Florida's Dan Mullen Says 20-30 Players Had Flu Ahead of Blowout South Carolina Loss

Florida coach Dan Mullen revealed the team had 20-30 players dealing with flu-like symptoms ahead of Saturday's 40-17 loss to South Carolina: 

“We had several guys not even come out onto the field on the bus. I don't want to make excuses for those guys, but I want to give our guys credit for battling, for facing adversity. We had a bunch of guys dealing with sickness. We had to fly some guys up separately from the team, keep everybody separated. Those guys, they still went out. Even though the large number of guys that missed practice, we had quite a few that our training staff tried to do a good job today of IV-ing guys and try to get them ready to be able to go out and perform. And so, that's what I love. I think our guys compete and they're going to work and they're going to fight and they're going to give everything they have.

"We as coaches have got to do a better job to put them in the positions for the effort they give, to put them in position to be successful."

The Gators (4-5) were dominated almost from the opening whistle to lose their third straight game, with pressure mounting on Mullen to turn things around. Florida's five losses are already a high in Mullen's four-year tenure at the school. 

The loss to South Carolina was perhaps the worst of Mullen's run in Gainesville. The Gamecocks entered the weekend with only one SEC win, a one-point squeaker over lowly Vanderbilt. However, Shane Beamer's team ran all over Florida, compiling 284 yards on the ground as Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White each went over the 100-yard mark.

South Carolina scored on its first five possessions of the game and never trailed again after taking a 10-7 lead in the first quarter. 

The depleted Gators are 2-5 in the SEC but should get back on a winning track on Saturday at home against Samford, an FCS program.