one thought Trask would stick around following a record-breaking season that included being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. He led the nation in passing yards and TD passes. He broke the previous school record (39) for TD passes (39) set by 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. Fellow defensive tackle Zachary Carter, meanwhile, announced plans to return to school for his senior season.

He’s hard to block. … What he’s really good at is rushing the passer like all the Florida guys they’ve had over the past. …“He’s playing really well for them. He’s playing physical. He’s playing hard.

Nonetheless, coach Dan Mullen expects his team to be rested and rusty when it hosts Missouri on Saturday night in the Swamp. It begins against the Tigers (2-2), who have won two straight in varying fashion, and continues against rival and No. “We’re itching to prove ourselves that we’re still the same Florida Gators. The Southeastern Conference rescheduled two games because Florida would not have had at least 53 scholarship players available to play. SWAMP SUCCESSThe Gators have won nine straight at Florida Field, celebrating every game at the Swamp since Mizzou thumped them two years ago.

With a defense giving up nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns a game, Florida’s preseason title hopes are in jeopardy. Florida’s defense ranks 13th in the Southeastern Conference and 72nd in the country (only 76 Football Bowl Subdivision teams are currently playing). “Well, first of all, as a defense we’ve got to take responsibility,” junior defensive tackle Zach Carter said. Now is a great time for us to come together.”It’s been a weekly debacle, really, with the team’s offensive prowess masking many of the defensive deficiencies. “I think we’ll be fine.”The schedule doesn’t get much easier, if at all, with defending national champion LSU (1-2) up next.

3 Florida to a 38-24 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. The next performance comes at Kyle Field, where Texas A&M will try to become the first Southeastern Conference opponent to slow down Trask and Pitts in 2020. Kevin Harris was one of the few bright spots for South Carolina, which flubbed a chance to make it a one-score game in the final minute. DROPPED PASSESA big reason South Carolina couldn’t keep up in the first half was dropped passes. Florida takes its “Kyle to Kyle Show” to Kyle Field to play Texas A&M next Saturday.

(Photo by CarmenGAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida defensive tackle Kyree Campbell has been counting down to this game for weeks, maybe even months. It's the first top-10 matchup at Florida Field since the Gators thumped South Carolina 44-11 in October 2012. It's the first top-10 matchup featuring two undefeated teams since Florida edged LSU 14-6 that same season. "He played a lot of different teams, but he hasn't played in the Swamp,'' Florida defensive back Trey Dean said. "We like to throw a lot of different things at people, whether it is unusual formations or stuff like that,'' Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.