About the win over Arkansas:
“That was a great win. We have not had many wins like that. I’m trying to think back to a head coach, who after throwing things away, has had as many ways to find a way to win a game. We did not play great defense. We held a good team to below their averages, but we did not play great defense. As far as turnovers, I think that was the worst we have ever had; certainly the worst our staff has ever had. Red zone production was not very good and the kicking game was okay. The one thing we did do was hold Arkansas to 15% conversion on third downs…There is a lot of pressure on this team to perform at a very high level. I love that. There’s a lot of pressure on the coaches, trainers, secretaries and everyone associated with our program. That’s the great thing about being at a place like Florida; there are extremely high expectations where you have to play that perfect game. Now it’ our job to make sure we score one more point than the other team. Mississippi State will play their best game of the year against Florida, just like Arkansas did. I think Arkansas played tremendous against us. They are very well coached; relentless and did a nice job. You’re down in the red zone four times and walked away three times without points. I was impressed with Caleb Sturgis to walk in there and hit the game-winner, but also to nail the 51-yarder into the wind. Arkansas is a very good team. At the end of the day, I think they will be in a good bowl game. After watching the film, maybe they played a little harder. That team out there played high quality defense. Offensively, we expected that because they are one of the top teams in the league. Defensively, their numbers struggled, but their unit showed up. Statistically, they hadn’t played very well, but they showed up against us.”
On Dan Mullen:
“Every coach has characteristics. He is intense, but the thing that makes Dan unique is that he is smart. I mean really smart and is very aware of the game of football. He came from Syracuse and became my graduate assistant (GA). Kevin Rodgers came with him. We hit it off very early. He is very intellectual as far as understanding the game. I’ve had five or six guys go on to become college coaches. This is the first time we’re going against each other. I watch them and it is real good stuff. We better be ready. He’s done a great job so far.”
On team injuries:
“Riley Cooper is good. He has a hip pointer, but he moved around a little bit yesterday. He is probable. The guy who is doubtful is Justin Trattou. That is a tough loss. He had an MRI yesterday and we will meet about it today. We were down four defensive starters against Arkansas. I consider Lawrence Marsh a starter, we need him. Then you have Jaye Howard, Brandon Spikes and Justin Trattou. I would say Brandon Spikes is probable for this game. He did not practice yesterday. Duke Lemmens will not have much drop off for us, if any. We love Duke. He is a Gator and a hard charger. We have to get back Jaye Howard. William Green will get more playing time. If you take four starters off of defense, you can easily regress. The good thing is we are still playing as the No. 1 team in total defense in the SEC and we have to continue that. The thing I will miss most about Trattou is his high energy.”
On potential glitches in the offense:
“I remember one time, someone said, ‘Coach Mullen is going to catch a lot of heat’ or something like that and I responded, ‘The only person he would get heat from is me’ and no he is fine. We are just maneuvering through a difficult part of the schedule and trying to get some things worked out. Anytime there is transition and changes in staff, I’m very pleased with the job Coach Addazio has done. The wrist above the elbow was a problem. Chris Rainey probably scores after the unbelievable move he put on the guy. It wasn’t a freak fumble, it was a great play. We’re going to be nuts about taking care of the football in practice this week. We made a film for the guys to watch. It wasn’t just the balls on the ground. The catch Deonte Thompson made was holding the ball like this [extends arms and holds them out]. Old habits tend to show up. That’s coaching. That was the number one thing we will work on; and red zone production. We didn’t get stopped, we fumbled the ball. Over the past few years, we have been very good in those two areas and it did not look that way. I think we’re leading the SEC in offense; total yards, pass efficiency, third down and all that stuff. Turnovers in the red zone are critical.”
On the game plan due to Mullen’s familiarity with Florida:
“We changed our signals. We’re more multiple with our run game than we were with him. They are doing everything on defense that bothered us on offense. Dan is smart guy, but we’ll be ready.”
On lessening Coach Addazio’s workload:
“No. I think he’s working out great. We’re leading the league in rushing and scoring. I think I may put him in charge of ball control next.”
On Riley Cooper:
“I think he is one of the best. We’ve have some great receivers, but I think he’s one of the best all-purpose receiver we’ve ever had. There was no question about where we were going with that ball in the fourth quarter.”
On expanding the receiving core:
“Deonte Thompson has been hurt and missed three games. We would like to him see more action. I would like to see four guys. We have to get David Nelson and Brandon James more involved. I think every year we’ve had three over the top and mixed in another guy. Tim (Tebow) is not locked in on one guy. Play calling dictates where he’s going. Tim reads where the defense is going and makes the decision.”
On Tebow’s performance against Arkansas:
“After watching the film, I felt like we made mistakes in protection we can help him out with. After the game, I was saying, ‘Throw the ball.’ I saw what he saw. Someone told me once, ‘Tim wants to make sure he completes the ball. He’s not a chance taker. He’s not a guy who is going to take a shot when it’s not there.’ I know, he’s playing quarterback; that’s why his record is so good. It blows my mind to hear that. You can take that chance when you get your own team. Don’t take that chance when you’re trying to move the ball down field. Statistically, he is playing at a very high level. With everything he has had to deal with, his stats might not be off the charts; but how do you evaluate a quarterback? By winning and passing efficiency. Can you find anyone better than Tim?”
On using Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey as receivers:
“We are trying to get Brandon James, David Nelson, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez and Deonte Thompson some more action, on top of letting our three backs run more. I love to have that conversation. There was a time when I would say over the headset, ‘Who can we give the ball to?’ and it would be real quiet. That’s a bad deal. In Jacksonville, our first year, Eric Wilbur was our best play maker on a fake punt.”
On turnovers and Percy Harvin:
“That is something we analyze. Turnovers are No. 1. The other thing is anytime you want to hand me an NFL first round draft pick will certainly help. I will not put any blame on that. It’s a conglomeration of defense and turnovers. We have to be more efficient in the red zone.”
