Florida's Dan Mullen: Calling Samford Win Disappointing Disrespects Game, Our Players

Florida head coach Dan Mullen is taking the high road after his team got a scare Saturday before pulling away from Samford in a 70-52 win. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Mullen said calling any victory disappointing "is disrespectful to the game and our players."

Per Adam Dubbin of Gators Wire, at least one betting sportsbook had the Gators favored by 35.5 points. 

Samford, an FCS program, entered this game with a 4-5 record. The Bulldogs have never beaten an FBS school since bringing back their football program in 1984 (0-25). 

Despite everything seemingly working against Samford, it didn't play scared against an SEC opponent. The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points late in the second quarter and had a 42-35 advantage at halftime. 

The Gators came alive in the second half with 35 points to secure the win. This marks the first time they have scored at least 70 points in a game since November 2008 against the Citadel (70-19). 

This has been a frustrating season for Florida. It started the year ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll, played Alabama close before falling 31-29 and climbed to No. 10 in the rankings as recently as Oct. 2. 

Before this weekend, though, Florida was on a three-game losing streak. It was outscored 74-24 in back-to-back losses against Georgia and South Carolina. 

Saturday's win won't change anyone's opinion of Mullen or the Gators in 2021, but they at least have something positive to build on with two games remaining in the regular season.