Florida has 22 defenders already with 10 or more tackles through seven games, and the Gators have another dozen offensive players with either double-digit carries or receptions.
None of that, explains Dan Mullen, is by accident.
The coach of the sixth-ranked Gators (6-1), who this weekend can secure a berth in the SEC Championship game by clinching the Eastern Division with a win against Kentucky, has a three-tier philosophy for his gameday approach.
“It's one of the things to me, I've always been a big believer, I like to play a lot of players,” Mullen said. “There's three reasons you do it. One, it keeps everybody fresh during all four quarters of the game. So that people aren't exhausted come the fourth quarter. Early in the game, right, we roll guys through. So if I'm a starter and I've only played 27 plays and it's the fourth quarter, I'm still fresh, ready to go make plays.”
Mullen then believes it's a better, engaged sideline if more players approach each game with an expectation to play – even in limited spurts.
“The second one, it gets everybody into the game,” Mullen said. “All of a sudden, I don't want a guy to sit there and say, 'Hey, this guy now got hurt I need you to go make the game-winning play' and I've been standing on the sidelines for three hours, never even touched the field.”
Mullen's final tenet might be most valuable; especially in an unprecedented season of a grueling 10-game, SEC-only schedule stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Then it also creates depth and experience,” Mullen said. “Young guys, they might say, 'Hey, I might only be getting eight to 10 plays but I know I'm going to get those eight to 10 plays. And if I prepare and do well, I might get 12 plays next week.
“You look at the receiver position of it as a big example of it. When you have four guys leave to go to the NFL last year, (the wideouts now) have played a bunch of football because we roll them in and we have experience. I think that just builds depth throughout the entire team and throughout the entire program and keeps you fresh throughout the season.”